Top Cooku Dupe Cooku
| Top Cooku Dupe Cooku | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
|
| Based on | Cooku with Comali |
| Directed by | Parthiv Mani |
| Presented by | VJ Rakesh (season 1–present) Sivaangi Krishnakumar (season 2–present) |
| Judges |
|
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Tamil |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | Season 1: 20 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Media Masons |
| Cinematography | Sudhir Koushik |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time |
|
| Production company | Media Masons |
| Original release | |
| Network | Sun TV Sun NXT |
| Release | 19 May 2024 – present |
Top Cooku Dupe Cooku (often abbreviated as TCDC) is an Indian Tamil-language comedy-based cooking competition show, produced by Media Masons. The show is produced and judged by Chef Venkatesh Bhat,[1] along with judge Chef Rammohan. In Season 1, the show was supported by Singer Binni Krishnakumar and hosted by Rakesh, while in Season 2, it is hosted by Rakesh and Sivaangi Krishnakumar.[2][3] The show is based on the reality series Cooku with Comali, which was also conceived, ideated, and produced for four seasons by Media Masons, but for a different channel.[4][5]
Format
[edit] | This section may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (September 2024) |
The contestants are referred to as "Top Cooku" and would be paired up with a "Dupe Cooku" each week. Some episodes would feature one or more guest judges.[6]
- Rapid fire round
In Season 1, the show began with this round in which the Top Cooku's will be given a simple task to complete within 120 seconds. Winner of the Rapid fire can choose their desired Dupe Cooku while others will be paired through a random selection chamber.[6] This round was discontinued for season 2.
- Golden table challenge
After pairing up, teams take part in a 20-minute quick-fire cooking task called the Golden Table Challenge. The winning team earns the right to cook at a special golden workstation equipped with premium amenities and enjoys exclusive privileges for the rest of the episode — such as immunity, priority access to ingredients, and additional support from their chef mentor.
- Main challenge
In each episode, all teams participate in a themed main cooking challenge, where they must create dishes based on a given concept or cuisine. The chefs can guide their teams from a dugout and are allowed a limited "Chef's Time-Out" to step into the kitchen and offer verbal instructions. Teams are judged on taste, presentation, and creativity by the judges, and the lowest-scoring cook faces elimination.[6]
Elimination
[edit]- Elimination Box Selection (Season 1)
At the beginning of each episode in Season 1, the Top Cookus are presented with two boxes. One box contains a card marked “Elimination Episode”, while the other contains a card marked “Non-Elimination Episode”. The contestants must jointly choose one box to determine the nature of the episode. If a non-elimination card is selected for two consecutive weeks, the third week automatically becomes a compulsory elimination round.[6][7]
- Elimination Challenge (Season 2)
Season 2 does not use the box-selection format. Instead, the show follows a two-week cycle:
- Challenger Round: One or more external challengers compete against the existing contestants. They participate in one or more cooking challenges leading up to the “1 Lakh Box Challenge.” If the challenger wins, all current contestants face an elimination round the following week. If one of the contestants becomes the topper, only that contestant is safe for the next week, and the remaining contestants must compete in the elimination round.
- Elimination Week: The week following the Challenger Round is an elimination episode where the contestants (except the topper, if any) compete to avoid elimination.
