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FremantleMedia plotting new food series

With MasterChef rights set to revert back to Shine Australia, a new food series is in the early development stages.

When MasterChef finishes its current series the rights revert to Shine Australia, leaving FremantleMedia Australia without its biggest production.

FremantleMedia licensed the series from Elisabeth Murdoch’s Shine Group before its Australian arm was established (now run by former Freo bosses Mark and Carl Fennessy).

Shine successfully produced Junior MasterChef last year as well as this year’s Biggest Loser, amongst other projects.

So it comes as no surprise to see that FremantleMedia is now eyeing a new food-based series.

After all, it has learned much from producing the MasterChef brand in Australia, and developed numerous industry contacts.

The Australian reports a project is under discussion that will engage professional chefs in a competitive do-or-die challenge, which is currently at early casting stages.

According to Cast of Thousands, “Competitors will go head-to-head to win the ultimate prize: head chef of Australia’s hottest new restaurant, a restaurant owned by an icon of the Australian food industry, whose aim is to set a new benchmark for quality food in the country.”

Could it be the perfect way into the genre for Nine?

“It’s very early days, but it is not in any way connected with MasterChef,” FremantleMedia spokesperson Steve Murphy says.

15 Responses

  1. Hi Guys my name is Stephanie from South Africa and am an ardent Master Chef watcher. We are so far behind in our series but I don’t mind because I just love the show. Sadly I went onto the internet to write to you guys and we are only in final week so did not know that Adam had won. Boo Hoo for spoiling my own surprise.

    What I want to suggest is that you guys have a tour (obviously people must pay) of all the restaurants of all the chefs that came onto the show, be it tasting or celebrity challenges, etc. I find all those chefs so interesting and their various eating establishments so varied that I am sure this sort of thing would be a great hit.

    Just a thought and thanks for a great program.

  2. Why don’t these Chefs spend more time looking after their restaurants instead of getting their heads on telly. Grossi Florentino is not what it used to be with Guy Grossi almost the new Eddie.

  3. This is depressing – Fremanlte and Nine giving us another rip-off cooking show.

    Why don’t they put their time into creating something new?

    1. A bit unfair. Fremantle is constantly producing both Aussie adaptations of international formats and original Australian works. They are responding to the market interest in food by the sounds of things but it doesn’t mean other developments dry up.

  4. I doubt that they’re going to repeat the success of MC and MKR but Fremantle won’t care so much as long as they can sell it. And this is prob a straw that Nine would grasp at right now altho’ things may be different when it actually comes time to make it.

  5. This has disaster written all over it. Production company frustrated about losing Master Chef rights teams up with the network 3 years late to the party in the cooking genre.

    Last time freemantle did a show for nine we got ben Elton…

    Why the hell would anyone think we need one more cooking show

  6. Wow, an original idea from FremantleMedia.

    Oh, hold on a second…they’re going to do another food show.
    Perhaps a vehicle for Ben Elton?

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