MasterChef Turkey

MasterChef Turkey (MasterChef Türkiye) is a Turkish competitive cooking game show based on the original British MasterChef. Its first season was broadcast on Show TV, but since 2018 it has been screened on TV8. Chefs Murat Bozok, Batuhan Piatti and Erol Kaynar served as the first season's judges, which was presented by Öykü Serter. For the show's second season in 2018, Mehmet Yalçınkaya, Hazer Amani and Somer Sivrioğlu joined the program as the new judges. Amani was replaced by Danilo Zanna in 2019. Two different groups, Blue and Red, compete to win the main title.

MasterChef Turkey
Also known as	MasterChef Türkiye
Genre	Cookery
Created by	Franc Roddam
Presented by	Öykü Serter (2011)
Judges	Murat Bozok (2011) Batuhan Piatti (2011) Erol Kaynar (2011) Mehmet Yalçınkaya (2018–) Hazer Amani (2018) Somer Sivrioğlu (2018–) Danilo Zanna (2019–)
Country of origin	Turkey
Original language	Turkish
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	13 (Season 1/2011) 33 (Season 2/2018) 79 (Season 3/2019) 134 (Season 4/2020) 158 (Season 5/2021) 177 (Season 6/2022) 203 (Season 7/2023)
Production
Producer	Uygar Ataş
Production location	Istanbul
Production company	Bloom Medya
Original release
Network	Show TV
Release	2011 (2011) – 2011 (2011)
Network	TV8
Release	1 September 2018 (2018-09-01) – present

Season 1 (2011)

Contestants

• Anyan Değirmenci
• Burçe Gür
• Emre Oruç
• Fatih Kavanoz
• Ferhat Bora (runner-up)
• Gökçe Demiröz
• Gözde Sayılgan
• Gülçin Payzın
• Hasan Fehmi Koçman
• Hüseyin Elgün
• Melis Aran
• Mine Taşer
• Murat Kolukırık
• Mustafa İhsan Çelikşan
• Muzaffer Şenduran (Winner)
• Nergis Bilek
• Neriman Büyükengin
• Semra Kurtuluş
• Sena Abay
• Tuğsan Tezil
• Uzay Akçasaray
• Yeşim Fırat

Season 2 (2018)

System in season 2

This season is the first MasterChef season directed by Acun Ilıcalı, and unlike the first season, it is a much more modernized and detailed season.

Since it was broadcast on a completely different channel 7 years after the first season and has brand new staff and judges, this season is thought to be the first season.

Compared with its successors this season, it does not have a published its pre-qualifying process.

Cast

• Alp Mehmet Sıy
• Atakan Erbek
• Burcu Eminoğlu (third place)
• Doruk Ulufer
• Ercan Demir
• Eslem Sena Yurt
• Esra Maydoğdu
• Ezgi Gürkaş
• Hakan Kanik (fifth place)
• Kerem Giritlioğlu (runner-up)
• Mehmet Sur
• Meltem Pisboğa (fourth place)
• Murat Özdemir (disqualified/ninth place)
• Özlem Yüksektepe
• Tuğçe Sökesoğlu
• Uğur Kardaş (Winner)
• Umut Yeke
• Zeynep Palikoç

Season 3 (2019)

System in season 3

As of this season, Danilo Zanna has replaced Hazer Amani in the jury cast.

This season, compared to the previous two seasons, is the first season in which the pre-selection process of this competition has been broadcast.

Contestants will first go through an audition stage where the judges will cook within a certain period of time before the eyes of the judges, and the contestant who gets approval from at least two judges will move on to the next stage. In the next stage, they will go through the triple duel stage in order to enter the main cast, the person who cooks the best food in that stage will pass to the main cast, while the others will be eliminated.

However, unlike previous seasons, it has a 'reserve cast' system in which some of the eliminated in the triple duel were recalled for the replacing main cast contestants who were eliminated.

