Celebrating its 11th anniversary this year is MasterChef, Fox's hit reality-TV cooking competition series hosted by the iconic British chef Gordon Ramsay. Despite undergoing a series of format changes, different judges, and featuring a wide array of uniquely talented chefs over the past decade, the show has persisted for over a decade and remained popular among the masses.
As the show continues its long run on air, it's interesting to look back at all the seasons so far and how they compare.
10 Season 9
For the first time since Season 1 of the cooking series, Season 9 featured more contestants than episodes. As such, fans became a bit exhausted with tracking so many names and aces (24) during the lengthy competition. But the real reason the season is ranked so low is the inclusion of the tutor twist.
In a new format twist for Season 9, each judge chose eight competitors to give their apron to, followed by culinary advice and mentorship to help them succeed throughout the season. Though a good idea, this seemed to make the show more about the judges than the contestants.
9 Season 10
Despite a hot start that featured several fun-filled episodes to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show, Season 10 lacked a certain element of suspense.
With 20 chefs competing over 25 weeks, a certain fatigue factor likely played a role in the enjoyment of this season. And while the eventual winner Dorian Hunter had a bubbly infectious attitude and certainly deserved the title, the lack of drama during the final two episodes didn't make for great TV.
8 Season 6
Season 6 of MasterChef marked the departure of an original judge, Joe Bastianich. While his replacement Christian Tosi acquitted herself well, fans felt let down by the casting shakeup and took a while to get used to it.
With 22 chefs competing over the course of 20 weeks, Season 6 featured a wide array of compelling talent that culminated in an intense showdown between runner-up Derrick Peltz and winner Claudia Sandoval. But the subdued guest judges led to a certain lack of enthusiasm.
7 Season 1
Like any new competitive reality TV show, MasterChef took a while to find its footing and really hit its stride. As such, the rudimentary nature of the inaugural season lands in the middle of the pack.
After the novelty of the format wore off, viewers were left with 13 contestants vying for culinary supremacy over a 14-week battle. After experimenting with the format that included awkward elimination, a strange voice-over narration, and uneven pacing, Mississippi college student, Whitney Miller emerged victoriously.
6 Season 8
Despite a boilerplate competition for much of the first half, the riveting finale among Dino, Eboni, and Jason makes Season 8 one of the best and most memorable in series history. The addition of new guest-judge Aarón Sánchez didn't hurt.
The unpredictable nature of the season led to a surprising winner in Dino. Highlights from the season include the chefs preparing a fish dish for local lifeguards, flying to Las Vegas for a glitzy VIP event, and the intense personal drama between Jeff and Yachecia.
5 Season 7
One of the major appeals of Season 7 was the rotating third judge after Graham Elliot left the show. Rather than one permanent replacement, a revolving door of such esteemed chef judges as Wolfgang Puck, Richard Blais, Aarón Sánchez, Edward Lee, and Daniel Boulud was included.
However, the most important reason Season 7 excelled was the high-quality cookery of the eventual winner, Shaun O'Neale, and his final competitors Brandi Mudd and David Williams, who tied for second place.
4 Season 2
After smoothing out the speed-bumps and roadblocks experienced in Season 1, the finale of Season 2 enjoyed high viewership. With more time and bigger production, the show hosted 18 contestants over 20 weeks of competition.
Despite Gordon Ramsay's incessant outbursts and temperamental flare-ups, Season 2 won viewers' hearts with the run of former Miss USA contestant Jennifer Behm, a realtor who turned her casual cooking hobby into a $250,000 grand prize.
3 Season 5
With dramatic kitchen conflicts among contentious personalities Ahran and Leslie and between "Cutter" and Dan, Season 5 provided viewers with some of the most memorable moments in MasterChef history. And that doesn't even include the heart-pounding showdown between finalists Courtney Lapresi, Elizabeth Cauvel, and Leslie Gilliams.
However, one of the main reasons Season 5 remains so strong is the refinement of the format, the comfortability of the three original judges, and the familiar nature of the show before it made major changes beginning in Season 6.
2 Season 3
Season 3 of MasterChef garnered some of the best ratings in show history (per SpotVault). Fans felt strongly about the diverse cast of highly skilled contestants, none more impressive than the eventual winner, Christine Ha.
With tremendous spirit at top-notch cooking skills, Christine became the first blind contestant to compete on MasterChef, winning first place over the course of a harrowing four-month process. Fans of the show were also thrilled to see the first Asian winner take home the top prize.
1 Season 4
The consensus among the MasterChef faithful is that Season 4 still ranks as the overall best. In addition to the most likable cast of competitors in show history, including the magnetic first place winner Luca Manfe, the show gave ample time for each person to show their personality over 25 long weeks of competition.
Luca's success story is extra special because he was the first winner to fail to make the audition cut from the previous season.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3v9gjgk
0 Comments