The 15 Best Cooking Competition Shows of All Time, Ranked

The best cooking contests include memorable contestants, fun rules, creative challenges, and hosts and judges who know what they're talking about and how to talk about it. With cooking shows and recent films like The Bear, Chef's Table, The Great British Baking Showand being so prevalent in pop culture in recent years, it might seem like cooking-related shows are having a moment. In fact, there has rarely been a time when cooking shows weren't popular, usually represented by the many popular cooking competition shows that have aired for decades.

Cooking shows have been popular since television became popular, with Cook's night shown in the UK in 1937, Julia Child presenting her series, The French chef in the 1960s, and many other series close behind around the world. However, it wasn't until 1993 and the creation of the Food Network that cooking and reality television combined into a perfectly blended genre of cooking competition shows. Now, There's a new cooking competition show every year, but only a few pass the ratings test and become a show worth savoring.

15

BBQ Showdown (2020 to present)

The Most American Competitive Cooking Show

BBQ Showdownpreviously The American barbecue showdownpremiered on Netflix in September 2020, with the first season taking place in Covington, Georgia and the third season moving to Gay, Georgia. The series brings contestants from across America to face off and show off their best marinating, cooking and grilling skills to judges Kevin Bludso and Melissa Cookston. It's as American as a cooking competition show can be and the kind of people who make grilling an art are as lovable and fun as one could imagine.

14

Best Home Cook (2018-2021)

Mary Berry's Post-British Cooking Show Idea

There was quite a stir in the competitive cooking show world when Mary Berry announced she was leaving The Great British Baking Show after season 7. Fortunately, her replacement, Prue Leith, was more than up to the task and, even better, allowed Berry the opportunity to play another show, Best home cookformerly known as, Britain's best home cook. Something like a culinary version of The Apprentice with kinder competitors, Best home cook puts everyone in one house while they compete. It's a pretty standard series beyond that concept, but Berry brings the usual energy and sweetness.

13

Beat Bobby Flay (2013-present)

A happy heart vs. A cooking competition

Recorded in front of a live studio audience, Beat Bobby Flay is a 2013 Food Network cooking competition series that is still on the air. As the title suggests, Beat Bobby Flays sees a group of 20 contestants compete in a first round of cooking to earn the right to face Flay in a 1-on-1 competition. Flay is joined by two guests who help the contestant and attempt to distract Flay. Framed as a boxing match with small talk and bell ringing, Beat Bobby Flay It's a fast-paced, light-hearted show where it seems like everyone is having fun.

12

Christmas Baking Championship (2014 to present)

Bakers make incredible Christmas treats

The American cooking competition series, Festive Baking Championship it airs from November to December and has become an annual tradition since 2014. Each episode is divided into two rounds with a preliminary heat followed by a main heat, where the bakers have more time for their impressive creations. Bobby Deen and Jesse Palmer hosted the series and Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller and Lorraine Pascale served as judges. The competition's popularity has led to several spin-offs, including a Halloween Baking Championship.

11

MasterChef Goes Big (1990-2001, 2005 to present)

The original and less dramatic MasterChef series

Originally titled MasterChef UK before the 2005 revival, MasterChef goes big is the first incarnation of Master Chef series that has since been spun off into international versions and specific niches such as MasterChef Junior and MasterChef: the professionals. This first series debuted in 1990 and follows a similar format to the better-known US version.but it removes some of the drama for a better look at the actual cooking that's going on. Gregg Wallace and John Torode have judged the series from the beginning, providing insightful and witty observations every year.

10

Iron Chef (1993-1999)

Japanese culture and cuisine come together in this cooking show

THE Iron Chef series that inspired it all, the Japanese version of Iron Chefdebuted in 1993 and featured guest chefs coming to the show to challenge one of the resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cook-off with themed ingredients. The overly dramatic Takeshi Kaga hosts the series as "President Kaga", who leads a battalion of Iron Chefs; contestants cook against each other for the chance to cook against an Iron Chef. With its wacky kayfabe-style storytelling and unique and unusual Japanese dishes, the original Iron Chef stands out as a unique cooking show.

