THIS YEAR'S HOTTEST HEADLINES
Top Chef, Garth Brooks, Megan Thee Stallion, and more headline Houston's hottest entertainment stories of 2022
Finally! Top Chef showcased Houston in 2022.
Sure, Los Angeles and New York City get all the headlines, but Houston is 100-percent an entertainment capital in its own right. Consider our exports to music alone: Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, and Bun B all hail from H-Town. Hey, even 50 Cent calls the Bayou City home — at least part time. (Where ya' at, LA?)
Some of those names made local and national headlines in 2022, some for history-making turns (Bun and Queen Bey), some for drama, some for both (we see you, Megan). Other huge names made headlines with their Houston visits, such as Lady Gaga, Garth Brooks, Gwen Stefani, and George Strait. A massive Houston visit celebrated city and statewide: Top Chef Houston showcased all that H-Town has to offer to the nation and world.
But it wasn't just stars making a splash — a new Houston entertainment destination aims to ride the wave of land-locked surfing attractions. Speaking of attractions, Houston will soon see a new Great Wolf Lodge, a major get for the area. And Houstonians truly showed up and showed out for the return to RodeoHouston — and downtown getting lit during the holidays.
With that, here are the headliners for our year in entertainment.
Rodeo, rodeo, rodeo
Oh, did we mention the rodeo? Not only did the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo saddle up for a triumphant, post-COVID return in 2022, but the cherished Houston event celebrated its 90th anniversary. Going big for 90 years meant some historic shows and starts. Houston rap icon Bun B became the first Black man from Houston to headline a concert — one that he made about everyone else. Houston restaurant whiz Ben Berg also had a first, as he launched The Ranch Saloon & Steakhouse, the first sit-down restaurant in rodeo history.
Not to be outdone, Pete Bell, the tall and charming local CEO who could easily be mistaken for a country star himself, kicked things off with the most over-the-top, cowboy chic Cookoff tent ever — starring handsome country act Midland for entertainment — proving that everything really is bigger in Texas.
And the shows: Bun B's epic H-Town Takeover and Gwen Stefani's red-hot show set the stage for a perfect closer: King of Country George Strait.
Hot Girl Mega-Megan gets even hotter
It's difficult to image Houston-born Megan Pete — The Stallion — having a bigger year. In 2022, she was honored with her own day in Houston by Mayor Sylvester Turner, hosted Saturday Night Live, blasted Houston-loving superstar Drake for his choice of lyrics, and landed on the cover of the annual Forbes 30 Under 30 Magazine.
Readers most hopped on the Megan-Drake feud. At issue was Drake's line in “Circo Loco” about a woman who "lie 'bout getting shots, but she still a stallion.” Megan and her Hotties unleashed the hot stuff on social media. As our entertainment writer Craig Lindsey noted, Megan is actually listed as a songwriter on Drake's Her Loss album, meaning she has not only a piece of the action, but the last laugh.
Top Chef sizzles in Houston
Well, it was about time the hottest food city in the U.S. hosted Top Chef, no? Viewers everywhere enjoyed postcards of Houston, with our familiar local food stars making guest appearances, such as Chris Shepherd, Chris Williams, and Aaron Bludorn. Chef Evelyn Garcia quickly became a star in her own right.
In his regular episode recaps, CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler observed that Chef Evelyn, despite not winning, joined the elite club of cheftestants who never hear Padma tell them to pack their knives and go. Expect to see her make guest appearances in future seasons, he adds, and garner major buzz for her own future eatery.
Garth electrifies NRG
Houston scored some major bragging rights when Brooks chose NRG Stadium to close out his wildly popular stadium tour. As our music critic/writer Johnston Farrow noted, it was one of the largest and most well-executed shows ever to hit NRG. Brooks, at 60, bounced around the stage like a man half his age, pointing to and pumping up the crowd.
Brooks nearly caused an eruption when his wife Trisha Yearwood rose — literally — from the stage to perform with her husband. “This is the last show of our stadium tour," Brooks shouted. “We didn't come here to talk about it, we came here to turn it up!” And turn it up, he did.
Harry Potter casts an exclusive spell in Houston
Big cities get big events is a truism that was reinforced when Warner Bros. cast Houston as the sole North American stop for its new Holiday Yule Ball. Fashioned after the beloved ball in the books and movie, the immersive event features a charming a dynamic cast who leads revelers through chants, dances, and even a fashion show.
Houston Potter fans, some reticent in their daily lives, told CultureMap that arriving in costume and celebrating all things Hogwarts and Potter was liberating. Butterbeer, Potter-themed food, and installations such as giant ice castle set the cinematic, storybook scene, one that fans can enjoy through the new year.
