MasterChef Returns! Gordon Ramsay Welcomes a Lineup of Culinary Icons for Season 11
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) shutdown in 2020, MasterChef had to take an unexpected hiatus last year. Now returning for a summer showdown, MasterChef: Legends is setting the stage for a crushing culinary competition with executive producer, judge, and host Gordon Ramsay at the helm. The famous foodie also invited some iconic guest chefs to lend their expertise on this landmark season.
When does ‘MasterChef: Legends’ season 11 premiere?
MasterChef: Legends launches on June 2, 2021, as reported by Parade. Scheduled to air on Fox each Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET, the reality show features Ramsay as a judge along with returning judges Aarón Sánchez and Joe Bastianich. The three culinary stars have been together since season 9, mentoring a group of home cooks in the hopes of winning the $250,000 grand prize.
Ramsay has an entire portfolio of television shows including Kitchen Nightmares, Hell’s Kitchen, and Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, as well as multiple restaurants to his name. With 16 Michelin stars on his list of credits, the TV star and author strives to bring fresh aspects to the MasterChef competition each year.
“I never want to sit on my laurels,” Ramsay told Variety in 2019. “I treat MasterChef like running a restaurant in terms of, you need to be creative every year, and like customers in any restaurant vote with their feet, viewers vote with their controllers.”
‘MasterChef: Legends’ lives up to its name with a lineup of culinary all-stars
Season 11 features a group of 15 home cooks, a few less than past competitions that started off with a Top 20. Over the years, MasterChef has invited other culinary experts on the show, including Wolfgang Puck and Daniel Boulud. This season, the series is upping its game with a full roster of top talent.
Superchefs Paula Deen, Emeril Lagasse, Roy Choi, Nancy Silverton and Iron Chef star Morimoto will be making appearances on MasterChef: Legends.
In addition to the massive cash grand prize, the winner of the competition will receive a complete Viking kitchen, as well as kitchen tools and bakeware products from OXO. Filming of the MasterChef kitchen segments took place in a studio facility in California’s San Fernando Valley.
Gordon Ramsay says ‘MasterChef’ has ‘gotten rid of the snob factor in food’
Ramsay has manned the reality show from the beginning, and noted how the series levels the playing field for home cooks.
“I think MasterChef has given the culinary world a kick in the ass,” Ramsay said in 2019. “Every chef out there is watching and seeing the rest of the public, i.e. my customers, can cook better than they do in restaurants. For me, that’s exciting.”
The restauranteur considers MasterChef as an opportunity for those aspiring to make cooking a career.
“It’s gotten rid of the snob factor in food, and made it a real drive for individuals who never had the position or the time in their lives for food,” Ramsay remarked.
MasterChef: Legends premieres on June 2 on Fox at 8 p.m. ET.
