MasterChef (American TV series)

MasterChef is an American competitive cooking reality TV show based on the British series of the same name, open to amateur and home chefs. Produced by Shine America and One Potato Two Potato, it debuted on July 27, 2010 on the Fox network, following the professional cooking competition series "Hell's Kitchen".
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. From seasons six through eight, pastry chef Christina Tosi temporarily replaced Bastianich. 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 Sanchez. Since season eight, Sanchez joined as a regular judge. In season nine, Bastianich returned as a regular judge, replacing Tosi. On September 19, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a tenth season, which premiered on May 29, 2019 with Ramsay, Sanchez, and Bastianich returning as judges.
As of October 2020, an eleventh season of 18 episodes is in production, with Ramsay, Sanchez, and Bastianich returning as judges. The season, subtitled "Legends", will premiere on June 2, 2021.
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.
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, 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."
On July 23, 2012, "MasterChef" was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on May 22, 2013.
On May 10, 2013, Fox renewed "MasterChef" for an additional two seasons, which extended the show to at least six seasons.
On July 22, 2015, Fox renewed "MasterChef" for a seventh season.
Series overview.
Specials.
Note: Bold indicates the winner(s) of the challenge.
MasterChef Celebrity Showdown (aired January 18, 2016)
MasterChef Celebrity Showdown (aired January 2, 2017)
MasterChef Celebrity Family Showdown (aired May 15, 2019 and May 22, 2019)
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 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. 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.
Earlier American adaptation.
West 175 Productions 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. The show changed its branding in 2013 to reflect its expanded focus on consumer products in addition to the television shows. In 2018, Shine America hired Brand Central as their licensing agency, and more branded products, including barbecue tools from Unibrands and children's cooking sets from Wicked Cool Toys, were announced.