Last season “Master Chef” pit regions of the country against each other to find which one had the best cook.  This season, it will be a generational war!

Master Chef: Generations pits Boomers against Millennials against Gen X, against Generation Z and some very interesting characters pop up!  Two of the most memorable are a witch in the Millennial group of contestants who cut her hand twice, and a fitness Boomer that had chefs Gordon Ramsay and  Aaron Sanchez doing jumping jacks and push-ups. 

Viewers will also see some touching stories from some of the contestants while they cook in the Master Chef kitchen.  One Boomer in particular who tugged the heart-strings of both the judges and studio audience.

Guest Judges Are…

The judges brought in guest judges of the same generation for each group.  The Gen Z’s had Gordon Ramsay’s daughter, the Millennials guest judge was a popular YouTuber and TikTok cook; the Gen X’ers had former Master Chef winner; and in the Boomers corner was Master Chef judge Joe Bastianich’s mother, Lidia Giuliana Matticchio Bastianich, a celebrity chef in her own right, cooked alongside iconic American Chef and TV personality Julia Child.

The auditions phase filmed over several days in rounds from Millennials first, Gen Z, Gen X, and last but not least the Boomers.  In fact, one could say they saved the best for last because the Boomers were by far the most entertaining.

The Gen X judges threw some jokes to the Boomers such as – Gordon said they were giving them 90 minutes on the clock, and asked if they could hear him!

The Boomers, who’ve “lived through some stuff” also had the most interesting stories and life experiences.  One cook named Derek who has six kids and 15 grandchildren made a breakfast dish for dinner that was grits and cheese.  Joe’s mom, who joined them, said breakfast for dinner is more common in Europe.

MASTERCHEF: L-R: Contestant with judges Aarón Sánchez and Joe Bastianich in the Regional Auditions from season 13.

5 Facts About Master Chef:

1) The knives are engraved Master Chef

2) The judges are eating luke-warm food

3) When a losing contestant doesn’t have a family member to comfort them, an audience member is selected to fill-in.

4) Only three contestants compete in the kitchen at a time.  The fourth spot is filled-in by a fake contestant who is going through the motions of cooking, not actually cooking nor competing.

5) The balcony on the show actually has comfortable furniture that includes a couch and table and chairs.

BONUS FACTS: Most contestants actually finish before the clock ends.  But, it’s made to look like they are racing against the clock through editing to create drama for the at-home viewers.  The scripted speeches from the chefs are filmed in real time with no redos.  And, yes, the judges really ARE talking about the contestants in front of them while they are  waiting to hear feedback.  The only exception is when the chef judges go into the restaurant to discuss the cooks’ dishes amongst themselves.

The Food is NOT Hot!

Another behind-the-scenes fact about “Master Chef” is that after the cooks are done with their dishes, the food goes back to the judges immediately for them to look at.  Then the plated food goes off to the food styling team and is kept warm there.

According to the stage manager, he said the judges take into consideration that the food will be lukewarm once they are ready to try it.  While on set, I can 100% vouch for this process.  The food sat on the table for some time after being filmed and was not taken anywhere to be reheated before the judges taste tested it.

MASTERCHEF: Judges Joe Bastianich (L) and Aarón Sánchez (R) with host/judge Gordon Ramsay (C).

What, Joe Sings? Lol!

What also makes the Boomers the best group is that they’ve “seen some stuff;” lived through disco.  Gordon said when Joe’s mother visits Master Chef, it’s always an honor and Joe is on his ‘A’ game.

When Joe’s mom came to the “Master Chef” kitchen, she spilled some little known facts about Joe as a youngster.  For instance, she said that Joe was a “good child” who used to skate all the time.  She said she doesn’t know what happened to him after that.  Lol.  She added that she used to have to call Joe for dinner from the garage. 

His mom also revealed that apparently, Joe used to sing at his father’s restaurant.  He told her that singing made him happy. 

A New Beginning:

For one Boomer contestant named Christopher, the “Master Chef” was included in his new beginning.  He was there making a Japanese street dish dedicated to his wife of five years. 

Christopher said rice is considered a celebration food. His story was that he was born in Japan.  His biological father was stationed there and he never met him until one year ago after his biological brother found him through “23andMe.”  Ironically, Christopher met his father the same day that he was diagnosed with Stage 4. 

Some more memorable cooks in the Boomers generation included Rebecca the Gravy Queen.  She made pork chop and gravy.  Rebecca is the champ of food baking competitions and is an Opera singer from Colorado.  There was a cowboy who made venison loin.  He calls himself a “beach cowboy.”

A 55-year-old cook from Generation X has parents who owned McKeenan restaurants.  His dad had five restaurants from 1909 to 1913 where it was fine dining.  Gordon said he couldn’t believe that they had “fine dining” in 1913.  The contestant said they served caviar, and that he would like to bring the family restaurant back. 

SPOILER ALERT!! One very big surprise on the show this season is that there will be a marriage proposal!

“Master Chef” Generations Season 14 premieres May 29, 2024, on FOX.

MASTERCHEF: L-R: Host/judge Gordon Ramsay with judges Aarón Sánchez and Joe Bastianich