The current season of MasterChef might be its biggest yet since it brings back past All-Stars as contestants. The show is just one of many reality and competition series featuring chef Gordon Ramsay. On top of that, it's far from alone in the landscape of food shows.
Since MasterChef’s seasons come and go, fans are left with a food-sized hole in the TV schedule to be filled with something else until the next season begins. What should that something else be? According to Ranker, there are plenty of shows similar to MasterChef that are worth watching.
Note: Ranker lists are live and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing.
Kitchen Nightmares (2007-2014)
Stream On Hulu, Peacock, The Roku Channel, Vudu, Discovery+, & Tubi
It would stand to reason that another of Gordon Ramsay’s shows would rank among the top 10 when it comes to others to watch for those who like MasterChef. The presence of Ramsay himself is, of course, the top reason especially since Kitchen Nightmares has a very different premise than MasterChef.
Kitchen Nightmares sees Ramsay visit a different struggling restaurant in each episode. He tries the food, meets with the owners and staff, and sees if he can get to the bottom of where the problems lie. Then, following his analysis, which often includes touring dirty and disgusting kitchens, tasting sub-par food, and dealing with arrogant and/or clueless owners, he helps them through a makeover and re-launch. Through its seasons, Kitchen Nightmares has had some wild episodes.
Cupcake Wars (2009-2018)
Stream On Discovery+
Hosted by Justin Willman for the first several seasons than Jonathan Bennett, Cupcake Wars is yet another cooking competition show, except its focus is solely on the popular sugary, frosted treats. This isn’t a regular cupcake, though: the challenge is to make ones using unusual ingredients and following very specific themes. For example, it might be a date night cupcake that must contain ingredients like oysters and basil which are known to be aphrodisiacs.
The players compete in teams with the winners receiving a cash prize and the opportunity to be featured in a big event. Cupcake Wars is ranked among one of the best reality TV baking competition shows.
Top Chef Amateurs (2021)
Stream On Bravo
In a similar fashion to MasterChef, Top Chef Amateurs took amateur home chefs and put them against one another in head-to-head cooking challenges. A spin-off of Top Chef, which centers on professional chefs, Top Chef Amateurs didn’t quite make the cut and only lasted a single season.
Nonetheless, it was a great vehicle to help aspiring chefs, who were each paired with a past Top Chef contestant to work as an advisor and sous chef. The show was filmed and released during the height of COVID and had to adhere to strict quarantining rules. This could have something to do with why it didn’t last very long.
MasterChef Junior (2013-Present)
Stream On Hulu
Following the massive success of MasterChef, Ramsay branched out with his spin-off show with the same premise but competitors that are all between the ages of 8 to 13. While Ramsay’s signature crude potty mouth and angry attitude are replaced with a much softer-hearted and kinder style, the kids are still pushed to do their best in every challenge.
It’s an adorable show to watch with kids who can barely see over the countertop yet are using machinery bigger than they are to masterfully create high-end technical dishes and desserts. It’s good fun to watch with the entire family.
Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives (2007-Present)
Stream On Discovery+
There’s no competition involved in this food-related show: rather, celebrity chef Guy Fieri heads out on the open road to visit various restaurants across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to try, and discover, popular dishes. As per the show’s name, his focus is not on fine dining but rather diners, drive-ins, and dive bars that are hidden gems with menus to delight the taste buds.
Delivered in a road trip style, Fieri focuses on comfort foods, like barbecue, smoked meat, hamburgers, pizza, steak, and anything and everything deep fried. The best restaurants on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives are located everywhere from Texas to California, New York, and Wyoming.
Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares (2004-2014)
Stream On Discovery+, Crackle, & Tubi
Before Kitchen Nightmares in the U.S., there was Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares in the U.K., the original British version of the show. It had the same premise except Ramsay visited restaurants throughout England to help them identify problems, improve, and turn the company around.
Ramsay left this show and the American version to focus on other endeavors, including many other shows that appear on this list. But both remain viewer favorites, with some of the wildest episodes of Kitchen Nightmares being memorable ones fans still talk about to this day.
Junior Masterchef (UK) (1994-1999, 2010-2014)
Not Currently Available To Stream
As with other popular concepts from the U.S., following success with this show in the U.K., a version was launched in the U.S. Except the original Junior Masterchef did not feature Ramsay: instead, it was presented by Loyd Grossman, a British author, broadcaster, and cultural campaigner.
The show was revived in 2010 featuring kids aged 9-12. The judges were John Torode and former Celebrity MasterChef champion Nadia Sawalha, a British actor, TV personality, and YouTuber. Sawalha was later replaced by Donal Skehan, an Irish cook.
Top Chef Masters (2009-2013)
Stream On Peacock & Tubi
One of many spin-offs of Top Chef, Top Chef Masters focused on younger competitors who were rising chefs in the food services industry. They competed against one another in various challenges each week. Some of the best challenges on Top Shelf Masters involved skydiving, mystery teammates, and making the simple yet somehow very complex grilled cheese.
The show did not feature Ramsay but was presented by Kelly Choi and Curtis Stone. It cycled through a number of judges in the seasons, including writer, editor, and TV personality James Oseland, food writer and cookbook author Gail Simmons, and English journalist and food critic Jay Rayner.
Hell’s Kitchen (2005-Present)
Stream On Discovery+, The Roku Channel, Crackle, Tubi, & Vudu
One of Ramsay’s most successful and longest-running reality competition shows, Hell’s Kitchen takes aspiring chefs and puts them right into the heat of the kitchen to take over dinner service at Ramsay’s famous restaurant of the same name. Plenty of expletives are traded as Ramsay chastises competitors on their inability to manage time, to deliver food fully cooked, tasty, and presented beautifully.
It's a crash course for chefs who works at varying levels in food services in their hometowns, but the prize is potentially a big one: the chance to work as head chef or another related position at one of Ramsay’s restaurants around the world.
Top Chef (2006-Present)
Stream On Peacock & Hulu
Another long-running, successful cooking competition show, Ramsay is not involved in this one, but it has become a must-watch for any fan of the food competition series genre. Hosted by Padma Lakshmi for much of its run, the show has spawned numerous spin-offs relating to everything from kids to desserts, family-style cooking, and past winners competing against one another. The show has also been copied around the world with various international versions.
The judging panel has included well-known names in the food world, including the late Anthony Bourdain, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, and Graham Elliot. Each episode features Quickfire Challenges where the chefs must cook a meal meeting specific requirements followed by an Elimination Challenge with a dish that follows a specific theme. The show has seen winners go on to achieve big things, including Mei Lin, who became a personal chef for Oprah Winfrey and Stephanie Izard who now owns several award-winning restaurants in Chicago.