Storylines from the new season of the reality/game show will start on TV, continue on webisodes and then return to TV again. Because of the nature of the show, though, viewers who miss the webisodes won't be completely lost. The Toyota-sponsored webisodes will feature eliminated "chef'testants" who get a second chance to be on the show by facing off with another who was booted. The winning contestant out of the dozen or so digital broadcasts will qualify for the on-air finale.
Like
"You can be a lean-back viewer and enjoy the show," says Lisa Hsia, executive vice president of digital for Bravo, "but we have a lot of rabid superfans who can't get enough and they can get deeper and deeper." Hsia, who emphasizes that the digital episodes are accessible not just on the web but on smartphones and tablets, says that fans don't really care how they access content and put digital media and TV on the same plane. That insight informed the high production values for the digital shows, which were shot on the same set as the TV show and hosted by the program's lead judge, Tom Colicchio (pictured).
Brad Adgate, senior vice president and director of research at Horizon Media, says that more networks will experiment with so-called transmedia storytelling and use digital media to augment the action on TV.