With 'Top Chef' coming, these are some of Wisconsin's most iconic reality TV moments
Who's ready for some cheese curds (with foie gras), bratwurst (ceviche) and frozen yogurt (gazpacho)? "Top Chef" is coming to Wisconsin for its next season, marking a major culinary and reality television milestone for the Badger State.
Bravo described the new season's setting as "the energetic and unique culinary scenes in Milwaukee and Madison. With a backdrop of picturesque landscapes, acres of farmland, miles of shoreline and vibrant urban communities, the cheftestants will explore the fresh flavors and local bounty of this rising culinary destination."
Let's eat!
Where will it rank among the most iconic moments in Wisconsin reality television history? Only time will tell. But these are the others that come to mind.
Sue Hawk's 'Snake and Rat' speech (2000)
The Palmyra native truck driver was a contestant on the first season of "Survivor" in 2000, when the show became a cultural phenomenon and ushered in a generation of reality television. She was actually one of two Wisconsinites on the show in the South China Sea, taking fourth, but she delivered an iconic speech on the finale that will live on in reality television history, with more than 51 million people tuning in to CBS for the result.
Comparing the final two contestants to a snake (winner Richard Hatch) and a rat (Kelly Wiglesworth), Hawk seemingly played a role in swaying the vote at the final tribal council, featuring the ousted castmates voting on the ultimate champion.
"I feel we owe it to the island’s spirits that we have learned to come to know to let it be in the end the way that Mother Nature intended it to be," she said in closing. "For the snake to eat the rat." It's not quite "Top Chef"-level cuisine, but it's effective imagery!
The speech has been frequently cited as one of the great moments in reality television history and certainly in "Survivor" lore.
The first couple of Wisconsin reality stardom (1997)
Before "Survivor" took reality TV to new heights, MTV hit "The Real World" brought castmates in from different backgrounds to find out what happened "when people stopped being polite and started getting real." With cameras rolling, of course.
A native of Hayward in northern Wisconsin, Sean Duffy joined the cast for its sixth season in Boston and later participated in "Road Rules All-Stars," where he met his future wife, Rachel Campos. She had been a castmate in the show's breakthrough third season set in San Francisco, featuring two of the most memorable castmates in show history: Pedro Zamora, battling an AIDS diagnosis; and David "Puck" Rainey, who frequently clashed with just about everyone else.
The couple has been heavily involved in Wisconsin state politics, with Duffy elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the state's Seventh District in 2011; he retired from that position in 2019 but has remained active as a television correspondent. Campos-Duffy is a co-host on "Fox and Friends Weekend."
"The Real World" has featured multiple Wisconsinites on its show — so has the subsequent competition-based reality shows featuring many of the same castmates. They include River Falls native Landon Lueck of the Philadelphia season (2004) and Delafield's Julie Stoffer of the New Orleans season (2000).
Stoffer was somewhat famously asked to leave Brigham Young University, with the Mormon church-backed school apparently uncomfortable with her having roommates of the opposite sex as part of the show.
Donald Driver wins 'Dancing With the Stars' (2012)
Even before he reported to training camp for his 14th and final season with the Green Bay Packers, Packers receiver Donald Driver had scored one of his biggest wins.
Surely bolstered by votes from a legion of Packers fans, Driver won the "Dancing With the Stars" competition, defeating presumed favorites actor William Levy and classical singer Katherine Jenkins for the crown.
That was in May; in September, Driver began his final Packers campaign and finished his career as the franchise's all-time leader in receiving yards; he was added to the Packers Hall of Fame in 2017. Nonetheless, his tenure on "Dancing With the Stars" resonates as one of his highlighted achievements,
Danny Gokey croons his way to third place on 'Idol' (2009)
"American Idol" was still surging as one of the most popular television shows ever when Milwaukee native Danny Gokey appeared on the show's eighth season.
