MasterChef (American TV series)
MasterChef is an American competitive cooking reality television series that premiered on Fox on July 27, 2010.[1] Based on the British series of the same name and produced by Endemol Shine North America and One Potato Two Potato, the series features amateur and home chefs competing to win the title of 'MasterChef'.[2] The current line-up of judges consists of Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich, and Aarón Sánchez.
| MasterChef | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Franc Roddam |
| Directed by | Rich Kim |
| Judges | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 13 |
| No. of episodes | 267 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production companies | One Potato Two Potato Reveille Productions (2010–12) Shine America (2012–14) Endemol Shine North America (2015–) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | July 27, 2010 – present |
| Related | |
| MasterChef Junior | |
On March 4, 2024, it was revealed that the fourteenth season, subtitled Generations, will premiere on May 29, 2024.[3]
Format edit
MasterChef is based on the British BBC series MasterChef. The competition takes place in the MasterChef soundstage located in Los Angeles, CA which includes a large kitchen area with several cooking stations which is overlooked by a balcony, a well-stocked pantry, a freezer/fridge area and a fine-dining restaurant/seating dining area room used for certain challenges.
While the particular format of the season has slightly varied over the years, the following challenges have all been regularly featured:
- Skills Test: Cooks are challenged to perform a list of common cooking techniques or styles, or to replicate a particular cooking method of a dish (i.e. steaks done to an exact wellness). This type of test is also sometimes used as an Elimination Test.
- Mystery Box: Cooks are all given a box with the same ingredients and must use only those ingredients to create a dish within a fixed amount of time. The judges will select three dishes based on visual appearance and technique alone to taste, and from these three select one winner who usually gains an advantage of some type.
- Elimination Test: After the challenge is explained, judges evaluate all dishes based on taste and visual appeal. The judges nominate the worst dishes for elimination and criticize them before eliminating at least one contestant.
- Team Challenge: The cooks are split into teams by either team captains or the judges. They often occur in a restaurant takeover or pop-up restaurant taking the place of the staff of a particular restaurant. Diners taste both meals and vote for their favorite. The winning team advances, while the losing team will participate in the Pressure Test or face elimination based on the teams' performance.
- Pressure Test: Another form of the Elimination Test, in which losing team members compete against each other to make a standard dish within a very limited amount of time that requires a great degree of cooking finesse. Each dish is judged on taste, visual appeal and technique, and the losing chef is eliminated.
Once the competition is reduced to either the final two or three competitors, the finalists will compete against each other in a three-course cook-off. All courses of the meal are judged and an overall winner is crowned. The winner of each season wins $250,000, a MasterChef trophy, and the title of MasterChef. Some seasons have also added other prizes such as a cookbook deal.
Judges edit
| Season | Judge 1 | Judge 2 | Judge 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gordon Ramsay | Graham Elliot | Joe Bastianich |
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 6 | Christina Tosi | ||
| 7 | Guest judges[a] | ||
| 8 | Aarón Sánchez | ||
| 9 | Joe Bastianich | ||
| 10 | |||
| 11 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 14 |
- Notes
- ^ The guest judges rotated between Sánchez, Wolfgang Puck, Edward Lee, Kevin Sbraga, Richard Blais, and Daniel Boulud
For the first five seasons, the series starred celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay (the co-creator of the series and Hell's Kitchen), Graham Elliot and restaurateur Joe Bastianich.[4] From seasons six through eight, pastry chef Christina Tosi temporarily replaced Bastianich.[5] On season seven, Elliot departed as a judge, and in place of a third judge, there were a series of guest judges, one of which was Aarón Sánchez. Since season eight, Sánchez joined as a regular judge.[6] In season nine, Bastianich returned as a regular judge, replacing Tosi.
