Gail Simmons, Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio as seen in "Top Chef"

Buckle up, "Top Chef" fans, because the hit cooking competition is hitting the road. That's right, Bravo is taking host Padma Lakshmi, head judge Tom Colicchio and 17 cheftestants on a six-city California road trip for lucky season No. 13. The new season gets underway with a special two-night event Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 2 and 3, on Bravo, before settling into its regular Thursday night timeslot.

There's sure to be no shortage of exciting culinary challenges for the cheftestants this season, especially as they make stops around California to cook for some of the Golden State's biggest stars.

In Palm Springs, the chefs must prepare a meal for supermodel Chrissy Teigen, whose husband is Grammy-, Golden Globe- and Oscar-winning singer John Legend. On a stop in Oakland, the chefs have to hope that their dish is "2 legit 2 quit" for Grammy-winning rapper MC Hammer. They also visit San Francisco, Santa Barbara, San Diego and Los Angeles this season.

Lakshmi, who has hosted the series since season 2, is back again with Colicchio, who has been head judge for every season. Also returning to the judges panel are veteran mainstays Gail Simmons, Richard Blais and Emeril Lagasse. Over the course of the season, other famed culinary stars are slated to stop by, including Oprah Winfrey's former chef Art Smith, James Beard Award-winning chef Hugh Acheson and "The Taste" mentor Ludo Lefebvre.

The 17 cheftestants -- who hail from all over the country -- are no slouches when it comes to the culinary industry, and that's a good thing, since the prize they're playing for is the crème de la crème of prizes. Of course, they're all vying for the ultimate title of Top Chef, but with it also comes $125,000 of cold, hard cash; a showcase at the trendy Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado; and a feature in Food & Wine Magazine.

"Top Chef" is back for a lucky 13th season, and it's shaping up to be another good competition. See who shines and who crumbles like feta when the new season of "Top Chef" kicks off with a special two-night event Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 2 and 3, on Bravo.