MasterChef (American TV series) explained

Genre:
Creator:Franc Roddam
Director:Rich Kim
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:14
Num Episodes:278
Executive Producer:
Producer:
  • Justin Brooks
  • Jefferson Strouse
Runtime:42 minutes
Company:One Potato Two Potato
Reveille Productions (2010–12)
Shine America (2012–14)
Endemol Shine North America (2015–)
Network:Fox
Last Aired:present
Related:MasterChef Junior

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.

The fourteenth season, subtitled Generations, premiered on May 29, 2024.

Format

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:

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

SeasonJudge 1Judge 2Judge 3
1Gordon RamsayGraham ElliotJoe Bastianich
2
3
4
5
6Christina Tosi
7Guest judges
8Aarón Sánchez
9Joe Bastianich
10
11
12
13
14
Notes

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.[3] From seasons six through eight, pastry chef Christina Tosi temporarily replaced Bastianich.[4] 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.[5] In season nine, Bastianich returned as a regular judge, replacing Tosi.

Series overview

Specials

Note: Bold indicates the winner(s) of the challenge.

MasterChef Celebrity Showdown (aired January 18, 2016)[6]

MasterChef Celebrity Showdown (aired January 2, 2017)[7]

MasterChef Celebrity Family Showdown (aired May 15, 2019 and May 22, 2019)[8]

Broadcast

Season one aired as a summer series initially on Tuesday nights at 9:00p.m. ET, debuting on July 27, 2010; it later moved to Wednesday nights at 8:00p.m. ET on August 18.

On September 7, 2010, MasterChef was renewed for a second season,[9] 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.[10]

On July 23, 2012, MasterChef was renewed for a fourth season,[11] [12] which premiered on May 22, 2013.[13]

On May 10, 2013, Fox renewed MasterChef for an additional two seasons, which extended the show to at least six seasons.[14]

On July 22, 2015, Fox renewed MasterChef for a seventh season.[15]

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.[16] [17] [18] [19]

On August 18, 2021, the series was renewed for a twelfth season,[20] which premiered on May 25, 2022.[21]

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.[22] The season premiered on May 24, 2023.[23]

On August 9, 2023, the series was renewed for a fourteenth season.[24] On March 4, 2024, it was revealed that the fourteenth season subtitled Generations will premiere on May 29, 2024.[25]

On May 13, 2024. the series was renewed for a fifteenth season.[26]

Reception

Critical

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. 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." The Globe and Mail said "the contrived sentimentality of it is, frankly, vomitous" referring to the emotion in contestants' reactions.

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".[32] Glenn also revealed that One Potato Two Potato, Ramsay's production company, assessed a 15% "management fee" on contestant earnings.

Ratings

SeasonEpisodesPremieredEndedTV seasonTime slot (ET)Season averages (Live + SD)
Datespan style="width:10%; font-size:smaller; line-height:100%;"Premiere viewers
(millions)		Datespan style="width:10%; font-size:smaller; line-height:100%;"Finale viewers
(millions)		span style="width:8%; background:#ffa700;"Viewers (millions)span style="width:8%; background:#ffa700;"18-49 rating
113July 27, 20105.75[33] September 15, 20104.812010Tuesday 9:00 pm (1–3)
Wednesday 8:00 pm (4–13)		5.262.3
220June 6, 20114.40[34] August 16, 20117.122011Monday 9:00 pm5.272.2
Tuesday 9:00 pm5.352.2
3June 4, 20125.10[35] September 10, 20126.522012Monday 9:00 pm5.842.5
Tuesday 9:00 pm5.672.4
425May 22, 20135.30[36] September 11, 20136.312013Wednesday 8:00 pm5.632.3
519May 26, 20144.26[37] September 15, 20145.562014Monday 8:00 pm5.431.9
620May 20, 20153.39[38] September 16, 20154.692015Wednesday 8:00 pm4.561.5
719June 1, 20163.81[39] September 14, 20164.3620164.031.3
821May 31, 20173.67[40] September 20, 20174.1420173.621.1
923May 30, 20183.52[41] September 19, 20183.56[42] 20183.521.0
1025May 29, 20193.14[43] September 18, 20193.17[44] 2019Wednesday 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
1118June 2, 20212.55[46] September 15, 20212.53[47] 2021Wednesday 8:00 pm2.51[48] 0.6
1220May 25, 20221.75[49] September 14, 20222.53[50] 20222.22[51] 0.4
1320May 24, 20231.63[52] September 20, 20232.44[53] 2023

Earlier American adaptation

See main article: MasterChef USA.