9

Dude's Grocery Games (2013 to present)

Chefs rush through a grocery store to prepare their dishes

Men's grocery store gamessometimes just called Triple Gputs a twist on the classic cooking show format by setting up shop in a supermarket. Chef contestants have access to ten aisles of regular supermarket food and are required to perform tasks set by host Guy Fieri, who issues basic challenges like "fried feast" or "fancy dining", sometimes limiting which aisles and shelves can be accessed. . The pace is fast-paced and Fieri is an incredibly energetic host. It seems Supermarket Scan do you know Master Chef and the dishes always look like something that could be made at home.

8

MasterChef USA (2010-present)

Chefs compete to impress three angry judges

Not to be confused with the three-season PBS competition cooking show, also called MasterChef USAthe best known MasterChef USA The TV series premiered on Fox in 2010 and stars a current judging lineup of Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Aarón Sánchez. As in the original British series, the contestants first audition in front of the judges, X Factor-style, before being selected to continue in the challenge. Highly dramatized and emotionally charged, it's hard not to be invested thanks to the talented judges and chefs who create incredible dishes.

7

The Final Table (2018)

International cuisines are explored and expertly prepared

In The Final TableA Netflix cooking competition series that debuted in 2018 and lasted just one season, twelve international teams of two professional chefs compete to create restaurant-quality dishes in each episode. Hosted by food writer and critic Andrew Knowlton, each episode of The Final Table is centered on the cuisine of a country. Competition segments are interrupted by contestant biographies, which helps audiences discover who is best suited to each challenge, providing a more participatory viewing experience.

6

Tournament of Champions (2020 to present)

Former Food Network winners cook face to face

Guy Fieri Tournament of Champions is an ongoing cooking competition series hosted by none other than Guy Fieri himself. Each season, 16 or more chefs who have won other Food Network shows face off, March Madness key style for a first-round clash, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and then the championship. Dishes are judged blindly and challenges often require specific, unusual ingredients and rare equipment. The level of talent on each track means every head-to-head is close, and no matter when a viewer tunes in, they're sure to see some impressive cuisine.

5

Chopped (2009–present)

Ted Allen offers chefs unusual ingredients

Chopped is a 2009 reality television series hosted by Ted Allen since its inception. The game show pits four chefs against each other for the chance to win $10,000 and a not-insignificant amount of bragging rights. Each episode consists of three rounds where the chefs must incorporate unusual ingredients into three dishes: “Appetizer”, “Appetizer” and “Dessert”. Like any good cooking competition show, Chopped includes a lot of backstory for the contestants. It is also from this series that the trope of a judge acting badly, just to praise a dish, comes from.

4

Hell's Kitchen (2005-present)

Gordon Ramsay berates chefs and customers

Hell's Kitchen may be the show that got most Americans of a certain age interested in cooking shows. The Gordon Ramsay-hosted series feels much more like a “reality show” than similar cooking shows, with drama between chefs and Ramsay as important as the cooking itself. Pitting teams against each other is a big Survivor-mechanics that work surprisingly well for a cooking show and some of the series' best moments came from a team that found a way to work together or completely fell apart when the dinner bell rang.

3

Iron Chef America (2004-2018)

Guests Compete Against Food Network's Best

The greatest spin-off of the Japanese original Iron Chef series, Iron Chef America has a similar format where challenging chefs compete against one of the resident "Iron Chefs" in an hour-long cooking competition featuring secret ingredients and themes. Mark Dacascos now takes on the role of president, considered to be the nephew of the original Takeshi Kaga. The Iron Chefs included notable Food Network stars like Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck. The American version is full of interesting personalities and complicated recipes that ensure even novice chefs have a chance against the pros.

2

The Great British Baking Show (2010-present)

Simple Confectionery and Adorable Competitors

The Great British Baking Showor The Great British Cake as it is known in Britain, it combines amateur cooking with a warm, friendly style that provides the perfect comfort for viewing. The show features amateur bakers, and most importantly, the winners only get a trophy. Reduces risks, which not only it makes for less hectic viewing, but it also allows bakers to try things they may have never tried before, just for fun.. The series has simplicity and beauty and the cooking techniques themselves are surprisingly impressive considering the lack of professionals.

1

Best Chef (2006-present)

Professional chefs compete in varied and exciting challenges

Best chef is the quintessence cooking contest and there's a reason it's been around for nearly two decades. Each season of the show begins with 12 to 19 professional chefs who live in housing provided during the competition and have limited access to the outside world. This is a show about cooking and just cooking, but the intense nature of the competition brings out some fantastic drama. A variety of challenges and tests keep things fresh, and each season takes place in a different US city, introducing a new flavor each year.