The Taste
| The Taste | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Directed by | Brian Smith |
| Judges | Anthony Bourdain Nigella Lawson Ludo Lefebvre Brian Malarkey |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Anthony Bourdain Chris Coelen Emma Conway Matilda Zoltowski Nigella Lawson |
| Running time | 42 minutes (excluding commercials) |
| Production company | Kinetic Content |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | January 22, 2013 – present |
The Taste is an American competitive reality television cooking show on ABC.[1] It premiered on January 22, 2013.[2] On May 14, 2013, ABC renewed The Taste for a second season. [3]
Format
The Taste season begins with blind auditions of both professional and amateur cooks during which four judges, who double as mentors, taste one spoonful of food from each contestant prior to knowing who cooked it or what all the ingredients are.[2][4][5][6] Each judge decides whether or not they would like the contestant on his or her team by pressing a button (green for yes or red for no); the buttons are hidden from the other judges (although some decisions are revealed to the home audience).[7][8] The four then meet the contestant and press a button to reveal their votes. If exactly one judge votes yes, that contestant automatically joins that judge's four-member team.[4][5] If more than one judge votes yes, the contestant chooses among them.[5]
Once the 16 contestants are chosen, each episode consists of team and individual challenges with various themes.[9] Each episode ends with the mentors tasting all the competitors' dishes without knowing what it is, how it was prepared, who created it, or whom they will be eliminating.[9] The contestant with the worst bite of food is eliminated from the competition.[10][11]
Judges
The judges/mentors are Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, Ludo Lefebvre, and Brian Malarkey.[1][2] Bourdain and Lawson also serve as executive producers.[1][2]
Michelin star chef David Kinch was a guest judge on episode 4, titled "Daring Pairings".[12][13] Chef José Andrés was a guest judge on the season finale, "The Taste Finale: Triple Threat".[14][15]
Finalists
Cooks are organized into four "Kitchen" groups, each with a mentor.
| Mentors | Cooks[16][17][18] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ninamarie Bojekian 28, Caterer Franklin Lakes, NJ |
Diane DiMeo 45, Chef Consultant Astoria, NY |
Uno Immanivong 35, Mortgage Consultant Dallas, TX |
Mia Morgenstern 26, Yoga Instructor San Francisco, CA | |
| Renatta Lindsey 32, Program Monitor Houston, TX |
Huda Mu'min 31, Caterer Washington, DC |
Lauren Scott 23, Administrative Assistant Laurel, MS |
Erika Monroe Williams 42, Broadcaster Paradise Valley, AZ | |
| Paul Caravelli 31, Executive Chef Libertyville, IL |
Shawn Davis 43, Executive Chef Los Angeles, CA |
Gregg Drusinsky 31, Culinary Instructor New York, NY |
Sarah Schiear 27, Food Blogger Fort Lauderdale, FL | |
| Micah Kasman 31, Design Director San Francisco, CA |
Jeff Mahin 28, Executive Chef Marina Del Rey, CA |
Adam Pechal 36, Executive Chef Sacramento, CA |
Khristianne Uy 30, Private Chef West Hollywood, CA | |
Contestant Progress
- Team
- A Anthony's Kitchen N Nigella's Kitchen L Ludo's Kitchen M Malarkey's Kitchen
| Cooks | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Episode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Taste Winner |
Lauren | Gregg | Gregg | Gregg | Sarah | Diane Khristianne Sarah |
||
| M | Khristianne | HIGH | HIGH | IN | HIGH | HIGH | WINNER | The Taste Finale: Triple Threat |
| A | Diane | HIGH | IN | LOW | IN | LOW | RUNNER-UP | The Taste Finale: Triple Threat |
| L | Sarah | HIGH | LOW | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP | The Taste Finale: Triple Threat |
| L | Gregg | IN | IN | LOW | LOW | IN | OUT | The Taste Finale: Triple Threat |
| M | Jeff | IN | IN | HIGH | HIGH | OUT | Seduction | |
| N | Lauren | LOW | IN | HIGH | LOW | OUT | Seduction | |
| L | Paul | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | Seduction | |
| A | Uno | IN | IN | IN | OUT | Nose to Tail | ||
| A | Ninamarie | IN | HIGH | HIGH | OUT | Nose to Tail | ||
| M | Adam | IN | IN | IN | OUT | Nose to Tail | ||
| A | Mia | IN | IN | OUT | The Art of the Sandwich | |||
| N | Huda | IN | LOW | OUT | The Art of the Sandwich | |||
| L | Shawn | LOW | OUT | Daring Pairings | ||||
| N | Erika | IN | OUT | Daring Pairings | ||||
| N | Renatta | OUT | Comfort Food | |||||
| M | Micah | OUT | Comfort Food | |||||
- The cook won The Taste.
