FOX Renews Gordon Ramsay Series, Picks Up JUNIOR MASTERCHEF

FOX has picked up JUNIOR MASTERCHEF, a new culinary competition series for talented kids between the ages of eight and 13 who love to cook, as part of a new multi-year deal with award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, it was announced today by Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company.

As part of Ramsay's new deal, FOX also has picked up one additional season of HELL'S KITCHEN and two more seasons of MASTERCHEF. The deal will extend HELL'S KITCHEN to a 13th season and bring MASTERCHEF to a fifth and sixth season. The addition of JUNIOR MASTERCHEF brings the total number of Ramsay-led shows airing on FOX to five, including MASTERCHEF, HELL'S KITCHEN, HOTEL HELL and KITCHEN NIGHTMARES.

"Gordon brings an incredible level of energy and passion to each of his series that our viewers absolutely love, so we are thrilled that he will continue building his brand here on FOX," said Darnell. "He's a global superstar, and the success and longevity of his unprecedented five series on our network proves that America just can't get enough of Gordon."

"We have such great teams and partners on these shows, and I'm really excited we're able to offer this new opportunity to young budding chefs across the country with JUNIOR MASTERCHEF," added Ramsay. "Having my own children who love to cook, I know firsthand the skill and passion these kids can have at such a young age, and what they can do with it. It's just extraordinary to watch them in action."

JUNIOR MASTERCHEF is based on the hugely successful U.K. format and extends the MASTERCHEF brand in the U.S. to include a younger group of aspiring masterchefs. Produced by Shine America and One Potato Two Potato, JUNIOR MASTERCHEF will give budding cooks the exciting opportunity to showcase their talent, culinary smarts and passion for food through a series of delicious challenges and cook-offs. Similar to MASTERCHEF, Ramsay will be joined by restaurateur and winemaker Joe Bastianich (Del Posto, Eataly) and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot (Graham Elliot, Graham Elliot Bistro) on the JUNIOR MASTERCHEF judging panel. Together, the celebrated food experts will coach and encourage the promising hopefuls to cook like a pro and teach them the tricks of the trade along the way.

In a special two-hour episode of HELL'S KITCHEN airing Monday, May 13 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), Chef Ramsay announces that HELL'S KITCHEN will be hosting a very intimate dinner for distinguished members of the United States Army. Then, in another intense dinner service, Chef Ramsay challenges both teams to design and execute their own team menus - one team falters and finds itself in a confrontational elimination round, and one more chef is sent home for good.

MASTERCHEF gives talented home cooks from all walks of life the chance to showcase their skills, knowledge and immense passion to turn their culinary dreams into a reality. Ramsay is joined by Bastianich and Elliot on the MASTERCHEF judging panel to put the contestants through a series of exciting challenges and elimination rounds that will turn one home cook into a culinary master. Season Four of MASTERCHEF will premiere Wednesday, May 22 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

HELL'S KITCHEN, which is airing its 11th season, currently ranks as TV's No. 1 cooking show in Total Viewers, while MASTERCHEF finished its third season as a Top 5 summer series and was the only summer show to post year-over-year gains. In fact, this past summer, Ramsay's shows accounted for four of the Top 6 entertainment programs among Adults 18-49 in broadcast primetime and all three of the Top 3 programs among Adults 18-34.

JUNIOR MASTERCHEF is produced by Shine America and One Potato Two Potato and is based on the format created by Franc Roddam and Shine. Shine International handles distribution for the MASTERCHEF format. Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Paul Franklin, Robin Ashbrook, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Patricia Llewellyn and Ben Adler serve as executive producers.

HELL'S KITCHEN is produced by ITV Studios America in association with A. Smith & Co. Productions. Arthur Smith, Kent Weed and Gordon Ramsay serve as executive producers. "Like" HELL'S KITCHEN on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/hellskitchen. Follow the series on Twitter at @hellskitchenfox, and follow Ramsay at @GordonRamsay.

KITCHEN NIGHTMARES is produced by ITV Studios America and Optomen in association with A. Smith & Co. Productions. Arthur Smith, Kent Weed, Gordon Ramsay and Pat Llewellyn serve as executive producers. "Like" KITCHEN NIGHTMARES on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kitchennightmares, and follow the series on Twitter @KNonFOX.

