Exclusive: Brazil’s Band orders first full season of ‘MasterChef Senior’

MasterChef Senior

Brazilian FTA network Band has commissioned the first full season of MasterChef Senior, a new iteration of Banijay’s cooking competition format.

Endemol Shine Brasil is producing the series, which is known locally as MasterChef+, with the order following previous standalone MasterChef Senior specials, which were produced by Shine Iberia for Spain’s La 1 in 2020 and 2021.

MasterChef Senior showcases the culinary skills of the older generation, and is described as “a celebration of their experience, resilience, and knowledge.”

The novice chefs aged 60 and above take to the MasterChef kitchen to battle it out and create food to impress even the harshest critics.

This commission follows on the heels of another new iteration of the format, MasterChef: Young Talent, which TBI exclusively revealed last week is coming soon to Viaplay for Denmark and Norway.

Nani Freitas, CEO of Endemol Shine Brasil, commented: “The older generation will be able to show all their knowledge and passion for gastronomy, in addition to proving that the quality of their cuisine is extremely high.

“Only time will tell who will take home the MasterChef+ trophy. I’m very excited that Brazil will now have four different versions of MasterChef.”

Lucas Green, global head of content operations at Banijay commented: “Originally created by Shine Iberia at a time where we saw significant isolation in older generations due to the global pandemic, MasterChef Senior is a warm and wonderful celebration of family and cooking.

“MasterChef is an inclusive format that champions accessibility and talent from budding chefs old or young, and the addition of MasterChef Senior to our growing portfolio is testament to our innovative creatives who constantly explore new ways to expand the brand.”