MasterChef Paraguay is a Paraguayan competitive cooking reality show, based on the original British series of MasterChef, open to amateur and home chefs. Produced by Chena TV, it debuted on April 3, 2018 on Telefuturo.

Amateur chefs compete to become the best amateur home cook in Paraguay through challenges issued by judges Nicolás Bo, Eugenia Aquino and José Torrijos. Paola Maltese is the main host.

Format

Amateur chefs were initially selected through auditions, selecting a total of two hundred competitors to the start of the televised competition. After the preliminary round, the competitors had an opportunity to prepare a signature dish for the trio of judges.

The contestants were given a limited amount of time to prep their dish, and then given five minutes before the three judges to complete the cooking and assembly of the dish, during which the judges ask about their background.

The 3 judges taste the dish, and vote "yes" or "no" to keeping the chef in the competition; 2 "yes" votes are required for the chef to move on and receive a MasterChef apron, while those that fail to do so leave the competition.

Two rounds are then used to trim the number of chefs to 18. One type of challenge has the chefs performing a routine task such as dicing onions, during which the judges will observe their technique.

Judges can advance a chef to the next round or eliminate them at any time during the challenge by taking their apron. A second type of challenge is to have the chefs invent a new dish around a staple ingredient or a theme, with the judges advancing or eliminating players based on the taste of their dishes.

In the third season, the semi-finalists competed in duels of two or three people, where they had to cook a dish with a specific topic; the winner received an apron. There was then a final last-chance cook-off to select the last participant.

Subsequently, the formal competition begins typically following a 2-event cycle that takes place over a 90-minute episode, with a chef eliminated after the second event. The events typically are: Mystery Box Challenge, Team Challenge, Elimination Test and Pressure Test.

This cycle continues until only two chefs remain. The judges then select the winner of MasterChef.

Challenges

The events typically are:

Mystery Box: Cooks are all given a box with the same ingredients and must use only those ingredients to create a dish within a fixed amount of time. The judges will taste the dishes, and then select one winner who will gain an advantage in the next test. Team Challenge: The cooks are taken to an off-site location and are split into 2 teams by the team captains (typically through a schoolyard pick), with the cook with the best dish in the previous test getting first pick. The teams will typically have to prepare a meal for a number of diners in a limited amount of time or engage in a "restaurant takeover or pop-up restaurant" taking the place of the staff of a particular restaurant. Diners taste both meals and vote for their favourite, causing a team to forfeit a vote if a diner does not end receiving their meal. The winning team advances, while the losing team will participate in the elimination test upon returning to the MasterChef kitchen. Elimination Test: The chefs are given a fixed amount of time to complete the dish. Judges evaluate all dishes based on taste and visual appeal. The judges nominate the worst two to four dishes for elimination and criticize them before telling at least one of the home cooks to place their apron on their station and "leave the MasterChef kitchen", eliminating them. Pressure Test: Contestants must test their knowledge and skills. The best chef will be rewarded in some way, usually with immunity, ensuring their stay in the competition one week more, or will gain an advantage in the next test.

The contestants have a certain time to perform all the tests, in which they must cook the menu and have it plated, and once finished they can not modify the dishes. The home cooks have 3 minutes to stock up on the ingredients they may need to cook from the supermarket in the indoor tests.

Series overview

Season Episodes Premiere date Finale date No. of Finalists Winner Runner-up Judge 1 Judge 2 Judge 3 1 20 April 3, 2018 August 7, 2018 18 María Liz Ocampos Diego Brítez Rodolfo Angenscheidt Eugenia Aquino José Torrijos 2 August 14, 2018 December 18, 2018 Nancy Talavera Verónica Pereira 3 22 April 1, 2019 August 19, 2019 21 Joaquín Alcorta Fernando Fabio Nicolás Bo 4 40 August 7, 2023 December 19, 2023 22 María Marta Villalba Shosiana Plesnar Rodolfo Angenscheidt

First Season (2018)

Top 18

Contestant Age Residence Occupation Winnings Finish Place María Liz Ocampos 34 Mariano Roque Alonso Nurse 9Episode 20 1 Diego Brítez 31 Fernando de la Mora Merchant 11 2 Isabel Krause 24 Ciudad del Este Student 6 3 Joseph Hsu 24 Ciudad del Este Merchant 6 Episode 19 4 Alan Paiva 40 Caaguazú Manager 8 Episode 18 5 Luis Rojas 32 Asunción Merchant 4 Episode 17 6 Mauricio Machado 50 Asunción Metrologist 1 Episode 16 7 Adriana Navratil 19 Capitán Miranda Student 4 Episode 15 8 Arcenio Ortega 81 Lambaré Industrial technician 2 Episode 13 9 Tania Casañas 25 Villarrica Psychologist 0 Episode 12 10 Herminia Núñez 60 Asunción Housewife 3 Episode 11 11 Isaac Espinosa 22 Asunción Dustman 2 Episode 10 12 Toribia Saucedo 49 Asunción Housewife 2 Episode 8 13 Erika Sganzella 50 Asunción Surgeon 3 Episode 7 14 Fabián Santander 23 Asunción Barman 1 Episode 6 15 Mercedes Pitta 20 San Lorenzo Student 0 Episode 5 16 Evelin Giménez 34 Tobatí Housewife 0 Episode 4 17 Renato González 26 Ciudad del Este Manager 0 Episode 3 18