Cast

• Açelya Kılıçay
• Alican Sabunsoy (runner-up)
• Bahri Papila
• Batuhan Bayır (fifth place)
• Cemre Uyanık (Winner)
• Eda Karabulut
• Güzide Mertcan (third place)
• Ekin Eylem Ulaş (fourth place)
• Faruk Batuhan Öner
• Kıvanç Ermiş
• Murat Tokmak
• Mustafa Aydın
• Müge Güney
• Onur Dursun
• Orhan Eren
• Rıfat Yurttaş
• Nalan Toprak
• Suna Aydın
• Yasin Obuz
• Yekaterina Sungur

Season 4 (2020-21)

System in season 4

This season, unlike the previous season, the third qualifying stage called the 'final round' was introduced.

At this stage, the 28 winners of the triple duel were divided into two groups and 8 people were determined for the main squad from each group.

Successful contestants who failed to enter the main cast were included in the competition as reserve cast contestants. These contestants are: Sefa, Berker, Arem, Selin, Walison and Didem.

Contestants

• Arem Yüce
• Ayyüce Kamit
• Barbaros Yoloğlu (runner-up)
• Berk İlter
• Berker Başmanav
• Celal Sarıgül
• Didem Devay
• Duygu Acarsoy
• Ebru Has
• Emir Elidemir (third place)
• Eray Aksungur (fifth place)
• Esra Tokelli
• Gülşah Suna
• Furkan Yalçın
• Özgül Coşar (fourth place)
• Sedat Tuncer
• Sefa Okyay Kılıç
• Selin Öztürk Aydın
• Serhat Doğramacı (winner)
• Tanya Kilitkayalı
• Uğur Yılmaz Deniz (disqualified/eighth place)
• Walison Fonseca

Season 5 (2021-22)

System in season 5

Along with a chosen contestant by juries whose eliminated in the triple duel stage, 5 main cast contestants and 5 reserve cast contestants are selected from each group of 15 people. Thus, the number of main cast and reserve cast contestants will be completed to 15.

The selected reserve cast contestants have to compete against each other each week to replace an eliminated contestant from the main cast.(in the first match, for to be the last contestant of the main cast)

The selection of the reserve cast is made before the qualifying day, but in terms of the rules it is the same as the final round stage. In the last two reserve selections, the second stage, the creativity stage, is removed. Instead, the person who cooks the food requested by the chefs best is included in the main cast.

In addition, the 'loop round, in which the eliminated contestants are brought back, was introduced this season. Two of the contestants eliminated before they reach the last ten in this round have a chance to be reintegrated into the main cast, thus reshaping the second turning point, the last twelve.

This season is the season where the elimination system is changed the most, and it is also the MasterChef season with the most reserve contestants called up. (13 reserve calling in total; 3 for final round, 7 for main cast, 2 for main cast in mid-to-end season )

Main cast

• Fatma Polat
• Milhan Erdem
• Dilara Başaran (fifth place)
• İbrahim Cingözler
• Tunahan Ak
• Sükrü Özsarı
• Hamza Mercimek
• Burcu Önal (sixth place)
• Görkem Demiral
• Hasan Biltekin (runner-up)
• Tahsin Küçük (third place)
• Eren Kaşıkçı (Winner)
• Mert Yılmaz
• Safanur Bol
• Emre Büber

Reserve cast

• Nursima Toğaç
• Berk Vural Urun
• Mert Ateş Durukan

(Participated as 3rd reserve contestant)

• Sergen Özen (fourth place)

(Participated as 16th contestant/fourth place)

• Mete Ozan Kibar
• Azize Polat

(Participated as 2nd reserve contestant)

• Araz Aknam

(Participated as 4th reserve contestant)

• Samet Enes
• Merve Karagül
• Zerda Karagülle
• Mustafa Ozan

(Participated as 1st reserve contestant)

• Melis Di Gennaro
• Pelin Zaman

(Participated as 5th reserve contestant)

• Yiğit Gök
• Rabia Nur Çamurlu

(Participated as 6th reserve contestant)

Season 6 (2022-23)

System in season 6

Slightly different from the previous season, they did not call a reserve contestants for the final round. Instead, they choose 6 contestant from each batch of 16 contestants for the main cast, then they choose 5 contestants from each batch of remaining 10 contestants for the reserve cast. Complete the number of main cast contestants to 18, reserve cast contestants to 15.

