‘MasterChef Junior’ renewed; Christina Tosi to replace Joe Bastianich

Fox made a variety of different announcements today pertaining to “MasterChef Junior,” and we find the lion’s share of them to be interesting when it comes to mapping out the future of the franchise.

Let’s start, first and foremost, with the news on the big renewal: We’re coming back for a fourth season of the Junior series! This is not a shocker, given that the ratings are incredibly strong given that this is such a cheap show to make, and it can be plugged in almost anywhere. This is helping Fox ultimately survive its current ratings struggles. It has been an anchor Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, and we definitely do not see it going anywhere in the near future so long as it continues to pull in those kind of numbers.

Meanwhile, let’s talk about judges. We knew that Joe Bastianich was leaving after being a part of the show since the beginning, and we’ve heard now that Christina Tosi, pastry chef and founder of the famed Momofuku Milk Bar in New York City, will be the third judge on both the flagship and the Junior versions of the show. She is the first female judge in the history of the franchise, and she should bring a welcome voice and perspective.

Gordon Ramsay confirmed today that it is the first day of filming the new “MasterChef” season, writing the following on his Instagram:

“Good Morning first day on the new MasterChef set the sun is shinning because we have a new very talented judge. Ps she’s loves cookies Guess who ?”

Do you like the hire, and are you excited for the new season to air? Share with a comment now.