Top Chef starts this Wednesday, November 12 at 10pm on Bravo.

Filmed in New York City, Season 5 "cheftestants" hail from Whitmore Village, Hawaii; Chicago, Illinois; Taos, New Mexico; Niceville, Florida; Florence, Italy; Tampere, Finland and others. None are from the Northwest this time around.

Their backgrounds range from executive chefs, chef de cuisine, sous chefs, culinary student, caterers and restaurant owner.

Let's see who's going to have more attitude than talent, who will surprise, and most of all, who will make the cut.

So, what to do if you don't have cable? Head over to Faire Gallery Café on Capitol Hill (1351 E. Olive Way, between Melrose & Bellevue Avenues, in Seattle) and join the weekly viewing party. A friendly neighborhood stomping ground, Faire also hosts free jazz nights, wine events, art exhibits, spoken word, comedy show and Project Runway screening when in season.