Surprising reason MasterChef removed its theme song this season

Ever since MasterChef Australia premiered in 2009, the cooking show has used Katy Perry’s iconic 2008 single Hot n Cold as its theme song.

The pop track has become so synonymous with the series that Katy herself made an appearance as a guest judge on season 12 in 2020, surprising contestants and viewers alike.

However, this year’s season of MasterChef made the unexpected decision to remove the intro altogether, with the contestants no longer flipping frying pans or throwing flour to the pop song.

The omission certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed, with fans taking to social media throughout the season to share their thoughts.

“It feels weird without Katy Perry’s Hot n Cold as the opening tune,” one person wrote, while another added, “I miss Katy Perry and contestants throwing food and using hibachis as an intro”.

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“Looks like Katy Perry was the first eliminated from MasterChef,” a third joked, followed by someone else who replied, “An episode isn't a success without that theme song”.

“If I still don’t know any of their names by the grand finale I blame the omission of the Hot n Cold intro,” a different user remarked.

“Did the contract to use Hot n Cold expire so they can’t do the intro anymore?” a fan asked, while others suggested Katy Perry “must’ve upped her prices”.

“I'm so glad we don't have to hear that dreadful Katy Perry song blasting out four times a week anymore,” one outlier tweeted.

What happened to the theme song?

A source tells Yahoo Lifestyle that Channel 10 decided to drop the theme song this year because, as some viewers had speculated, the licensing fees became too expensive after using it for 14 years.

Interestingly, international viewers would be unaware that Hot n Cold has been used as the theme song as it has always been replaced with a different song for copyright reasons.

Instead, MasterChef Australia airs in India, Canada, the UK, the Middle East and New Zealand, among other countries, with an untitled pop song containing the lyrics: “Burning up in my heart, like a flame, like a bright shooting star.”

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Channel 10’s decision to remove Hot n Cold as its theme song is similar to what happened to the show’s rival, My Kitchen Rules. The Channel Seven cooking competition used Kesha’s hit song Tik Tok as its theme from seasons 1 to 3 before replacing it with Justice Crew’s Best Night and ultimately dropping an intro altogether.

Meanwhile, the renovation series House Rules went through three different pop songs by OneRepublic, Little Mix and American Authors until they decided not to have an intro.

Farmer Wants A Wife also cycled through pop tracks by Ronan Keating, Taylor Swift, Michael Bublé, Calvin Harris and Jason Derulo before they stopped using a theme song.

Yahoo Lifestyle has contacted Channel 10 and Endemol Shine Australia for comment.

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