Masterchef behind-the-scenes secrets: What happens to the leftover food and how long do they film for?

1 March 2021, 11:47

What happens backstage on Masterchef? Here's what we know about the new series of the BBC show...

Masterchef is back on our screen this March with a whole new bunch of contestants hoping to impress John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

Things look a little different this time around, with strict social distancing measures put in place.

But we can be sure to see the same drama, food disasters and culinary masterpieces we’re used to on the show.

So, let’s take a look at all the behind-the-scenes secrets…

All the ingredients are ordered in advance

According to reports, contestants send the producers their recipes beforehand and they get all the ingredients.

This is different in the Invention Test, where the aspiring chefs have to make meals out of random ingredients given to them by the judges.

Read More: Who is Masterchef judge Gregg Wallace's wife? And how many children do they have?

The crew usually eat the leftovers

The food cooked is very rarely thrown away and they are usually eaten by the crew after each round.

However, this is likely to have changed with social distancing measures in place in 2021.

The food is often cold when the judges get it

While the programme is cut to an hour, the contestants actually have to spend a lot of time waiting around while producers set up the perfect shots for their food.

Gregg Wallace compares himself to Body Coach Joe Wicks

This means by the time John and Gregg get to it, it is often cold, but the judges take this into consideration when making their comments.

The contestants were extra emotional this year

Due to current lockdown restrictions, some of the contestants had been spending even more time in their kitchens practising.

John and Gregg have said this made many of the contestants more invested in the competition and therefore more emotional.

Speaking about one particular female contestant, Gregg told The Sun: "If they had, as John and I suspected, put more practice time in, then of course, they've invested more in it than they would have done normally.

"And of course, the stakes are higher, because it means more to them. And it did seem emotionally charged as well.

"Or perhaps it was that, for many of us, this is the first time we've seen anybody else other than our relations for the last three months."

The contestants have to film very long days

According to Buzzfeed, those taking part start filming as early as 7.30am and don’t finish the last challenge until around 8pm.

During finals week, they can even be working as late as 11pm.