Elimination table + Place Contestant Episode 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 1 María Liz IN HIGH IMM IN WIN IMM WIN IMM HIGH WIN IMM IN IMM LOW WIN WIN IMM WIN IMM WIN IMM LOW HIGH ET WIN NC IN HIGH IMM HIGH IMM WIN IMM IN HIGH HIGH LOW HIGH WINNER 2 Diego IN HIGH IMM IN IN IMM WIN IMM LOW IN WIN LOW WIN HIGH IMM ET WIN WIN IMM HIGH IMM HIGH IMM WIN IMM NC IN WIN IMM IN HIGH ET WIN IN WIN HIGH WIN WIN 3 Isabel IN HIGH IMM IN IN IMM ET WIN LOW HIGH IMM WIN IMM HIGH IMM ET LOW WIN IMM IN IMM IN IMM WIN IMM NC IN IN IMM IN IMM WIN IMM IN IN WIN IMM THIRD 4 Joseph IN HIGH IMM IN IMM WIN IMM HIGH IN HIGH LOW IN LOW LOW IN IMM WIN IMM LOW HIGH LOW LOW WIN IMM NC IN LOW WIN WIN IMM WIN IMM IN LOW IN ELIM 5 Alan IN IN WIN IN IN IMM ET LOW IN HIGH IMM LOW WIN IN IN ET IN ET WIN LOW WIN WIN IMM WIN IMM NC WIN WIN IMM LOW IN ET LOW IN ELIM 6 Luis IN HIGH IMM IN ET LOW WIN IMM HIGH LOW IN LOW IN WIN IMM WIN IMM NET IMM LOW LOW HIGH IMM ET LOW NC IN LOW LOW LOW WIN ET ELIM 7 Mauricio IN IN LOW HIGH IN IMM NET IMM IN IN IMM IN IMM LOW IN ET ELIM IN RET IN LOW IN LOW ELIM 8 Adriana IN WIN IMM HIGH ET IN WIN IMM IN HIGH IMM HIGH IMM IN LOW ET WIN ET LOW IN HIGH LOW WIN ET HIGH NC IN IN ELIM 9 Arcenio IN HIGH IMM IN ET IN WIN IMM LOW LOW LOW LOW LOW HIGH IMM ET HIGH WIN IMM LOW LOW LOW LOW ET ELIM IN LOW 10 Tania IN LOW LOW IN IN IMM ET IN IN IN IMM IN IMM IN LOW ET IN ET IN HIGH IMM IN ELIM 11 Herminia LOW NC WIN LOW NC LOW ET WIN IN LOW HIGH LOW LOW HIGH IMM ET LOW ET LOW LOW ELIM WIN IN 12 Isaac IN HIGH IMM WIN IMM WIN IMM LOW IN LOW IN IMM IN IN IN IMM ET ELIM LOW NC 13 Toribia IN HIGH IMM IN WIN IMM ET IN WIN IMM IN IMM IN ELIM HIGH LOW 14 Erika WIN IMM IN ET WIN WIN IMM IN IN IMM LOW ELIM HIGH IN 15 Fabián WIN IMM IN ET IN ET LOW IN LOW ELIM LOW NC 16 Mercedes IN LOW LOW IN IN IMM ET ELIM LOW NC 17 Evelin IN IN LOW IN ET ELIM LOW NC 18 Renato LOW NC ELIM LOW NC

Key

Second Season (2018)

Top 18

Contestant Age Residence Occupation Winnings Finish Place Nancy Talavera 33 Presidente Franco Housemaid 11Episode 20 1 Verónica "Veró" Pereira 28 Asunción Make-up artist 11 2 Fernando Ramírez 34 Asunción Merchant 6 Episode 19 3 Tatiana Renna 42 San Lorenzo Housewife 6 Episode 18 4 Jorgelina Salgado 27 Asunción Insurance agent 3 Episode 17 5 Sara Cheblis 28 Asunción Barista 4 Episode 16 6 Francisca "Kiki" Jara 61 Villa Elisa Housewife 7 Episode 15 7 Diego Paredes 31 Asunción Lawyer / Firefighter 3 Episode 14 8 Armando Riveros 39 Coronel Oviedo Councilman 4 Episode 13 9 Karen Chiri 29 San Lorenzo Craftswoman 2 Episode 11 10 Juan Marcelo Torres 32 Villa Elisa Civil engineer 0Episode 9 11 Joaquín Alcorta 32 Fernando de la Mora Graphic designer 2 12 (WDR) Rolando Raúl Núñez 25 Fernando de la Mora Former football player 2 Episode 8 13 Ulises León 57 Asunción Architect 2 Episode 7 14 Ingrid Armoa 44 Asunción Lawyer / Radio presenter 0 Episode 6 15 Nora Sánchez 28 Fernando de la Mora Nurse 1 Episode 5 16 Aldana Damelio 24 Asunción Student 1 Episode 4 17 Javier Manera 30 Ciudad del Este Merchant 0 Episode 3 18

