In the original “MasterChef,” Ramsay is joined chef Aarón Sánchez and restaurateur Joe Bastianich. Each season, the three work to find the best home cook through a series of really difficult and, sometimes, highly technical cooking challenges. In the end, only the strongest home cooks advance to the finale and ultimately claim the trophy & grand prize of $250,000.
The success of “MasterChef” has also resulted in various spinoffs around the world. Meanwhile, it also led to the development of the highly successful “MasterChef Junior.” And even if you’re a huge fan of both shows, we’re willing to bet that you still don’t know everything about the ‘MasterChef’ world. Check out some of these behind the scenes secrets:
15 Potential Contestants Don’t Receive Any Help In Keeping Their Food Hot Or Cold
While speaking with the A.V. Club, former contestant Elise Mayfield said she made chicken pot hand pies and Brussels sprout slaw for the open call. And she recalled, “I knew the one thing they said in the open call was that they wouldn’t have any heating or cooling elements, so you would have to find a way to keep your food hot or cold, or make something that could be at room temperature.”
14 Before Meeting Ramsay And The Other Judges, You Meet Producers And ‘Scary’ Chefs Who Criticize Your Food
During auditions, Mayfield recalled encountering some “scary” chefs. She also said, “The chefs were tasting food and also critiquing, so people were getting critiqued on the spot which was not something I had expected. Then, on top of that, you’re also talking to producers who wanna know what your personality is like.”
13 It Takes At Least Four Months To Get On The Show
Mayfield revealed, “The audition process is many months long. There’s communication throughout that whole process but it’s also months and months and months of 'different steps' and 'waiting to hear from people' and 'waiting to submit things' and deadlines for me to submit things and deadlines to hear back from them, but, ultimately, I didn’t hear back until four months later about going to L.A.”
12 Flying Out To L.A. Doesn’t Guarantee Your Spot As A Contestant
Mayfield recalled, “What I was told—and I think everybody will know this from the way the show is set up—but when I got the call to go, I mean, I was basically told, 'This is not a guarantee that you’re on the show, this is not a guarantee you’re going to meet the judges, this is a not guarantee of anything. It’s just the final audition.'”
11 Potential Contestants Are Asked To Abandon Their Normal Lives For Months
Once you’re informed that you are a potential contestant on the show, you have to be prepared to put your normal life on hold. As Mayfield revealed, “I was told to pack for a couple of months so that was nuts.” This also meant that she only had a week to figure several things out. She had to inform her workplace that she would be gone, and she also had to make arrangements for her car & apartment.
10 Some Judges, Like George Calombaris, Fast On Filming Days
While speaking with Daily Mail Australia, "MasterChef Australia" judge Calombaris explained, “I plan myself. So if I know I'm going to taste 20 dishes in a day, I’m not going to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner - it’s about understanding that.” They later added, “I'm very strategic and very disciplined in how I taste and the timings of when I taste it as well.”
9 The Time Limits Are Real
As Mayfield recalled, “Once you get into the kitchen, and you’re at your station and they start giving you information, the cameras just disappear. There’s so much else at stake and those time limits are 100 percent real. They are not fudged for TV. They’re real, and when they say the clock started, the clock started.”
8 The ‘Junior’ Contestants Are More Careful With Knives Than The Adults
During an interview with Salon, culinary producer Sandee Birdsong revealed, “These kids were so amazing that they ... you know, they didn't cut themselves. They cut themselves far less than the adults did. Just watching them take on this task was amazing, and they took it on better than most adults do.”
7 “MasterChef Junior” Takes Safety Very Seriously. There’s A Medic For Every Contestant
Robin Ashbrook, the executive producer for both “MasterChef” and “MasterChef Junior” told HuffPost, “Every one of the rows has a medic right at the end of it that you rarely see. He has his or her eyes on one kid at all time. There’s no such thing as rubber knives and pretend boiling water on this show. If it’s real, it’s real.”
6 “MasterChef Junior” Kids Still Attend School While Filming
According to Birdsong, “On top of that, they also have to have their school, because it's not just competition; you also have to have your school that day. It's not like, 'Hey, I'm on this show and there's a break from reality.' They actually have to go to school and have to have breaks and have to eat at a certain time.”
5 Filming For “MasterChef Junior” Is Strictly Limited To Four Hours A Day
Ashbrook also revealed, “For us, production-wise, it was a challenge because we usually film on the grown ‘MasterChef’ a 12-hour day. With these guys, depending on which day of the week, and their age, the limit is just four hours a day. When those four hours are up, those four hours are up. We literally had to stop filming.”
4 Strictly No Recipes Allowed In The Competition
During her interview, Mayfield explained, “No recipes. It’s scary. There are moments when you’re like, 'Oh my god, it worked!' I don’t know any other way to explain it other than that it is amazing what the human brain can remember when you’re under pressure. I think we all just spent a lot of time—I spent a lot of time preparing before I left.”
3 The ‘Junior’ Contestants Always Have A Chaperone While Filming
According to Ashbrook, “There was always a chaperone and it was almost always a parent. They were at all times able to see what was going on in the kitchen. All of the parents actually sat together and watched what happened. They really bonded. It certainly wasn’t a ‘Dance Moms’ atmosphere.”
2 U.S. Contestants Get To Attend Cooking Classes In Preparation For The Competition
And as former contestant Josh Marks explained, “The cooking class is like, so MasterChef, they really teach you how to be a chef." Meanwhile, a producer for the show told The Mail on Sunday, “MasterChef US has never made any secret of the practice where prior to certain specialist challenges contestants have been given access to training and relevant reference materials.”
1 Dishes Can Be Judged Immediately Depending On If They Need To Be Eaten Hot
According to a reply on Reddit by someone who is on the culinary team of the show, “If something NEEDS to be eaten fresh and hot, like perhaps a chef has made something with a whipped topping that will melt very rapidly, we will rush into judging that to preserve the integrity of the dish. Keep in mind that when the judges are snaking around in between chef stations during a cook, they are actively tasting everything.”