The Taste

The Taste is an American cooking-themed reality competition series on ABC.

It aired from January 22, 2013, through January 22, 2015. On May 7, 2015, ABC canceled The Taste after three seasons.

The Taste
The Taste
GenreReality competition
Directed byBrian Smith
Judges
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes23
Production
Executive producers
  • Anthony Bourdain
  • Chris Coelen
  • Emma Conway
  • Matilda Zoltowski
  • Nigella Lawson
Running time42-43 minutes (season 1)
84-86 minutes (season 2, 3 and 1 premiere)
Production companyKinetic Content
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseJanuary 22, 2013 (2013-01-22) –
January 22, 2015 (2015-01-22)

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 without knowing who cooked it or what all the ingredients were. 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). 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. If more than one judge votes yes, the contestant chooses among them.

Once the 16 contestants are chosen, each episode consists of team and individual challenges on a weekly theme.

In the team challenge, the contestants work for one hour with coaching from their mentors. Each mentor selects one dish to represent his or her team, which is tasted by a guest judge. The team with the best taste is rewarded with a private session with the guest judge, while the mentor of team who places last in the challenge must eliminate one of their contestants.

In the individual challenge, the contestants work without assistance for one hour. 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, awarding a gold star to the dish they liked the most and a red star to the dish they liked the least. The contestant or contestants with the worst bite of food is eliminated from the competition in the first two seasons.

Starting in the third season, the two contestants who receive the highest number of red stars in the individual challenge compete in a 40 minute, sudden-death taste-off. The mentors are not allowed to touch the contestants' food in this challenge. The competitor who has the best bite of food in the taste-off advances to the next stage of the competition, while the other competitor is eliminated.

Other aspects of the team and individual challenges vary by season. See season breakdowns for details.

Judges

The judges/mentors are Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, Ludo Arogánsgeci, and Marcus Samuelsson. Brian Malarkey served on the panel for the first season. Bourdain and Lawson also serve as executive producers.

Michelin Guide chef David Kinch was a guest judge on episode 4 of season one, titled "Daring Pairings". Chef José Andrés was a guest judge on the season one finale, "The Taste Finale: Triple Threat".

Episodes

Season Episodes Season premiere Season finale
1 8 January 22, 2013 (2013-01-22) March 12, 2013 (2013-03-12)
2 8 January 2, 2014 (2014-01-02) February 20, 2014 (2014-02-20)
3 7 December 4, 2014 (2014-12-04) January 22, 2015 (2015-01-22)

Season 1 (2013)

Format

In the team challenge, the creator of the best dish receives immunity from elimination for that episode.

In the individual challenge, the creators of the worst two (sometimes three) dishes are eliminated from the competition.

Finalists

Cooks are organized into four "Kitchen" groups, each with a mentor.

Mentors Cooks
Anthony Bourdain 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
Nigella Lawson 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
Ludo Lefebvre 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
Brian Malarkey 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

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Original air date U.S. viewers
(million)
11"Auditions: Part 1"January 22, 2013 (2013-01-22)5.82
Professional chefs and home cooks compete for one of the sixteen spots in a celebrity chef's kitchen. To be continued...
22"Auditions: Part 2"January 29, 2013 (2013-01-29)4.80
The second half of the auditions commence, as more hopefuls compete for a spot on a team.
33"Comfort Food"February 5, 2013 (2013-02-05)5.34
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 safe, 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.
44"Daring Pairings"February 12, 2013 (2013-02-12)4.58
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.
55"The Art of the Sandwich"February 19, 2013 (2013-02-19)4.76
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.
66"Nose to Tail"February 26, 2013 (2013-02-26)4.11
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 received one star and Khristianne received 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.
77"Seduction"March 5, 2013 (2013-03-05)3.19
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 Season 1 finals.
88"The Taste Finale: Triple Threat"March 12, 2013 (2013-03-12)3.36
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.

Season 2 (2014)

Format

In the team challenge, the mentor of the team which created the worst dish must eliminate a member of his team.

In the individual challenge, the contestant who created the worst dish is eliminated.

Finalists

Cooks are organized into four "Kitchen" groups, each with a mentor.

