As part of its plan to build a Netflix-esque streaming platform, Disney is producing a new cooking competition show that will feature families participating in food challenges at Walt Disney World. The new series, dubbed Be Our Chef, will land on Disney Plus during the first year of the service, which kicks off on November 12.
Hosted by Angela Kinsey, the actor who played Angela on The Office, the series will feature “families from diverse backgrounds” cooking in a competition that’s “positive and playful in tone,” according to a press release. Each episode will feature two families cooking dishes based on their own traditions and “the magic of Disney.” At the end of the competition, the finalists will be asked to “create a dish that represents their family through a Disney lens.”
While shows like Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, and the Great British Baking Show are perennially popular, the TV landscape is littered with competition series that never took off, including the Great American Baking Show, a program produced by Disney-owned network ABC. That series was plagued by casting and concept changes since its inception, and the sexual misconduct allegations against judge Johnny Iuzzini resulted in most of Season 3 getting pulled from the air. The streaming platform might be a better place for a new cooking competition, but at the end of the day, the success of Be Our Chef will likely depend on whether or not the producers can nail the format and/or offer something new to stand out from the rest of the pack.
In other Disney Plus news, the streaming platform will include a new nature show called Earthkeepers produced by Chef’s Table creator David Gelb and his frequent collaborator Brian McGinn, as well as a new series called The World According to Jeff Goldblum, where the Hollywood actor will explore various subjects of interest including, occasionally, food. And the service will also have a limited series called Forky Asks a Question, a new animated explainer show starring the spork character from the forthcoming movie Toy Story 4. Apparently, in one episode Forky will learn all about cheese.
These titles will join all the Star Wars movies, every Simpsons episode, the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney classics from the vault, and a slew of new TV series and feature films. The service will cost subscribers $6.99 per month.
– Source: Disney’s Streaming Service Will Include a Cooking Show Called ‘Be Our Chef’