Series overview edit
| Season | Contestants | Episodes | Originally aired | Winner | Runner(s)-up | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||||
| 1 | 14 | 13 | July 27, 2010 | September 15, 2010 | Whitney Miller | David Miller | |
| 2 | 18 | 20 | June 6, 2011 | August 16, 2011 | Jennifer Behm | Adrien Nieto | |
| 3 | 18 | 20 | June 4, 2012 | September 10, 2012 | Christine Hà | Josh Marks | |
| 4 | 19 | 25 | May 22, 2013 | September 11, 2013 | Luca Manfè | Natasha Crnjac | |
| 5 | 22 | 19 | May 26, 2014 | September 15, 2014 | Courtney Lapresi | Elizabeth Cauvel | |
| 6 | 22 | 20 | May 20, 2015 | September 16, 2015 | Claudia Sandoval | Derrick Peltz | |
| 7 | 20 | 19 | June 1, 2016 | September 14, 2016 | Shaun O'Neale | Brandi Mudd & David Williams | |
| 8 | 20 | 21 | May 31, 2017 | September 20, 2017 | Dino Angelo Luciano | Eboni Henry & Jason Wang | |
| 9 | 24 | 23 | May 30, 2018 | September 19, 2018 | Gerron Hurt | Ashley Mincey & Cesar Cano | |
| 10 | 20 | 25 | May 29, 2019 | September 18, 2019 | Dorian Hunter | Sarah Faherty | |
| 11 | 15 | 18 | June 2, 2021 | September 15, 2021 | Kelsey Murphy | Autumn Moretti & Suu Khin | |
| 12 | 20 | 20 | May 25, 2022 | September 14, 2022 | Dara Yu | Christian Green & Michael Silverstein | |
| 13 | 20 | 20 | May 24, 2023 | September 20, 2023 | Grant Gillon | Jennifer Maune & Kennedy Underwood | |
Specials edit
Note: Bold indicates the winner(s) of the challenge.
MasterChef Celebrity Showdown (aired January 18, 2016)[7]
- Ta'Rhonda Jones vs Kaitlin Doubleday from Empire (Mystery Box Challenge)
- Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker vs Terry Crews and Rebecca Crews (Cupcake Tag Team Challenge)
- Gigi Hadid vs Devon Windsor (Supermodel Signature Dish Face-off)
- Christine Hà, Luca Manfé, and Claudia Sandoval vs Addison Osta Smith, Zac Kara, and Amaya Baéz (Champions vs Juniors)
MasterChef Celebrity Showdown (aired January 2, 2017)[8]
- Cheryl Hines vs Kal Penn (Mystery Box Challenge)
- Trai Byers and Grace Gealey vs NeNe and Gregg Leakes (Tag Team Challenge)
- Ronde Barber and Tiki Barber vs. Joel Madden and Benji Madden (Pastry Challenge)
- Anthony Anderson and Chef Gordon Ramsay vs. Jordana Brewster and Chef Christina Tosi (Mystery Box Team Challenge)
- Guest judges: Season seven winner Shaun O'Neale and MasterChef Junior season five contestants: Shayne Wells and Justise Mayberry.
MasterChef Celebrity Family Showdown (aired May 15, 2019 and May 22, 2019)[9]
- Johnny Weir and his brother Boz vs. Tara Lipinski and her husband Todd (Fish Dish Showdown)
- Lisa Vanderpump and her daughter Pandora vs. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and JWoww (Blind Taste Test)
- Tori Spelling and her daughter Stella vs. Jennie Garth and her daughter Fiona (Home Fridge Swap Challenge)
- Evander Holyfield and his daughter Ebonne vs. Oscar De La Hoya and his daughter Atiana (Keeping Up with Gordon Match)
Broadcast edit
Season one aired as a summer series initially on Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET, debuting on July 27, 2010; it later moved to Wednesday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET on August 18.
On September 7, 2010, MasterChef was renewed for a second season,[10] which started with a two-night premiere on June 6, 2011.
