| 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 (2015-07-31) – 28 August 2015 (2015-08-28) |
BBQ Champ is a British reality television series that first aired on 31 July 2015 and ended on 28 August 2015 on ITV. The show was presented by Myleene Klass and starred judges Mark Blatchford and Adam Richman.
Premise
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. 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
| 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 |
| Simon Dyer | 52 | Farm owner | Winner on 28 August 2015 |
Ratings
Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.
| 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
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." 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."
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.
References
- "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.
- ^ 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.