Gokey's story included the recent death of his wife, Sophia, to a heart condition. The two were high school sweethearts at Vincent High School in Milwaukee
He parlayed his time on the show into a recording career, starting as a country musician and then transitioning to contemporary Christian music. He was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for "Rise" in 2018 and has recorded eight albums.
More: 'American Idol' alum Danny Gokey steps up to help those living in Milwaukee food deserts
'Food Wars' gives the nod to AJ Bombers over Sobelman's (2010)
Who's got the best burger in town? Long before "Top Chef" came sniffing around, "Food Wars" settled the subject for us.
The Travel Channel show that aired in 2010 went to various cities across the country to settle a debate between two brands producing a similar item. For Milwaukee, it was a question of who had the best cheeseburger, with Sobelman's and AJ Bombers as the contestants.
A three-judge panel gave the nod to Bombers. The two Milwaukee eateries had to make a cheeseburger using Wisconsin Colby cheese and Nueske's bacon.
University of Wisconsin food scientists win 'The Amazing Race' (2015)
Speaking of food, a pair of University of Wisconsin food science graduate students won "The Amazing Race 25," winning the globetrotting contest that featured 11 teams.
Amy DeJong, initially from Illinois, and Maya Warren, originally from Missouri, were dubbed the "Sweet Scientists" and traveled 26,000 miles through eight countries in 25 days to become the third all-female team to take the prize. Today, Warren is an ice cream scientist. Let's get her on "Top Chef"!
Milwaukee attorney wins big money in 'Big Brother' (2021)
Milwaukeean Xavier Prather won "Big Brother" in September 2021 and captured the $750,000 grand prize — the largest ever awarded on the CBS reality-competition series. In the process, he became the first Black champion in the show's 21-year run.
Prather revealed he was playing the game in honor of his late brother, who died shortly before the competition began and left behind a son.
Trixie Mattel, who got her start in Milwaukee's drag scene, wins 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' (2018)
Trixie Mattel, who got her start in the Milwaukee drag scene, won Season 3 of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars."
Mattel's prize for out-runwaying, out-lip-syncing and out-fabulous-ing her nine competitors: $100,000, the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar" and membership in the "Drag Race Hall of Fame."
Mattel — the alter ego of Silver Cliff native Brian Firkus — had previously appeared on Season Seven of "RuPaul's Drag Race."
Mattel is a successful singer-songwriter, owns a cosmetics company, did a renovation series with Discover+ called Trixie Motel, and is a co-owner of This is It!, the longest-running LGBTQ+ bar in Wisconsin and one of the oldest in the country.
Mattel often works with fellow drag superstar Katya Zamolodchikova. Their collabs have included tours, their New York Times best-selling book titled “Trixie and Katya's Guide to Modern Womanhood" and a podcast called “The Bald And The Beautiful."
Waukesha native Nick Viall is the ultimate 'Bachelor' franchise veteran (multiple years)
Waukesha native Nick Viall is the ultimate "Bachelor" franchise veteran.
Viall appeared on Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe's seasons of "The Bachelorette." In both, he was sent home as the runner-up during the series finale.
During his first appearance on the show, Viall took Dorfman on a hometown date in Milwaukee. The pair visited Lakefront Brewery and the Milwaukee Public Market before heading to the 'burbs so Viall could introduce Dorfman to his family.
Viall would later be on the ABC spin-off "Bachelor in Paradise" and become "The Bachelor."
Viall — who attended Waukesha North High School and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee — is now the host of the popular podcast "The Viall Files," author of the book "Don't Text Your Ex Happy Birthday: And Other Advice on Love, Sex, and Dating," and founder of Natural Habits Essential Oils.
Soon, he'll be a bachelor no more. He proposed to his girlfriend, Natalie Joy, earlier this year.
Shorewood bakery owner Kimberly Adams competes on Food Network, other shows (multiple years)
If you watch the Food Network, you may recognize Shorewood bakery owner Kimberly Adams.
Adams, a cake artist, made her Food Network debut in 2010. A coworker at the time entered her in the "Hometown Showdown" cake-decorating contest in New York without telling her. She ended up winning.