- Wild card entry
In the mid-season, one or more Top Cooks dubbed as "Wild Card entries" will join the contestants. They will be assigned a new mentor as well.[8] Season 2 neither featured any wild card entries nor additional mentors
- Final stage
In the final stage of the season, all episodes would be either elimination or a ticket to the Finale rounds leading up to the Season Finale.[9][10]
Judges and hosts
[edit]| Season | Host | Judges (in order of first appearance) | Mentor chefs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VJ Rakesh | Chef Venkatesh Bhat | Binni Krishnakumar | Chef Rammohan | Chef Cheruba | Chef Sai | Chef Saravanan | Chef Yuvasri |
| 2 | VJ Rakesh & Sivaangi Krishnakumar | Chef Venkatesh Bhat | Chef Rammohan | Sivaangi Krishnakumar | Chef Sai | Chef Adrian | Chef Cheruba | - |
Series overview
[edit]| Series | Prize Money | Episodes | Originally released | Winners | Runners-up | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | ||||||
| 1 | 20 Lakhs | 20 | 19 May 2024 | 29 September 2024 | Sun TV Sun NXT | Narendra Prasath Sujatha Sivakumar | FEFSI Vijayan Chaitra Reddy | |
| 2 | TBA | 33 | 17 August 2025 | TBA | Sun TV Sun NXT | TBA | TBA | |
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]Media Masons producer Ravoofa announced at the end of February that their company was quitting Star Vijay television after 25 years.[11] Later on, Media Masons decide to produce a new cooking show like Cooku with Comali[12] on Sun TV.[13][5]
Release
[edit]The first season's first promo was unveiled on 28 April 2024. The first season's second promo was unveiled on 1 May 2024, featuring the first contestants FEFSI Vijayan.[14]
Also See
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "டாப் குக்கு டூப் குக்கு செஃப் வெங்கடேஷ் பட்!". Dinamani (in Tamil). 29 April 2024.
- ^ "சன் டிவிக்கு போன வெங்கடேஷ் பட்டின் புது பதிவு! இதுதான் வார்த்தையை விட்டு சிக்குறதா? ரசிகர்கள் கேள்வி". Tamil Oneindia (in Tamil). 29 April 2024. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ V Vasanthi (30 April 2024). "விஜய் டிவியை விட்டு சன் டிவிக்கு போன காரணம்? ஜி.பி முத்து வீடியோவை பகிர்ந்து.. வெங்கடேஷ் பட் பதிவு". Tamil Oneindia (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ Parthiban.A (3 May 2024). "யாரு தான் Copy அடிக்கல.. CWC vs Top Cooku Dupe Cooku! தீபா அக்கா Exclusive Interview". cineulagam.com (in Tamil).
- ^ a b "'டாப் குக்கு டூப் குக்கு' நிகழ்ச்சியின் தயாரிப்பாளர் வெங்கடேஷ் பட்டா? பரபரப்பு தகவல்..!". www.indiaglitz.com (in Tamil). 30 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d "New cooking reality show 'Top Cooku Dupe Cooku' set to premiere on May 19". Times Of India. 29 April 2024. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "Top Cooku Dupe Cooku: From Chaitra Reddy winning the advantage to Sonia Agarwal's elimination - A look at major events". Times Of India (in Tamil). 18 June 2024. Archived from the original on 18 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Sun TV (30 July 2024). Top Cooku Dupe Cooku - Promo | 04 August 2024 | Sunday @ 12:30 PM | Sun TV. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Sun TV (23 August 2024). Top Cooku Dupe Cooku - Promo | 25 August 2024 | Sunday @ 12:30 PM | Sun TV. Retrieved 24 August 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Sun TV (3 September 2024). Top Cooku Dupe Cooku - Promo | 08 Sep 2024 | Sunday @ 12:30 PM | Sun TV. Retrieved 8 September 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "'Cooku With Comali' new season becomes doubtful as the show's crew moves out one by one - Deets". www.indiaglitz.com. 4 March 2024.
- ^ Parthiban.A (3 May 2024). "யாரு தான் Copy அடிக்கல.. CWC vs Top Cooku Dupe Cooku! தீபா அக்கா Exclusive Interview". cineulagam.com (in Tamil).
- ^ "டாப் குக்கு டூப் குக்கு - விஜய் டிவியில் இருந்து சன் டிவிக்கு தாவிய குக் வித் கோமாளி பிரபலங்கள்..." tamil.filmibeat.com (in Tamil). 30 April 2024.
- ^ Rajkumar (2 May 2024). "Top Cooku Dupe Cookuவின் புதிய ப்ரோமோ – போட்டியாளராக வந்த பிரபல வில்லன் நடிகர்". tamil.behindtalkies.com (in Tamil).