MasterChef Continues to Cook Up New Iterations

A behemoth in the format business, MasterChef recently surpassed the milestone of airing 500 seasons since the reboot of the format in 2005. While it has already been adapted in 64 markets, new territories are still being added, with four new markets coming on board this year alone.

“MasterChef’s journey has been a real evolution,” says Dave de Bie, format consultant for food and lifestyle at Banijay. “First airing in the U.K. in 1990, it was revived in 2005 as MasterChef Goes Large, subsequently moving to prime time in 2008. In this revival, it established many of its current USPs—incredible food, inspiring off-site challenges, A-list guests and life-changing journeys.”

In 2009, Australia became the first country to adapt MasterChef locally, supersizing it as a prime-time entertainment show. “The finale that year was the highest-rated show in Australian history!” de Bie adds.

The following year, it launched in ten new markets, including the U.S., Greece and Israel, all long-running versions that are still active today. “The show consistently delivers in performance, from Israel’s first season being the most-watched show in a decade to the U.K., where it is currently BBC One’s number one cookery show for the third consecutive year,” says de Bie.

The format has widespread appeal because it’s rooted in two universal themes that can translate to any country in the world: cooking and people aspiring to change their lives, according to Emily Randall, format manager for food and lifestyle at Banijay. “Combining aspiration, relatability and accessibility, we really believe it can and should work in any market, so we jump at the opportunity to relaunch it in regions it has been off-air for a while,” she adds.

In Portugal, for example, the show was commissioned by the original public broadcaster after a two-year hiatus, taking the format back to its roots, celebrating local heritage and traditions. In late 2020, MasterChef was reintroduced in Argentina after six years off-air, with Celebrity MasterChefearning a successful run that peaked at more than 80 percent share and led to an additional two-season commission. MasterChef South Africa will be returning to screens next year after a six-year break. Celebrity MasterChef also recently returned in Australia.

With all the various local treatments, there are elements that must always remain in place and some that allow for flexibility. “We are here to protect the brand and its integrity,” says de Bie. “Some key elements are immovable: the cast must be amateur cooks and the judges need to be culinary professionals; we need the iconic MasterChef-branded kitchen and challenges like the Mystery Box; the quality of cooking must be high; and while not a direct format point, of course we want a diverse cast to showcase the culinary breadth and richness of a country or region.

“We never stray too far away from the format’s core values, but we love to see the uniqueness and culture of individual markets celebrated in each version and, of course, we’re always open to new spin-off opportunities,” he adds.

There have been numerous innovations from local productions that have traveled throughout the MasterChef family. “To ensure we continue to deliver the best show possible to audiences around the world, we host a creative event every two years with key showrunners driving the exchange of ideas, creativity, best practices and production solutions,” de Bie explains.

Australia brought in the “immunity pin,” which allows contestants to save themselves from elimination, and this has been evolved in other productions, says de Bie, with the MasterChef Apron in Bulgaria and the Golden Apron in Israel. “Even as recently as last year, where innovation grew out of necessity, we saw the brilliant integration of virtual guests,” he adds.

In some of the more established markets, there have been reintroductions of past contestants in the Back to Win format. And offsite challenges have evolved into “jaw-dropping moments,” notes de Bie.

“We continue to drive the evolution of MasterChef, as it is such an adaptable brand,” de Bie says. “The original amateur iteration is incredibly strong, but the appetite from broadcasters means there is ample opportunity for spin-offs.” Alongside the main competition for amateur cooks, there are five linear spin-offs: Junior, The Professionals, Celebrity, All-Stars/Back to Win and Senior.

Digital/AVOD spin-offs are also traveling well. MasterChef Leftovers sees the judges cook with whatever is left in the kitchen, while MasterChef After Hours features eliminated contestants competing for a prize outside the main competition, such as hosting and cooking in a renowned restaurant.

“They are also important as they provide opportunities for sponsors and commercial partners, across multiple platforms, without diluting the integrity of the main show—so they increase our agility and ability to respond to multiple needs,” Randall says. “And we can really embrace some of our key values, like sustainability.

“To have layered content across different platforms also has huge benefits in terms of adapting to a shifting media landscape, and in doing so, enabling broadcasters to broaden their demographics and strengthen their VOD and social audiences.”

The format, overall, is in great health, Randall adds. “Celebrity MasterChefhas seen a huge boost this year, and we are looking to build on the MasterChef success in active markets by offering additional iterations. The brandhas drummed up such a strong community of creative talent and production expertise that we are forever seeing new ideas emerge around the globe, and that’s incredibly exciting.”

“By making our productions more efficient, we will continue to get into new markets,” de Bie adds. “The recent four-language-version deal in India is a great example of this.

“We also want to build on the work we have been doing over the last few years to drive sustainability across the format, and this translates beyond the screen with offerings like the MasterChef Green cookbook in the U.K., which we are all really proud of.”