10 Best Cooking Competition Shows, Ranked

Food reality television has been around since the 1940s, but it started out as straightforward cooking shows where the host would take viewers through a recipe step by step. Now, with big networks like The Food Network, seeking to entertain foodies, there are a wide variety of cooking shows, and one of the most popular categories is the cooking competition. Cooking competitions create an extra level of excitement that might not be fulfilled by a standard cooking show. Chefs, either in teams or solo, are given challenges that must be completed in a certain amount of time. Then, the dishes are served in front of judges who determine whether the chefs have successfully made the correct dish, or completely ruined it. The winning chef gets a title, or even a big prize of some sort.

This format used to be the usual standard for cooking competition shows, but there are more shows emerging which stray away from the typical cooking competition format by adding entertaining twists. Cooking competition show fans now have so many choices to watch, and it can be overwhelming to figure out which shows are the best. The best cooking competition shows meet a certain combination of criteria. They often have an engaging host(s), judges who aren’t afraid to hold back their thoughts on the food, and best of all, thrilling challenges.

10 ‘Crime Scene Kitchen’

Hosted by Joel McHale

FOX’s Crime Scene Kitchen, hosted by Joel McHale, is a baking competition with a twist. Like its name implies, this show is set up like a crime scene. Evidence in the form of used ingredients and messy dishes are left scattered throughout the kitchen. Each team of bakers (usually in pairs) has to use these clues to determine what they need to bake. But, it’s not a leisurely culinary investigation, they are timed as they analyze clues and bake the dessert. They then serve their dessert to judges Yolanda Gampp and Curtis Stone. There are several elimination rounds until one team prevails to win the big cash prize.

The premise of Crime Scene Kitchen is very creative and unique, as there aren’t any other cooking competition shows like it. It’s fun to try to guess the clues along with the bakers. The show’s competition is refreshing because it isn’t as dramatic compared to other cooking competitions. It’s more lighthearted and viewers can tell that the bakers are having a good time. Joel McHale brings his own comedic flair to the show through his interactions with the contestants, judges, and his overall narration.

Crime Scene Kitchen can be streamed on Tubi in the U.S.

Watch on Tubi

9 ‘American Barbecue Showdown’

Hosted by Rutledge Wood (Season 1), Michelle Buteau (Season 2) and Lyric Lewis

BBQ is just as American as baseball and apple pie, so it makes sense that there is a cooking competition focused on American barbecue. American Barbecue Showdown puts BBQ amateurs and pit masters in competition against each other. The show’s judges are renowned barbecue chefs Kevin Bludso and Melissa Cookston. Each episode features barbecue-related challenges, from making a family-style meal to smoking meat to perfection.

Even though American Barbecue Showdown is a cooking competition, the contestants are professional and friendly with one another and that adds a layer of goodwill, which isn’t often seen too much in competitions. It’s interesting to watch each chef’s unique approach to barbecue, and the challenges showcase their culinary skills. Foodies will love to watch this cooking competition to learn more about the art of barbecue.

The American Barbecue Showdown can be streamed on Netflix in the U.S.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

8 ‘The Great British Bake Off’

Hosted by Alison Hammond

The Great British Bake Off, also known as The Great British Baking Show, is one of the longest running baking competitions on television at (so far) fourteen seasons, and 134 episodes plus several specials. The show has had a rotation of cheery hosts, from the hilarious Matt Lucas to the energetic Alison Hammond, who recently became the show’s new host. The Great British Bake Off isn’t indoors like a typical cooking competition show; instead, bakers compete under an expansive tent in a beautiful garden. Each week, the bakers are given a weekly themed challenge, such as Cake Week. The winner of the challenge is crowned as the Star Baker.

The Great British Bake Off is like a warm hug. It’s cheery and lighthearted, which makes it probably one of the most relaxing cooking competitions on television, and differentiates it from American cooking competition shows that tend to be fueled by lots of drama. All the bakers featured on the show aren’t Top Chef-level pastry chefs; their passion for baking stems from home cooking. Although, it certainly isn’t relaxing for the bakers, as they are tested by each week’s challenges. It’s interesting to watch how each baker approaches the different obstacles they encounter while baking a new creation each week.

