MasterChef (Spanish TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids MasterChef |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Cooking show |
| Created by | Franc Roddam |
| Directed by | Eva Sanz Jordi Rossell Patricia Fernández (set) Oiane Sagasti (outdoors) |
| Judges |
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| Narrated by | Jordi Cruz |
| Country of origin | Spain |
| Original language(s) | Spanish |
| No. of seasons | 9 (with 2 spin-offs of 6 and 9 seasons and 2 specials) |
| No. of episodes | 218 (all seasons) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Macarena Rey Ana Rivas Alexa Portillo Begoña Rumeu Carmen Marín |
| Producer(s) | Televisión Española Shine Iberia |
| Production location(s) | Estudios Buñuel, Madrid |
| Running time | 150 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Shine Iberia |
| Release | |
| Original network | La 1 |
| Picture format | 480p (SDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 10 April 2013 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
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MasterChef is a popular Spanish TV show where amateur cooks compete to become the best. It's based on a British cooking competition. The show first aired on La 1 on April 10, 2013.
The judges of the show are also the presenters: Pepe Rodríguez, Jordi Cruz, and Samantha Vallejo-Nágera. They decide who stays and who goes home!
Contents
Show History and Beginnings
The first season of MasterChef Spain started with a huge search for talented home cooks. About 9,000 people tried out, but only 15 were chosen to compete. The winner received 100,000 euros, a chance to publish their own cookbook, and a special scholarship to the famous culinary school Le Cordon Bleu.
The first try-outs began on February 4, 2013, in five different parts of Spain. People from all walks of life, like business leaders, homemakers, and construction workers, came to show off their cooking skills. They all shared a big love for food! The main rule was that contestants had to be amateur cooks, meaning they couldn't have professional cooking experience, but they still needed to be very skilled.
Contestants faced challenges both alone in the kitchen and in teams outside the studio. The first season was hosted by Eva González. In October 2013, MasterChef won an important award, the Ondas Award, for being the best entertainment program on Spanish television.
How the Show Works: Challenges
MasterChef has different types of cooking challenges that test the contestants' skills. Here are some of the main ones:
- Caja misteriosa (Mystery Box Challenge). In this challenge, contestants get a box with secret ingredients. They have to use these ingredients to create a dish based on what the judges ask for. They have a limited time to cook. After they finish, the judges taste and decide which two or three dishes are the best. The cooks who made these dishes become team captains for the next challenge.
- Prueba por equipos (Team Challenge). This challenge usually happens outside the main MasterChef kitchen. Teams cook for special guests or large groups of people. The team captains choose their teammates and decide what dishes they will prepare. The team that loses this challenge has to face the elimination round.
- Prueba de eliminación (Elimination Test). The losing team from the Team Challenge cooks in this round. The winning team gets to watch from a special viewing area. The judges choose a specific recipe for the losing team to cook. After tasting, the contestant who made the "worst" dish is sent home from the show.
- Prueba de presión (Pressure Test). This is often the hardest challenge! A famous chef visits the show and teaches the contestants how to make one of their most well-known dishes. The contestants then have to try and copy it perfectly.
- Reto creativo (Creative Test). For this challenge, the judges tell the contestants what kind of dish they need to create. It's a chance for the cooks to show off their imagination and cooking talent.
Season Winners
Over the years, many talented amateur chefs have competed on MasterChef Spain. Here are the winners from each season:
First Season (2013)
The first season featured 15 amateur chefs. They learned from some of Spain's best chefs, like Juan Mari Arzak and Ferran Adrià.
- Winner: Juan Manuel Sánchez
Second Season (2014)
The show was so popular that a second season was announced right after the first one ended.
- Winner: Vicky Pulgarín
Third Season (2015)
Casting for the third season began in late 2014.
- Winner: Carlos Maldonado
Fourth Season (2016)
- Winner: Virginia Naranjo
Fifth Season (2017)
- Winner: Jorge Brazález
Sixth Season (2018)
This season was known for being very demanding.
- Winner: Marta Verona
Seventh Season (2019)
- Winner: Aleix Puig
Eighth Season (2020)
Almost 30,000 people tried out for this season! For the first time, no eliminated contestant returned to the show. Instead, the judges gave a second chance to people who almost made it into the competition during the initial casting.
- Winner: Ana Iglesias
Ninth Season (2021)
In this season, two frontline workers who couldn't participate in the casting due to the COVID-19 pandemic were given a special chance to join the show.
- Winner: Arnau París
Tenth Season (2022)
- Winner: María Lo
Awards and Recognition
MasterChef Spain has won several important awards for being a great entertainment program:
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Premios de la Crítica de FesTVal | Best interesting program | MasterChef Spain | Won | |
| 2013 | Premios Ondas | Best entertaining program | Won | ||
| 2013 | Lovie Awards | Best TV program | Won | ||
| 2014 | Premios Zapping | Best entertaining program | Won | ||
| 2018 | Premios Iris | Best production | Won | ||
| 2020 | Premios Ondas | Best entertaining program | Won |
See also
In Spanish: MasterChef (programa de televisión español) para niños
