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Kristen Kish may be a Top Chef champion and now a host, but it turns out her reality TV dreams extend far beyond the kitchen. In a recent cover story for Parade, the 41-year-old revealed that if she were to join another reality show, one that doesn’t revolve around food, she’d leap (quite literally) into something much more physical.
“I would like to be on American Ninja Warrior,”
Kish said with clear excitement.
“I want to try it so bad!”
And while she’s not exactly expecting to dominate the course, Kish is in it for the thrill.
“I don’t have the skillset for it. It has nothing to do with feeling good at it.”
In fact, she joked about lasting only three days on a survival show like Alone, but even then, she’d want a partner, an actual survivalist.
This mix of ambition, humor, and humility is exactly why Kish has remained a fan favorite ever since she won Top Chef season 10 back in 2013.
Kish opens up about life after Top Chef
Since her win, Kristen Kish has shifted gears. These days, she’s on the other side of the judging table, hosting the very show that made her a household name. While many former contestants have continued to compete, that’s not really her thing anymore.
“I think that there are so many great chefs, so many of my friends have gone on and competed over and over and over again, and they are just so good at it,”
She said. But for Kish, the pressure of competition doesn’t quite match her current vibe.
“I don’t think that is the natural skillset I have.”
That’s not to say she’d never do it again. A more relaxed format, maybe for a good cause, sounds like a better fit.
“I would entertain competition cooking shows, but in a less serious like weighted way. So like for charity, perhaps.”
She even joked that if someone offered her a spot on The Great British Bake Off, she’d say yes, absolutely.
Still, Top Chef holds a unique intensity.
“It’s some serious sh—. Like it’s hard. I don’t need to feel that again.”
And with Top Chef being such a central part of her career, it’s clear Kish still respects the challenge, even if she’s moved on from competing.
Her Top Chef journey wasn’t easy, but it changed everything
While fans remember her as the poised and talented winner of season 10, Kish’s journey on Top Chef wasn’t without its low points. She was eliminated during the iconic Restaurant Wars challenge but clawed her way back through Last Chance Kitchen, a moment that ended up shaping her entire experience.
“My first feeling when I got eliminated was relief because I was tired,”
She said,
“I was exhausted, mentally and physically.”
The long nights, extended judging panels, and pressure had taken their toll.
“I think that judges table was going on for… I mean, back then, stew room was like eight hours. It was crazy.”
Still, she quickly realized how badly she wanted to be back in.
“When I was eliminated, I felt, ‘OK, finally I can go sit down, I can eat, I can, like, sleep.’ Very quickly I realized that the desire to make it back in was far more than what I ever expected it to be.”
Kish didn’t just return; she won. And that emotional rollercoaster, as she called it, helped define her connection to Top Chef in a deeper way.
Coming out and finding herself through Top Chef
As part of her Parade cover story, Kristen Kish also reflected on a more personal journey, one that has everything to do with identity and visibility. Celebrating Pride Month, she shared how Top Chef helped her grow into her authentic self.
"Top Chef really encouraged me to find and to live my true, authentic life,” she said.
For someone who had spent years afraid of being judged, both internally and externally, the platform offered unexpected support.
“My whole entire life, I was scared of being judged for all the different things that I was.”
What she found on the show was not judgment, but community.
“When I went on Top Chef, and I realized that there are so many communities out there cheering for my success and to embrace all the parts of me, it almost gave me more confidence to be more myself.”
That visibility wasn’t just empowering; it was life-changing.
From the intense stew rooms and late-night eliminations to the colorful judging table she now sits at, Kristen Kish’s relationship with Top Chef is anything but typical. It’s evolved, stretched, and grown with her.
And although she’s ready to leap into other worlds, maybe with a harness or survival kit in tow, she never forgets where she came from.
“There are so many great chefs,” she said humbly. “They are just so good at it.”
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She knows her strengths lie elsewhere now, in creativity, hosting, and pushing herself in new ways.
Whether it’s on a Top Chef set or climbing a wall on American Ninja Warrior, Kish remains open, grounded, and full of surprises; just don’t expect her to last more than three days in the wild.
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