MasterChef

Actresses and actors, comedians, influencers, singers, politicians, artists, designers and television presenters are getting into the kitchen this year to participate in ‘Masterchef Celebrity 9’, which premieres its new edition on September 9, just after ‘La Revuelta’ de Broncano, the program that has been most talked about in recent months.

The contestants are:

– Cristina CifuentesSpanish politician from the Popular Party who served as President of the Community of Madrid between 2015 and 2018. She was involved in a high-profile theft in a supermarket and was prosecuted for falsifying the certificate of her Master’s Thesis, a crime of which she was acquitted. In 2018, she moved to Paris to live with her daughter after accepting a job offer as an event organizer in a human resources, training and communications company run by a friend of hers.

– Hiba AboukShe is a Spanish actress of Tunisian and Libyan origin, born in Madrid, who rose to fame for her role as Fátima in the series El Príncipe. She was married to the Spanish-Moroccan footballer Achraf Hakimi, a player for Paris Saint Germain FC and Real Madrid. In 2023, she announced her divorce after he was accused of rape at his home in Paris.

– Francis LorenzoActor and television presenter, he has played regular roles in successful series such as Canguros, Médico de familia, Compañeros, Mis adorables vecinoes and Águila Roja.

– Inés Hernand. Lawyer, influencer, comedian, communicator and presenter. In 2022 and 2023 she was one of the presenters of the Benidorm Fest festival. In 2024 she won the Idol Award in the Social Awareness category.

– Itziar MirandaShe is a Spanish actress and writer, best known for her role as Manuela Sanabria in Amar en tiempos revueltos and Amar es para siempre and for her successful collection of short stories about women published by Edelvives: «Colección Miranda». In 2021, she wrote the first collection dealing with the SDGs of the UN 2030 agenda: Colección Miranda y Tato.

– Jose Lamuño. Actor, he has appeared in series such as El Internado, La que se avecina, Un golpe de suerte and Aquí me las den Todas. He is known for appearing sporadically in the series La que se avecina, playing Hugo, or as Gorka in the series Hospital Central. In addition, he has participated in various fashion shows on the Cibeles catwalk in 2009 and in advertising campaigns, as well as in a music video with Ana Guerra, with whom he was linked.

– Juan Luis CanoHe is a Spanish journalist, writer and comedian, best known for having been part of the duo Gomaespuma.

– Maria Leon. Actress, sister of actor and director Paco León and daughter of actress Carmina Barrios. In 2011 she received the Silver Shell for Best Actress at the San Sebastian International Film Festival and the Goya Award for Best New Actress for her first leading role in a film, La voz dormida, by Benito Zambrano. She has participated in numerous series and films such as SMS, Allí Abajo, Con el culo al aire or Heridas.

– Marina Riversinfluencer, with 7.6 million followers on TikTok and 2 on Instagram. A student of Law and Economics, she won ‘La Nocheda del año’ by Ibai Llanos.

– Nerea Garmendia. Spanish comic actress and television presenter who has developed her career in theatre and television. She became famous among the Basque public with the ETB2 programme Vaya Semanita, where she was one of the main characters. She played the role of the psychologist Ruth Montalbán in Los hombres de Paco and was the main character in Allí Abajo.

– Pelayo DiazHe is a stylist, blogger, fashion designer and television contributor who became famous thanks to his blog «Katelovesme». A regular on television shows of all kinds, from Cámbiame a Gran Hermano, Bailando con las estrellas or Sálvame, he has created collections and collaborations with Alexander McQueen, Giles Deacon, David Delfín or Louis Vuitton and has participated in films and even written a book.

– PitingoHis name is Antonio Manuel Álvarez Vélez and he is a Spanish gypsy flamenco and soul singer. He has won numerous awards.

– Pocholo Martínez-BordiúHis real name is José María and he is the 18th Baron of Gotor. Born in Madrid on 2 October 1962, he is a Spanish aristocrat, economist, hotelier and media personality. He is famous for his family ties: he is the nephew of Cristóbal Martínez-Bordiú, Marquis of Villaverde, who was Francisco Franco’s son-in-law. He was married to Sonsoles Suárez, daughter of former Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez.

– Raul GomezComedian and presenter. In 2010 he was a reporter for the program Caiga quien caer on Cuatro and since then he has presented numerous programs, including Te ha tocado, En busca del Nirvana and Maraton Man.

– Rubén Ochandiano. An actor from Madrid, he began with episodic roles in series such as Médico de familia or Periodistas, until he was given the opportunity to play a regular role in the youth series Al salir de clase, which he left to devote himself to cinema. He has acted in more than 20 films, including Los abrazos rotos, by Pedro Almodóvar, Silencio roto, El corazón del guerrero or Flores de otro mundo.

– Topaz FreshShe is an Argentine singer, actress, dancer, art gallery owner and transsexual activist who has lived in Spain since 2002. She is known for her participation as a dancer in the group Fangoria, for her art galleries in Madrid and for her work as an actress in the film Las brujas de Zugarramurdi.

