MIPTV Hot Pick: Game of Chefs

With a whole heap of competition reality series adopting a much lighter, supportive tone than shows of the past, ITV Studios Global Entertainment is placing a bet on Game of Chefs, a series that will sit in the heart of that canon.

“The original title was Mentor Chefs; it’s warmer and more nurturing [than many cooking competition series]. Bake Off is the height of warmth and we’re somewhere between that and Hell’s Kitchen,” says ITVSGE’s director of international formats Mike Beale.

The 20x60mins series is the second to come from ITVSGE’s joint venture with Israeli channel Reshet, The Lab, which launched last year. The Lab previously developed My Dream Wedding, which ITV Studios America produced for TLC and ITVSGE launched at MIPCOM.

“Israel is very du jour at the moment so we’re very excited to have a format coming out of our joint venture,” says Beale.

“Reshet is in a very strong place right now with success from The Voice and The X Factor and to now come out with a big show of their own is great for them. We’re very proud to take it out internationally.”

The series launched on Reshet in January 19 “in the slot following The X Factor”, Beale says, which makes it “a big primetime show for the channel”.

The format is classic reality competition – an audition process, a bootcamp stage, battles and a finale – and apes the style of The Voice, with characters who are not complete novices though not yet at professional standard. “These are not amateur chefs but more like the sous chef from the local hotel,” says Beale.

“We think Game of Chefs will also appeal to international broadcasters looking for a fresh interpretation of the perennially popular cookery competition,” he adds.

The show: Game of Chefs
The distributor: ITV Studios Global Entertainment
The producers: Constantin Entertainment, The Lab
The broadcaster: Reshet (Israel)
The concept: A cooking competition format with a warm and supportive tone at its core