{"id":7015,"date":"2019-06-03T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-06-03T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2019-06-03T18:07:01","modified_gmt":"2019-06-03T22:07:01","slug":"masterchef-u-s-turns-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/masterchef-u-s-turns-10\/","title":{"rendered":"MasterChef U.S. Turns 10"},"content":{"rendered":"

Natalka Znak and Danny Schrader tell <\/em>TV Formats about the milestone tenth season of <\/em>MasterChef on FOX in the U.S., with Lisa Perrin, Cathy Payne and Jane Smith weighing in on the enduring success of the mega-format.<\/em><\/p>\n

The world\u2019s biggest food competition format marked a milestone event in the U.S. last week as season ten premiered on FOX. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone all out for season ten,\u201d says Znak, the new showrunner and executive producer for the hit adaptation. \u201cWe started with a spectacular entrance by helicopter for the judges\u201d\u2014the returning Gordon Ramsay (also an executive producer), Joe Bastianich and Aar\u00f3n S\u00e1nchez. \u201cWe have fireworks and the biggest prize we’ve ever had. We\u2019ve gone all out throughout the entire season to make it the biggest and most exciting, with lots of new challenges and new twists.\u201d<\/p>\n

The most significant new development, Znak says, is that for the first time the U.S. version of MasterChef <\/em>will cross the pond to where the iconic format originated (it was created by Franc Roddam in 1990 for the BBC and then rebooted in 2005 for BBC Two). \u201cWe take our six finalists to London to cook in Gordon Ramsay\u2019s three-Michelin-star restaurant for the finale.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show, produced by Endemol Shine North America and One Potato Two Potato, is also airing in a new format for season ten, with two episodes playing out each week. \u201cWednesdays will feature immunity challenges and Thursday will be an elimination episode,\u201d says executive producer Schrader. \u201cAlong with showing the viewer more cooking action, it also allows us for much more character growth to develop, and you really get a chance to know each cook week in and week out. Our stories can arc more than they\u2019ve ever had a chance to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Znak and Schrader add that the show also used a slightly different casting method this year as it sought out the best amateur cooks in America. \u201cWe do open calls across the country, in eight cities,\u201d Schrader says. \u201cThis season for the first time, Gordon sent members of his personal culinary team to each city. Before it was a team of casting professionals and food professionals gathering in each city to help judge. This time it was people that Gordon is most comfortable with that are out there judging. We really did end up getting a much higher echelon of cook, because the critique was much harder and we put them through more during that casting process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also key to the casting process, Znak adds, was avoiding \u201ctypical reality types\u201d in favor of contestants with \u201cgenuine warmth and enthusiasm. I love and root for everybody on this show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about the enduring strength of the mega-format\u2014adapted in 60-plus markets worldwide\u2014Znak notes that it’s based in part on being able to watch everyday individuals pursue their dreams. “So many people have boring jobs or just don’t feel like they’re doing what they want to do. This show is not just about the cooking; it’s about everybody watching it saying, What if I got the chance to do what I\u2019ve always loved?\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also an opportunity to watch a master chef at work, Znak adds. \u201cI\u2019ve been watching and working with Gordon for years,\u201d says Znak, who first collaborated with Ramsay on the first season of Hell\u2019s Kitchen<\/em> in the U.K. \u201cOn the first show he chiffonades some herbs and I was like, Oh my god, I didn\u2019t know how to do that. Every time you watch, you can go, I could do that! Is that really how you chop an onion? Every season Gordon [demonstrates] how to chop up a chicken. For the very first time, he did it blindfolded, which is incredible to watch. That\u2019s a good example of where we\u2019re doing something we\u2019ve done before, but we\u2019re doing it in a different way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cblind chicken test,\u201d as Znak calls it, is one of a raft of new challenges in season ten. \u201cThe tarte Tatin episode is amazing. I love when really simple things like making an apple tart become incredibly dramatic, edge-of-your-seat stuff. Also, I then went home and made a tarte Tatin because I’d learned how to do it. That’s the joy.\u201d Znak adds, \u201cI admit, I bought the pastry. I didn\u2019t make the pastry!\u201d<\/p>\n