The Great British Bake Off can be streamed on Netflix

WATCH ON NETFLIX

7 ‘MasterChef USA’

Hosted by Gordon Ramsay​​​​​​

MasterChef is one of those cooking competition shows which has been produced around the world. The American version of MasterChef is led by British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, known for Hell’s Kitchen. Chef Ramsay is joined by Chef Aarón Sánchez and restaurant entrepreneur Joseph Bastianich to test the skills of American home cooks. MasterChef starts off with auditions. Selected cooks who pass the auditions receive an apron, and are able to move on to the elimination rounds. After the elimination rounds, the top contestants compete for top prizes and, ultimately, the title of MasterChef.

MasterChef is a learning experience for both the competitors and viewers, as there is a lot to learn from the experienced judges. Even though the contestants aren’t professional chefs, Ramsay, Sánchez, and Bastianich aren’t afraid to give brutally honest feedback. Besides the show’s educational aspect, the melodrama between the judges and home cooks, and even the dramatic tension between competitors, pulls you right in. MasterChef has some really intense challenges, which test the skills and patience of home cooks. The most thrilling challenges include the Team Challenge, where two teams are put against each other to cook for a big group of people, and the Mystery Box challenge, where the home cooks don’t know what they are going to cook until the last minute.

MasterChef USA can be streamed on Tubi in the U.S.

WATCH ON TUBI

6 ‘Chopped’

Hosted by Ted Allen

Chopped is a very popular cooking competition show, which has numerous spin-offs, including Chopped: After Hours and Chopped: All-Stars, on The Food Network due to its unique premise. Hosted by Ted Allen, the cooking competition puts four chefs against each other, but there’s a twist. The chefs don’t know what ingredients they are going to be using in their dishes until the mystery box is revealed. The show is split into three sections: Appetizer, Entrée, and Dessert. After the judges have tried each dish, they determine the winner and the loser. Each “round,” the losing chef’s dish is revealed by Allen, and that chef is eliminated from the competition.

In Chopped, it’s all about the mystery box. This adds an element of surprise and intrigue, which not many other cooking competition shows have. While this format has the potential to become repetitive, this cooking competition finds ways to make the chefs think. For instance, there have been some wild ingredients in chefs’ boxes, such as canned whole chicken, leftover pizza, and mashed potato candy. It’s exciting to see how creative chefs can use ingredients that they may not normally work with.

Chopped can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

WATCH ON HULU

5 ‘Cutthroat Kitchen’

Hosted by Alton Brown

Cutthroat Kitchen, another popular cooking competition on The Food Network, has a similar format to Chopped, but it creates a whole different level of competitiveness between contestants. Hosted by Alton Brown, known for Good Eats, four chefs get $25,000 in cash. There are three rounds, and in each round, they have sixty seconds to shop for everything that they need to make the recipe Alton assigns them. Before they cook, the chefs get a chance to bid on different “devices” to throw off their competition. However, they have to spend their money wisely because they only win the amount of money that they have remaining.

By adding high stakes and chances for chefs to sabotage each other, Cutthroat Kitchen really earns its name. The competitors know that the stakes are high, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to win. The show’s auction portion adds an extra level of anticipation for viewers who are watching the competition. Brown is a charismatic host, and his presence makes the show even more entertaining than it already is.

Cutthroat Kitchen can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

WATCH ON HULU

4 ‘Is It Cake?’

Hosted by Mikey Day

There are a lot of trending videos on social media which make people guess whether something is cake or not. Is It Cake? hops on this trend but, turns this concept into a lively TV show hosted by comedian Mikey Day. Nine cake artists must determine whether something is or isn’t cake. The cake artists who correctly guess what object is made of cake get to compete against each other in a challenge. Their goal is to fool the judges and make them wonder what cake is. The judges declare one winner and one loser. The winner receives a prize of up to $10,000 dollars. The best three bakers will get a chance to win a grand prize of $50,000.

