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Q: "Masterchef" is often called the "biggest cooking competition in the world." Is that true? Is it because of the size of the prize or how many spinoffs it has spawned?

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Author: 
Adam Thomlison / TV Media

The phrase "biggest cooking competition in the world" is often used in relation to "Masterchef," but there seems to be no definitive explanation as to why.

It's likely a combination of three factors: the number of spinoffs and the size of the prize, as you suggest, but also good, old-fashioned ratings.

The "biggest" tag has been around for a while. When the American version of "Masterchef" was introduced back in 2010, the announcer plugged it as "the biggest cooking show in the world -- a phenomenon in over 110 countries."

That's a nod to both the spinoff count and the ratings. Because while it may be a "phenomenon" in more than 100 countries, the number of distinct versions of the show is actually only 60 (not that 60 is anything to sneeze at). The other 50 or so countries are watching other people's versions.

Taking all those viewers into account, the show is "watched globally by over 300 million viewers," according to Endemol Shine Group, the production company that owns the format.

Returning to your other theory about the prize, the individual prizes given out by each version aren't spectacular, but taken in aggregate they start to add up. The U.S. version offers $250,000, for example (along with some kind of professional introduction such as a job or a book deal). That's not a lot when other shows are giving out prizes in the millions, but multiply that number by 60 and you start getting to serious money.

 

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