Why Are So Many Winners of This Reality Show From Hudson Valley?

There have been six champions with Hudson Valley roots crowned in all 16 seasons of a popular reality show.

The Hudson Valley is certainly doing something right when it comes to one reality TV show. It's not uncommon for locals to appear on TV. We've had people from our area appear on seasons of The Bachelorette, American Ninja Warrior, Master Chef and even MTV's Jersey Shore (even though we're all trying to forget that Snooki was from Ulster County). But there's one reality show that locals seem to dominate, and the reason why is actually pretty obvious.

The winner of this year's Top Chef on Bravo is Kelsey Barnard Clark who is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Clark joins five other alumni from the school who have all gone on to win the top prize. In addition, eight CIA graduates have made it to the finals, and three have nabbed the Top Chef  "Fan Favorite" title.

It's more than any other culinary school in the world, and something the CIA is extremely proud of. In a release, the school congratulated Clark and boasted their graduates' "unparalleled success" on the show.

Other Top Chef winners who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America include Harold Dieterle (Season 1), Ilan Hall (Season 2), Hung Huynh (Season 3), Richard Blais (Season 8) and Nicholas Elmi (Season 11).

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