Series synopsis
MasterChef New Zealand is a reality television series that premiered on Three on February 3, 2010. It stars Nadia Lim, Michael P. Dearth, Vaughan Mabee and Sam Low.
MasterChef New Zealand is a New Zealand competitive reality television cooking show based on the original British version of Masterchef. The first episode aired on 3 February 2010 at 7:30pm on TV ONE. The show currently features judges Ray McVinnie, Josh Emett and Simon Gault.
The series is similar to the format of MasterChef Australia whereby contestants compete in weekly elimination challenges, including team challenges. The major difference is the New Zealand series only has one episode per ...
Premise
MasterChef New Zealand is a New Zealand competitive reality television cooking show based on the original British version of Masterchef. The first episode aired on 3 February 2010 at 7:30pm on TV ONE. The show currently features judges Ray McVinnie, Josh Emett and Simon Gault.
The series is similar to the format of MasterChef Australia whereby contestants compete in weekly elimination challenges, including team challenges. The major difference is the New Zealand series only has one episode per week compared to Australia's five per week.
The first series was won by Brett McGregor, over runner-up Kelly Young, in the grand finale which was screened on 28 April 2010. Nadia Lim won the second series, beating runner-up Jax Hamilton in the finale. The third series was won by Chelsea Winter, who beat runner-up Ana Schwarz in the finale.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Nadia Lim as Herself
- Michael P. Dearth as Himself - Judge
- Vaughan Mabee as Himself - Judge
- Sam Low as Himself - Contestant
Guest cast
- Nadia Lim as Herself
- Michael P. Dearth as Himself - Judge
- Vaughan Mabee as Himself - Judge
- Sam Low as Himself - Contestant
Episodes
This series spans 7 seasons with 166 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 13 | February 2, 2010 | April 28, 2010 |
| Season 2 | 23 | February 20, 2011 | May 15, 2011 |
| Season 3 | 27 | February 21, 2012 | June 12, 2012 |
| Season 4 | 27 | February 10, 2013 | June 2, 2013 |
| Season 5 | 37 | February 2, 2014 | May 4, 2014 |
| Season 6 | 18 | July 26, 2015 | September 28, 2015 |
| Season 7 | 21 | May 29, 2022 | July 17, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Season Premiere | February 2, 2010 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 3, 2010 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | February 3, 2010 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | February 20, 2011 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 The Top 24 amateur cooks face two gruelling challenges to go through to the Top 12. |
February 27, 2011 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 The Top 12 face their first cooking challenge. |
March 6, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 The hit local cooking competition is back, bigger and better than ever before. Over 1000 amateur cooks from around the country compete for just 25 places in the next round. |
February 21, 2012 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 At the MasterChef kitchen, the Top 24 contestants face a sudden death challenge to find who will go through to the Top 16. |
February 28, 2012 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 The Top 16 contestants move into the MasterChef mansion on Auckland's North Shore. That night they experience a rude awakening, with a surprise appearance from Simon Gault, who outlines their challenge: an all-night bake-off at Auckland's Loaf bakery, in which two teams must each bake eight different kinds of bread and deliver them to the Hilton Hotel's Fish restaurant in the morning for tasting. Very few of the contestants have any baking experience, and as the night unfolds, so do the dramas. As the two teams grapple with unfamiliar recipes and equipment, lack of sleep takes its toll and basic mistakes begin creeping in throughout the bakery. |
March 6, 2012 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 New Season: Do you have what it takes to be New Zealand's next MasterChef? Watch as these hopefuls vie for a spot in the Top 24. |
February 10, 2013 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 The Top 24 contestants face two sudden death challenges to find who will go through to the Top 16. |
February 17, 2013 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 The Top 16 contestants move into the MasterChef mansion, then face a team hangi challenge on Mokoia Island. |
February 24, 2013 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | February 2, 2014 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | February 3, 2014 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | February 9, 2014 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | July 26, 2015 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | August 2, 2015 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | August 9, 2015 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Masterchef NZ is back after a seven year hiatus. Tonight 27 of the country’s top amateur cooks arrive in Queenstown to make their signature dish for the judges as they try to secure one of only 16 aprons |
May 29, 2022 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | May 30, 2022 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | June 5, 2022 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Three |
|---|---|
| First aired | February 3, 2010 |
| Last aired | July 17, 2022 |
| Status | continue |
| Schedule | Monday, Tuesday, Sunday at 19:30:00 |