Top Chef Season 16 Finale Time & Schedule: When Is it On?

Tonight, March 14, is the finale of Top Chef season 16. The final three competitors, Kelsey Barnard Clark, Sara Bradley, and Eric Adjepong will face off one last time with the hopes of earning this season’s title of “Top Chef.” For the final episode, Bravo has made a change in the show’s airtime in their primetime schedule.

While season 16 has been airing its episodes on Thursday nights at 9pm ET/PT (8pm CT), the finale will start at a slightly later time. Bravo’s TV schedule indicates that the episode is set to air at 9:30/8:30c, and will run for an hour and a half. Expect that the winner will be announced in the final minutes of the episode, just before 11pm ET/PT (10pm CT).

If you are not able to watch the episode as it airs live, a re-run of the Top Chef finale is scheduled for 1am ET/PT. If you do not have cable, there are a number of ways in which you can stream the show online.

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The time change is due, in part, to the season 17 premiere of Project Runway which begins at 8/7c tonight on Bravo. The hour and a half premiere episode will lead right into the Top Chef season 16 finale. At 11pm ET/PT, after the winner has been announced, a new episode of Watch What Happens Live is scheduled to air.

TV Guide’s synopsis for the finale episode reads “It’s the final showdown and the top three chefs must create the best four course meal of their lives. And if the pressure isn’t already high enough, Tom reveals in a twisted turn of events only two chefs will get the chance to serve their full menu. The internationally star-studded table of diners includes Deputy Editor of FOOD & WINE Magazine Melanie Hansche, acclaimed chefs Mitsuharu Tsumara, Alexander Smalls, Dan Hong, May Chow, and Alvin Leung, along with Tom, Padma, Nilou and Graham.”

Top Chef season 16 premiered on December 6, 2018, and there were initially 15 chefs in the Kentucky-based competition. The finale episode is number 15 in the season. Last week, Michelle was eliminated from the final four, leaving Sara, Eric, and Kelsey to duke it out in the finale. During tonight’s episode there will be one more elimination, so that only two contestants are left to prove themselves worthy of the “Top Chef” title in the end.

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Two of the remaining chefs, Kelsey and Eric, have also been competing for a second title and prize: “Top Chef Fan Favorite.” The mini-contest is sponsored by San Pellegrino, and targets fans of the show on social media to vote for their favorite chef. The chef with the most votes will receive a $10,000; that winner does not have anything to do with judge’s voting for the finale (which was taped and decided before the popular vote contest was introduced to viewers).

Tune in to the season 16 finale of Top Chef tonight on Bravo, at 9:30/8:30c.