On October 6, 2011, MasterChef was renewed for a third season, which started with a two-night premiere on June 4, 2012, following Hell's Kitchen.[11][12]
On July 23, 2012, MasterChef was renewed for a fourth season,[13][14] which premiered on May 22, 2013.[15]
On May 10, 2013, Fox renewed MasterChef for an additional two seasons, which extended the show to at least six seasons.[16]
On July 22, 2015, Fox renewed MasterChef for a seventh season.[17]
On September 19, 2018, the series had been renewed for a tenth season, which premiered on May 29, 2019 with Ramsay, Sánchez, and Bastianich returning as judges.[18][19][20][21]
On August 18, 2021, the series was renewed for a twelfth season,[22] which premiered on May 25, 2022.[23]
On September 14, 2022, Fox renewed the series for a thirteenth season, prior to the airing of the twelfth season's finale later that same day.[24] The season premiered on May 24, 2023.[25]
On August 9, 2023, the series was renewed for a fourteenth season.[26] On March 4, 2024, it was revealed that the fourteenth season subtitled Generations will premiere on May 29, 2024.[3]
Reception edit
Critical edit
The premiere episode received mixed reviews from major newspapers and online review websites, with reviews commenting that it was entertaining, but criticized the emotional aspect. The Los Angeles Times claimed[27] the contestants' back stories were "blown up," which referred to their dramatization.[27] A Reuters reviewer explained the show "manages to be hugely entertaining and involving thanks mainly to the judges’ personalities and the ability of the producers to spot emotionally charged stories."[27] The Globe and Mail said "the contrived sentimentality of it is, frankly, vomitous" referring to the emotion in contestants' reactions.[27]
The program also attracted negative attention in season two when Agence France-Presse journalist Alex Ogle discovered that the producers doctored a crowd scene said to be of "thousands upon thousands lined up" to audition for the program.[28][29] In post-production, portions of the scene were replicated so as to make the crowd look larger than it actually was, as evidenced by multiple appearances by especially noticeable people in the scene.[28][29]
In 2018, season three auditionee Jessie Glenn discussed her experiences becoming a contestant, something she was uniquely able to do because it was overlooked that she had never returned the nondisclosure contract which all applicants are required to sign.[30][31] She revealed what she described as a carefully planned campaign by the show's staff to create emotional reactions for the sake of on-air drama which caused long-term emotional distress for many contestants, a situation she said was common to most American reality television; she called the casting process "sadistic prying" to assess contestants' weaknesses and vulnerabilities and decide how best to pit contestants against one another to "cause friction and distress".[30][31][32] Glenn also revealed that One Potato Two Potato, Ramsay's production company, assessed a 15% "management fee" on contestant earnings.[31]
Ratings edit
| Season | Episodes | Premiered | Ended | TV season | Time slot (ET) | Season averages (Live + SD) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Premiere viewers (millions) | Date | Finale viewers (millions) | Viewers (millions) | 18-49 rating | ||||||
| 1 | 13 | July 27, 2010 | 5.75[33] | September 15, 2010 | 4.81[33] | 2010 | Tuesday 9:00 pm (1–3) Wednesday 8:00 pm (4–13) | 5.26[33] | 2.3[33] | ||
| 2 | 20 | June 6, 2011 | 4.40[34] | August 16, 2011 | 7.12[34] | 2011 | Monday 9:00 pm | 5.27[34] | 2.2[34] | ||
| Tuesday 9:00 pm | 5.35[34] | 2.2[34] | |||||||||
| 3 | June 4, 2012 | 5.10[35] | September 10, 2012 | 6.52[35] | 2012 | Monday 9:00 pm | 5.84[35] | 2.5[35] | |||
| Tuesday 9:00 pm | 5.67[35] | 2.4[35] | |||||||||
| 4 | 25 | May 22, 2013 | 5.30[36] | September 11, 2013 | 6.31[36] | 2013 | Wednesday 8:00 pm | 5.63[36] | 2.3[36] | ||
| 5 | 19 | May 26, 2014 | 4.26[37] | September 15, 2014 | 5.56[37] | 2014 | Monday 8:00 pm | 5.43[37] | 1.9[37] | ||
| 6 | 20 | May 20, 2015 | 3.39[38] | September 16, 2015 | 4.69[38] | 2015 | Wednesday 8:00 pm | 4.56[38] | 1.5[38] | ||
| 7 | 19 | June 1, 2016 | 3.81[39] | September 14, 2016 | 4.36[39] | 2016 | 4.03[39] | 1.3[39] | |||
| 8 | 21 | May 31, 2017 | 3.67[40] | September 20, 2017 | 4.14[40] | 2017 | 3.62[40] | 1.1[40] | |||
