UPDATED: CNBC REVEALS THE EIGHTEEN CULINARY TEAMS COMPETING FOR AN INVESTMENT ON SEASON THREE OF 'RESTAURANT STARTUP'

Joe Bastianich, Tim Love and Antonia Lofaso Return for Season Three

New Investor Elizabeth Blau Joins the Deal Table for New Season, Premiering Wednesday, January 6 at 10PM ET/PT

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. - December 14, 2015 - CNBC today announced the 18 culinary entrepreneurs striving to secure an investment on the new season of "Restaurant Startup," premiering Wednesday, January 6 at 10PM ET/PT. Produced by Endemol Shine North America, the nine one-hour episodes highlight the hunt for the next wave of food visionaries: would-be restaurateurs with big ideas but little capital.

"Restaurant Startup" features restaurateur and TV personality Joe Bastianich and chef and restaurateur Tim Love, who vie to invest their own money in restaurant concepts they believe could make them millions. Joining the deal table this season is Elizabeth Blau, a restaurateur and consultant who advises hospitality companies around the world.

The entrepreneurs bringing new culinary concepts to the table this season are:

· 55 Steak - Glendale, NY

· Bocadillo - Portland, OR

· Chas Germain - Los Angeles, CA

· Full Circle Tavern - Dallas, TX

· gastroPod - Miami, FL

· Gloria Jean's Fine Southern Provisions - Kingston, TN

· I Got Balls - Staten Island, NY

· Midgley's Public House -Stockton, CA

· Old New York - West Harlem, NY

· Peli Peli Kitchen - Houston, TX

· Rolz - Louisville, KY

· S&R Eatery - Miami, FL

· Shamone - Cape May, NJ

· Smoke - Harrisburg, PA

· Subdus - Chicago, IL

· Taste - Oklahoma City, OK

· The Chef and I - Nashville, TN

· The Copper Hen - Minneapolis, MN

In the premiere episode, "Raising the Stakes," airing Wednesday, January 6 at 10PM ET/PT, Joe and Tim hear from two teams looking to strip the classic steakhouse of all the stuffiness. Glendale, New York's 55 Steak is the project of a scrappy butcher turned restaurateur, who wants to give his hometown of Queens high-end food without pretension. Meanwhile, Midgley's Public House in Stockton, California is serving up top-notch cuts without the tuxedoed waiters and starched tablecloths. Will either team impress the investors enough to secure the deal of a lifetime?

Each week on "Restaurant Startup," two teams are invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of two investors. But only one team will receive the opportunity of a lifetime. The chosen team is given the keys to a working restaurant in Los Angeles. They get 36 hours and $7,500 to put their concept to the test and create a business plan; come up with a branding campaign; and finally, launch their dream restaurant. Under the watchful eye of culinary consultant Antonia Lofaso, the aspiring food moguls open their doors, serve their food, and test their concept on the public. Based on the reaction from the diners, the quality of the branding, and the viability of the business plan, Bastianich, Love, and Blau decide whether or not they will put their own money on the line to make someone's dreams come true - and, hopefully, make big money for themselves.

To learn more about "Restaurant Startup," visit: http://restaurantstartup.cnbcprime.com. Like us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/restaurantstartuptv and follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RestStartup |@RestStartup

"Restaurant Startup" is produced for CNBC by Endemol Shine North America and JB Crushed, LLC with David Tibballs, Eden Gaha, Robin Feinberg and Joe Bastianich as executive producers. Jim Ackerman and Luke Bauer are the executive producers for CNBC.

About CNBC:

With CNBC in the U.S., CNBC in Asia Pacific, CNBC in Europe, Middle East and Africa, CNBC World and CNBC HD , CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-time financial market coverage and business information to approximately 386 million homes worldwide, including more than 97 million households in the United States and Canada. CNBC also provides daily business updates to 400 million households across China. The network's 15 live hours a day of business programming in North America (weekdays from 4:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC News bureaus worldwide. CNBC at night features a mix of new reality programming, CNBC's highly successful series produced exclusively for CNBC and a number of distinctive in-house documentaries.

CNBC also has a vast portfolio of digital products which deliver real-time financial market news and information across a variety of platforms. These include CNBC.com, the online destination for global business; CNBC PRO, the premium, integrated desktop/mobile service that provides real-time global market data and live access to CNBC global programming; and a suite of CNBC Mobile products including the CNBC Real-Time iPhone and iPad Apps.

CNBC is a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. For more corporate information, visit www.nbcuniversal.com.

About Endemol Shine North America:

Endemol Shine North America delivers world-class content and compelling storytelling to multiple platforms in the U.S. and across the globe. Endemol Shine North America is part of Endemol Shine Group, the newly launched global content creator, producer and distributor with a diverse portfolio of companies in the U.S. that are behind some of the most prominent hit television formats and series in the world. Its Endemol Shine Studios division develops and produces original scripted television programming in the U.S. for global exploitation and Endemol Shine Latino oversees all Spanish-language sales and development in both the U.S. and Mexico. And subsidiary production companies include Authentic Entertainment, Original Media, True Entertainment and 51 Minds Entertainment. In addition, Endemol Shine North America has a strategic partnership with Ryan Seacrest Productions.

Endemol Shine Group's companies in North America are behind hit series including Below Deck (Bravo), Bullseye (FOX), Big Brother (CBS), The Biggest Loser (NBC), Hell on Wheels (AMC), Ink Master (Spike), It Takes a Church (GSN), Kingdom (DirecTV), Knife Fight (Esquire), MasterChef (FOX), MasterChef Junior (FOX), Restaurant Startup (CNBC), Swamp People (History), The Island (NBC), The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo), Steve Harvey (NBCU), T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle (VH1), Steve Austin's Broken Skull Challenge (CMT) and many more.