BBQ Champ is a British reality television series that first aired on 31 July 2015 and ended on 28 August 2015[1][2] on ITV. The show was presented by Myleene Klass and starred judges Mark Blatchford and Adam Richman.
| BBQ Champ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality |
| Presented by | Myleene Klass |
| Judges |
|
| Music by | Dan McGrath & Josh Phillips |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45-47 minutes |
| Production companies | Whizz Kid Entertainment (eOne) and County of Kings |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 31 July – 28 August 2015 |
Premise edit
The aim of the programme was to find the best amateur barbecuer, with the help of the judges. The winner received a prize of £25,000.[3] At the end of each episode, two contestants who had least impressed the judges enough had to face each other in a grill–off. The judges' favourite contestant in the grill–off advanced to the next episode, whilst the other was eliminated from the competition.
Contestants edit
| Name | Age | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kuldip Singh Sahota | 33 | Chilli sauce business owner | Eliminated 1st on 31 July 2015 |
| Solomon Smith | 29 | Youth worker | Eliminated 2nd on 7 August 2015 |
| Gary Thomasson | 46 | Full time carer | Eliminated 3rd on 14 August 2015 |
| Nicola Fitzpatrick | 36 | Secretary | Eliminated 4th on 21 August 2015 |
| Duncan Meyers | 29 | IT consultant | Eliminated 5th on 28 August 2015 |
| Tony Smith | 38 | Photographer (now chef) | Third Place on 28 August 2015 |
| Emma Millest | 32 | Admin assistant | Runner-up on 28 August 2015 [3] |
| Simon Dyer | 52 | Farm owner | Winner on 28 August 2015 [3] |
Ratings edit
Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.[4]
| Episode no. |
Airdate | Viewers (millions) |
ITV weekly ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 July 2015 | 2.32 | 21 |
| 2 | 7 August 2015 | 1.77 | 30 |
| 3 | 14 August 2015 | — | — |
| 4 | 21 August 2015 | — | — |
| 5 | 28 August 2015 | — | — |
Reception edit
Sam Wollaston writing for The Guardian described it as "Basically the Great British BBQ-Off, with Klass playing the Mel & Sue role (fewer puns, posher frocks), Richman and Blathford as Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry, and the setting outdoors. In the meantime, Great British Bake Off starts next week. I don’t think it has much to worry about from this."[5] Ben Travis for the Evening Standard made similar comments: "The show might as well be called The Great British BBQ-Off for all that it poaches from the BBC’s winning culinary formula. There’s a reason that formula works though, and while BBQ Champ isn’t as unexpectedly gripping as the Beeb’s quaint baking contest, the first episode proves enjoyable viewing."[6]
In September 2015 ITV stated they had no future plans for a second series, after the programmes failed to come close to matching the viewing figures of the rival BBC programme, among the negative reviews received from the critics.[3]
References edit
- ^ "It's time to get your bangers out for new cooking show BBQ Champ". 28 July 2015. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ "BBQ Champ What Did You Think Of ITV's New Cooking Show?". Digital Spy. 31 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d James Leyfield (17 September 2015). "Myleene Klass' BBQ Champ AXED after one series as Great British Bake Off scorches ITV rival". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
- ^ Sam Wollaston (31 July 2015). "BBQ Champ review – 'We're talking The Great British Barbecue-Off basically'". The Guardian.
- ^ Ben Travis (31 July 2015). "BBQ Champ, ITV, Episode 1 review: 'Might as well be called the Great British BBQ-Off'". Evening Standard.