MASTERCHEF is produced by Shine America and One Potato Two Potato, and is based on a format created by Franc Roddam and Shine. Shine International handles distribution for the MASTERCHEF format. Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Paul Franklin, Robin Ashbrook, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Patricia Llewellyn and Ben Adler serve as executive producers.

About One Potato Two Potato:

One Potato Two Potato (OPTP) was co-founded by Gordon Ramsay and Optomen Television in 2008 to exclusively create and produce worldwide content for Ramsay ventures across all media, including television, digital and publishing. Renowned for award-winning original programming, the company produces high-quality TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic, including the smash-hit HOTEL HELL, which was the highest-rated new network show of summer 2012 (OPTP is now in pre-production on Season Two); and four seasons of MASTERCHEF, all for FOX; "Food Court Wars" for Food Network; massive U.K. hit "Gordon Ramsay Behind Bars" and "Gordon's Great Escape" for Channel 4; and "My Kitchen" for UKTV's Good Food Channel. Ramsay's groundbreaking Channel 4 series, "Cookalong Live," aired as a special on FOX and has since become a successful format around the world. OPTP is also currently in development on several exciting unscripted and scripted projects, within and beyond the food genre, for network, cable and digital platforms in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. OPTP distributes its hugely popular TV programming and formats to more than 200 territories via Optomen International. The company became part of the All3Media group in 2010. Find out more about One Potato Two Potato at www.onepotatotwopotato.tv.

About Shine America:

Shine America is a world leader in producing and distributing compelling scripted and unscripted television and digital content. Shine America is known for popular and award-winning original series, including "The Biggest Loser" and "The Face"; as well as adaptations of Shine Group formats, such as MASTERCHEF and "Minute to Win It"; and scripted series, including "The Office" and the upcoming FX drama "The Bridge." Shine America has development deals with some of the top producers in television, including Nigel Lythgoe (Nigel Lythgoe Productions) and its own unscripted format label in Ardaban, led by the creators of the hit Food Network series, "Chopped." Shine Latino, a new division of Shine America, is producing and distributing original Spanish-language content to the U.S. and Latin American marketplaces.

The global Shine 360? division builds brands through the leveraging of its intellectual property and by creating integrated marketing opportunities for advertisers. The company has also developed more than 20 groundbreaking original online series on MSN, Yahoo!, YouTube premium channels and other platforms, many produced in partnership with global brands such as Walmart, Toyota, Kraft Foods, Subway and Microsoft. Through Shine Group's distribution arm, Shine International, Shine America distributes its extensive library of programming and formats to more than 150 countries. Visit www.shineamerica.com for further information.

About A. Smith & Co. Productions:

A. Smith & Co. Productions creates some of the most innovative, highly rated and high quality programming for the domestic and international television marketplace. Founded in 2000 by Arthur Smith and Kent Weed, the company has produced more than 2000 hours of award-winning programming. The company's current production slate includes such hits as HELL'S KITCHEN, KITCHEN NIGHTMARES, "American Ninja Warrior," "Divorce Hotel," "Joe Rogan Questions Everything," "Burns BBQ," "Chainsaw Gang," "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura," "Hollywood House Calls with Cat Deeley," "Too Young to Marry?," "Save Our Business," "Full Throttle Saloon," "Unsung," "UFC Countdown" and many others. A. Smith & Co.'s library of programming includes hit shows such as "The Swan," "Skating with Celebrities," "Paradise Hotel," "Trading Spaces," "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" and "Pros vs. Joes." A. Smith & Co. has developed and produced the No. 1 show in America an astonishing 25 times and a Top 10 show more than 200 times. The company has produced programs with budgets totaling approximately one billion dollars, for more than 40 broadcast and cable networks. In 2011, A. Smith & Co. joined forces with Tinopolis Group and in doing so became the leading North American television production entity within the Tinopolis organization, with the ability to tap into that company's resources on a worldwide basis.

About ITV Studios America:

ITV Studios America, the U.S. based production entity of ITV Studios in the UK, is one of the largest international producers for the U.S. market and a major force in acquiring, developing and producing reality and scripted programming for U.S. networks. ITV Studios America has a slate of series in production with major networks and syndicators, including HELL'S KITCHEN, KITCHEN NIGHTMARES, "The First 48," "After the First 48," "Four Weddings," "Four Houses," "The Mathis Project," "The Bill Cunningham Show," "America Now" and "The Jeremy Kyle Show."

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