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

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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Master chief USA Teaser. TV Tonight.com. June 21, 2010. June 21, 2010. June 24, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100624095715/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/06/masterchef-usa-teaser.html. dead.
  2. Web site: Fox orders 'Idol'-style cooking competition . July 21, 2010 . January 27, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100127142943/http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/11/fox-masterchef-gordon-ramsay-.html . live .
  3. Web site: Graham Elliot Leaving 'MasterChef' Franchise. Deadline.com. December 19, 2015. February 1, 2016. February 1, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160201155322/http://deadline.com/2015/12/graham-elliot-leaving-masterchef-franchise-1201669754/. live.
  4. Web site: 'MasterChef Junior' Renewed For Season 4, Mataiasi Kalou Joins As New Judge. Nellie. Andreeva. January 13, 2015. November 13, 2015. November 27, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151127100132/http://deadline.com/2015/01/masterchef-junior-renewed-season-4-christina-tosi-judge-1201349004/. live.
  5. Web site: Chef Aarón Sánchez Joins the MasterChef Judges' Panel. Parade. April 25, 2017. February 17, 2017. April 25, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170425114257/https://parade.com/548433/alison-ashton/chef-aaron-sanchez-joins-the-masterchef-judges-panel/. live.
  6. Web site: Maglio. Tony. Fox to air 'MasterChef Celebrity Showdown' in January. TheWrap. July 6, 2016. December 18, 2015. May 1, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160501142738/http://www.thewrap.com/masterchef-celebrity-showdown-empire-brooklyn-fox-gordon-ramsay-christina-tosi/. live.
  7. Web site: An All-New "MasterChef Celebrity Showdown" Airs Monday, January 2, On Fox. Fox. January 4, 2017. January 4, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170104235400/http://www.fox.com/masterchef-celebrity-showdown/article/an-all-new-%E2%80%9Cmasterchef-celebrity-showdown%E2%80%9D-airs-monday-january. live.
  8. Web site: 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.
  9. Web site: Renewed: MasterChef USA. TV Tonight. David Knox. September 8, 2010. September 8, 2010. September 11, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100911225928/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/09/renewed-masterchef-usa.html. dead.
  10. Web site: Premiere Dates Announced for So You Think You Can Dance, Hell's Kitchen, MasterChef and Hotel Hell. TV by the Numbers. Amanda Kondolojy. March 28, 2012. September 29, 2013. February 2, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140202181251/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/28/premiere-dates-announced-for-so-you-think-you-can-dance-hells-kitchen-masterchef-and-hotel-hell/126440/. dead.
  11. Web site: Fox's MasterChef Renewed For Season 4. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie Andreeva. July 23, 2012. September 29, 2013. October 2, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131002050406/http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/foxs-masterchef-renewed-for-season-4/. live.
  12. Web site: FOX Renews MasterChef for Fourth Season. HitFix. Daniel Fienberg. July 23, 2012. August 22, 2012. August 26, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120826002407/http://www.hitfix.com/news/fox-renews-masterchef-for-a-fourth-season. live.
  13. Web site: FOX Announces Finale Dates for Bones, The Following, New Girl & More + Summer Premiere Dates Including So You Think You Can Dance. TV by the Numbers. Amanda Kondolojy. February 28, 2013. March 1, 2013. March 3, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130303005354/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/02/28/fox-announces-finale-dates-for-bones-the-following-new-girl-more-announces-summer-premieres-including-so-you-think-you-can-dance/171375/. dead.
  14. Web site: Fox Inks New Deal With Gordon Ramsay, Announces MasterChef Spinoff. The Hollywood Reporter. Mikey O'Connell. May 10, 2013. February 15, 2021.
  15. Web site: MasterChef Renewed for Season 7 by Fox; Judges Returning. Deadline Hollywood. Patrick Hipes. July 22, 2015. February 19, 2020. January 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200102180209/https://deadline.com/2015/07/masterchef-renewed-season-7-gordon-ramsay-fox-1201483656/. live.
