A culinary ‘American Idol‘ is set to hit the United States. Masterchef, starring Gordon Ramsay will feature nonprofessional cooks who will compete to create that perfect dish. Ramsay will co-produce the show through his domestic banner. Production is due to begin soon, with Fox expected to order close to 12-15 hour-long segments of the show. Fox has so far only confirmed that it had sealed the deal with Reveille, but has declined to comment on other details.
Several manifestations of the MasterChef format have aired in the UK, with the oldest one dating back to 1990. The Australian edition is by far the most popular, with its finale one of the country’s most-watched program in a decade.
Howard T. Owens, Executive Producer, Reveille said, “This is a huge, nationwide search for the best amateur cook in America. It is about people who are lawyers, construction workers and stay-at-home moms, but whose real passion is to make great food. This is their shot to prove they have what it takes.”
Fox’s MasterChef is expected to closely follow the format of its Australian counterpart, with each season seeing a contestant create a dish for the panel of three judges to earn their respective spots in the semi-finals. The remainder of the contestants meanwhile compete for the rest of the weeks on team-based challenges.
The show is yet to be scheduled and tentative plans at Fox include a late spring edition of Hell’s Kitchen, which will go into summer, and then will be followed by the unveiling of MasterChef.