'Top Chef' Judge Gail Simmons Reveals How She Covered Up Massive Bruise For Filming After Bashing Her Face On Boulder

Usually, Hollywood's best makeup skills are reserved for creating gruesome facial injuries. But in Top Chef judge Gail Simmons' case, it's been the other way around.

Simmons recently revealed just how much Hollywood magic has gone into her on-camera appearance of late after she suffered major facial injuries after a fall.

In an Instagram post, Simmons shared that she recently slipped and bashed her face on a boulder, and the bruising was so severe it required "heavy-duty prosthetic makeup" on the Top Chef set, along with a pair of fashionably oversized glasses that were definitely NOT for her eyesight.

@gailsimmonseats/Instagram

In her Instagram caption, Simmons wrote:

"This is a makeup and wardrobe appreciation post. 💗"

She explained that she'd been flooded with messages from viewers about her new on-camera glasses in the show's past couple episodes.

She then explained why the glasses were "worn as an accessory only."

"Just 48 hrs before we shot episode 3, I tripped on a high sidewalk (no idea how!) and fell face-first into a boulder. No joke. It’s a miracle I didn’t break my nose, crush my cheekbone, or cause serious damage to my eye."

She then shouted out hair and makeup artist Tara Pagliara and stylist Charlotte Rose Coleman for helping her cover up the damage.

"[They] sprang into action to make sure the show could go on, finding heavy-duty prosthetic makeup and the right glasses to cover it all up for camera."

Simmons then included a "before" pic of just exactly what Pagliara and Coleman had to work their magic on, and, well, YIKES.

@gailsimmonseats/Instagram

The photo shows what Simmons called the "gruesome" injuries, with bruising and scrapes that fill basically one entire side of her face.

Thankfully, Simmons said that all was healed and well within two weeks. And Pagliara and Coleman's expertise was so impressive it even fooled people on set.

She explained:

"The wildest part is that even most of our crew couldn’t tell."

Just give Pagliara and Coleman all the Emmys at this point!

On Instagram, Simmons' fans and colleagues were astonished both by the injuries and how well the team were able to hide them.

Top Chef's most recent season, the North and South Carolina-setTop Chef: Carolinas, began March 9, 2026.

Simmons has been a part of the show for all 23 seasons that have aired since the show debuted in 2006. Hopefully this will be the only season she appears with massive injuries!