RTVE launches Top Chef: Sweets and Celebrities , a new version of the popular culinary brand focused on pastry and featuring well-known personalities. It's an adaptation of the international format Top Chef VIP Just Desserts , which will bring together celebrities from television, sports, music, and film to compete to become top pastry chefs.
The competition presents demanding pastry challenges where participants must demonstrate technique, creativity, and composure: from reinterpreting classics to creating signature desserts. Each episode will be marked by high pressure on set and the verdict of a panel of experts who will evaluate flavor, execution, and presentation.
What does the new pastry talent propose?
The competition will combine quick tests with more complex technical challenges : laminated doughs, precise glazes, perfect baking, and even techniques like flambéing . The aim is to measure the contestants' dexterity, planning skills, and attention to detail .
In each episode, the dishes will be judged by a panel of experts , who will focus on the balance of flavors, the difficulty of the technique used, and the aesthetics of the presentation. The competitive tension will coexist with the showmanship characteristic of the brand.
The tone strikes a balance between fun and rigor : there's room for creativity and surprise, but execution errors are punished. The celebrities, far from their comfort zone, will have to adapt to the pace of professional cooking and tight deadlines.
The promise is to offer viewers visually appealing and technically sound desserts , while maintaining the competitive identity that has made the Top Chef brand recognizable worldwide.
Production and changeover on the grid
The project is produced by RTVE in collaboration with Boxfish , the company responsible for the two seasons of Bake Off: Celebrities in the Oven that aired on the public broadcaster. This new venture aims to take over from the previous baking format , which will not be continuing, and to bolster RTVE's prime-time entertainment lineup.
The alliance with Boxfish facilitates a natural transition towards a baking competition with its own unique stamp, leveraging technical expertise and recent learning in the genre.
The Top Chef brand in Spain: from knife to meringue
The return of the show marks a shift from the era popularized by Antena 3 between 2013 and 2017 , which focused on professional chefs and was led by Alberto Chicote alongside Susi Díaz and Paco Roncero. That Top Chef series originated at Atresmedia (it was considered for laSexta but ended up on Antena 3 after the success of MasterChef on La 1) and left behind memorable moments for viewers and a significant impact on Spanish haute cuisine.
In this phase, RTVE is proposing a celebrity-versus-bakery approach , maintaining the competitive tension but shifting it to the realm of sweets. In the past, the brand has given visibility to names like Begoña Rodrigo and Rakel Cernicharo , exemplifying the television impact the format can generate.
Other profiles such as Angel León or Yayo Daporta also had a presence in previous editions, consolidating the culinary prestige of the jury and the level of demand that will now be translated to the pastry.
A global phenomenon with an NBCUniversal seal
Premiering in 2006 in the United States, Top Chef (Magical Elves Productions) has won two Emmy Awards and aired 22 seasons. More than 100 Michelin-starred chefs have appeared on the show , and its influence has spread through traveling shoots and local versions in North America, Europe, and the Middle East.
The format, licensed by NBCUniversal Formats (Universal Studio Group), has 30 international adaptations , with spin-offs such as Top Chef VIP (three seasons in Chile and four on Telemundo) and Top Chef Junior in Panama. In Spain, the VIP variant, Just Desserts , is now being developed, following the success of pastry-focused editions in countries like Sweden and Thailand.
From Canada (11 seasons) to France (16) and the Middle East (7), the Top Chef ecosystem has demonstrated resilience and adaptability . The Spanish pastry version fits into this pattern, with celebrities as the driving force of entertainment.
The combination of a well-established international brand , Boxfish production, and a focus on pastry positions Top Chef: Sweets and Celebrities as RTVE's new great sweet talent show, with high-level challenges, a demanding jury, and the participation of well-known faces willing to take on the most challenging desserts.
