MasterChef China facts for kids

Quick facts for kids MasterChef China
Script error: The function "name_from_code" does not exist.	顶级厨师 Dǐngjí Chúshī
Judges	Cao Kefan Steven Liu Yi Fan Jereme Leung Ji-gang (2013) Jonathan Lee Tsung-sheng (2012)
Country of origin	China
Production company(s)	Shine Group
Release
Original network	Dragon TV
Original release	29 July 2012 (2012-07-29) – 4 April 2013 (2013-04-04)
Chronology
Related shows	MasterChef

MasterChef China is a fun Chinese TV show about cooking. It's like the original MasterChef show from Britain. This show lets everyday people who love to cook chase their dreams. They get to show off their amazing cooking skills!

Contestants from all over China join the competition. They face tough challenges every week. Sometimes, they work in teams. If they don't do well, they might be eliminated. The first season of MasterChef China started on July 29, 2012, on Dragon TV.

Meet the Judges

The judges are important people who decide who cooks best. They taste all the dishes and give their opinions.

• Steven Liu – He is the top chef at the Peace Hotel in Shanghai.
• Cao Kefan – He is a famous TV host and is known as a "Professional Eater" from Wuxi.
• Jonathan Lee – He is a well-known musician from Taiwan.

Contestants Who Competed

Here are the people who took part in the first season of MasterChef China. They came from different cities and had various jobs.

How the Competition Works

The show has different rounds to test the cooks' skills.

Preliminaries: The First Steps

This is where the journey begins!

• Round 1: Signature Dish

Amateur cooks make their best dish for the three judges. If they get at least two "yes" votes, they get a special white MasterChef apron. This means they can move on!

• Round 2: Basic Skills

Contestants show off basic cooking skills, like slicing onions. Those who do well move to the next round. Others go home.

• Round 3: Core Ingredient Challenge

Cooks must create an amazing dish in one hour. The main ingredient must be the star of their dish.

Mystery Box Challenge: Surprise Ingredients!

In this challenge, contestants get a box of secret ingredients. They don't know what's inside until the challenge starts! They can use any or all of the ingredients to make a dish. The judges pick the top three dishes. The winner gets a special advantage in the next challenge.

Invention Test: Get Creative!

Three main ingredients are shown. The winner of the Mystery Box gets to choose which one everyone must use. They can pick an ingredient they know well or one that might be hard for others. Cooks have 45 to 60 minutes to create their dish. The judges then pick the three worst dishes. These cooks must face the "Pressure Test." The others are safe.

Pressure Test: Cook Under Pressure!

This is an elimination challenge. The cooks who did poorly in the Invention Test (or the losing team from a team challenge) compete here. They get a specific recipe and must try to copy it perfectly in a limited time. The person who performs the worst has to leave the competition.

Off-site Team Challenge: Cooking for a Crowd!

Contestants work in two teams, blue and red. They get a task, like cooking for a big party. Other judges, not the main ones, decide which team wins. The winning team is safe. The losing team has to face an elimination test.

Episode Highlights

Here's a quick look at what happened in each episode.

Episode 1

Sixty-five cooks from all over China came to Shanghai. They cooked their best dishes for the judges. Only 34 got a white apron. Then, they had to slice onions for three and a half hours! Only 24 moved on. Next, they cooked dishes using duck. In the end, 15 contestants made it into the MasterChef kitchen.

Episode 2

The 15 cooks faced the "Mystery Box" challenge. Mei Xiaofan won and got to choose the main ingredient for the "Invention Test." They had one hour to cook. Li Liang and Fan Tiantian had the best dishes. Mei Xiaofan, Cai Chengqi, and Liu Junjie went to the "Pressure Test." Cai Chengqi left the competition. Mei and Liu stayed.

Episode 3

Fourteen contestants went to Dunhuang for a team challenge. They had to cook a main course, a dessert, and a vegetable dish in two and a half hours. Their judges were 51 local camel groomers! Li Liang's red team won, even though they broke a rule. Li Liang volunteered to join the losing blue team in a skill test. They had to cut pork. Then, the bottom three made bean curd. Fang Meixue was eliminated.

