Tituss Burgess cordially invites you to the Last Bite Hotel. Channeling his inner Haunted Mansion, the Emmy and SAG-nominated actor (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) takes on the role of host and hotel manager in the spooky new Food Network competition series. Eight chefs had the arduous task of only bringing 13 ingredients for their entire stay. The competitors will put their cooking skills to the ultimate test as they create dishes based on the demands of the VIP guests arriving over the course of the six episodes.
Those eliminated are banished to Room 13 until there is only one left standing. The brave souls vying for the $25,000 include Brittanny Anderson (Richmond, VA), Gabriella Baldwin (Detroit, MI), Graham Campbell (Edinburg, TX), Tobias Dorzon (Baltimore, MD), Byron Gomez (Denver, CO), Kevin Lee (Oklahoma, OK), Nini Nguyen (New Orleans, LA) and Aarthi Sampath (New York, NY).
Making up the demanding VIP guest list are Esther Choi, Cat Cora, Jose Garces, Alex Guarnaschelli, Judy Joo, Poppy O’Toole, Marcus Samuelsson, Michael Symon, and Andrew Zimmern.
Here Burgess gives us the devilish details of his deadly entertaining culinary game.
Food Network
What were your first impressions when you heard the concept for the show?
Tituss Burgess: This is sort of the first of its kind for Food Network. It’s a hybrid scripted-nonscripted show where they place a storyline within a reality TV competition. That was interesting to me because it was a format we kind of developed as we went along. It’s so much fun, kooky, and off-the-wall. I thought it would be a fun concept to explore with Food Network.
Between the body language, the facial expressions, and the one-liners, you’re sure to have the audience cracking up. Where did you find inspiration for your character?
That’s a good question! I don’t know if I thought about it. There are so many people inside, my friend, that I just let them out when they decide they want to show themselves to the world. I always try to call back to the greats like Carol Burnett and other comedic icons I watched when I was a kid. She was able to pull so many rabbits out of the hat. I just thought, “Let me see how many things I can throw against the wall.” We filmed so much. I’m not sure what ends up on the show, but things got weirder and weirder as the episodes went on. I just went for it. Talking to inanimate objects as if they were real people. It was so therapeutic, so what does that say about me?
What kind of directive were you given? Was it to just be this host who is a little creepy?
I will be honest with you, friend. They let me do whatever I wanted to do. I showed up every morning. We read through the script, and I made some changes. When they rolled the cameras, we just kept rolling. I’m curious to see what you guys get to see versus all of the things we filmed, I’ll be curious to see what show you experience versus what we filmed. I went off the rails, and they welcomed it.
Tell me about the hotel. There looks to be some hidden spaces and surprises for the chefs.
It’s tucked away upstate we’ll say. There are many, many rooms, but it always seems we only have one or two guests at a time. They are very important people nonetheless who have a refined pallet. He invites these eight chefs to compete with resourcefulness and creativity. If they don’t succeed, one by one they are offed to room 13. Nobody wants to be there. The competition gets fiercer and fiercer with stakes higher and higher. Not everyone can walk away with $25,000. The hotel has its own special charm if you will.
What did you make of the competition? They each come with different backgrounds approaches, and strategies.
Each of them has a different strategy, and culinary background, which made for some of the most interesting cuisines that I have ever tasted and watched made, especially given the perimeters they were given. They were carefully selected. I will say all these people, barring and including the one who won, are going to have really fantastic careers. It was a treat to watch them do what they are really great at.
Any of the VIP guests were particularly excited to have?
I was excited for them all. I see Marcus all the time. I live up in Harlem. He is in the first episode. I want to be very clear. I’m not a chef. I don’t live in the food world. Meeting a lot of these renowned chefs for the first time was literally the first time feeling their presence and learning their pedigree and long resumes. Each had the most interesting things to say and ways into cooking. What cooking is? The story. That’s something I learned. It isn’t just walking into the kitchen and picking up whatever is in the refrigerator. They really adhere to taking a fully thought-out story. That’s something I learned from each and every one of them.
Chefs Gabriella Baldwin, Graham Campbell, Kevin Lee, Brittanny Anderson, Aarthi Sampath, and Tobias Dorzon during the Welcome Bites Cook, as seen on Last Bite Hotel, Season 1. (Food Network)
What can you tease by way of challenges?
The fun part is there are only 13 ingredients in their trunk they can bring. That’s what they have to use. They can barter and trade with one another and augment their stash, but there is nothing added to their stash when they get there. They have to operate with what they brought. It makes for a very stressful environment. There is a mandate for extreme creativity. With each challenge, their resources get smaller and smaller. The challenges get harder and harder. As the episodes go on, you’ll see these people are quite resourceful. They really understand food and stories and how to make the most of not-so-great circumstances. I think you’ll find it to be very satisfying with what these people come up with.
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How are your own culinary skills?
I’m a good cook. Most of my stuff just has lard and butter. I’m from the South. It won’t be good for you, but it will be delicious.
Is there any celeb’s house you go to where you know you’ll get a good meal?
Not really because if you want to get a good meal, you’ll come to my house.
Do you have a specialty dish?
My spaghetti is delicious. My fried chicken is fantastic. My meatloaf is really good. I’m quite good. I’m not of the caliber of the people on my show, but off-camera when the cameras are not rolling I cook well.
This show comes at the perfect time with the Halloween season getting underway. How big are you with this holiday?
Oh, I love Halloween. I love getting dressed up. I love walking through the streets and seeing everyone’s freak flag fly. It’s so exciting. I’m excited for this time of year. And the pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice anything, you got me.
Do you have a costume picked out this year yet?
I don’t! I’ve been working out, so I’m going to try to find something really slutty.
Last Bite Hotel premiere, September 24, 9/8c, Food Network.
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