Challenges, tension, pressure, but also grit, determination, and the desire to make a dream come true: the final hurdle of the MasterChef Italy selections was extremely tough for all the aspiring chefs, but in the end, the three judges Bruno Barbieri, Antonino Cannavacciuolo, and Giorgio Locatelli selected the top 20, thus forming this edition's Masterclass. Alexander, Andrea, Annamaria, Antonio, Davide, Domenico, Fabio, Francesca, Giada, Gianna, Giulia, Luciano, Maria Assunta, Maria Teresa, Marisa, Milenys, Nicolò, Nunzia, Rossella, and Vincenzo: these are the names of the 20 aspiring chefs who will battle it out in the kitchens of the Sky cooking show produced by Endemol Shine Italy to win the title of the ninth Italian MasterChef. The final challenge of the selections – last night's episode on Sky Uno – also saw the contestants grapple with the queen of the table, especially in Italian cuisine: pasta. From their rolling pin skills to their creativity in creating perfect toppings, the contestants gave it their all to convince the three judges. Twenty of them made it, while the others were let down by time constraints, tension, or the competition. And so, next Thursday, at 9:15 pm on Sky and NOW TV, the competition will officially begin, with the now well-established and familiar format of the Mystery Box, Invention Test, and Pressure Test. This year, however, a completely new test will be added: the Skill Test, a sort of "surprise exam" involving all contestants, without exception, testing them on a specific skill requested by the judges. Yesterday, on Boxing Day, an average of 731,000 viewers watched the two episodes, with 1,186,000 unique viewers. In particular, episode 3 was watched by an average of 763.203 viewers, while episode 4 was watched by an average of 699.088 viewers.
ALEXANDRO PICCHIETTI FABRIZI 40 years old, Rome, crane operator. A true Roman, he likes his job as a crane operator but would like to change his life. He has been engaged for 16 years and has been living together for 10. He is attached to Roman cuisine, recipe books do not exist for him and his cuisine is of substance. Cooking since childhood has been a joy and fun, but also a moment of relaxation. Another of his great passions are truffles, which he goes hunting for himself. Shy and reserved, he says: "I'm not someone who cries easily." He is very fond of his dogs, very dedicated to his work and a man of few words. He signed up for MasterChef Italy although he is not too convinced of his abilities but to prove to himself and others that he wants to make it in the kitchen. ANDREA DE GIORGI. 23 years old, born in Lecce and lives in Milan, shop assistant He is the youngest of the group. Originally from Salento, he moved to Milan when he was just 18 and started working as a bartender, while he is currently a sales assistant in an ice cream shop. His father was a pizza chef in his grandparents' restaurant but passed away when he was only 8 years old. His older brother is like a second father to him, his mother, he says, 'is my best friend'. His fondest memories of cooking are his grandfather's seafood risotto and his father kneading pizza dough. He seems more mature than his age, he is a sensitive and polite boy and often gets emotional. He says of himself: 'I would like to do nothing else in life but cook'. In the future he would like to open a restaurant with his brother.ANNAMARIA MAGI. 54 years old, Lecce, housewife. A housewife from Puglia, she gave up any kind of career to dedicate herself entirely to her family. Married with three children, she says of herself: 'I've always been too much of a mother hen, and I still am today', but now she defines her children as 'spoiled' and can't wait to leave home to see how they manage and if she can have a life outside of that shell. Her passion for cooking was passed down to her by her grandmother and mother. 'My cooking is not pretentious, it's simple and traditional. I've never looked at a recipe, I've always invented', she says. Self-deprecating and rather clever, she defines herself as gruff. MasterChef is the first thing she does for herself, she wants to show those around her that she has talent.ANTONIO LORENZON. 43 years old, Bassano del Grappa (VI), art director Raised in a close-knit family, she has been with a partner for 17 years and they plan to get married in 2022, on their twentieth anniversary. They are very close and close and their relationship is envied by all their friends: he was the one who signed him up for MasterChef. The passion for cooking is in the family DNA: from his mother he learned the technique and tradition, from his father experimentation. Due to professional deformation, when he thinks of a dish he starts from the aesthetic aspect. He says he is very precise and tidy, but above all self-critical. His dream is to win MasterChef and open an Italian-style B&B in Nice.
