“I came to find out how brilliant it was,” says “MasterChef” judge Joe Bastianich while discussing the Season 14 theme “Generations,” which pits Gen Z, Gen X, Millennials and Baby Boomers against each other in the kitchen. “We have four active sets of generations that are still actively living in our society. That doesn’t always happen. You have four very defined age groups of people with different histories, different tendencies and different ways of thinking about food. Putting them all together is a super interesting social documentary that we brought to life. I’m proud to say I’m participating in some very smart television.” Watch the full video interview above.
Season 14 of “MasterChef” brings together amateur cooks from four generations – Millennials, Baby Boomers, Gen Z and Gen X – to prove that age does not matter in the kitchen. Judges Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez and Bastianich eliminate contestants each week until one winner is crowned with the title of MasterChef and the $250,000 grand prize.
SEE ‘MasterChef’ season 14 cast: All 20 home cooks competing in ‘Generations’
The winner of the first Mystery Box challenge this season was Rebecka, a 63-year-old food blogger from Castle Rock, Colorado who won the judges over with her meatloaf. “That’s a great example of a total Boomer dish that no one would ever think about. You put it out, you nail it and it wins,” says the judge.
Another fun element this season were the guest judges throughout each audition round, including Bastianich’s Emmy-winning mother, Lidia Bastianich. “She’s a Boomer, she’s done this for almost 50 years,” Joe reveals. “It’s great to have her experience, great to have her on. She treats me like I’m seven years old, I’m always at risk of getting a slap in the face in front of everybody. Aside from bruising my ego, it’s good to have her on the show.”
“MasterChef” airs Wednesday nights on FOX at 8/7c.