Elimination table + Place Contestant Episode 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 1 Nancy IN WIN IMM WIN IMM ET LOW LOW HIGH IMM WIN IMM IN IMM IN IMM NET IMM WIN IMM NC ET WIN IMM WIN IMM WIN IMM WIN IMM IN WIN WIN IMM HIGH WIN WINNER 2 Veró WIN IMM ET WIN WIN IMM IN HIGH IMM ET WIN LOW WIN ET WIN ET ELIM HIGH RET WIN IMM IN WIN ET WIN ET IN LOW LOW IN WIN WIN HIGH 3 Fernando IN WIN IMM ET LOW IN IMM IN IN HIGH WIN IMM HIGH IMM ET HIGH WIN IMM ET HIGH NC WIN IMM HIGH IMM WIN IMM ET WIN IN IN LOW LOW IN ELIM 4 Tatiana IN HIGH IMM ET LOW ET WIN IN IN LOW NET IMM LOW WIN IN IMM ET WIN IN IMM NC ET WIN IMM HIGH IMM ET LOW WIN IMM WIN IMM HIGH ELIM 5 Jorgelina IN IN IMM NET IMM ET HIGH IN IN LOW ET IN WIN IMM IN IMM WIN IMM IN IMM NC ET NC IN IN IMM WIN IMM IN ELIM 6 Sara IN LOW LOW WIN IMM IN IMM LOW IN WIN WIN IMM IN IMM ET LOW WIN IMM ET IN NC ET IN IMM IN LOW ET LOW ET ELIM 7 Kiki IN HIGH IMM WIN WIN WIN IMM HIGH WIN IMM WIN IMM HIGH IMM ET IN WIN IMM ET IN NC ET LOW WIN HIGH IMM ET ELIM 8 Diego IN IN IN WIN IMM IN IMM HIGH IN IN ET LOW LOW LOW ET LOW ET IN ET WIN NC WIN IMM IN ELIM 9 Armando IN LOW IN WIN IMM ET LOW LOW LOW LOW WIN IMM LOW IN IN IMM WIN IMM ET ELIM HIGH RET ET LOW ELIM 10 Karen IN HIGH IMM NET IMM ET LOW IN LOW HIGH WIN IMM LOW IN WIN IMM ET LOW ET ELIM HIGH IN 11 Juan IN LOW LOW ET LOW IN IMM IN HIGH IMM ET LOW HIGH IMM ET ELIM LOW NC 12 Joaquín WIN IMM ET HIGH ET HIGH IN WIN IMM ET HIGH HIGH IMM WDR 13 Raúl IN LOW IN WIN IMM ET IN HIGH HIGH IMM WIN IMM LOW ELIM HIGH IN 14 Ulises IN HIGH IMM WIN HIGH IN IMM WIN IMM ET ELIM HIGH LOW 15 Ingrid IN HIGH IMM ET HIGH IN IMM LOW IN ELIM LOW NC 16 Nora IN LOW LOW WIN IMM ET ELIM HIGH LOW 17 Aldana LOW NC WIN ET ELIM 18 Javier LOW NC ELIM LOW NC

Key

Third Season (2019)

Top 21

Contestant Age Residence Occupation Winnings Finish Place Joaquín Alcorta 33 Fernando de la Mora Graphic designer/Season 2 Contestant 9Episode 22 1 Fernando Fabio 42 Asunción Crane driver 6 2 Isaías Ledesma 20 Coronel Oviedo Student 9 Episode 21 3 Ricardo Aranda 22 Villa Hayes / Limpio Student 8 Episode 20 4 Noelia Leguizamón 38 Fernando de la Mora Dentist 5 Episode 19 5 Juliana Sosa 22 Asunción Student 1 Episode 18 6 Marta "Martita" Martínez 27 San Lorenzo Musician 3 Episode 17 7 Walter Galeano 38 Mariano Roque Alonso Night watchman 4 Episode 16 8 Andrea Vera 22 Ñemby Housewife 4 Episode 15 9 Ross Collins 54 Asunción University professor 4 Episode 12 10 (WDR) Armando Costa 28 Hernandarias Merchant 1 Episode 11 11 Demian Matos 41 Asunción Merchant 3 Episode 10 12 Perla Orué 56 Asunción Dressmaker 1 Episode 9 13 Laura Chamorro 26 San Lorenzo Student 3Episode 8 14 César Ocampos 25 Itacurubí del Rosario / Lambaré Bartender 2 15 (WDR) Ruth "Ruthy" Ubrán 26 Asunción Nutritionist 1 Episode 7 16 Cecilia Paredes 31 Encarnación Make-up artist 0 Episode 6 17 Carlos Pereira 38 Ciudad del Este Stylist 0 Episode 5 18 Rita Benítez 30 Lambaré / Asunción Make-up artist 0 Episode 4 19 Ruth González 71 Formosa / Luque Housewife 0Episode 3 20 Víctor Sacco 48 Asunción Business advisor 0 21 (WDR)

Elimination table