While “cake reveal” social media videos are briefly engaging, Is It Cake? expands on this format to create a more lively experience, especially with Day as the show’s host. Day brings out energy and creates a fun environment for the competing cake artists. It’s a friendly competition with cake artists being supportive of each other. The show brings on fun judges ranging from comedians to fashion designers to make the judging porion of the show entertaining. The show’s challenges push the cake artists to create amazing pieces of cake into art.

Is It Cake? can be streamed on Netflix in the U.S.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

3 ‘Hell’s Kitchen’

Hosted by Gordon Ramsay

Fans of cooking shows can’t think of Hell’s Kitchen without Chef Gordon Ramsay. The reality TV cooking competition, created by Chef Ramsay, is based off one that he produced in the UK. The competing chefs are divided into two teams: red and blue. Some seasons feature men and women in separate teams. Each episode has a challenge and a dinner service. After the dinner service, one chef is eliminated. The winning chef gets a cash prize and a chance to become a head chef for one of Ramsay’s restaurants.

Hell’s Kitchen is known for its intensity, and Chef Ramsay doesn’t hold anything back. The show wouldn’t be the same without Ramsay’s presence in the kitchen. The show brings out the best of the best chefs, and also creates an atmosphere where certain personalities thrive. Every Hell’s Kitchen fan has a favorite chef that they love and cheer for. The high drama along with the pressure of competing in a team makes Hell’s Kitchen a top contender for best competitive cooking show.

Hell’s Kitchen can be streamed on Hulu in the U.S.

WATCH ON HULU

2 ‘Top Chef’

Hosted by Kristen Kish

Top Chef is probably one of the most recognizable names in cooking competition shows. The show has been running on Bravo since 2006, and it made Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons household names. Nineteen chefs compete for the title of “Top Chef” and a big cash prize. The usual format consists of a Quick Elimination Challenge and an Elimination Challenge. Sometimes, the winner of the Quick Elimination has immunity in the Elimination Challenge. The Elimination Challenge determines which chef goes home and who stays on. Eliminated chefs have the opportunity to get back on the show by competing in Last Chance Kitchen. Each season takes place in a different city, which occasionally influences what challenges are done.

Every season, the hosts and judges of Top Chef make this show worth a watch. They take the time to give solid feedback to the competing chefs, and have fun while doing it. Top Chef is known for having a range of chefs with different personalities and long-term culinary goals, which makes for fascinating interactions between contestants. The producers of Top Chef create challenges that push the chefs like Restaurant Wars, and also make it enjoyable for culinary fans to watch (and even rewatch).

Top Chef can be streamed on Peacock in the U.S.

WATCH ON PEACOCK

1 ‘Iron Chef America’

Hosted by The Chairman (Mark Dacascos)

For this cooking competition, the battle cry is: “Allez cuisine!” Iron Chef America, hosted by The Chairman, puts two chefs in a cooking competition against each other. It’s a battle royale situation set in a big stadium. One chef has the title of “Iron Chef,” and often they are prominent personalities in the culinary world. The chefs aren’t allowed to just cook whatever they want; they have to incorporate a secret ingredient into the dish they are making. With the help of their sous chefs, the competing chefs have one hour to cook for the judges. The judges give points based on taste, plating, and originality.

Iron Chef America is one of the best cooking competition shows. It has all the makings of a great cooking competition. There’s an engaging format in the form of a battle of chefs, an enthusiastic host in the form of The Chairman, and great commentary by Alton Brown. Of course, there’s the drama, which creates tension for viewers as they try to anticipate what the competing chefs will cook within the hour.

Iron Chef America can be streamed on Discovery+ in the U.S.

WATCH ON DISCOVERY+

KEEP READING: Yes Chef! Every Season of ‘Masterchef,’ Ranked