Episode 4

Thirteen cooks continued their dream. The "Mystery Box" had seafood! Everyone used two kinds of seafood. Tang Lu won and chose the main ingredients for the "Invention Test," which was to make a dessert. Tang Lu and Yi Min won this round. Liu Junjie, Yu Tao, and Yu Hanbing went to the "Pressure Test" to cook large intestines. Yu Tao was eliminated.

Episode 5

Twelve contestants went to Sun Island Resorts for an "Off-site Team Challenge." Tang Lu and Yi Min were team leaders. They had to make a children's menu for 51 kids! Tang Lu's blue team won. The red team faced a skill test: cutting salmon. Wei Han passed first. The other five had to make "Papa Pasta." Yang Xi and Cheng Yongbei were eliminated.

Episode 6

The "Mystery Box" had Jinhua ham. Wei Han won and chose cow's tongue for himself and mutton kidney for others in the "Invention Test." Wei, Tang Lu, Huang Ying, and Liu Junjie went to the "Pressure Test." They had to make handmade beef balls. Tang Lu and Liu Junjie were both eliminated.

Episode 7

The eight remaining cooks competed at the Fairmont Peace Hotel. Gu Xiaoguang and Li Liang led the teams. They had to cook two famous dishes from the hotel. Wei Han's team won by cooking codfish well. The red team faced a skill test: beating egg whites. Gu Xiaoguang and Mei Xiaofan finished first. Huang Ying was eliminated.

Episode 8

The "Mystery Box" had a twist! The seven cooks chose ingredients, then had to swap them with the person next to them. Yi Min won and chose pig's head and tail for the next round. Yu Hanbing came in second. Li Liang, Mei Xiaofan, and Wei Han faced the "Pressure Test." Mei Xiaofan was eliminated.

Episode 9

Six contestants competed at Tianbao Mansion. Yu Hanbing and Li Liang's team won with their Chinese dishes. The other team, led by Gu Xiaoguang, had to cut tofu into a flower. Gu made it through. Wei Han and Fan Tiantian faced the "Pressure Test" with chicken meat. Fan Tiantian was eliminated.

Episode 10

Five cooks faced the "Mystery Box." They had to make dishes from five major Chinese cooking styles. Gu Xiaoguang won and skipped the next round. The other four made dishes from plain vegetables. Wei Han did very well and skipped the "Pressure Test." The last three had to make a French dessert called a croque-en-bouche. Li Liang was eliminated.

Episode 11: The Grand Finale!

The last episode saw China's first MasterChef crowned! Four cooks were in two groups. Gu Xiaoguang and Yu Hanbing cooked fish. Wei Han and Yi Min cooked prawns. Gu and Wei won their semi-finals. In the final round, Gu and Wei had to make two dishes and one dessert in two hours. Their families watched! Wei Han cooked in Chinese style, and Gu cooked a mixed style. Wei Han's lobster, shrimp, crispy chicken, and Chinese pastry won! Wei Han became the first MasterChef China winner!

Elimination Chart

This chart shows how each contestant did in every episode.

     (WIN) The cook won the individual challenge (Mystery Box Challenge or Invention Test).

     (WIN) The cook was on the winning team in the Team Challenge and was safe from the Pressure Test.

     (HIGH) The cook was one of the top entries in the Mystery Box Challenge, but did not win.

     (IN) The cook was not selected as a top entry or bottom entry in the challenge.

     (IMM) The cook won the previous challenge and did not have to compete in the next challenge.

     (LOW) The cook was on the losing team in the Team Challenge, competed in the next challenge, and advanced.

     (LOW) The cook was one of the bottom entries in the Mystery Box Challenge.

     (LOW) The cook was one of the bottom entries in the Mystery Box Challenge, and received a penalty in the Invention Test.

     (PT) The cook was one of the bottom entries in the Elimination Challenge, competed in the Pressure Test, and advanced. In Episode 3, as the Blue Team breached the rules of the challenge, it was decided that the leader of the Blue Team (Li Liang) would join the next challenge as well.

     (ELIM) The cook was eliminated from MasterChef.

See also

In Spanish: MasterChef (China) para niños