| 9 | 23 | May 30, 2018 | 3.52[41] | September 19, 2018 | 3.56[42] | 2018 | 3.52[41] | 1.0[41] | |||
| 10 | 25 | May 29, 2019 | 3.14[43] | September 18, 2019 | 3.17[44] | 2019 | Wednesday 8:00 pm (1-4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20–25) Thursday 8:00 pm (5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19) | 3.06[45] | 0.8[45] | ||
| 11 | 18 | June 2, 2021 | 2.55[46] | September 15, 2021 | 2.53[47] | 2021 | Wednesday 8:00 pm | 2.51[48] | 0.6[48] | ||
| 12 | 20 | May 25, 2022 | 1.75[49] | September 14, 2022 | 2.53[50] | 2022 | 2.22[51] | 0.4[51] | |||
| 13 | 20 | May 24, 2023 | 1.63[52] | September 20, 2023 | 2.44[53] | 2023 | |||||
Earlier American adaptation edit
West 175 Productions[54] produced an earlier American adaptation, MasterChef USA, broadcast on PBS from 2000 to 2001. The series format was based directly on BBC's MasterChef and lasted 28 episodes over two seasons. It was hosted by British chef Gary Rhodes, who hosted the UK version of MasterChef in 2001.
Kitchenware edit
In 2011, Reveille Productions and Shine TV, announced licensing deals with kitchenware manufacturers The Cookware Company, Triple Loop Housewares, Global Knives, and Kidsline to produce MasterChef-branded cookware, including stainless steel pans, knives, kitchen appliances, and children's cooking sets. The branded products were given to contestants on the television show to use during challenges.[55] The show changed its branding in 2013 to reflect its expanded focus on consumer products in addition to the television shows.[56] In 2018, Shine America hired Brand Central as their licensing agency,[57] and more branded products, including barbecue tools from Unibrands and children's cooking sets from Wicked Cool Toys, were announced.[58]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ . TV Tonight.com. June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on June 24, 2010. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
- ^ "Fox orders 'Idol'-style cooking competition". from the original on January 27, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- ^ a b "FOX Gets Pumped for Summer and Goes Balls to the Wall with New and Returning Unscripted Series" (Press release). Fox. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024 – via The Futon Critic.
- ^ "Graham Elliot Leaving 'MasterChef' Franchise". Deadline.com. December 19, 2015. from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 13, 2015). "'MasterChef Junior' Renewed For Season 4, Mataiasi Kalou Joins As New Judge". from the original on November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ "Chef Aarón Sánchez Joins the MasterChef Judges' Panel". Parade. February 17, 2017. from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
- ^ Maglio, Tony (December 18, 2015). "Fox to air 'MasterChef Celebrity Showdown' in January". TheWrap. from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
- ^ "An All-New "MasterChef Celebrity Showdown" Airs Monday, January 2, On Fox". Fox. from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ "Stars Cook for a Cause on the All-New, Two-Night Special "MasterChef Celebrity Family Showdown," Wednesdays, May 15 and 22, on FOX". The Futon Critic. April 8, 2019.
- ^ David Knox (September 8, 2010). . TV Tonight. Archived from the original on September 11, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ Amanda Kondolojy (March 28, 2012). . TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
- ^ Official website
- ^ Nellie Andreeva (July 23, 2012). "Fox's MasterChef Renewed For Season 4". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
- ^ Daniel Fienberg (July 23, 2012). "FOX Renews MasterChef for Fourth Season". HitFix. from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ Amanda Kondolojy (February 28, 2013). . TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ Mikey O'Connell (May 10, 2013). "Fox Inks New Deal With Gordon Ramsay, Announces MasterChef Spinoff". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ Patrick Hipes (July 22, 2015). "MasterChef Renewed for Season 7 by Fox; Judges Returning". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ Joe Otterson (September 19, 2018). "MasterChef Renewed for Season 10 at Fox". Variety. from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ "FOX Announces Summer Premiere Dates". The Futon Critic. March 27, 2019.
