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Why is everybody a Masterchef fan?
In Italy, the programme is watched by over 2 million viewers
January 30th, 2025
MasterChef is one of the longest-running shows in recent Italian television history: the program has been airing on Sky since 2012, without interruption, and today it is followed by over 2 million viewers—an impressive number both by Italian television standards and for a pay-TV channel. The creators of MasterChef have achieved this result by crafting a show designed for everyone, rather than just for cooking enthusiasts. From the very first episodes, almost all contestants are quickly given a persona—a stereotypical and easily recognizable characterization. The 2026 finale, for example, featured a competition between Erica, representing a more homely and provincial style of cooking, and Alida, known for her riskier and less "simplistic" approach. Speaking about her rival’s final dish, she remarked: «I would never have dreamed of presenting a chocolate lava cake with berries.» The same dynamic was seen two years earlier during the final between Almo and Federico. The former described his opponent's menus as «a bit too conceptual: very thought-out and not ‘from the gut’.»
gli esami della sessione che smettono di esistere nel mio cervello il momento in cui mi siedo sul divano a guardare masterchef#MasterchefIt pic.twitter.com/48WI3BtPKi
— rà (@HhamMerss) January 23, 2025
But more than individual culinary skills, the real leitmotif of MasterChef is the contestants’ stories, especially the relationships they build with each other. For this reason, the show extensively uses contestant interviews—highlighting friendships, crushes, rivalries, and strategies. It’s no coincidence that cooking takes a back seat on MasterChef: the show’s rules explicitly require contestants to be amateurs. «Many similar programs, like Top Chef, don’t have this amateur requirement: if you’ve worked even just a few months in a kitchen, you’re unlikely to ever mess up a mayonnaise. The charm of MasterChef, instead, lies precisely in the fact that, at any moment, someone could ruin a mayonnaise,» explained chef and writer Tommaso Melilli back in 2016 on Rivista Studio. «Amateurism, besides the spectacular mistakes and disasters, brings something else: the stories. Because if a contestant is an amateur cook, it means they have a life outside the kitchen. And, most importantly, that they want to change it.»
Created by the BBC, MasterChef was born in the United Kingdom in 1990. Over the years, the show has undergone several evolutions. The modern version of the show, as we know it today, was relaunched in 2005—once again by the BBC—with a revamped format that inspired over 60 international adaptations, including MasterChef Italia, which debuted in 2012. Thanks to the program’s growing popularity, the number of applicants has significantly increased in recent editions. Contestants are now fully aware that they are part of a talent show, and they have learned to “play the game.” But the judges’ approach has also changed over time. After years of criticism regarding the show’s excessive dramatization and the judges’ deliberately disrespectful attitude toward contestants, they have now adopted an approach that instills less fear. «This narrative and existential shift is slowly turning the judges into life coaches, to the point that each judge now has their protégés, whom they support, guide, and encourage,» commented Melilli.
And after MasterChef?
MasterChef contestants who stand out often gain a large following on social media, and once the show ends, they typically become content creators. However, for many, this is an unavoidable choice. «After the show ended, I never got any calls,» said Corriere della Sera interviewee Eleonora Riso, winner of the thirteenth edition of MasterChef, referring to the lack of job offers from major restaurants. «I don’t have any delusions: I know my training isn’t at the level of professionals, and that I won an amateur cooking show,» she added. In an interview with Fanpage, she further clarified: «This is a job that goes beyond just being good in the kitchen—because managing or working in a successful restaurant week after week is a completely different thing.»