MasterChef is an American competitive cooking reality show hosted and co-produced by Gordon Ramsay and Reveille Productions and based on the first season of the Australian format which in turn was based on the BBC series MasterChef, in which wannabe chefs who cook as a hobby and have no experience in the food industry attempt to turn into a MasterChef.
The series premieres in the USA on Fox on 27 July, 2010.
MasterChef premiered in South Africa on M-Net and DStv's M-Net HD channel on Monday 16 January 2012, at 18h00. New episodes broadcast from Mondays to Thursdays at the same time. There are 20 episodes in the first season.
Synopsis
Famed chef Gordon Ramsay brings MasterChef to the USA, a culinary competition series based on the U.K. format. MasterChef takes wannabe chefs who simply cook as a hobby and have absolutely no experience in the food industry and attempts to turn one of them into a MasterChef.
Contestants on MasterChef are put through their paces with various challenges as they compete head-to-head to create delicious dishes. The series serves as a unique platform for people from all walks of life who want to follow their dream of working as a professional chef.
These everyday at-home cooks have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show their passion and excitement for food as they are put to the test and judged by world-renowned chefs.
Chef Ramsay challenges and coaches the amateurs all the way to the finish line. However, known for his explosive outbursts, he isn't afraid to tell the chefs the cold, hard truth about their cooking along the way.
Restaurateur wine maker Joe Bastianich and four-star chef Graham Elliot join Gordon as judges on MasterChef.
Bastianich is a partner of Mario Batali and has established some of New York's most-celebrated restaurants, including Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, Lupa Osteria Romana and Del Posto.
Elliot is the youngest four-star chef in the U.S. and the mastermind behind Chicago's first "bistronomic" restaurant, Graham Elliot.
With Ramsay at the helm of the competition, Bastianich and Elliot coach and judge the contestants along the way.
MasterChef is produced by Reveille, Shine TV and One Potato Two Potato. Shine International handles international distribution for the MasterChef format.
Elisabeth Murdoch, Franc Roddam, Mark Koops, Howard T. Owens, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Pat Llewellyn, J.D. Roth and Todd Nelson serve as executive producers.