MasterChef kicked off its 20th series this week, with a new group of 58 passionate and talented hopefuls ready to show off their culinary skills.
The judges, chef John Torode and former fruit and veg man Gregg Wallace, are returning, having hosted the show since its 2005 relaunch.
Speaking about the new series, John said: ‘I can hardly believe that we are into the 20th series of this unbelievably brilliant show. It’s such a point of pride and celebration.’
He added: ‘Twenty years on, MasterChef continues to show if you have a dream, just go for it!’
The competitive cooking show initially ran from 1990 to 2001, before being revived in 2005 with an overhauled format, becoming one of the BBC’s most successful programmes.
MasterChef kicked off its 20th series this week, with a new group of 58 passionate and talented hopefuls ready to show off their culinary skills
The judges, chef John Torode and former fruit and veg man Gregg Wallace, are returning, having hosted the show since its 2005 relaunch (pictured)
The competitive cooking show initially ran from 1990 to 2001, before being revived in 2005 with an overhauled format, becoming one of the BBC ‘s most successful programmes
Its popularity spawned many spin-offs from the show, including celebrity and junior versions, while the format was then reproduced across the world.
The first international adaptation was MasterChef Australia in 2009, subsequently followed by versions in more than 60 countries.
Regions still airing the franchise include India, South Africa, Ukraine, Paraguay, Sweden, Mexico, Georgia, Singapore, Turkey, Poland, Croatia, Brazil, Estonia, and Argentina.
Most of the international versions follow the same basic format, with multiple heats and challenges to whittle contestants down until there is one winner.
However, what the champions receive after they win varies significantly from country to country, with winners banking thousands more than others.
Prizes can include book deals, training opportunities, appliances and huge amounts of cash.
In the Netherlands, the winning chef gets to publish their own cookbook, while also pocketing €25,000 (£21,500).
Similarly, in the Thailand version, the champion receives their own MasterChef cookbook and ฿1,000,000, which also amounts to around £21,500.
Its popularity spawned many spin-offs from the show, including celebrity and junior versions, while the format was then reproduced across the world (US version shown)
The first international adaptation was MasterChef Australia in 2009, subsequently followed by versions in more than 60 countries (Australia version pictured)
Most of the international versions follow the same basic format, but what the champions receive after they win varies significantly from country to country
New Zealand’s prize package appears the most unique, with the reigning champion, Sam Low, taking home a number of winnings.
These includes six months’ worth of groceries from New World, $6000 worth of Neff appliances, a Kenwood stand mixer, and a cookbook deal with publisher Allen and Unwin.
But in the Canadian show, winners get to take home a huge $100,000 cash prize, which is £58,500.
While Italians earn a whopping €100,000 or £85,775, and get to publish a book of their recipes as well.
MasterChef Spain offers a similar prize with an added bonus: as well as getting €100,000 and their own recipe book, the winner gets the chance to attend the esteemed culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu.
The US version eclipses these prizes however, as they offer their winners a staggering $250,000, amounting to just under £200,000.
But the version with the perhaps the most lucrative rewards is MasterChef Australia, which boasts a huge prize package for winners.
Not only does the champion gets $250,000 (£130,500) in cash and the chance to have their own cookbook published, they also receive invaluable training from leading professional chefs.
Prizes can include book deals, training opportunities, appliances and huge amounts of cash (Justin Narayan pictured)
The US version eclipses these prizes however, as they offer their winners a staggering $250,000, amounting to just under £200,000 (pictured)
But the version with the perhaps the most lucrative rewards is MasterChef Australia, which boasts a huge prize package for winners (Emelia Jackson pictured)
Not only does the champion gets $250,000 (£130,500) in cash and the chance to have their own cookbook published, they also receive invaluable training from leading professional chefs (Julie Goodwin (left) and runner-up Poh Ling Yeow in 2009)
Shockingly however, in the original and oldest version of the show in the UK, winners receive nothing but the coveted MasterChef trophy and title.
The MasterChef trophy is the show’s logo — the letter ‘m’ surrounded by two circles, made of aluminium.
Makers of the award, Gaudio, say on their website: ‘The MasterChef trophy is instantly recognisable and is treasured by winners.’
While the lack of any prize in comparison to the international version may seem disappointing, the main appeal of winning MasterChef is thought to be the recognition, prestige and exposure.
In the UK, many cooking competitions do not result in a cash prize, including fellow global favourite – The Great British Bake Off.
Instead winners are able to use being crowned the winner of one of the most well-regarded cooking contests as a launchpad to start their professional careers.
Past winners have gone on to open their own restaurants, write critically acclaimed cookbooks and begin careers in the media, with many returning to MasterChef as judges.
Shockingly however, in the original and oldest version of the show in the UK, winners receive nothing but the coveted MasterChef trophy and title (pictured 2023 winner Chariya Khattiyot)
The MasterChef trophy is the show’s logo — the letter ‘m’ surrounded by two circles, made of aluminium (pictured 2019 winner Irini Tzortzoglou)
The main appeal of winning MasterChef is thought to be the recognition, prestige and exposure, with winners using it as a launchpad to start their professional careers (pictured 2014 winner Ping Coombes)
One of the most successful champions is the very first series winner from 2005, Thomasina Miers.
The 48-year-old has made several cooking TV series and authored many best-selling cookbooks.
Most notably, Thomasina co-founded the hugely popular Mexican restaurant chain, Wahaca, which has 13 branches across the UK.
The mother-of-three was also awarded an OBE in 2019 for her services to the food industry and also has a weekly column in the Guardian where she shares her recipes.
Past winners have gone on to open their own restaurants, write critically acclaimed cookbooks and begin careers in the media, with many returning to MasterChef as judges (pictured 2021 winner Tom Rhodes with his fellow 2021 finalists Alexina O’Toole and Mike Tomkin)
One of the most successful champions is the very first series winner from 2005, Thomasina Miers, who co-founded the hugely popular Mexican restaurant chain, Wahaca (pictured 2022)
