Bravo, Toyota And Dial Nutriskin Partner For TOP CHEF D.C.

Bravo has secured partnerships with Toyota, Dial NutriSkin, Samsung, Kikkoman and Snyder's of Hanover as official sponsors for the seventh season of Bravo's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series and the No. 1 food show on cable, "Top Chef," premiering Wednesday, June 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. These multi-platform deals provide an unprecedented level of brand exposure through exclusive in-show product integration along with a major on-air and online presence, marking the largest digital play in Bravo's history. The announcements were made by Susan Malfa, Senior Vice President, Ad Sales, Bravo Media and Oxygen Media.

"We continue to develop substantial multi-platform opportunities for our partners to bring consumer awareness and exposure to their brands, while also delivering creative and exciting new ways for viewers to engage and interact with 'Top Chef'," said Malfa.

Toyota returns to the series for the seventh consecutive year as a sponsor, with Dial NutriSkin, Samsung, Kikkoman, Snyder's of Hanover and Hilton Hotels joining as first-time sponsors. Elements of the fully integrated sponsorships surrounding "Top Chef D.C." include:

Toyota is a fully integrated sponsor, and Toyota Sienna minivans serve as the primary transportation vehicles for the competing chef'testants as they make their way around Washington D.C. for "Top Chef" challenges. Toyota also will receive featured integrations across the series. Additionally, Toyota will serve as an episodic prize partner by giving the winner of one elimination challenge a new Toyota Avalon. Brand new for this season, Toyota will sponsor and have the Sienna integrated into a custom webisode series on www.BravoTV.com, which will star past chef'testants Carla Hall and Richard Blaise as they tour Washington D.C. in a Toyota Sienna, creating dishes inspired by each location they visit. The webisode series will also be made available to fans to publish to their websites or social networking sites.

Dial NutriSkin will provide a $125,000 cash prize to the "Top Chef" winner, in addition to cash prizing for five Quickfire challenges over the course of the season. Custom vignettes featuring the current chef'testants' sharing details on their morning routines will be revealed on-air. Digitally, Dial NutriSkin will sponsor blogs and the live voting interactive element for the series, in which fans can vote and be entered for a chance to win a $10,000 grand prize.

Additional Sponsors of "Top Chef D.C." include the following:

Samsung will sponsor two custom on-air vignettes featuring a past chef'testant cooking summer-inspired meals easily stored for entertaining, The vignettes will drive viewers to www.BravoTV.com for the Samsung-sponsored Summer Entertaining Guide, which will include step-by-step video footage on how to throw the perfect Summer soiree, including recipes and decorating tips. Samsung also sponsors the "Top Recipe" webisode series showing fans how to recreate the season's winning dishes, available to view at www.BravoTV.com and as a downloadable widget.

Snyder's of Hanover signs on as a sponsor for season seven and will be hosting the "Top Chef D.C." B-Hive at www.BravoTV.com, which will assist viewers in throwing weekly viewing parties for their fellow food-obsessed friends by offering party ideas and games. Snyder's of Hanover is sponsoring viewing party kits that will be sent to select fans and include Snyder's of Hanover pretzels, "Top Chef" t-shirts, napkins, a pretzel bowl and mustard. The Snyder's of Hanover-sponsored B-Hive on www.Bravotv.com also will include an area where fans will be able to upload pictures from their parties and enter for a chance to win a $5,000 "Top Chef D.C." Restaurant Experience. Snyder's of Hanover also will sponsor the "Top Chef D.C." Finale Talk Bubble, a multi-platform social media event hosted by "Top Chef" chef'testants. Viewers interact with talent via live tweets, Facebook posts and mobile messages and have the opportunity to see their tweets featured on air within the show. Fans can also participate in polls and send viral videos to friends at www.BravoTV.com.

Kikkoman joins this season as a sponsor of the Summer Grilling Tip vignettes featuring Kevin Gillespie from "Top Chef: Las Vegas" as he offers helpful advice on the BBQ. Kikkoman will also sponsor the weekly "Top Chef D.C." chef'testant exit interviews featured on www.BravoTV.com.

For the seventh consecutive cycle, Bravo continues its overall series partnership with Food & Wine magazine, including the expertise of the magazine's special projects director Gail Simmons as a series judge. The magazine will once again provide prizing for the series - the winner of "Top Chef D.C." will be featured in a future issue and will be showcased at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.

This season, Bravo adds Hilton Hotels as a series partner, leveraging the Hilton brand to expand Bravo's own consumer footprint. Hilton will provide six challenge prizes throughout the season, awarding the challenge winners with exciting culinary experience trips to Hilton destinations around the world. Hilton will also be incorporated on-air as the theme of an episode elimination challenge, with the challenge winner being awarded with a Hilton vacation and a featured dish on Hilton menus across the country. Hilton will also distribute one million limited edition co-branded key cards within select hotels across the U.S., feature Bravo on their in-house TV menus and launch "The Hilton Culinary Getaway", a consumer sweepstakes offering a culinary experience at Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona in Spain.

Bravo's "Top Chef" offers a fascinating window into the competitive, pressure-filled environment of world-class cookery and the restaurant business at the highest level. The series features seventeen aspiring chefs who compete for their shot at culinary stardom and the chance to earn the prestigious title of "Top Chef." Each episode holds two challenges for the chefs. The first is a Quickfire test of their basic abilities and the second is a more involved elimination challenge designed to test the versatility and inventiveness of the chefs as they take on unique culinary trials such as working with unusual and exotic foods or catering for a range of demanding clients. The challenges not only test their skills in the kitchen, but also uncover if they have the customer service, management and teamwork abilities required of a Top Chef. The competing chefs live and breathe the high-pressure lifestyle that comes with being a master chef and each week someone is asked to "pack up their knives" and go home.

Once again returning to the kitchen, cookbook author, actress and host Padma Lakshmi presides over the judge's table alongside head judge Tom Colicchio, recent James Beard Award-winner and chef/owner Craft Restaurants, and judge Gail Simmons of Food & Wine magazine. Joining the series as a regular guest judge is Eric Ripert, award-winning chef and owner of the acclaimed Le Bernardin restaurant in New York City, the 15th ranked best restaurant in the world.

The Emmy-nominated Magical Elves return to produce "Top Chef D.C." Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz ("Top Chef Masters," "Dance Your Ass Off"), Liz Cook and Casey Kriley serve as executive producers. Chaz Gray serves as co-executive producer.

Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBC Universal cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com.

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