MasterChef Cambodia is a renowned cooking competition that celebrates and showcases the rich culinary traditions of Cambodia. The show airs on CTN and has a strong online presence through its official Facebook page and YouTube channel.
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Format[]
MasterChef Khmer aired the first season running from 19 August 2018 to 3 February 2019, on the Cambodian Television Network (CTN). The judges were Rin Nara, Elisabeth Sethavrath (Jessica), and Sophearong Rithy, with a few hundred participants competing for the title of Cambodia’s first Master Chef.
During the competition, the following challenges were regularly featured:
- Skills Test: Cooks are challenged to perform a list of common cooking techniques or styles, or to replicate a particular cooking method of a dish (i.e. steaks done to an exact wellness). This type of test is also sometimes used as an Elimination Test.
- Mystery Box: Cooks are all given a box with the same ingredients and must use only those ingredients to create a dish within a fixed amount of time. The judges will select three dishes based on visual appearance and technique alone to taste, and from these three select one winner who usually gains an advantage of some type in the elimination test.
- Elimination Test: After the challenge is explained, judges evaluate all dishes based on taste and visual appeal. The judges nominate the worst dishes for elimination and criticize them before eliminating at least one contestant.
- Team Challenge: The cooks are split into teams by either team captains or the judges. They often occur in a restaurant takeover or pop-up restaurant taking the place of the staff of a particular restaurant. Diners taste both meals and vote for their favorite. The winning team advances, while the losing team will participate in the Pressure Test or face elimination based on the teams’ performance.
- Pressure Test: Another form of the Elimination Test, in which losing team members compete against each other to make a standard dish within a limited amount of time that requires a great degree of cooking finesse. Each dish is judged on taste, visual appeal and technique, and the losing chef is eliminated.
Once the competition is reduced to either the final two or three competitors, the finalists will compete against each other in a three-course cook-off. All courses of the meal are judged and an overall winner is crowned. The winner walks away with $50,000 cash and the MasterChef trophy. During the first season of MasterChef Chan Kanha was the finalist and known as the ‘Best Female in MasterChef Khmer’.
Judge[]
The current season features judges Meng Hy, Nara, and Jessica, who are highly regarded for their expertise and passion for elevating Khmer cuisine to international standards.[2]
Seasons[]
| Season
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| 1 |
| 2 |
| 3 |