Home cooks will have another shot at earning the title of Masterchef as Fox has given the cooking series a fourth season. Masterchef‘s third season gained in viewers over seasons one and two and is up over 9% in total viewers this season, and Fox Broadcasting Company’s President of Alternative Entertainment Mike Darnell says Gordon Ramsey’s and the show’s producers took this season to a whole new level this year.
 
“The talent is absolutely fantastic, the competition is unbelievably intense, and it’s become one of the most compelling, heart-stopping hours on television,” said Darnell. “Over the course of three seasons, Masterchef has inspired millions of home cooks around the country to pursue their dreams in the kitchen, and I can’t wait for the show to inspire even more people with another season on FOX.”
 
“We’re excited to be back for another season of Masterchef,” said Gordon Ramsay, executive producer and judge on Masterchef. “I am continually amazed by the raw talent, passion and creativity of home cooks across America. The contestants raise the bar every season, and it’s an inspiration and exciting challenge for us.”
 
Masterchef Details:
 
Talented home cooks will once again have the chance to showcase their skill, knowledge and immense passion to turn their culinary dream into a reality. The hopefuls will be put through a series of intense challenges designed to test their palates and determination to prove they have what it takes to become America’s next Masterchef and walk away with a life-changing grand prize.
 

About the Judges [Courtesy of Fox]:
 
Gordon Ramsey:
Scottish by birth, Gordon Ramsay was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. With an injury prematurely putting an end to any hopes of a promising career in football, he went back to college to complete a course in hotel management. His dedication and natural talent led him to train with some of the world’s leading chefs, such as Albert Roux and Marco Pierre White in London, and Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon in France.
 
In 1993, Ramsay became chef of Aubergine in London. Within three years, he was awarded two Michelin stars. In 1998, at the age of 31, Ramsay set up his first wholly-owned and namesake restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which quickly received the most prestigious accolade in the culinary world – three Michelin stars. Today, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is London’s longest-running restaurant to hold this award, and Ramsay is one of only four chefs in the U.K. to maintain three stars.
 
Now internationally renowned, Ramsay has opened a string of successful restaurants across the globe, from Italy to the United States. The group continues to grow with recent openings such as Bread Street Kitchen in London’s City district; two ventures in Doha, Qatar; Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris Las Vegas; and the eagerly anticipated opening of The Fat Cow in Los Angeles later this year. Ramsay received an OBE (Order of the British Empire awarded by Queen Elizabeth II) in 2006 for services to the industry.
 
Ramsay has also become a star of the small screen both in the U.K. and internationally, with U.K. shows such as Gordon’s Great Escapes and Gordon Ramsay: Shark Bait, as well as three top-rated FOX shows that air in more than 200 countries worldwide: KITCHEN NIGHTMARES, HELL’S KITCHEN and MASTERCHEF, not to mention his latest FOX series premiering this summer, HOTEL HELL. He is also a published author of a number of books, many of which have become bestsellers around the world, most notably his autobiography, Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen.
 
Ramsay has a global partnership with WWRD (Waterford, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton), which offers quality home and lifestyle products, and he also has brought out a range of Seriously Good sauces for the charity Comic Relief.
 
He lives with his wife, Tana and four children, along with their bulldog Rumpole and two cats. He divides his time between Los Angeles and South London.
 
Joe Bastianich
One of America’s premier restaurateurs, Joe Bastianich – along with partners Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich – has established some of the country’s most celebrated restaurants in New York, including the legendary Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, Lupa Osteria Romana, Esca, Casa Mono, Bar Jamόn, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria and the much-storied Del Posto.
 
Expanding their horizons beyond Manhattan, Bastianich and Batali opened B&B Ristorante and Carnevino in Las Vegas and Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles. The beginning of 2011 marked their first overseas venture with the opening of Osteria and Pizzeria Mozza in Singapore.
 
In summer 2010, Bastianich again partnered with his mother and Batali, as well as Italian retail pioneer Oscar Farinetti, to bring Eataly, the largest artisanal food and wine market in the world, to New York. At its essence, Eataly embodies the philosophy and commitment of artisanal products that represent the finest quality, sustainability, affordability and responsibility.
 
Considered to be America’s foremost authority on Italian wine, Bastianich operates three wineries in Italy and one in Argentina. In addition, he has authored several books on the subject, including the award winning “Vino Italiano” with Sommelier David Lynch.
 
Bastianich is an accomplished author whose passion for the culinary arts has been recognized with professional awards from Bon Appétit magazine and the James Beard Foundation. Bastianich’s highly anticipated memoir, Restaurant Man, is scheduled for release in spring 2012.
 
A remarkable athlete completing numerous marathons and triathlons, Bastianich is currently training for his most challenging competition yet: a full Ironman® triathlon in Hawaii. He lives in Greenwich, CT, with his wife, Deanna, and their three children.
 
Graham Elliot
Chef Graham Elliot is the culinary mastermind behind Chicago’s first “bistronomic” restaurant, Graham Elliot, which tempers four-star cuisine with humor and accessibility. In a very short time, the 33-year-old chef has accrued accolades, including Best New Chef in 2004 from Food & Wine magazine and three James Beard Nominations.
 
At age 27, Elliot became the youngest four-star chef in America. In May 2008, he opened the aptly named Graham Elliot, a restaurant that would not only bear his name, but become an extension of his passionate personality embodying his core principles of humility, courage, vision, respect and focus. Since opening its doors, Graham Elliot has beguiled the city of Chicago garnering two stars from the Chicago Tribune, two-and-a-half stars from the Chicago Sun-Times and one star in the 2011 MICHELIN Guide.
 
Elliot continues to break the mold at Graham Elliot incorporating his musical talents and passion for fine art into everyday operations. He first appeared at Lollapalooza 2009, a three-day music festival, with a tent in the public food court and a backstage meal for Jane’s Addiction. This past year, Elliot was enlisted as the Culinary Director for the entire festival orchestrating his own hand-picked lineup of Chicago-based chefs to feed festival goers.
 
In December 2010, Elliot opened Grahamwich, a casual, quick-service sandwich shop in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. In addition, he has appeared on both seasons of the popular cable competition series Top Chef Masters.
 
Elliot lives in Chicago with his wife and two sons.
 
Source: Fox