Celebrity MasterChef viewers reacted positively as new judge Giorgio Locatelli made his debut on the BBC cooking competition. The Italian Michelin-starred chef joined food critic Grace Dent for the 21st series.
Cookalong Challenge
In the first episode, the celebrity contestants—Joe Pasquale, Jason Mohammad, Jay McGuinness, Emily Campbell, and Shakira Khan—created a signature dish. They then faced a Cookalong challenge, where they had to keep up with Locatelli as he cooked gnocchi in front of them.
Viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts. One person wrote: "New format and chef working well." Another commented: "I'm liking Giorgio and Grace presenting." A third said: "Well I have to say I’m liking Giorgio!"
Positive Reactions
Another viewer posted: "Loving the duo of Grace and Giorgio on #CelebrityMasterchef such a refreshing presentation these days, will start watching again." Somebody else remarked: "The Cookalong Challenge is going to produce some TV gold during this series."
Locatelli, who has been a judge on MasterChef Italia since 2018, said upon his announcement: "Hosting Celebrity MasterChef alongside Grace is a real honour. I can’t wait for you to see what our celebrity contestants bring to the kitchen, as we are really putting their culinary skills to the test in this series."
Upcoming Heats
The competition is split into three celebrity heats, with four stars advancing each week. The semifinals are in the fourth week, and the fifth week is Finals Week.
The second heat features Emily Steel (Dynamite from Gladiators), actress Donna Preston, former Royal Ballet dancer Eric Underwood, EastEnders' Nitin Ganatra, and YouTuber Tom Simons (TommyInnit). The third heat includes Saturdays star Una Healy, Loose Women's Sue Cleaver, former I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! camper Melvin Odoom, comedian Max Fosh, and paralympic athlete Lauren Steadman.
Celebrity MasterChef airs on BBC One.