- ^ "MasterChef on Instagram: "Grab your aprons, #MasterChef Season 10 premieres May 29!"".
- ^ "MasterChef on Instagram: "It's only going to get hotter, bolder and more delicious! 🔥🔥 Don't miss Season 10 of #MasterChef on May 29."".
- ^ "FOX Renews MasterChef for a 12th Season, With Judges Gordon Ramsay, Aaron Sanchez and Joe Bastianich" (Press release). Fox. August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
- ^ Alexandra Del Rosario (April 5, 2022). "Fox Sets Summer Premiere Dates For So You Think You Can Dance, MasterChef, Lego Masters, Fantasy Island & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ Michael Ausiello (September 14, 2022). "MasterChef Renewed for Season 13". TVLine. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- ^ MasterChef [@MASTERCHEFonFOX] (March 29, 2023). "Mark your calendars for the Season Premiere of #MasterChef May 24th on @FOXTV. ✨" (Tweet). Retrieved March 29, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Peter White (August 9, 2023). "MasterChef Renewed For Season 14 At Fox". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ a b c d . TV Tonight.com.au. Archived from the original on July 29, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ^ a b . realityblurred.com. June 22, 2011. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ a b . Inside TV. June 22, 2011. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ a b Schumacker, Lauren (August 2, 2017). "The Untold Truth Of MasterChef". Mashed. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c Glenn, Jane K. (2022). The joy of eating : a guide to food in modern pop culture. ISBN 978-1-4408-6210-6. OCLC 1264746520.
- ^ Glenn, Jessie (December 31, 2018). "Best of 2018: I am a "MasterChef" survivor". Salon. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2010". Spotted Ratings. June 9, 2012. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2011". Spotted Ratings. June 9, 2012. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2012". Spotted Ratings. June 9, 2012. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2013". Spotted Ratings. May 25, 2013. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2014". Spotted Ratings. May 30, 2014. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2015". Spotted Ratings. May 26, 2015. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2016". Spotted Ratings. June 7, 2016. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2017". Spotted Ratings. June 1, 2017. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ a b c "SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2018". Spotted Ratings. May 31, 2018. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ Welch, Alex (September 20, 2018). . TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ Welch, Alex (May 31, 2019). . TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ^ Welch, Alex (September 19, 2019). . TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ a b "SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2019 Ratings". Spotted Ratings. June 2, 2019. from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ Marc Berman (June 3, 2021). "Wednesday Ratings: ABC and Fox Share Modest Dominance". Programming Insider. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ Mitch Metcalf (September 16, 2021). "Wednesday 9.15.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "MasterChef: Season 11 Ratings". TV Series Finale. September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ Mitch Metcalf (May 26, 2022). "Wednesday 5.25.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ Mitch Metcalf (September 15, 2022). "Wednesday 9.14.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ a b Kimball, Trevor (September 16, 2022). "MasterChef: Season 12 Ratings". canceled + renewed TV shows - TV Series Finale. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ Mitch Metcalf (May 25, 2023). "Wednesday 5.24.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ^ Douglas Pucci (September 21, 2023). "Wednesday Ratings: Fox Leads Prime Time Demos with MasterChef Season Finale". Programming Insider. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ . Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- ^ "MasterChef Brand Kitchenware Debuts At Housewares Show". HomeWorld Business. ICD Publications. March 11, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ Gosling, Emily (July 10, 2013). "A new identity for MasterChef". Design Week. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ "Brand Central Takes on MasterChef". licenseglobal.com. March 13, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ "'Masterchef' Debuts Kitchenware (Exclusive)". licenseglobal.com. March 3, 2016.
External links edit
- Official website
- MasterChef at IMDb