Schrader lists a slew of other highlights. \u201cWe threw a tenth-anniversary pool party where we invited 100 former MasterChef<\/em> contestants. Our contestants had to cook for them in a Hollywood mansion. We did a challenge with NASCAR, which was a lot of fun\u2014contestants were feeding the drivers and the pit crews. We had last season\u2019s champion, Gerron Hurt, get married in the MasterChef<\/em> kitchen,\u201d\u2014”by Gordon!\u201d Znak interjects. \u201cAnd taking them across the pond, to Gordon\u2019s flagship restaurant, is monumental. A restaurant takeover is a rite of passage on the show, but to have them go to Gordon\u2019s first restaurant, which is celebrating its 21st<\/sup> anniversary as we\u2019re celebrating our tenth, was pretty mega. While we were in the U.K., we actually opened Tower Bridge too, which was pretty exciting! The judges enter on a big steamboat and in order to do that we had to have the bridge open.\u201d<\/p>\n

This season also sees the appearance of a slew of guest stars, Schrader adds. \u201cWe have legendary culinary people like Masaharu Morimoto, Grant Hackett, Nigella Lawson, Candace Nelson. I think everyone is in for a real treat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schrader and Znak are also working on the franchise extension MasterChef Junior<\/em>. The season seven finale airs June 4 on FOX and production on its eighth season begins in Los Angeles this week. It, too, saw a slightly different casting approach for the new set of episodes. \u201cAmerica is a very large country and it\u2019s not always easy for everyone to get [to casting calls],\u201d Znak says. \u201cWe audition nationwide, but it still might be a long way for people to travel. So as well as doing our nationwide auditions, we want out of our way to find people and let them Skype and send in their casting tapes. We feel like we have scoured every bit of the country to find the best junior home cooks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plus, she adds, \u201cMuch like season ten of MasterChef<\/em>, it is the toughest year. This show is not kids\u2019 play\u2014if you come here to cook, we\u2019re going to put you to the test.\u201d<\/p>\n

MasterChef <\/em>is not just marking a milestone in the U.S.\u2014this year also marks the tenth version of the format in Brazil, “and we have further tenth anniversaries and new commissions around the world set to follow,\u201d says Perrin, CEO of creative networks at Endemol Shine Group.<\/p>\n

The format has also become a success off-screen, in the U.S. and elsewhere, with MasterChef<\/em>-branded live events and consumer-products lines, including Cooking with MasterChef and MasterChef Junior interactive cooking classes, small kitchen appliances and cookbooks. This summer, Camp MasterChef is expanding to Los Angeles, Houston and Chicago, in addition to camps in Connecticut and Georgia. There is also a live theater tour for MasterChef Junior<\/em> that will run across several American cities beginning in October. There have also been three MasterChef Cruises with Holland America that were produced by events company Life Journeys.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemand from audiences worldwide to engage with the brand beyond the screen is huge and we are committed to delivering authentic experiences that live up to fans\u2019 expectations,\u201d says Smith, group director of brand licensing and gaming at Endemol Shine Group.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the finished tape of the U.S. version has also been a huge seller for the company, having been licensed into 188 markets, according to Payne, CEO of Endemol Shine International. \u201cIt is our most successful version in terms of countries sold to,\u201d Payne notes. \u201cTheir unique version of the format has proved incredibly popular with audiences around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perrin adds, \u201cMasterChef<\/em>\u2019s tenth season in America is a great example of how the format stays fresh and maintains momentum. The format has been refreshed for the new season which people will be able to see on-screen. We are so pleased with it\u2014it looks fantastic and we expect the show to carry on for at least another ten seasons!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Natalka Znak and Danny Schrader talk about the milestone tenth season of MasterChef on FOX in the U.S.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":7016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,69],"tags":[1752,375,159,993,1193,1753],"class_list":["post-7015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-profiles","category-top-stories","tag-danny-schrader","tag-endemol-shine-group","tag-fox","tag-lisa-perrin","tag-masterchef","tag-natalka-znak","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nMasterChef U.S. Turns 10 - TVFORMATS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/masterchef-u-s-turns-10\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MasterChef U.S. Turns 10 - TVFORMATS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Natalka Znak and Danny Schrader talk about the milestone tenth season of MasterChef on FOX in the U.S.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/masterchef-u-s-turns-10\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVFORMATS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-06-03T13:00:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-06-03T22:07:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/07\/MasterChef10-619.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"319\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/masterchef-u-s-turns-10\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/masterchef-u-s-turns-10\/\",\"name\":\"MasterChef U.S. Turns 10 - TVFORMATS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-06-03T13:00:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-06-03T22:07:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/masterchef-u-s-turns-10\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/masterchef-u-s-turns-10\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/masterchef-u-s-turns-10\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"MasterChef U.S. Turns 10\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/\",\"name\":\"TVFORMATS\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\",\"name\":\"Mansha Daswani\",\"description\":\"Mansha Daswani is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of World Screen. 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