Top Chef Cast & Crew

The hit reality competition series returns to the site of its season three finale -- Chicago -- as 16 chefs gather to compete for the title of Top Chef, along with $100,000 in seed money to open a restaurant, a spread in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colo., and a gourmet vacation in the French Alps. This season's competition has a benign new wrinkle: Each chef is allowed to bring up to $200 in equipment and ingredients he feels he can't do without and may not find available in the "Top Chef" pantry. But there's another surprise behind the scenes: Two of this season's contestants also are life partners.