Tom Colicchio Is Having Flashbacks To Top Chef's Scallopgate
As we near the March 9 premiere of "Top Chef" Season 20, fans and even judges are starting to wax nostalgic about the previous 20 seasons of the show (per Parade). Now that we know the big secret about what Top Chef 2023 will look like, it's easy to get caught up in the feels reminiscing about all the other seasons we've enjoyed as we gear up for the premiere. For those who haven't heard the big news, Season 20 of the long-running competition show is set to be a season like no other.
In this season, Bravo notes that eliminated and winning contestants from past seasons will compete against each other for another chance to win. But wait — there's more. The contestants will be coming from "Top Chef" iterations all around the globe, bringing together some of the best chefs in the world for a competition to beat all competitions. In honor of that international flair, this season will be filmed in London.
As fans and cast look back on 17 years of "Top Chef," judge Tom Colicchio had one less than happy memory to share via Twitter.
Scallopgate gets a reprise
In the infamous clip from "Top Chef" season 4, which judge Tom Colicchio recently shared via Twitter, cheftestant Spike Mendelsohn takes the heat for serving frozen scallops and has the audacity to clap back. When judge Colicchio is absolutely nonplussed about the use of the "terrible" frozen scallops in a dish served to the judges, Mendelsohn responds with the fiery comment that they were in guest judge Rick Tramontos' walk-in fridge. "It should never make it in the walk-in if it's not high quality," argues Mendelsohn, as we zoom in on the astounded expressions this receives from Colicchio and fellow contestants. "I'll take the shot, bro," says Tramontos as the altercation escalates, "I had frozen scallops in my cooler. But you gotta take the shot that you used them." There you have it, folks, scallops are the seafood you should never buy frozen, and definitely not serve on "Top Chef."
These days, Mendelsohn and Colicchio are cool; Mendelsohn even tweeted that "[e]very time this clip resurfaces, a little piece of me dies." 15 years after the heated exchange, they're partners in two projects. One is an NFT pizza shop (or really, pizza-themed NFT shop) called CHFTY Pizzas that includes a collection of 2,777 NFTs featuring cartoon slices of pizza dressed like little people. The second is their forthcoming app, CHFTY. Users will earn points by sharing their food experiences, whether they're eat-in, dine-out, or homemade.