Famed Foodies Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson Headline New Cooking Competition Series THE TASTE, Premiering Tuesday, Jan. 22 on CTV

- Famed culinary experts Ludo Lefebvre and Brian Malarkey join Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson as THE TASTE mentors -
- CTV acquires the series from distribution company Seven One International -

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PASADENA, CA, Jan. 9, 2013 /CNW/ - CTV takes cuisine to a whole new level as the network announced today from the Television Critics Association tour it has acquired nine episodes of the all-new cooking competition series THE TASTE from distribution company Seven One International. With culinary experts Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson, who serve as executive producers and head a distinguished panel of four judges, THE TASTE features professional and amateur cooks vying for the title of "Best Tasting Dish." The ultimate taste test series kicks off with a two-part premiere Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Sunday, Jan. 27 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CTV. The series settles into its regular timeslot of Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT beginning January 29 on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times).

** Media Note ** Download photos from THE TASTE at BellMediaPR.ca

The all-new one-hour cooking competition series puts 16 culinary competitors - pro chefs to home cooks - to the fire when four of the world's most notable masters of the food world judge their creations based on a blind taste test. In the pressure-packed competition series, the taste in a single spoonful can catapult a contender to the top, or send them packing. THE TASTE features four culinary superstars including no-holds barred chef Anthony Bourdain, British food star Nigella Lawson, expert chef and author Ludo Lefebvre, and chef/restaurateur Brian Malarkey as THE TASTE mentors.

Each of the famed culinary experts coach a team of four amateur and professional cooks, facing a variety of team and individual challenges, and elimination rounds. At the end of each episode, the mentors judge the competitors' dishes blind, with no knowledge of whose creation they're sampling, what they're eating, how it was prepared, or whom they could be sending home.

In the series premiere, "Auditions Part 1," the pressure is on when Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, Ludovic Lefebvre, and Brian Malarkey put 29 professional chefs and home cooks through their first gruelling round of blind taste tests -  in which just a single spoonful decides whether or not they make it past the audition phase and into the competition.

Created by Kinetic Content, Red Arrow's U.S. production company, THE TASTE is executive-produced by Chris Coelen, Matilda Zoltowski, Emma Conway, Anthony Bourdain, and Nigella Lawson.

About CTV
CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada's most-watched television network for the past 10 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network's website at ctv.ca.

SOURCE: CTV

Allie Page, CTV, CTV Two, 416.384.4596 or [email protected]
Jacqui VanSickle, CTV, CTV Two, 416.384.5091 or [email protected]