- The cook was one of the favorites.
- The cook was one of the least favorites, but was not eliminated.
- The cook was eliminated.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Season Premiere | Season Finale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | January 22, 2013 | March 12, 2013 | |
Season 1 (2013)
| No. | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Auditions: Part 1" | January 22, 2013 | 5.82[19] | |
|
Professional chefs and home cooks compete for one of the sixteen spots in a celebrity chef's kitchen. To be continued... | ||||
| 2 | "Auditions: Part 2" | January 29, 2013 | 4.80[20] | |
|
The second half of the auditions commence, as more hopefuls compete for a spot on a team. | ||||
| 3 | "Comfort Food" | February 5, 2013 | 5.34[21] | |
|
The contestants are challenged to create "comfort" dishes. Lauren of Team Nigella wins the first team challenge, giving her team an advantage during the individual task. Lauren, Micah, Renatta, and Shawn find themselves in the bottom four, as the four judges have given them all one red star, declaring them as the creators of the four worst dishes of the round. Khristianne and Sarah both receive one gold star, meaning that they created one of the judges' favorite dishes, while Diane receives two gold stars. Lauren is automatically save, as she had won immunity for herself by winning the team challenger earlier. Shawn is spared and Micah and Renatta are the first cooks sent home. | ||||
| 4 | "Daring Pairings" | February 12, 2013 | 4.58[22] | |
|
The contestants are challenged to create any dish they want and pair it with a wine of their choice. Gregg wins the team challenge for Team Ludo. Erica, Huda, Sarah, and Shawn each receive a red star after the individual taste tests. Meanwhile, Khristianne and Ninamarie each receive two gold stars. The judges choose to keep Huda and Sarah in the competition, eliminating Erica and Shawn. | ||||
| 5 | "The Art of the Sandwich" | February 19, 2013 | 4.76[23] | |
|
The contestants have to create unique sandwiches. Gregg wins the team challenge for the second time for Team Ludo. The judges are not impressed with his second dish, however, and he is placed into the bottom four with Diane, Mia, and Huda. Jeff receives two gold stars, while Lauren and Ninamarie each receive one. Gregg is declared safe, as he held immunity. Mia defends her sandwich, as she thought it was unfair of the judges to criticize her homemade bread, as most of the other contestants didn't bother to make theirs from scratch. Ultimately, the judges decide to send Mia home, along with Huda. | ||||
| 6 | "Nose to Tail" | February 26, 2013 | 4.11[24] | |
|
The contestants must create dishes using unusual edible body parts of an animal, such as cow tongues and sweetbread. Gregg of Team Ludo wins the team challenge for the third straight week in a row. During the prep period for the individual tastings, Gregg slices his finger. The judges select Adam, Gregg, Lauren, Ninamarie, and Uno. Uno became the first person in the competition to receive both a gold star and a red star, meaning that she wasn't safe. Jeff and Khristianne each receive two gold stars. Gregg is declared safe due to getting immunity. Adam is the first one sent home, followed by Ninamarie. The judges have a hard time choosing between Uno, who had been consistent up until this challenge, and Lauren, who has been unpredictable. Nigella's rallying works, as her last team member is spared from elimination and Uno is sent home. | ||||
| 7 | "Seduction" | March 5, 2013 | 3.19[25] | |
|
The contestants must create "sexy," seductive dishes. Sarah wins the team challenge for Team Ludo and instead of being offered immunity this week, she received a cookware set similar to the ones used in the show's kitchens. For the individual tastings, each cook must pair their dishes with a fine beverage. Diane, Jeff, Lauren, and Paul are in the bottom four, with three of them going home. Jeff receives both a red and a gold star. Khristianne receives a record three stars for her dish. Lauren, Jeff, and Paul are all eliminated. Diane, Gregg, Khristianne, and Sarah move onto the finals. | ||||
| 8 | "The Taste Finale: Triple Threat" | March 12, 2013 | 3.36[26] | |
|
The last four remaining contestants (Diane, Gregg, Khristianne, and Sarah) have a team challenge to make tapas using mozzarella cheese, Iberico ham and spot prawns for Spanish chef José Andrés. One contestant is to be eliminated after Andrés does the judging. The mentors help their team to try to ensure their placement in the final three. Andrés eliminates Gregg from the competition, leaving Diane, Khristianne, and Sarah as the top three. The last three make their final dishes for the show, and Andrés serves as a mentor for them. In the end, Khristianne is declared the winner of The Taste. | ||||
International Broadcasting
The Taste airs on CTV Television Network in Canada.[27]
References
- ^ a b c Lowry, Brian (January 21, 2013). "The Taste". Variety.