Mentors Cooks
Anthony Bourdain Brad Martin
44, Executive Chef
Moreno Valley, CA
Episode 6 (Team)
Shellie Kitchen
41, Food Truck Owner
San Francisco, CA
Episode 6 (Individual)
Lee Knoeppel
27, Waiter
Brooklyn, NY
Finale
Dana Micek
39, Private Chef
Chicago, IL
Episode 5 (Individual)
Nigella Lawson Reina Bazzi
53, Translator
Miami, FL
Episode 2 (Team)
Crystal Powell
51, Real Estate Agent
Chicago, IL
Episode 4 (Team)
Jay Qualls
45, Wedding Cake Designer
Murfreesboro, TN
Episode 2 (Individual)
Jacquelyn Sowards
36, Private Chef/Caterer
Sherman Oaks, CA
Episode 5 (Withdrew/Team)
Ludo Lefebvre Jeff Kawakami
32, Caterer
Hollywood, CA
Finale (Team)
Cassandra Bodzak
26, Happy Healthy Living Guru
New York, NY
Episode 4 (Individual)
Louise Leonard
39, Food Stylist
Los Angeles, CA
(Winner)
Marina Chung
53, Homemaker
Duarte, CA
Finale
Marcus Samuelsson Don Pullum
56, Wine Maker
Mason, TX
Episode 3 (Individual)
Sarah Master
35, Executive Chef
Minneapolis, MN
Episode 7 (Individual)
Audrey Johns
33, Food Blogger
Atascadero, CA
Episode 3 (Team)
Shehu Fitzgerald
39, Chef
Staten Island, NY
Episode 7 (Team)

Contestant progress

    Team
     A  Anthony's Kitchen  N  Nigella's Kitchen  L  Ludo's Kitchen  M  Marcus' Kitchen
Cooks 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Episode
Team Taste
Winner
 L  Jeff  L  Jeff  A  Shellie  L  Louise  M  Sarah  L  Marina  L  Marina
L Louise IN IN IN IN★★ IN IN WINNER The Finale
L Marina IN IN IN★★ IN IN★★ IN RUNNER-UP The Finale
A Lee IN ★★ IN ★★ IN IN IN IN★★ OUT The Finale
L Jeff IN★★ IN IN IN★★ IN IN★★★ OUT The Finale (Team)
M Sarah IN IN IN★★ IN IN OUT Good With Beer (Individual)
M Shehu IN IN IN★★★ IN IN OUT Good With Beer (Team)
A Shellie IN IN IN IN OUT★★★ The Sweetest Thing (Individual)
A Brad IN IN IN IN OUT The Sweetest Thing (Team)
A Dana IN IN IN OUT ★★ Go Green (Individual)
N Jacquelyn IN IN IN QUIT1 Go Green (Team)
L Cassandra IN IN OUT Street Food (Individual)
N Crystal IN IN OUT Street Food (Team)
M Don IN OUT★★ Guilty Pleasures (Individual)
M Audrey IN OUT Guilty Pleasures (Team)
N Jay OUT★★★ My Life on a Plate (Individual)
N Reina OUT My Life on a Plate (Team)
      The cook won The Taste.
      The cook quit the competition.
      The cook was eliminated in the individual challenge.
      The cook was eliminated in the team challenge.
    The cook received the indicated number of gold stars.
    The cook received the indicated number of red stars.
  1. ^ Because Jacquelyn quit during the judging of the team challenge, Marcus was not required to eliminate a member of his team even though his team lost the challenge.

Episodes

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Original air date U.S. viewers
(million)
91"The Auditions"January 2, 2014 (2014-01-02)4.75
102"My Life On A Plate"January 9, 2014 (2014-01-09)4.47
guest judge Edward Lee (chef)
113"Guilty Pleasures"January 16, 2014 (2014-01-16)3.27
guest judge Aarón Sánchez
124"Street Food"January 23, 2014 (2014-01-23)4.02
guest judge Roy Choi
135"Go Green"January 30, 2014 (2014-01-30)3.63
guest judge Yotam Ottolenghi
146"The Sweetest Thing"February 6, 2014 (2014-02-06)3.17
guest judge Christina Tosi
157"Good with Beer"February 13, 2014 (2014-02-13)3.05
guest judge Jonathan Waxman
168"The Finale"February 20, 2014 (2014-02-20)3.20
guest judge Jacques Pépin

Season 3 (2014–15)

Season 3 of The Taste premiered on December 4, 2014 with Ludo, Nigella, Marcus, and Anthony as the judges. The first episode received 3.33 million viewers.

