About this season
MasterChef USA, on PBS, is the original US adaptation of the BBC's MasterChef, a cooking competition for amateur cooks. Grab your whisks and hang on to your toques, as the 27 regional MasterChef champs chop, purée, roast, braise, sauté, simmer and grill their way through the Olympics of amateur cooking to the title of MasterChef USA! Host Gary Rhodes, one of Great Britain’s best-loved chefs, guides us through 13 half-hour episodes and an hour long prime time special. A panel of celebrity judges preside as 27 winning amateur chefs, wielding their own mouthwatering menus, battle over Brulée and Beurre Blanc, wrangle over roasted peppers and risotto, and strive to create the most satisfying soup, salad and soufflé.
Episodes (13)
1. Regional Cookoff 1
Aired 1 April 2000 • 22 min
Southwestern Regional cooks compete; judges are David Rosengarten and Skitch Henderson.
2. Regional Cookoff 2
Aired 8 April 2000 • 22 min
Midwestern Regional cooks compete; judges are Michel Nischan and George Wallace.
3. Regional Cookoff 3
Aired 15 April 2000 • 22 min
Western Regional cooks compete; judges are Lidia Bastianich and Robin Leach.
4. Regional Cookoff 4
Aired 22 April 2000 • 22 min
Northeastern Regional cooks compete; judges are Madhur Jaffrey and Carolyn O'Neil.
5. Regional Cookoff 5
Aired 29 April 2000 • 22 min
Northwestern Regional cooks compete; judges are Thierry Rautureau and Claudia Cohen.
6. Regional Cookoff 6
Aired 6 May 2000 • 22 min
Southeastern Regional cooks compete; judges are Nathalie Dupree and Colman Andrews.
7. Regional Cookoff 7
Aired 13 May 2000 • 22 min
The second set of Western Regional cooks compete; judges are Molly O'Neill and Vincent Schiavelli.
8. Regional Cookoff 8
Aired 20 May 2000 • 22 min
The second set of Midwestern Regional cooks compete; judges are Stephan Pyles and George Wallace.
9. Regional Cookoff 9
Aired 27 May 2000 • 22 min
The last group of Northeastern Regional cooks compete; judges are Chef Jacques Torres and Jock Soto.
10. Semifinal Competition 1
Aired 3 June 2000 • 22 min
In the first semi-final round, Northwest, West and Northeast Regional winners compete; judges are Sissy Biggers and Kit Skarstrom.
11. Semifinal Competition 2
Aired 10 June 2000 • 22 min
In the second semi-final round, Midwestern and Western regional winners compete; judges are Sheila Lukins and Claudia Cohen.
12. Semifinal Competition 3
Aired 17 June 2000 • 22 min
In the last semi-final round, Southern, Southeastern and Northeastern regional winners compete; judges are Joan Nathan and Tanya Wenman Steel.
13. Grand Finale
Aired 24 June 2000 • 22 min
The ultimate three finalists compete for the title of MasterChef 2000; judges are Chef Jacques Pepin and Robin Mattson.