- ^ a b c d Hale, Mike (January 22, 2013). "Tasty? A Celebrity Will Decide". The New York Times.
- ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/05/14/abc-2013-14-primetime-schedule-marvels-agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-on-tuesday-revenge-sticks-with-sunday-once-upon-a-time-spinoff-on-thursday/182567/
- ^ a b Hinckley, David (January 22, 2013). "ABC's 'The Taste' lets judges taste a single spoonful of a dish to determine whether a contestant is worthy". New York Daily News.
- ^ a b c Keene, Allsion (January 21, 2013). "The Taste: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Hank, Melissa (January 21, 2013). "TV Tuesday: Cooking reality show The Taste debuts". The Vancouver Sun.
- ^ Doss, Laine (January 23, 2013). "The Taste: Spoonfuls of Remorse and Haven's Todd Erickson". Miami New Times.
- ^ Harris, Jenn (January 23, 2013). "'The Taste' recap: Could go back for a second bite". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "About the Show". ABC. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ Nguyen, Hanh (January 21, 2013). "Anthony Bourdain's The Taste Strategy: "Make Those Jaded Sons of B----es Cry"". TV Guide.
- ^ Rackl, Lori (January 21, 2013). "Top chefs rate aspiring cooks with a single 'Taste' on new show". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Shemirani, Sasha (February 12, 2013). "'The Taste': Daring Pairings". San Jose Mercury News.
- ^ Harris, Jenn (February 13, 2013). "'The Taste' recap: The chefs whine and dine". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Judkis, Maura (March 13, 2013). "Jose Andres appeared on ABC's 'The Taste'". The Washington Post.
- ^ Burrell, Jackie (March 13, 2013). "'The Taste' Finale: A totally satisfying conclusion". San Jose Mercury News.
- ^ Burrell, Jackie (February 5, 2013). "The teams of 'The Taste'". San Jose Mercury News.
- ^ Harris, Jenn (January 30, 2013). "'The Taste' recap: Those auditions desperately needed seasoning". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Rillera, Eileen (February 5, 2013). "The Taste Recap: First Challenge Ends Two Home Cooks' Stints". Nerdles.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (January 24, 2013). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Parenthood' & 'New Girl' Adjusted Up; 'The Taste', 'Hart of Dixie' & 'Emily Owens M.D.' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (January 30, 2013). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'NCIS', 'Raising Hope', 'New Girl' & 'Go On' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (February 6, 2013). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Smash', 'New Girl' & 'The Bachelor' Adjusted Up; 'Betty White's 2nd Annual 90th Birthday Special' and 'Vegas' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 13, 2013). "Tuesday Final Ratings: No Adjustment for 'The Taste'". TV by the Numbers.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (February 21, 2013). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The New Normal' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 27, 2013). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The Mindy Project' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment for 'Golden Boy', 'The New Normal' or 'Smash'". TV by the Numbers.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (March 6, 2013). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'American Idol', 'NCIS', 'Smash' & 'Body of Proof' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (March 12, 2013). "TV Ratings Tuesday: 'Hell's Kitchen' Premiere Dips, 'Golden Boy' Flat + 'The Taste' Finale Goes Low". TV by the Numbers.
- ^ http://www.ctv.ca/
