MasterChef Asia returns, chooses Macau as filming location

The competitive cooking series MasterChef Asia is returning after a 10-year hiatus, with Macau being selected as the host destination for its upcoming ten-episode season.

Production began in the city this month, with all episodes filmed entirely on location.

The new season is produced by Warner Bros. Discovery and CreAsia Studio, part of Endemol Shine India, in partnership with the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO).

Macau’s status as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, a designation it received in 2017, and its nearly 500-year history of East-meets-West cultural heritage provide the backdrop for the competition.

The city’s dining landscape ranges from street food stalls to Michelin-starred restaurants, with gastronomy ranking among the top tourism attractions.

Following its UNESCO designation, Macau has been working to develop gastronomy toward greater innovation and sustainability, introducing more culinary tourism experiences and creating additional “tourism +” products, according to tourism officials.

Ten contestants will face culinary challenges filmed both indoors and at iconic outdoor locations around Macau.

The series aims to showcase the destination’s distinct “tourism + gastronomy” appeal to international visitor markets, raising the city’s profile abroad while promoting gastronomic cultural exchange.

Broadcast is scheduled across multiple platforms, including TLC, Discovery, and the Asian Food Network in India, Southeast Asia, Greater China, and Korea.

The series will also air on Lala TV in Japan and the Fatafeat channel in the Middle East. Officials expect the exposure to help increase travel intent to Macau and reinforce the city’s branding.

Created by Franc Roddam and first launched in 1990, MasterChef holds a Guinness World Record as the Most Successful Cookery Television Format.

The franchise has been commissioned in 72 markets, airing over 700 seasons and more than 16,000 episodes to date.