Chef Marcel Vigneron was the runner-up on Season 2 of Top Chef (2006-2007). It was a memorable season. Not just because Marcel went to the finals against Ilan Hall, who won, but also because Ilan and fellow chef Elia Aboumrad shaved their heads and went after Marcel’s elaborately coiffed hair after a night of drinking. (Marcel dodged their efforts.) At the time, Marcel was just 25 years old but he had the confidence of a veteran chef like Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio. That didn’t sit well with his competitors or viewers at home. Las Vegas Sun described Marcel as “the most-popular but least-liked contestant.” After the show ended, when recognized as the “Top Chef guy” at a club, Marcel was attacked with a glass bottle. He needed 30 stitches over his left eye.
Bravo can’t keep a character like Marcel off-camera. It’s been six years since Marcel was on Bravo — he competed on Top Chef: All Stars in 2011. In conjunction with Season 15 of Top Chef, Marcel is one of the four returning chefs competing on Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen Season 15 which premieres right after Top Chef. The other three chefs competing for a spot in the Top Chef finale are: Jennifer Carroll, Kwame Onwuachi, and Lee Anne Wong. A lot has happened to Marcel over the past ten years. He’s now executive chef and owner of two restaurants, WOLF and Beefsteak, both in Los Angeles. And he’s still rocking a beard and now wears a sort of mohawk style with his long hair pulled back. Top Chef airs Thursdays at 10pm on Bravo. Episodes of Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen are released online every Thursday night at 11pm.
