Bravo will air holiday Top Chef $20,000 charity competition

At the beginning of December, Bravo will air a one-off Top Chef special that will apparently feature past contestants competing for charity, sort of like the special that preceded the third season.

The Top Chef Holiday Special “is set for Thursday, December 6 at 9:00/8:00c,” The Futon Critic reports. “No details about the event however have been released.”

However, in October, The Miami Herald reported that “South Florida chef Norm Van Aken … got the call to return as a judge in this holiday showdown.” He revealed that Tre appears on hte special, and “said the prize money was $20,000– which probably would go to a favorite charity, like the last Top Chef alum smackdown.”

The special was filmed in Chicago, where the fourth season was being filmed. The paper reports that producers “imported as much of a December feel as possible: Christmas trees and holiday decorations.”

“It was kind of like shooting ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,'” Van Aken said.