| Celebrity MasterChef Australia | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Cooking Game show |
| Judges | George Calombaris Gary Mehigan Matt Preston |
| Narrated by | Nick McKay |
| Theme music composer | Katy Perry |
| Opening theme | Hot n Cold |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Paul Franklin Cathie Scott |
| Running time | 60 minutes (including commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Network Ten |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| First shown in | BBC (United Kingdom) |
| Original run | 30 September 2009 – 25 November 2009 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | MasterChef Australia (season 1) |
| Followed by | MasterChef Australia (season 2) |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Celebrity MasterChef Australia is an Australian competitive cooking game show. It is spin-off of MasterChef Australia, itself an adaptation of the British show MasterChef, and features celebrity contestants. It began production in early September 2009, and premiered on Network Ten on 30 September 2009.[1]
Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan returned as judges for the show; however Sarah Wilson did not reprise her role as host from the first season of MasterChef Australia.[2] Instead Calombaris and Mehigan will also serve in a general hosting capacity.
Olympic swimmer Eamon Sullivan won the series, taking home $50,000 for charity Swim Survive Stay Alive.
In February 2010, executive producer Mark Fennessy stated that he doubted the spin-off will return for a second season.[3]
Contents |
In contrast to its parent show, the celebrity version is based around a heats and semi-finals format similar to MasterChef Goes Large, and is aired only once a week in an hourly format.[1][4]
Celebrities are split into groups of three as they compete in a heat round featuring two challenges, with one celebrity making their way from each heat into the semi-finals. The heats consist of an Invention Test, in which they prepare a dish of their own concoction, and a Pressure Test, in which they must complete a dish from a professional chef. Due to the difficulty of these dishes contestants are given a single "lifeline" in which the chef is able to aid them for 90 seconds.
The six remaining celebrities will then face further challenges in order to secure their place in the final.[5]
Celebrity MasterChef Australia features 18 celebrities as contestants. Network Ten officially revealed the first batch of contestants on the 3 September 2009 episode of The 7PM Project.[6] However, several contestants were revealed before Ten's official announcement of their participation.
The contestants include:[5]
| Contestant | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Eamon Sullivan | Olympic Swimmer | WINNER |
| Kirk Pengilly | Musician (INXS) | 2nd Place |
| Rachael Finch | 2009 Miss Universe Australia | 3rd Place |
| Alex Lloyd | Singer-songwriter | Eliminated Semi Final 3 |
| Michelle Bridges | Personal Trainer (The Biggest Loser) | Eliminated Semi Final 2 |
| Simon Katich | Cricketer | Eliminated Semi Final 1 |
| Faustina "Fuzzy" Agolley | Television presenter (Video Hits) | Eliminated Heat 6 |
| Peter Rowsthorn | Actor | Eliminated Heat 6 |
| George Negus | Journalist | Eliminated Heat 5 |
| Ryan O'Keefe | AFL player (Sydney Swans) | Eliminated Heat 5 |
| Wendy Harmer | Comedian and radio host | Eliminated Heat 4 |
| Alex Perry | Fashion Designer | Eliminated Heat 4 |
| Anna Bligh | 37th and current Premier of Queensland | Eliminated Heat 3 |
| Simon Westaway | Actor | Eliminated Heat 3 |
| Peter FitzSimons | Former Wallabies Rugby Union Player | Eliminated Heat 2 |
| Kathleen de Leon Jones | Singer and Dancer (formerly of Hi-5) | Eliminated Heat 2 |
| Indira Naidoo | Journalist and activist | Eliminated Heat 1 |
| Josh Thomas | Comedian | Eliminated Heat 1 |
Ten initially announced that actor Steve Bisley would also be a participant, but he later withdrew from the show. Ten cited a scheduling conflict for his departure, though the ABC have claimed that Network Ten are using it as an excuse as the announcement of his participation on the show was on the same day the actor was charged with assaulting his ex-wife Sally Burleigh during an argument between the former couple.[7] Rachael Finch previously auditioned for the first series of MasterChef Australia, but did not make past the initial rounds.[8]
| Ep# | Original airdate | Episode Title / Event | Total viewers | Nightly Ranking | Weekly Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heats | |||||
| 1 | Wednesday 30 September 2009 | Heat 1 - Indira Naidoo, Kirk Pengilly and Josh Thomas. Pengilly moved on to the semi-finals. | 1.363 million | #2 | #12 |
| 2 | Wednesday 7 October 2009 | Heat 2 - Michelle Bridges, Kathleen de Leon and Peter FitzSimons. Bridges moved on to the semi-finals. | 1.090 million | #10 | #31 |
| 3 | Wednesday 14 October 2009 | Heat 3 - Eamon Sullivan, Anna Bligh and Simon Westaway. Sullivan moved on to the semi-finals. | 1.187 million | #7 | #20 |
| 4 | Wednesday 21 October 2009 | Heat 4 - Alex Perry, Wendy Harmer and Simon Katich. Katich moved on to the semi-finals. | 1.279 million | #3 | #13 |
| 5 | Wednesday 28 October 2009 | Heat 5 - Rachael Finch, George Negus and Ryan O'Keefe. Finch moved on to the semi-finals. | 1.150 million | #8 | #26 |
| 6 | Wednesday 4 November 2009 | Heat 6 - Fuzzy Agolley, Alex Lloyd and Peter Rowsthorn. Lloyd moved on to semi-finals. | 1.224 million | #6 | #21 |
| Finals | |||||
| 7 | Wednesday 11 November 2009 | Semi Final 1 - The first semi-final consisted of the six semi-finalists competing in an individual Mystery Box challenge, and a Christmas lunch-themed Invention Test where they competed in pairs, with one member of the worst performing pair to be eliminated. Paired with Alex Lloyd, Simon Katich was the contestant eliminated. | 1.124 million | #6 | #23 |
| 8 | Wednesday 18 November 2009 | Semi Final 2 - The five remaining contestants were required to staff the kitchen at Altitude Restaurant in Sydney. Contestants were allocated a course, and following service they must present the dish they have prepared for service to the judges for tasting, with the contestant with the worst dish to be eliminated. Michelle Bridges was the contestant eliminated. | 1.076 million | #8 | #29 |
| 9 | Tuesday 24 November 2009 | Semi Final 3 - The four remaining contestants competed in a Pressure Test involving recreating a croquembouche, with the contestant with the least accomplished dessert to be eliminated. Alex Lloyd was the contestant eliminated. | 1.083 million | #7 | #27 |
| 10 | Wednesday 25 November 2009 | Final - The final involved three rounds, a Taste Test, a dessert-only Invention Test and a Pressure Test, with points being won as the contestants progressed. Based on accumulated points, Rachael Finch and Kirk Pengilly came third and second respectively, with Eamon Sullivan declared the winner of Celebrity MasterChef Australia. | 1.297 million | #1 | #9 |
| Preceded by MasterChef Australia (season 1) |
MasterChef Australia spin-off 30 September 2009 – 25 November 2009 |
Succeeded by MasterChef Australia (season 2) |
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