Since then, Adams has competed on the Food Network's "Cupcake Wars," "Sugar Dome," "Macy's Thanksgiving Cake Spectacular," "Holiday Wars" and "Halloween Wars" twice. Adams won Food Network Canada's "The Big Bake" in 2022 after previously competing on it in 2019.
Adams was also a judge on "Buddy vs. Duff," a competition series between "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro and pastry chef and former "Ace of Cakes" star Duff Goldman.
In 2016, Adams was featured on a Steve Harvey show about "people who work a full-time job, but their passion is something different," she said in a previous Journal Sentinel interview. Adams was urged to pursue her baking dreams, got mentoring help from Lorraine Pascal, a judge on the Food Network's "Holiday Baking Champion," and "Real Housewives of New York" star Bethany Frankel, along with a $10,000 check from RetailMeNot.com.
In 2017, Adams — a Greendale High School graduate — started doing cakes full time. In December 2020, she opened Signature Sweets.
Her bakery even has its own day, per a 2016 proclamation from former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
Adams has also competed on "You Bet Your Life with Jay Leno" and was featured on "Sister Circle."
Milwaukee chef Adam Pawlak competes on 'Hell's Kitchen' and 'Superchef Grudge Match' (multiple years)
Milwaukee chef Adam Pawlak, who owns Egg & Flour Pasta Bar, competed on Season 19 of "Hell's Kitchen" and later won the Food Network's "Superchef Grudge Match."
In 2021, Pawlak told the Journal Sentinel that he watched "every season" of "Hell's "from Day 1" since its debut in 2005, and mused about going back in time to tell his past self he'd be cooking there someday.
"It’s just crazy to be able to experience it, and live and learn," Pawlak said during that interview.
During his time on Hell's, his steak and eggs dish earned him a win over his competitor, Declan Horgan. Pawlak would end up challenging Horgan to compete on "Superchef Grudge Match," a show with the premise of chefs settling a grudge through a food competition.
Pawlak accused Horgan of backstabbing him in "Hell's Kitchen," which led to Pawlak's elimination.
Pawlak came out victorious on "Grudge Match," which aired earlier this year, earning himself a knife from his opponent and $10,000.
"It was so much validation that I was meant to be a cook," Pawlak said following the win.
Taylor Amann wins 'Team Ninja Warrior: College Madness' as UW-Madison student, makes it to finals of 'American Ninja Warrior' (multiple years)
When Taylor Amann was a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016, she competed and won "Team Ninja Warrior: College Madness," a college edition of the program, with two schoolmates.
The Hartland native started competing in gymnastics at age 5 as a part of Midwest Twisters Gymnastics, then with the Arrowhead High School team.
She left gymnastics for pole vaulting her junior year of high school. During college, she was a three-time Big Ten champion and two-time All-American, among many other accolades.
In 2019, Amann was one of more than 100 people who competed in the Oklahoma City qualifiers for "American Ninja Warrior." She placed among the top five women and top 30 overall to advance to the city finals.
To make it to the national finals in Las Vegas, Amann had to be among the top 12 overall or place among the top two women. She made it to the eighth obstacle of the 10-obstacle course in a faster time than any other woman to advance.
She was eliminated during Stage 1 of the national finals.
She came back for Season 12, which was a different type of season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also Season 13, during which she made it to the semifinals.
More: Wisconsin native remembers wild 'American Gladiators' journey as Netflix doc premieres
Rumor wins the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show (2017)
Is the annual dog competition technically "reality television"? Who can say? All we know is when we watch "Top Chef" or the dogs, we hope the judges know what they're doing because our only standard on either subject is to classify it as "good."
Rumor, a 5-year-old Wisconsin German Shepherd from Edgerton (Kenlyn Kennels), won Best in Show at the 141st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden, one year after falling short to CJ, a German shorthaired pointer, in the same competition.
Jordyn Noennig and Chris Foran of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: With 'Top Chef' coming, re-visit Wisconsin's iconic reality TV moments