A 75-Year-Old TikToker, a GEO Officer, and a Priestess Aim for 'MasterChef'

'MasterChef' returns to La 1 (premiering today at 22:50) with a very special season that brings together multiple generations at the stove. The popular culinary contest, now in its 13th edition, features Pepe Rodríguez, Samantha Vallejo-Nágera, and Jordi Cruz. In the first episode, they will evaluate the creations of 40 candidates passionate about cooking, all dreaming of the coveted white apron. To assist, the jury will have the shadow collaboration of three-Michelin-star chef Toño Pérez.

Macarena Rey, CEO of the production company Shine Iberia, highlights that the new season is "the purest and most demanding because the contestants want to dedicate themselves to it." "It's the edition of generations. We have a casting team capable of bringing out incredible characters. And this year's challenges are, above all, charitable," adds the executive, about an edition that will pay tribute to the victims and those affected by the storm and will cook at the Cáritas social dining room in Plasencia. For TVE's Director of Entertainment, Miriam García Corrales, the program will continue with "surprises, emotions, humour, and a casting eager to strive."

In this vein, Pepe Rodríguez considers the new contestants "wonderful" and that they have "come to learn and to change their lives." "We put a lot of passion into our two families, personal and professional," notes Jordi Cruz. "The 'senior' edition is my favourite. People with a lot of passion for gastronomy and a strong desire to win," evaluates Samantha Vallejo-Nágera.

'MasterChef' has become a breeding ground for chefs whose popularity has transcended the small screen. Carlos Maldonado, winner of the third edition, also attended the season's presentation, where he explained how the format changed his life: "For me, it was a springboard where you can achieve anything through hard work, it made me feel useful." The winner of the previous batch of episodes, Ángela, was overwhelmed when recalling her time on the show: "A year ago, I was competing, and now I'm about to open my restaurant."

Among the 'MasterChef' hopefuls is a 75-year-old TikToker, famous for her apple pie recipe costing only 1.50 euros; a police officer from the GEO; a priestess representing the goddess Tanit from Ibiza; an American content creator who participated in 'MasterChef Junior USA'; a kundalini yoga teacher, masseur, and tantra facilitator; and a woman from San Sebastián who loves the talent show, having auditioned six times. The winner will receive a cash prize of 100,000 euros, the program's trophy, the opportunity to publish their recipe book, and have their name engraved on the 'MasterChef' silver salad bowl.

The program will remain linked to current gastronomic events: it will visit Alicante, the Spanish Gastronomy Capital 2025; offer a cocktail to a universe of national chefs at 'Madrid Fusion', the largest gastronomic event in our country; and work with the gastronomic elite in the kitchens of Disfrutar, the Best Restaurant in the World according to the British ranking The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Moreover, for the first time, in one of the challenges, the jury will let them form the teams, choose captains, dishes, and even the number of diners.

The contest has also prepared other novelties that will be seen in the challenges faced by the contestants. Thus, they will have to cook in the studio with products obtained from a vending machine, work with mouldy foods, discover more than thirty varieties of garlic, and approach 'raw food' cuisine, based on eating raw foods that have not been modified by any cooking process. The kitchen will also welcome, as guests, Spain's Eurovision representative, singer Melody, Inés Hernand, Los Morancos, Mario Vaquerizo, Anabel Alonso, Silvia Abril, or Bibiana Fernández, among others.

Additionally, the CEO of Shine Iberia responded to one of the viewers' requests regarding the format's duration. "It will be a bit shorter, but there are still three tests. We have concentrated the studio tests, making them shorter, and we have eliminated the phase of diners in the outdoor test," she details.