DAVIDE TONETTI. 30 years old, Trieste, unemployed. He worked for several years as a sales manager for a luxury fashion brand. A year ago he stopped working to become a full-time dad, now the time has come to get back into the game and he dreams of changing his life to dedicate himself to his greatest passion: cooking. He has always cooked at home, even when he came home late at night. When he cooks he is very self-confident, he defines himself as innovative and never banal. He collects knives, he owns forty of them, and when he goes on holiday he takes them with him: «If I have to do something and I don't have the material, I get pissed off», he says. In his dishes he tries to reproduce his travels and when a dish doesn't work out he becomes intractable. Leader, precise, impulsive, touchy and stubborn: «It's hard to make me change my mind», he says. With a chef friend from Copenhagen he is planning to transform a farmhouse into a restaurant. DOMENICO LETIZIA. 36 years old, Marcianise, lawyer. Lawyer and co-founder of a start-up, he recently got married. His passion for cooking was born watching his grandmother knead. Over the years, his cuisine, very tied to the territory, has evolved more and more. He is very shy, but from an aesthetic point of view he has an eccentric look that he defines as British/vintage: he loves showing off particular ties, custom-made loafers and matching socks. A big fan of Napoli and a fantasy enthusiast. He takes part in MasterChef because he would like to overcome his limits and find the courage that he has often lacked. FABIO SCOTTO DI VETTA. 37 years old, Naples, lawyer. Father and husband, he has been a lawyer for 10 years, he opened a firm with his wife Arianna to whom he has been married for 2 years. He shared his passion for football and cooking with his father (who passed away when he was only 9 years old) whose dream was to open a restaurant: "He never succeeded - he says - today his desire is mine". The dish that excites him the most is tagliolini al limone. He is determined, positive and self-confident.FRANCESCA MOI. 29 years old, born in Cagliari, lives in Pisa, cashier. At the age of 19 she went to live in Pisa with her boyfriend and worked as a cashier in a pastry shop. She has a twin sister to whom she is very close: she shares with her a passion for cooking. At home she has a vegetable garden where she grows at least 30 species of aromatic plants that she uses to flavor her dishes. And she never leaves her sourdough alone... She is very shy and calm but also determined, despite her slim appearance and her sweet and feeble voice. Very attached to her Sardinian origins. Her goal is to prove her worth, especially to herself.
JADE MELONI. 26 years old, Cornaredo (MI), copywriter. She was born into a matriarchal family. His parents no longer live together and he has a symbiotic relationship with his father. She gains her independence when she moves in with her boyfriend, whom she has known since they were 13. She got into cooking when she moved in with her husband and since then her passion has grown. She likes sweets and loves preparing lunches and dinners for the people she loves. In the kitchen she is curious about what she doesn't know and isn't scared by new things. He doesn't let anyone walk all over him: 'If I think I'm right I keep going, I have character and personality,' he says. Her dream is to open a restaurant with a bookshop, so that people can rediscover, together, their passion for cooking and literature.GIANNA MECCARIELLO. 29 years old, born in Caserta and lives in Bolzano, sales assistant. Department manager in a supermarket where he deals with order management. He is originally from Caserta but has lived in Bolzano for 10 years. Good but a little unsure of her abilities, she claims to have a general knowledge of cooking but is traditionalist in tastes and flavours and is a little afraid of experimenting with overly elaborate dishes. His second hobby is singing, he played at weddings with his band. She likes to be the center of attention, she is optimistic and always smiling. Living outside he learned to know and understand the diversity of others. Her desire is to open a fresh pasta shop or a 'delicatessen restaurant'.GIULIA BUSATO. 31 years old, Treviso, employee. She grew up with her grandparents because her father moved to Germany twenty years ago. She has been married to Alessia for a year and works as a Patronato operator. She defines herself as a foodie, but her love for cooking came late, she can't help but think of a future in the restaurant business. Passionate about fusion and oriental cuisine. She has always managed herself autonomously, she defines herself as an adventurer and in search of new stimuli. She says she is very hard on herself. He can't handle the judgement and the pressure well but, he says, 'I needed to get off that couch and take charge of my life'.LUCIANO DI MARCO. 