The awards

Under the watchful eye of judges Pepe Rodríguez, Samantha Vallejo-Nágera and Jordi Cruz, the contestants will battle it out to become the best chef and win the trophy and 75,000 euros that they can donate to an NGO. The duelists, along with a companion, will attend a weekend-long cooking course at the Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences at the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián. In addition, in each programme, the person who gets an outstanding grade will receive 4,000 euros that they will donate to the NGO of their choice.

Macarena Rey, CEO of Shine Iberia, has assured that the contestants “come to have fun, to learn, because almost all of them cooked very little, and they all come to win.” Of course, “the judges are the ones who have the most fun. They are like in a ball pit.” “There are classic tests that work very well and new ones, we never lose sight of gastronomic trends, we play games, and we continue in incredible outdoor areas to continue showing wonderful places.”

For Miriam García Corrales, director of Entertainment at RTVE, this programme is “the jewel in the crown”. “It always surprises you, and adapts to the latest gastronomic and technological trends. They are always on the cutting edge.”

The guests

Among the guests, names such as the influencer Marta Díaz; the senator and former president of the Junta de Andalucía Susana Díaz; the actors Lydia Bosch, Carles Sans and Jedet; the singer Concha Buika; the designer and judge of ‘Maestros de la Costura’ Alejandro G. Palomo; the businessman Nicolás Vallejo-Nágera; and the comedian El Monaguillo. Also, contestants from ‘MasterChef’, ‘MasterChef Junior’, ‘MasterChef Abuelos’ and ‘MasterChef Celebrity’: the winners Laura Londoño, Lorena Castell, Juanma Castaño, Miki Nadal, Raquel Meroño and Ona Carbonell; or the participants Eduardo Casanova, Álvaro Escassi, Jesulín de Ubrique, Blanca Romero, Tania Llasera, Bibiana Fernández, Anabel Alonso, La Terremoto, Eduardo Navarrete, Florentino Fernández and Boris Izaguirre. In addition, Juanjo, Lucas, Bea, Violeta and Kiara, among other students from ‘OT 2023’, will offer an exclusive performance on ‘MasterChef Celebrity 9’.

Go bosses

There will also be some big names in gastronomy: Ferran Adrià, Martín Berasategui (12 Repsol Suns), Dabiz Muñoz (four Repsol Suns), Jordi Roca (three Repsol Suns), Francis Paniego (three Repsol Suns), Toño Pérez (three Repsol Suns), Jesús Sánchez (three Repsol Suns), Paco Morales (three Repsol Suns), Javi Estévez (one Repsol Sun), Ferdinando Bernardi (one Repsol Sun), the Korean Luke Jang and the Spanish chef who is sweeping London off its feet, José Pizarro.

The tests

The contestants will replicate two Jordi Cruz dishes that go beyond the trompe l’oeil, they will use nuts as legumes, they will receive cakes with hidden messages (burn away cakes) and they will cook for very refined “snouts”: 15 dogs with very refined tastes. In addition, they will have to be very agile to memorise an avant-garde recipe that will self-destruct in 10 minutes.

They will also be introduced to new culinary proposals: Swicy (an acronym for sweet and spicy) and tiny food. With the help of chef Lydia del Olmo (a Repsol Sun), they will learn about the benefits of hydroponics, the symbol of sustainable culture. And they will play fun games to gain advantages, such as ‘The Exact Price’, ‘Four in a Row’ and a special ‘Looking for Wally’.

In the team events, they will celebrate the San Isidro festival in Madrid; they will prepare a menu inspired by the traditional gastronomy of the Empordà region at Peralada Castle; they will visit “the most beautiful garden in Spain”, Lur Garden (Guipúzcoa); they will pay tribute to the elderly with Padre Ángel; they will serve a menu in Islas Cíes, designed by chefs Xosé Magalhaes, Luis Veira, Lucía Freitas and Daniel López; and they will take over Dani García’s kitchens at Bibo Tarifa, under the orders of chefs Rakel Cernicharo and Marcos Morán. In Cascais (Portugal), they will cook at the Chefs On Fire festival and we will attend a crossover with the three members of the ‘MasterChef Portugal’ jury: Pedro Pena, Oscar Geadas and Teresa Horta.

The first program

The contestants will debut by reproducing several dishes by chef Francis Paniego, accompanied by Ona Carbonell and Raquel Meroño, winners of the third and fifth editions of ‘MasterChef Celebrity’.

In the first outdoor event, they will travel to the heart of the Empordà (Girona), where the magnificent Peralada Castle is located, one of the architectural, historical and cultural jewels of Catalonia. At its foot, the teams will cook a menu for 150 guests inspired by the traditional cuisine of the Empordà, created by Paco Pérez.

Finally, a vegetable garden with 38 species of vegetables and fruit trees will arrive in the kitchen, which will bear fruit in weeks or months. The jury will ask the black aprons to guess which fruits and vegetables they are. Afterwards, they will have to prepare a vegetarian, savoury or sweet dish, following the recommendations of chef Jesús Sánchez and María, a duelist from ‘MasterChef 12.