Since the number of main cast contestants for this season has been increased to 18, the number of reserve contestants to be recruited this season has been reduced to 5. That's why it is the first season in which the number of reserve contestants is reduced.

Main cast

• Metin Yavuz (Winner)
• Gamze Tosun
• Onur Biçim
• Çağatay Akgül
• Şeyma Müjdeci
• Melih Berkay Gündüz
• Büsra Zambak
• Fatma Nur Uçar
• Tayfun Genç
• Yağız Özçelik
• Burak Revanbahş
• Kaan Noyanalpan
• Burak Kaya (fifth place)
• Dilan Karataş
• Barış Demir
• Kıvanç Karadeniz (runner-up)
• Ayaz Geçer (third place)
• Serpilay Salkım

Reserve cast

• Doğukan Güneş
• Atike Bozyaka

(Participated as 3rd reserve contestant)

• Başar Varol
• Tolga Şener

(Participated as 4th reserve contestant/sixth place)

• Seyfullah Karagöz

(withdrew)

• Ege Pakalın
• Vural Burnaz

(Participated as 2nd reserve contestant)

• Erkan Kalanyer
• Ayşegül Zengin
• Şule Yaman

(Participated as 5th reserve contestant)

• Makbule Cengiz
• Görkem Ünal (fourth place)

(Participated as 1st reserve contestant/fourth place)

• Sema Fıçıcı
• Göktuğ Çolak
• Cenkay Ceviz

Season 7 All Star (2023-24)

System in Season 7

Although the elimination system runs parallel to the 5th and 6th seasons, it differs from its predecessors by including runner-ups and champions from the reserves in the competition.

Contestants who cannot become finalists are categorized according to the seasons they are in and divided into 4 batches and competed each other to enter 5 person-quota each:

•1'st Batch: Season 2 (2018) and Season 3 (2019)

This batch is consisted of only 12. Due to their small number, they selected only 3 people for the reserve candidates, apart from those who entered the 5-person main squad quota.

•2'nd Batch: Season 4 (2020)

This batch is consisted of 14. Just like in the first batch, only 3 reserve candidates were selected from this group. It also differs from other seasons in that this season's champion is not included in the squad.

•3'rd Batch: Season 5 (2021)

This batch is consisted of 20. It differs from other seasons in that everyone in this season participates in the preliminary round.

Since they are more numerous, they increased the number of reserve candidates to 4.

•4'th Batch: Season 6 (2022)

This batch is consisted of 17. Since it is the most current season before the All Star season, they increased the number of reserve candidates to 5.

They start the competition by selecting only 2 people from the reserve candidates along with the 20 people selected for the main squad. The runner-ups of their current season are included in the squad week by week, immediately after the two selected reserve contestants.

After all runner ups arrive and the number of remaining contestants is reduced to 16, 4 champions are added to the squad at the same time, thus completing the squad.

Captains duel has been added when remaining contestant count is reduced into 16.

Unlike previous seasons, since the Survivor 2024 All Star season was postponed 1 month early, individual games were started when there were 7 contestants instead of 5.

Weekly System in Season 7

In this season, the 3 team game-6 elimination candidate system, which was implemented in the last 3 seasons, continues as it is. However, the captain duel system and masterclass sections have been completely removed. Instead, the award game, which was played in the 6th season and counted as the 4th team game, and an individual game in which the 7th elimination candidate was determined were added.