Contestants

Mentors Cooks
Anthony Bourdain Tarik Abdullah
41, DJ/Pop-Up Chef
Seattle, WA
Eliminated in Episode 6
Eric LeBlanc
28, Chef
Boston, MA
Vanessa Lauren
29, Private Chef
Los Angeles, CA
Eliminated in Episode 6
Tom Ramsey
49, Restaurant Owner
Jackson, MS
Eliminated in Episode 5
Nigella Lawson Renee Maynard
33, Stay-at-Home Mom
Seattle, WA
Eliminated in Episode 1
Lindsey Becker
28, Private Chef
New York, NY
Eliminated in Episode 2
P.K. Newby
44, Nutrition Scientist
Boston, MA
Eliminated in Episode 4
Mia Chiarella
26, Executive Chef
Wildwood, NJ
Eliminated in Episode 3
Ludo Lefebvre Dan Brelsford
22, Firefighter
Bridgeport, CT
Eliminated in Episode 5
Jen Royle
39, Sports Reporter
Boston, MA
Natasha Bernardez
35, Chef/Caterer
New York, NY
Eliminated in Episode 4
Benjamin Burke
27, Sous Chef
Denver, CO
Marcus Samuelsson Gabe Kennedy
23, Private Chef
Brooklyn, NY
Joe Arvin
43, Corporate Chef
Schererville, IN
Eliminated in Episode 3
Jake Gilber
20, Sous Chef
Austin, TX
Eliminated in Episode 2
Tristen Epps
26, Hotel Chef
Houston, TX

Renee Maynard was a contestant on season 18 of The Bachelor, and Joe Arvin was a contestant on season 14 of Big Brother.

Contestant progress

    Team
     A  Anthony's Kitchen  N  Nigella's Kitchen  L  Ludo's Kitchen  M  Marcus' Kitchen
Cooks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (Top 4) 7 (Top 3) Episode
Team Taste Winner  M  Tristen  M  Gabe  L  Dan  A  Eric  M  Gabe  M  Tristen  M  Gabe
M Gabe SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE ★★ WINNER
L Benjamin SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE BOTTOM RUNNER-UP
M Tristen SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE ★★ OUT
A Eric SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE BOTTOM BOTTOM OUT Surf and Turf (Individual)
L Jen SAFE BOTTOM BOTTOM SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT Saints and Sinners (Team)
A Vanessa SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT Bring the Heat (Individual)
A Tarik SAFE SAFE SAFE BOTTOM SAFE OUT Bring The Heat (Team)
A Tom SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT Latin (Individual)
L Dan SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT Latin (Team)
L Natasha SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT Happy New Year (Individual)
N P.K. SAFE SAFE SAFE OUT Happy New Year (Team)
M Joe SAFE SAFE OUT Happy Holidays (Individual)
N Mia SAFE SAFE OUT Happy Holidays (Team)
M Jake SAFE OUT Under the Sea (Individual)
N Lindsey SAFE OUT Under the Sea (Team)
N Renee OUT Childhood (Team)
      The contestant won the taste-off and was saved from elimination.
      The contestant lost the taste-off and was eliminated.
      The contestant was eliminated in the team challenge.