52 years old, Palermo, surveyor. Sicilian DOC. For him, everything revolves around his family. Now he wants to unplug from his routine to devote himself to his great passion: cooking. He has always tried to improve himself in the kitchen, now he feels that this is his path. For him, cooking is a way to express himself. He defines himself as whimsical, loves being with people and organizing dinners and lunches. He doesn't like to sit around doing nothing, he's full of adrenaline and needs constant stimulation. For him, MasterChef is 'an adrenaline rush'. MARIA ASSUNTA BOX. 53 years old, Rapolla (PZ), teacher. He has three degrees: Motor Sciences, Physiotherapy, Pedagogy, and is now about to graduate in Psychology. She works as a support teacher at a college. She has three children and a husband who is clumsy in the kitchen. She is very confident when cooking. She defines herself as imaginative, competitive and a bit polemical. When faced with injustice, he becomes a hyena. She dreams of opening a holiday home, on her own land, where disabled children can work.MARIA TERESA CEGLIA. 31 years old, born in Cerignola (FG) and lives in Milan, financial consultant. Very attached to her family and her Apulian origins. She has been married for three years and met her husband at work where he was her boss. She learned to cook in her family, her basics are traditional but she likes to experiment. Take great care with the plating. Ambitious and determined, she is competitive but tries to hide it. She has always been a big fan of MasterChef, to the point of having a notebook where she wrote down what she would do if she were a contestant.MARISA MADDALENA MAFFEO. 33 years old, born in Battipaglia (SA) and lives in Parma, nurse. German mother and father from Campania, she has lived in Parma for ten years now and works as a nurse. Those who know her well say that people always stop at her appearance and don't understand her fragilities. Her passion for cooking was born watching her grandmother make fresh pasta. She likes to combine traditional cuisine with more refined ones. Determined, ambitious and sociable, MasterChef, she says, 'is a challenge with myself, I want to overcome my limits, I want to be able to compare myself with other people'.MILENYS DE LAS MERCEDES GORDILLO SANCHEZ. 49 years old, born in Cuba and lives in Camerino (MC), sales assistant. Energetic, sparkling but also sweet Cuban. She met her future husband in Cuba in 98 and moved to Italy for love. She works as a sales assistant in her husband's hardware store. She misses Cuba's 'la vida loca' a lot but she would never leave Camerino: gaining the people's trust was not easy, now that everyone loves her when she talks about her fellow citizens she gets emotional. Initially she didn't know Italian cuisine: 'I ate rice and beans for two years – she says – then I said to myself: I have to try it'. Her husband taught her everything she needed to get started. He loves fresh pasta, it's the first thing he learned to cook. In the group he prefers not to be a leader. – NICOLO' DUCHINI. 29 years old, Montepulciano (SI), freelance Social Media Manager. He is engaged and together with his girlfriend they are planning to move in together. Since he was little he played in his father's kitchen, a chef, although he didn't teach him much, he is close to his grandmother, a great cook. He defines himself as an enthusiastic person. He is ironic, intelligent and sensitive. She would like to implement an 'ambitious' project: to create a blog/encyclopedia of Italian cuisine to make cooking accessible to everyone.NUNZIA BORRELLI. 44 years old, born in Torre Del Greco (NA) and lives in Salerno, beautician. She married young, at the age of 22, and immediately took care of her family. Her husband pushed her to reach her goal: to open her own beauty center. She has three children and the eldest was very fussy in the kitchen as a child: 'In my house it was a 'pressure test' every day,' she says. She used to get excited watching her mother cook, but as a child she never tried. After marriage, out of necessity, she began cooking. Now she feels like the queen of the stove. She feels prepared to handle stress and anxiety, she says she is very competitive and determined, she feels like a leader. Her children encouraged her to apply to MasterChef. The kitchen is now her world: 'You have to hunt for the fundamental ingredient: à cazzimma'.ROSSELLA COSTA. 48 years old, Catanzaro, entrepreneur. Self-confident, dynamic and accomplished, she is a resolute woman who fought to conquer what she has. She and her husband have been running a carpentry shop for 23 years, and she takes care of the administrative part. He has two daughters aged 26 and 21. An atypical southern woman, she likes neither the sun nor the heat and enjoys preparing pizzoccheri and shooting clay pigeons. She enjoys homemade preparations and enjoys making her own preserves, pasta and desserts. She appears determined, self-confident, sure of herself and of her cuisine, which is predominantly traditional. She has been following MasterChef for years and her family and friends have always encouraged her to participate. She says she is very competitive.VINCENZO TRIMARCO. 64 years old, Salerno, customs officer. He is currently engaged, has a daughter and many friends who love him. In love with the sea, he is sporty and a lover of family traditions. He works as a customs broker, a job handed down to him by his father. He has had a very strong bond with his daughter since he became a widower: she wants to see him happy and that's why she convinced him to sign up for MasterChef. His passion was born out of curiosity, from his love for food and the dishes of his land. It has a purely traditional cuisine. Exuberant, sunny, extroverted and company-loving character. Elegant, distinguished, loves to quote Latin phrases, dreams of opening a restaurant.
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