MasterChef Italia is the Italian version of culinary talent show MasterChef. The first edition was aired from 21 September to 7 December 2011 on Sky Uno.
The judges are chefs Bruno Barbieri, Carlo Cracco, Antonino Cannavacciuolo by the fifth edition, and restaurateur Joe Bastianich (judge of MasterChef U.S.). Voiceovers are made by Simone D'Andrea and Luisa Ziliotto for the first five editions, Stefania Nali for the sixth and seventh and Ilaria Egitto from the eighth. Carlo Cracco quit the program after the end of 6th season and was replaced by Antonia Klugmann in the 7th. Antonia Klugmann was in turn replaced by Giorgio Locatelli for Season 8.
MasterChef Italia winners earn €100,000 in gold coins and get to publish a recipe book (published by RCS Rizzoli).
Format[]
- Mystery Box Challenge: The participants have to prepare a dish following the instructions of the judges and the ingredients contained in their Mystery Boxes. The judges taste the three most interesting dishes, and the winner is given an advantage for the next challenge.
- Invention Test: The participants have to re-create a dish decided by the judges or, often, by a guest (including renowned figures such as Marco Pierre White, Masaharu Morimoto and Matt Preston). The winner of the Mystery Box Challenge is given an advantage over the other participants, which could go as far as being exempted from the challenge. The duration of this test is variable, and here the judges, after tasting all dishes, nominate the winner of the test (who can choose their own team in the challenge in external as well as having other benefits) and the three cooks with the worst outcome, and between them at least one is eliminated (sometimes the others are sent directly to the Pressure Test).
- Team Challenge: In this test, the candidates are divided into two teams (or challenge each other) and have to prepare dishes to be served in a particular situation, usually outside MasterChef's kitchen, and for a considerable number of people, ranging from 100 to 10. MasterChef Italia has visited several locations in Italy and abroad, including Norwegian fjords, the Vatican, Naples. The winner of the invention test can choose the components of either teams and, at times, the courses to prepare, or have other particular advantages, such as advice from local chefs. The winning team will be voted upon by the guests they prepared food for, by simple majority.
- Pressure Test: The members of the losing team will compete against each other in a task (or set of tasks), usually with a very strict time limit, until at least one of them is eliminated.
- Duel: If foreseen, the worst competitor in the Invention Test and the worst competitor in the Pressure Test or the two worst competitors in the Pressure Test compete in a very demanding test with very little time available, at the end of which one of the two is eliminated.
- Skill Test: Present since the ninth edition and alternated in the episodes with the sequence of Team Challenge and Pressure Test, requires the competitors to take a surprise exam on a specific skill, divided into three steps, each assigned to a judge, where the worst is eliminated.
- Golden Mystery Box: The competitors must create a dish using all or some of the ingredients found inside a box, often with unexpected events and additional rules that make everything more difficult, regarding the particular cooking technique or the obligatory or prohibited use of a particular ingredient or tool. At the end of the test, the judges move between the stations to observe the dishes and then taste the best dishes, usually more than 3. The winners go up to the balcony and directly access the outdoor test or the next Skill Test.
- Black Mystery Box: The competitors must create a dish using all or some of the ingredients found inside a box, often with unexpected events and additional rules that make everything more difficult, regarding the particular cooking technique or the obligatory or prohibited use of a particular ingredient or tool. At the end of the test, the judges move between the stations to observe the dishes and the winning competitor receives a lesson in the MasterChef Magazine. The judges then call the worst dishes, and the 3 worst will face a Pressure Test.
- Stress Test: Introduced in the thirteenth edition, competitors must pass a skills exam in 10 minutes, to demonstrate that they are able to work under pressure. The test is led by a "shadow" chef whose identity is revealed shortly before the start of the test.
- The Final: In the Season Finale, the two (or three) remaining participants face each other in a 2-hour long duel, during which they have to serve their own degustation menu, composed of at least four courses.
Judges[]
| Seasons | Judges | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruno Barbieri | Carlo Cracco | Joe Bastianich | N/A |
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | Antonino Cannavacciuolo | Joe Bastianich | ||
| 6 | ||||
| 7 | Antonia Klugmann | |||
| 8 | Giorgio Locatelli | |||
| 9 | N/A | |||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | ||||
| 12 | ||||
| 13 | ||||
Series Overview[]
| Season | Premiered | Ended | Episodes | Contestants | Winner | Finalist(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 21, 2011 | December 7, 2011 | 24 | 18 | Spyros Theodoridis | Luisa Cuozzo | |
| 2 | December 13, 2012 | February 21, 2013 | 22 | Tiziana Stefanelli | Maurizio Rosazza | ||
| 3 | December 19, 2013 | March 6, 2014 | 24 | 20 | Federico Ferrero | Almo Bibolotti | |
| 4 | December 18, 2014 | March 5, 2015 | Stefano Callegaro | Nicolò Prati | |||
| 5 | December 17, 2015 | March 3, 2016 | Erica Liverani | Alida Gotta | |||
| 6 | December 22, 2016 | March 9, 2017 | Valerio Braschi | Cristina Nicolini | Gloria Enrico | ||
| 7 | December 21, 2017 | March 8, 2018 | 22 | Simone Scipioni | Kateryna Gryniukh | ||
| 8 | January 17, 2019 | April 4, 2019 | 20 | Valeria Raciti | Gilberto Neirotti | Gloria Clama | |
| 9 | December 19, 2019 | March 5, 2020 | Antonio Lorenzon | Maria Teresa Ceglia | Marisa Maffeo | ||
| 10 | December 17, 2020 | March 4, 2021 | 21 | Francesco Aquila | Antonio Colasanto | Irene Volpe | |
| 11 | December 16, 2021 | March 3, 2022 | 20 | Tracy Eboigbodin | Carmine Gorrasi | Christian Passeri | |
| 12 | December 15, 2022 | March 2, 2023 | Edoardo Franco | Bubu Gargiulo | Hue Dinh Thi | ||
| 13 | December 14, 2023 | February 29, 2024 | Eleonora Riso | Antonio Mazzola | Michela Morelli | ||
| 14 | December 12, 2024 | February 2025 | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
Spin-offs[]
Junior MasterChef Italia[]
On 16 April 2013, it was announced the MasterChef inspired spin-off, MasterChef Italy Junior, would involve children between 8 and 13 years of age. The casting began on 17 April 2013. The judges are Bruno Barbieri, Lidia Bastianich and Alessandro Borghese in the first two seasons, while Gennaro Esposito replaced Lidia Bastianich in the third. The first season aired from 13 March to 10 April 2014. After three seasons, the spin-off is cancelled.
Celebrity MasterChef Italia[]
On 9 September 2016, the Italian version of Celebrity MasterChef was announced, the spin-off of MasterChef where 12 competitors from the world of sport, entertainment and journalism participate. The judges are Bruno Barbieri, Joe Bastianich, and Antonino Cannavacciuolo . The first edition began on 16 March 2017, broadcast on Sky Uno and ended on 6 April 2017. The second edition began on 15 March 2018 and ended on 5 April 2018.
MasterChef All Stars Italia[]
On 1 June 2018, the Italian version of MasterChef All Stars is announced, the spin-off of MasterChef where 16 of the most talented former competitors of the seven editions held so far will participate. On June 21, the 16 contestants who will form the cast were announced. The judges are Bruno Barbieri and Antonino Cannavacciuolo, supported each evening by a guest judge chosen in rotation among Joe Bastianich, Antonia Klugmann, Iginio Massari and Giorgio Locatelli. It was broadcast on Sky Uno from 20 December 2018 to 10 January 2019. The winner was Michele Cannistraro.