Episodes

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Original air date U.S. viewers
(million)
171"Auditions and Childhood"December 4, 2014 (2014-12-04)3.33
Chefs audition for a chance to compete, and sixteen are selected. In the team challenge, guest judge Stephanie Izard critiques the judges' selections based on the theme of Childhood. She selects Tristen's dish as the best, with Mia's as the worst. Therefore, Nigella has to eliminate one contestant from her team, and she selects Renee.
182"Under the Sea"December 11, 2014 (2014-12-11)3.17
In the team challenge, guest judge Eric Ripert selected the best seafood dish from the teams. He selected Gabe's as the best dish, and P.K.'s as the worst. Nigella, having lost the challenge, selected Lindsey to be eliminated. Jen and Jake were chosen for the Taste-Off over Natasha and Mia. Anthony, Nigella, and Eric Ripert chose Jake's dish as the worst, causing him to be eliminated.
193"Happy Holidays"December 18, 2014 (2014-12-18)3.12
In the team challenge, guest judge Naomi Pomeroy selected the best holiday dish. Anthony, Ludo, and Marcus chose fowl for their dishes, while Nigella selected gingerbread. Ultimately, Pomeroy chose Dan's dish as the best, and Mia's as the worst. Nigella subsequently eliminated Mia, leaving her with only one contestant, P.K. In the Taste-Off, Jen squared off against Joe, with Joe being selected for elimination by Anthony, Nigella, and Pomeroy.
204"Happy New Year!"January 1, 2015 (2015-01-01)2.69
In the team challenge, guest judge Michael Symon judged dishes based on New Year's. He selected Eric's dish as the best, and P.K.'s dish as the worst. Since P.K. was Nigella's last remaining contestant, she was eliminated. Tarik and Natasha were sent to the Taste-Off over Dan, and Natasha was eliminated by Nigella, Marcus, and Symon.
215"Latin"January 8, 2015 (2015-01-08)3.22
In the team challenge, guest judge Javier Plascencia judged the best Latin-flavored dish. He selected Gabe's dish as the best, and Ben's as the worst. Ludo eliminated Dan after he volunteered for elimination. Eric and Tom were selected for the Taste-Off over Vanessa, and Tom was eliminated by Nigella, Marcus, Ludo, and Plascencia.
226"Bring the Heat"January 15, 2015 (2015-01-15)3.28
Guest judge: Andy Ricker
237"The Finale"January 22, 2015 (2015-01-22)3.03
Guest judge: Jonathan Waxman

International versions

The international rights are distributed by Red Arrow International.

Countries/regions Title Host Network Top prize Mentors Premiere
The Taste  Arab League The Taste ? OSN Yahala HD
Al-Nahar TV
? The Taste  Alaa Sharbini
The Taste  Aniseh Helou
The Taste  Betni Kaadi
The Taste  Mona Mousily
December 26, 2014
The Taste  Brazil The Taste Brasil none GNT R$100,000 Claude Troisgros (1-)
Felipe Bronze (1-)
André Mifano (1-5)
Helena Rizzo (3-5)
Manu Buffara (6-)
Manu Ferraz (6-)
2014
The Taste  China 味觉大战 ? CCTV-2 ? Sun Zhaoguo
Bowie Tsang
Craig Auyeung
November 2013
The Taste  Colombia La Prueba Guillermo Vives Caracol Televisión CO$300,000,000 Catalina Vélez
Leonor Espinosa
Juan Manuel Barrientos
November 26, 2014
The Taste  Germany The Taste Christine Henning (1–7)
Angelina Kirsch (8–)
Sat.1 100,000 Frank Rosin (1–)
Alexander Herrmann (1–)
Léa Linster (1–2)
Tim Mälzer (1–3)
Cornelia Polletto (3–6)
Roland Trettl (4–6)
Maria Gross (7)
Tim Raue (7–)
Alexander Kumptner (8–)
November 13, 2013
The Taste: Celebrity Special Christine Henning ? Frank Rosin
Alexander Herrmann
Cornelia Polletto
Roland Trettl
September 10, 2017
The Taste: Christmas Special ? December 12, 2018
The Taste  Lithuania Skonis Andrius Butkus LNK 10,000 Lt Liutauras Čeprackas
Romas Zakarevičius
Agnė Jagelavičiūtė
Kristina Brazauskienė
October 13, 2013
The Taste  Netherlands
The Taste  Belgium (Flanders)
The Taste ? RTL4
VTM
? Robert Kranenborg
Wout Bru
Herman den Blijker
Gert de Mangeleer
October 29, 2013
The Taste  United Kingdom The Taste none Channel 4 ? Anthony Bourdain
Nigella Lawson
Ludo Lefebvre
January 7, 2014

Other versions of this program has been aired in Canada (CTV Television Network), Australia (Nine Network) and Indonesia (IBC).

References

Tags:

The Taste FormatThe Taste JudgesThe Taste EpisodesThe Taste Season 1 (2013)The Taste Season 2 (2014)The Taste Season 3 (2014–15)The Taste International versionsThe TasteAmerican Broadcasting CompanyCookingReality television

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