'Top Chef: Masters' Cooks Up Record Ratings For Bravo

The premiere of Top Chef: Masters was the best series debut in the prime 10 p.m. Wednesday timeslot in Bravo’s history.

Masters drew 907,000 viewers 18-49, and 1.37 million total viewers Wednesday night. The 11 p.m. encore added an additional 636,000 total viewers and 434,000 P18-49.

Top Chef: Masters had the benefit of the recognizable Top Chef brand behind its launch. When the original Top Chef launched in that timeslot in 2006, it drew 907,000 total viewers, including 476,000 P18-49. Not only have more viewers tuned in, but a higher percentage of those viewers are in the highly desirable 18-49 demo. The original series has grown in total and demo viewers every season since its launch.

Top Chef: Masters breaks from the classic format by pitting established (and often famous) chefs in culinary competition for their favorite charities.