Yahoo Sports Padma Lakshmi Dances With ‘Top Chef’ Colleagues As She Says Goodbye to the Show
Thursday's season 20 'Top Chef' finale marked the end of Lakshmi's 17 years on the show
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Sometimes you just want one last dance before you leave the party.
Padma Lakshmi posted a video to Instagram Friday, just one day after her final episode on Top Chef aired, showing her dancing to “I Don’t Want To Be a Player No More” with her colleagues. The host can be seen grooving to the music with a backward hat on as everyone — including Amar Santana, Gregory Gourdet and Kristen Kish — danced along at what appeared to be a cast and crew pizza party.
“Bye Top Chef ❤️❤️ here’s a rare look at what we’d do to entertain ourselves— sometimes I’d get lucky and my alumni greatest hits would all be in one room!!” Lakshmi captioned the post, adding the hashtags “#family” and “#dance.”
Fans and friends took to the comments to cheer Lakshmi and her dance moves on.
“I should win an Emmy for filming this 😂 glad you set her free into the world,” Top Chef All-Star winner Melissa King wrote.
“This is everything,” a fan commented.
“OMG so fun!! All my faves, I’d love to be there! 🎉 💃🏽” said another.
Others used the comment section as an opportunity to tell Lakshmi how much they will miss her on the show after its Thursday night season 20 finale.
“You will be missed!!!!! So very very very much,” one comment read.
“Congrats @padmalakshmi so excited for your new adventures! Big shoes to fill for sure,” a follower wrote.
Lakshmi announced she would depart the show after 17 years just one week before the show's season finale.
“After much soul searching, I have made the difficult decision to leave Top Chef,” the host and judge wrote on Twitter. “Having completed a glorious 20th season as host and executive producer, I am extremely proud to have been part of building such a successful show and of the impact it had in the worlds of television and food."
“I feel it’s time to move on and make space for Taste the Nation, my books and other creative pursuits," Lakshmi added of her award-winning Hulu series, now in its second season.
Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu
Related: Top Chef Winners: Where Are They Now?
Lakshmi has starred on the series since its second season, which aired in 2006. Katie Lee Biegel hosted season 1.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, a NBCUniversal spokesperson said: “Padma Lakshmi leaves behind an incredible legacy on Bravo’s Top Chef. Her impact on the Emmy, James Beard and Critics’ Choice Award-winning series is undeniable. We are grateful to Padma for being a consummate host, judge and executive producer, and for bringing her ingenuity and exceptional palate to each episode where she ate every bite of food on the series for over 17 years and 19 seasons. She will always be part of the Top Chef and the NBCUniversal family and has a seat at the judges’ table anytime.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Lakshmi's replacement has not yet been named.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
