The staggering prize money MasterChef winners in Italy, Australia and Canada ... trends now
MasterChef kicked off its 20th series this week, with a new group of 58 passionate and talented hopefuls ready to show off their culinary skills.
The judges, chef John Torode and former fruit and veg man Gregg Wallace, are returning, having hosted the show since its 2005 relaunch.
Speaking about the new series, John said: 'I can hardly believe that we are into the 20th series of this unbelievably brilliant show. It's such a point of pride and celebration.'
He added: 'Twenty years on, MasterChef continues to show if you have a dream, just go for it!'
The competitive cooking show initially ran from 1990 to 2001, before being revived in 2005 with an overhauled format, becoming one of the BBC's most successful programmes.
MasterChef kicked off its 20th series this week, with a new group of 58 passionate and talented hopefuls ready to show off their culinary skills
The judges, chef John Torode and former fruit and veg man Gregg Wallace, are returning, having hosted the show since its 2005 relaunch (pictured)
The competitive cooking show initially ran from 1990 to 2001, before being revived in 2005 with an overhauled format, becoming one of the BBC 's most successful programmes
Its popularity spawned many spin-offs from the show, including celebrity and junior versions, while the format was then reproduced across the world.
The first international adaptation was MasterChef Australia in 2009, subsequently followed by versions in more than 60 countries.
Regions still airing the franchise include India, South Africa, Ukraine, Paraguay, Sweden, Mexico, Georgia, Singapore, Turkey, Poland, Croatia, Brazil, Estonia, and Argentina.
Most of the international versions follow the same basic format, with multiple heats and challenges to whittle contestants down until there is one winner.
However, what the champions receive after they win varies significantly from country to country, with winners banking thousands more than others.
Prizes can include book deals, training opportunities, appliances and huge amounts of cash.
In the Netherlands, the winning chef gets to publish their own cookbook, while also pocketing €25,000 (£21,500).
Similarly, in the Thailand version, the champion receives their own MasterChef cookbook and ฿1,000,000, which also amounts to around £21,500.
Its popularity spawned many spin-offs from the show, including celebrity and junior versions, while the format was then reproduced across the world (US version shown)
The first international adaptation was MasterChef Australia in 2009, subsequently followed by versions in more than 60 countries (Australia version pictured)
Most of the international versions follow the same basic format, but what the champions receive after they win varies significantly from country to country
New Zealand's prize package appears the most unique, with the reigning champion, Sam Low, taking home a number of winnings.
These includes six months’ worth of groceries from New World, $6000 worth of Neff appliances, a Kenwood stand mixer, and a cookbook deal with publisher Allen and Unwin.
But in the Canadian show, winners get to take home a huge $100,000 cash prize, which is £58,500.
While Italians earn a whopping €100,000 or £85,775, and get to publish a book of their