When there were 11 contestants remaining, they reduced the number of elimination candidates to 4, and the number of elimination candidates per team game was reduced to 1. The elimination was evaluated based on the points the contestants received from both creativity and chef plates.

When there were only 7 contestants left, the competition turned completely individual. A 5-day voting game was played for the chef jacket to be given to one person each day. While the chef with the highest score won the jacket, the 2 contestants who could not get the chef jacket at the end of 5 days were eliminated.

The 5 contestants who managed to get the chef's jacket were asked to prepare an entree, a main course and a dessert of a certain concept every day, and the contestant with the lowest score at the end of the day was eliminated.

On the final day, a little different from the previous final games, they were first asked to prepare a menu with a Turkish Cuisine concept, then a menu with an International Cuisine concept, and finally, the contestants were asked to make a signature plate in the game where the champion was determined live. The contestant with the highest total score on the final day became the champion.

Main cast

• Alican Sabunsoy
• Ayaz Geçer
• Azize Polat
• Barbaros Yoloğlu (fourth place)
• Barış Demir
• Batuhan Bayır
• Berker Başmanav
• Burcu Önal
• Büşra Zambak
• Çağatay Akgül
• Cemre Uyanık
• Dilara Başaran
• Eda Karabulut
• Eray Aksungur
• Eren Kaşıkçı (sixth place)
• Esra Tokelli (Winner)
• Gamze Tosun
• Güzide Mertcan
• Hasan Biltekin (third place)
• Kerem Giritlioğlu
• Kıvanç Karadeniz (sixth place)
• Mert Yılmaz
• Metin Yavuz
• Rıfat Yurttaş
• Sefa Okyay Kılıç
• Sergen Özen (fifth place)
• Suna Aydın
• Tahsin Küçük (runner-up)
• Tanya Kilitkayalı
• Tolga Şener
• Uğur Kardaş

Season 8 (2024-25)

System in Season 8

This season's system is similar to that of season 7. The contestants who made it to the final round competed in 4 groups of 12 candidates and competed to be placed in the main cast quota of 5 people each.

However, unlike the previous final rounds, instead of the entire first rounds being a recipe competition, they started with one day of recipe (on odd-numbered days) and one day of creativity (on even-numbered days).

The contestants who could not make it to the main cast played a 2-round game to get into the reserve round, where 3-4 people would be taken from each group.

In the reserve round, unlike Season 7 did, they selected 5 people for the only instead of 2.

The elimination system in the main competition is the same as that of season 7.

Main cast

• Zeynep Gültepe
• Hakan Dündar
• Onur Üresin
• Ümmühan Ünavcı
• Deniz Yılmaz
• Çağlar Azır
• Serhat Gül
• Alper Öztamur
• Ayşe Ekiz
• Beril Yavuz
• Semih Temiz
• Eda Çağlayan
• Muratcan Sunal
• Ezgi Yıldırım
• Nigar Akyıldız
• Beyza Aydın
• Emre Ün
• Kaan Özdemir
• Kerem Bilginer
• Nevzat Gürol

Reserve cast

• Zübeyde Yaslak
• Şirin Sadegzade
• Akin Kiziltaş
• Yudum Kıvançkaya
• Erim Şanal
• Bera Altaş

Series overview

Season	Time	Premiere date	Finale date	Episodes	Year	TV channel
Season 1	Every week at 20:00	2011	2011	13	2011	Show TV
Season 2	Every week at 20:00	1 September 2018	23 December 2018	33	2018	TV8
Season 3	3 Days a Week at 20:00	18 August 2019	30 December 2019	79	2019
Season 4	5 Days a Week at 20:00	17 July 2020	3 January 2021	134	2020
Season 5	5 Days a Week at 20:00	26 June 2021	14 January 2022	158	2021
Season 6	Every Day at 20:00	1 July 2022	10 January 2023	177	2022
Season 7		14 June 2023	7 January 2024	203	2023
Season 8		14 June 2024	2025		2024

External links

• Official website