  16. Web site: MasterChef Renewed for Season 10 at Fox. Variety. Joe Otterson. September 19, 2018. September 20, 2018. September 20, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180920002218/https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/masterchef-renewed-season-10-fox-1202948889/. live.
  17. Web site: FOX Announces Summer Premiere Dates. The Futon Critic. March 27, 2019.
  18. Web site: MasterChef on Instagram: "Grab your aprons, #MasterChef Season 10 premieres May 29!".
  19. Web site: MasterChef on Instagram: "It's only going to get hotter, bolder and more delicious! Don't miss Season 10 of #MasterChef on May 29.".
  20. FOX Renews MasterChef for a 12th Season, With Judges Gordon Ramsay, Aaron Sanchez and Joe Bastianich. Fox. The Futon Critic. August 18, 2021. August 18, 2021.
  21. Web site: Fox Sets Summer Premiere Dates For So You Think You Can Dance, MasterChef, Lego Masters, Fantasy Island & More. Deadline Hollywood. Alexandra Del Rosario. April 5, 2022. April 5, 2022.
  22. Web site: MasterChef Renewed for Season 13. TVLine. Michael Ausiello. September 14, 2022. September 14, 2022.
  23. 1641184839469498375. Mark your calendars for the Season Premiere of #MasterChef May 24th on @FOXTV. ✨. MASTERCHEFonFOX. MasterChef. March 29, 2023. March 29, 2023.
  24. Web site: MasterChef Renewed For Season 14 At Fox. Deadline Hollywood. Peter White. August 9, 2023.
  25. FOX Gets Pumped for Summer and Goes Balls to the Wall with New and Returning Unscripted Series. Fox. The Futon Critic. March 4, 2024. March 4, 2024.
  26. Web site: Schneider . Michael . 2024-05-13 . Fox Fall 2024 Schedule: ‘Family Guy’ Moves to Midseason; New ‘Accused’ Cast Includes Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy . 2024-07-13 . Variety . en-US.
  27. Web site: MasterChef USA: reviews . TV Tonight.com.au . July 29, 2010 . July 29, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100729132458/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2010/07/masterchef-usa-reviews.html . dead .
  28. Web site: Fox's MasterChef faked crowd shot . realityblurred.com . June 22, 2011 . June 23, 2011 . June 25, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110625160445/http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/masterchef/2011_Jun_22_fake_crowd . dead .
  29. Web site: Busted! Fox's 'MasterChef' faked crowd scene . Inside TV . June 22, 2011 . June 23, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110624045736/http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/06/22/masterchef-fake-crowd-shot-photo/ . June 24, 2011 .
  30. Web site: Schumacker . Lauren . 2017-08-02 . The Untold Truth Of MasterChef . 2023-02-13 . Mashed . en-US.
  31. Book: Glenn, Jane K. . The joy of eating : a guide to food in modern pop culture . 2022 . 978-1-4408-6210-6 . 1264746520.
  32. Web site: Glenn . Jessie . 2018-12-31 . Best of 2018: I am a "MasterChef" survivor . 2023-02-13 . Salon . en.
  33. Web site: SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2010 . Spotted Ratings . June 21, 2018 . June 9, 2012 . June 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194339/http://www.spottedratings.com/2012/06/spotvault-masterchef-fox-summer-2010.html . live .
  34. Web site: SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2011 . Spotted Ratings . June 21, 2018 . June 9, 2012 . June 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194341/http://www.spottedratings.com/2012/06/spotvault-masterchef-fox-summer-2011.html . live .
  35. Web site: SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2012 . Spotted Ratings . June 21, 2018 . June 9, 2012 . June 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194215/http://www.spottedratings.com/2012/06/spotvault-masterchef-fox-summer-2012.html . live .
  36. Web site: SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2013 . Spotted Ratings . June 21, 2018 . May 25, 2013 . June 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194309/http://www.spottedratings.com/2013/05/spotvault-masterchef-fox-summer-2013.html . live .
  37. Web site: SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2014 . Spotted Ratings . June 21, 2018 . May 30, 2014 . June 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194141/http://www.spottedratings.com/2014/05/spotvault-masterchef-fox-summer-2014.html . live .
