Junior MasterChef Australia
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Predecessor | MasterChef Australia |
| Founded | September 12, 2010 |
| Headquarters | Sydney, Melbourne , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
| Owner | Shine Australia |
Junior MasterChef Australia, also referred to as MasterChef Kids, is an Australian competitive cooking game show and a derivative of MasterChef Australia, which itself is based on the original British series MasterChef. The competition showcases participants between the ages of 8 and 12. Production for the inaugural season commenced in July 2010, selecting 50 contestants from a pool exceeding 5,000 applicants nationwide.
Distinct from earlier editions, Junior MasterChef Australia was produced by Shine Australia. Its promotional trailer was broadcast during the finale of MasterChef Australia Season 2. The series officially debuted on 12 September 2010.
On 27 April 2020, a third installment was greenlit, arriving nine years after the second season aired, indicating a revitalized commitment to the junior culinary competition segment.
Format Adjustments
In this junior edition, eliminations do not occur on a weekly basis; rather, once finalists are determined, four contestants are removed simultaneously. All those eliminated receive various rewards.
Starting with the third season, the eligibility criteria expanded to include children aged 9 to 14, an increase from the original 8 to 12 age range.
Hosts and Judges
| Personnel | Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Current | |||
| Jock Zonfrillo | colspan="1" Template:Yes2 | ||
| Melissa Leong | colspan="1} Template:Yes2 | ||
| Andy Allen | colspan="1" Template:Yes2 | ||
| Former | |||
| Gary Mehigan | colspan="2" Template:Yes2 | ||
| George Calombaris | colspan="2} Template:Yes2 | ||
| Matt Preston | Template:Yes2 | ||
| Anna Gare | colspan="2} Template:Yes2 | ||
| Matt Moran | colspan="1} Template:Yes2 | ||
Champions
| Season | Number of Contestants |
Winner | Age | State | Occupation | Date Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Isabella Bliss | 12 | New South Wales | School Student | 15 November 2010 |
| 2 | 20 | Greta Yaxley | 11 | Western Australia | 23 November 2011 | |
| 3 | 14 | Georgia Eris | 11 | Victoria | 9 November 2020 |
Season 1 (2010)
The concept for the junior edition was introduced in October 2009. The debut season, which included participants aged between 8 and 12 years, was filmed following the conclusion of the second MasterChef Australia series and aired on Ten starting 12 September 2010. In contrast to the original program, Junior MasterChef Australia was produced by Shine Australia. The first season’s champion was Isabella Bliss.
Season 2 (2011)
On 15 November 2010, the show was confirmed for a second season, with production commencing on 28 July 2011 and the new season launching in October 2011.
Matt Moran joined the judging panel, replacing Matt Preston, while Callum Hann made an appearance as a guest judge.
The winner of the 2011 season was 11-year-old Greta Yaxley from Western Australia.
Season 3 (2020)
After a nine-year hiatus, a refreshed third season of Junior MasterChef Australia was announced on 27 April 2020. Casting calls were opened nationwide for children aged 9 to 14.
Judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, and Jock Zonfrillo, all from the main MasterChef Australia series, returned to their roles. Filming took place in late July 2020 at Melbourne Showgrounds located in Flemington.
The series premiered on 11 October 2020. The title was claimed by 11-year-old Georgia Eris from Victoria, with runners-up being 12-year-old Filo (Victoria) and 11-year-old Carter (New South Wales).
Ratings
| Series | Premiere date | Finale date | Episodes | Premiere ratings |
Rank | Finale ratings (Grand final) |
Rank | Finale ratings (Winner announced) |
Rank | Series Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 September 2010 | 15 November 2010 | 17 | 2.202 | #1 | 1.532 | #2 | 1.853 | #1 | 1.313 |
| 2 | 25 September 2011 | 23 November 2011 | 21 | 1.129 | #5 | 0.934 | #10 | 0.911 | #12 | 0.844 |
| 3 | 11 October 2020 | 9 November 2020 | 13 | 0.524 | #8 | 0.652 | #12 | 0.881 | #5 | 0.539 |
International syndications
The networks highlighted in bold also develop localized editions of Junior MasterChef.
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References
- Articles with short description
- Pages with broken file links
- Australian reality TV series of the 2010s
- Australian reality TV series of the 2020s
- Australian television series debuts in 2010
- Australian television series conclusions in 2011
- Australian television series debuts in 2020
- MasterChef Australia
- Endemol Shine Australia television productions
- Television programs filmed in Sydney
- Television programs filmed in Melbourne
- English-language Australian television shows
- Australian TV spin-off series
- Australian adaptations of British TV shows
- Australian TV series revived following cancellation
- Television series featuring children
- Australian TV shows centered on teenagers
- Reality TV spin-off programs
- Junior MasterChef