MasterChef Paraguay facts for kids

MasterChef Paraguay is a fun TV show from Paraguay. It's a cooking competition where everyday people who love to cook get to show off their skills. The show is based on the famous MasterChef series from the UK.

Chena TV makes the show. It first aired on April 3, 2018, on the Telefuturo TV channel. In the show, amateur cooks try to become the best home cook in Paraguay. They face exciting challenges from judges Eugenia Aquino, José Torrijos, and Nicolás Bo. Paola Maltese is the main host who guides everyone through the competition.

How the Show Works

Becoming a Contestant

First, many amateur cooks try out for the show. About two hundred people are chosen for the TV competition. In this first round, each cook makes a special dish they are good at. This is called their "signature dish."

The cooks have a short time to prepare their dish. Then, they get five minutes to finish cooking and put their dish on a plate in front of the three judges. While they cook, the judges ask them about their cooking journey.

Getting an Apron

The three judges taste each dish. They vote "yes" or "no" on whether the cook should stay. If a cook gets at least two "yes" votes, they get a special MasterChef apron. This apron means they move on to the next stage! If they don't get enough "yes" votes, they leave the competition.

Trimming Down the Numbers

After the first round, the number of cooks is cut down to 18. This happens through two kinds of challenges. One challenge might be a simple cooking task, like chopping onions. The judges watch closely to see how well they do it. If a cook isn't doing well, a judge can take their apron, meaning they are out.

Another challenge asks cooks to invent a new dish. They must use a main ingredient or follow a theme. The judges decide who stays or goes based on how good their dishes taste.

The Main Competition

In the third season, the cooks who made it to the semi-finals competed in small groups. They had to cook a dish on a specific topic. The winner of each group got an apron. There was also a "last-chance" cook-off for the final spot.

After these early rounds, the main competition begins. This usually involves two events in each 90-minute episode. One cook is eliminated after the second event. This continues until only two cooks are left. Then, the judges choose the winner of MasterChef!

Exciting Challenges

The show has different types of challenges to test the cooks. Here are the main ones:

• Mystery Box: All the cooks get a box with the same secret ingredients. They must use only these ingredients to create a dish in a set time. The judges taste the dishes. The best dish wins, and that cook gets an advantage in the next challenge.

• Team Challenge: Cooks go to a special location outside the MasterChef kitchen. They are split into two teams. The cook who won the last challenge usually picks the teams first. The teams often have to cook a meal for many people in a limited time. Sometimes, they even take over a real restaurant kitchen! The diners taste both meals and vote for their favorite. The winning team is safe, but the losing team must face an elimination test back in the MasterChef kitchen.

• Elimination Test: The losing team from the Team Challenge, or sometimes other cooks, face this test. They have a set time to cook a dish. Judges look at how the dish tastes and how it looks. The judges pick the worst dishes and tell at least one cook to leave the MasterChef kitchen.

• Pressure Test: This challenge tests the cooks' knowledge and skills under pressure. The best cook in this test often wins immunity, meaning they are safe for another week. Or they might get an advantage in the next challenge.

For all tests, cooks have a certain time to cook and plate their dishes. Once time is up, they cannot change their dishes. For indoor tests, cooks get 3 minutes to grab ingredients from a special supermarket area.

Show Seasons Overview

MasterChef Profesionales

This is a special version of the show for professional chefs.

See also

In Spanish: MasterChef Paraguay para niños