Masterchef 2020 returns with series 16 this month – here’s all you need to know.
Back with a bang for the new year, MasterChef, TV’s biggest cooking competition will see 60 contestants fight to be crowned the UK’s best amateur cook.
MasterChef will return with three episodes in its launch week on Monday 24, Wednesday 26 and Friday 28 February at 9PM on BBC One.
The new series will run for eight weeks led once again by judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace..
The competition begins with five weeks of heats which will see 12 cooks compete each week.
They’ll begin split into groups of six facing their first test in the Signature Dish round. They bring from home the ingredients they need to put their best culinary foot forward. They have an hour and 15 minutes to deliver an impressive plate of food.
The best two cooks go straight through to the next stage while the remaining four get a second chance to prove themselves in another new test – the Three Ingredients Challenge.
They’re tasked with creating a dish that includes all three of the ingredients included in the mystery box in front of them. The two best will go through while the other two will be eliminated.
The top four contestants in the group must then produce their own two-course menu to impress not only John and Gregg, but three exceptional MasterChef finalists and winners. One more cook will be eliminated.
In the final stage of the heats, the top three cooks from the original two groups of six will come face to face with one of the UK’s top food critics – Jay Rayner, Grace Dent, William Sitwell, Tom Parker Bowles and Jimi Famurewa.
Each critic sets the home cooks a challenging brief that they have 90 minutes to deliver.
Sixteen contestants will make it through to the knockout week and be one step closer to being crowned MasterChef 2020 champion.
MasterChef begins Monday February 24 an continues Wednesday February 26 and Friday February 28 at 9PM on BBC One.
You’ll be able to watch and catch up on episodes via the BBC iPlayer.
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