  38. Web site: SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2015 . Spotted Ratings . June 21, 2018 . May 26, 2015 . June 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194305/http://www.spottedratings.com/2015/05/spotvault-masterchef-fox-summer-2015.html . live .
  39. Web site: SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2016 . Spotted Ratings . June 21, 2018 . June 7, 2016 . June 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194303/http://www.spottedratings.com/2016/06/spotvault-masterchef-fox-summer-2016.html . live .
  40. Web site: SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2017 . Spotted Ratings . June 21, 2018 . June 1, 2017 . June 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194139/http://www.spottedratings.com/2017/06/spotvault-masterchef-fox-summer-2017.html . live .
  41. Web site: SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2018. Spotted Ratings. June 21, 2018. May 31, 2018. June 21, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194234/http://www.spottedratings.com/2018/05/spotvault-masterchef-fox-summer-2018.html. live.
  42. Web site: Welch. Alex. 'Big Brother' and 'America's Got Talent' adjust up, 'I Feel Bad' adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings. TV by the Numbers. September 20, 2018. September 20, 2018. September 20, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180920220705/https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/wednesday-final-ratings-sept-19-2018/. dead.
  43. Web site: 'Schooled' repeat adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings. Welch. Alex. TV by the Numbers. May 31, 2019. May 31, 2019. May 31, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190531143124/https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/wednesday-final-ratings-may-29-2019/. dead.
  44. Web site: ' Big Brother' adjusts up, 'A Little Late With Lilly Singh' special adjusts down: Wednesday final ratings. Welch. Alex. TV by the Numbers. September 19, 2019. September 19, 2019. September 20, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190920141347/https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/wednesday-final-ratings-sept-18-2019/. dead.
  45. Web site: SpotVault - MasterChef (Fox) - Summer 2019 Ratings. Spotted Ratings. August 6, 2020. June 2, 2019. January 24, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200124164733/http://www.spottedratings.com/2019/06/spotvault-masterchef-fox-summer-2019.html. live.
  46. Web site: Wednesday Ratings: ABC and Fox Share Modest Dominance. Programming Insider. Marc Berman. June 3, 2021. June 12, 2021.
  47. Web site: Wednesday 9.15.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals. Showbuzz Daily. Mitch Metcalf. September 16, 2021. January 26, 2022.
  48. Web site: MasterChef: Season 11 Ratings. TV Series Finale. September 16, 2021. September 1, 2022.
  49. Web site: Wednesday 5.25.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals. Showbuzz Daily. Mitch Metcalf. May 26, 2022. May 26, 2022.
  50. Web site: Wednesday 9.14.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals. Showbuzz Daily. Mitch Metcalf. September 15, 2022. September 15, 2022.
  51. Web site: Kimball . Trevor . 2022-09-16 . MasterChef: Season 12 Ratings . 2022-11-22 . canceled + renewed TV shows - TV Series Finale . en-US.
  52. Web site: Wednesday 5.24.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals. Showbuzz Daily. Mitch Metcalf. May 25, 2023. May 25, 2023.
  53. Web site: Wednesday Ratings: Fox Leads Prime Time Demos with MasterChef Season Finale. Programming Insider. Douglas Pucci. September 21, 2023. September 23, 2023.
  54. Web site: West 175 Productions, producers of the original MasterChef USA . August 10, 2020 . July 18, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110718031410/http://www.west175productions.com/ . dead .
  55. Web site: MasterChef Brand Kitchenware Debuts At Housewares Show . HomeWorld Business . ICD Publications . 18 December 2020 . 11 March 2011.
  56. Web site: Gosling . Emily . A new identity for MasterChef . Design Week . 18 December 2020 . en-UK . 10 July 2013.
  57. News: Brand Central Takes on MasterChef . 18 December 2020 . licenseglobal.com . 13 March 2013 . en.
  58. Web site: 'Masterchef' Debuts Kitchenware (Exclusive) . licenseglobal.com . en . 3 March 2016.

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