Green Challenges and Culinary Battles

Now in full swing, the most famous culinary competition on television, MasterChef Italia 15, continues for the 18 amateur chefs still in the race. In the two episodes on Thursday, January 1, 2026, exclusively on Sky and streaming only on NOW at 9:15 PM, the Masterclass led by the tireless judges: Bruno Barbieri, Antonino Cannavacciuolo, and Giorgio Locatelli, will tackle the themes of sustainability and waste reduction through the brand-new Green Mystery Box, special Mysteries presented by Chef Chiara Pavan that, for the first time in the world, will focus on ingredients that help develop the philosophy of reuse. Up for grabs for those who truly capture the spirit of planet-saving cuisine, the precious Golden Pin, the “joker” to be used in subsequent tests, but also a useful and unprecedented Green Pin for the one who prepares the most “green” dish, granting the right to ask for 10 more minutes to complete their cooking in one of the upcoming challenges. Following this, the classic Invention Test will challenge the aspiring chefs with one of Antonino Cannavacciuolo’s most famous and technically complex dishes: the liquid salad. The second episode of the evening will see the remaining contestants face the first outdoor test of this season in the homeland of one of the protagonists of Italian cuisine worldwide, Parmigiano Reggiano. The two Brigades, the Red and the Blue as per tradition, will compete in Rivalta, a hamlet of Lesignano de’ Bagni, in the province of Parma, a land of inestimable gastronomic value, which the amateur chefs will have to celebrate by cooking for 50 people – including cheese makers, beaters, and tasters – who daily work and live among the wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano. The members of the Brigade that conquer their very demanding palates will go to the balcony, while the others will have to face the Pressure Test wearing the dreaded black aprons. Unfortunately, however, some of them will have to take it off forever and return home, leaving their journey in the kitchens of MasterChef Italia.