'The Taste,' New Food Competition Show, Debuts On ABC

A new competitive cooking show has come to ABC, and if you're familiar with The Voice, you'll be quite familiar with its format.

In the debut episode (Jan. 22, 8 p.m. ET), a motley crew of prospective contestants vie for one of the 16 available slots. They're tasked with cooking up one dish that will be blindly sampled by the four judges, who can then "claim" them for their team if they like what they taste. The judges are Anthony Bourdain, the now-mainstream chef, author, and TV host best known for his Travel Channel show No Reservations; Nigella Lawson, a British writer, cook, and TV host; Ludo Lefebvre, noted French chef and breakout star of Top Chef Masters; and Brian Malarkey, a San Diego restaurateur and Top Chef alum.

While the first episode is a whirlwind of  cooking, judging, backstories, and sadness at not making the cut, all signs point to it quieting down as the season ramps up and the judges' personalities (along with their chosen chefs' abilities) can really shine.