‘MasterChef US’ Season 8 latest news: Aarón Sánchez joins series as third judge; Season 7 winner Shaun O’Neale is set to release cookbook in May

As fans gear up for “MasterChef US” Season 8, the hit culinary competition is beefing up its judges lineup for the upcoming edition. Fox announced that renowned chef and restaurant owner Aarón Sánchez is set to be the third judge in the TV series, joining Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi.

Followers of “MasterChef US” would remember that Sánchez appeared on Season 7 as a guest judge, along with other celebrated chefs Wolfgang Puck, Edward Lee, Kevin Sbraga, Richard Blais and Daniel Boulud. So far, Ramsay is the only judge who has starred in all the seasons, after former judges Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich left. Tosi replaced Bastianich in “MasterChef US” Season 6.

On his Instagram account, James Beard Award-winning chef Sánchez shared his latest stint with his fans. “Fired up to be joining my compadres @GordonGram + @ChristinaTosi as a regular judge on @MASTERCHEFonFOX Season 8,” he wrote. Sánchez, who owns Mexican restaurant Johnny Sánchez, appeared in the reality-based cooking television game show series “Chopped” and “Chopped Junior,” according to Fox. He has also authored two cookbooks – “Simple Food, Big Flavor: Unforgettable Mexican-Inspired Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours” and “La Comida del Barrio.”

Speaking of cookbooks, “MasterChef US” Season 7 winner Shaun O’Neale recently took to Instagram to share updates on his new cookbook. The 33-year-old DJ posted the cover of his book, “My Modern American Table.” He captioned it, “I am so excited to share this book with the work and so grateful for the opportunity! So much thanks to everyone who made this possible especially @masterchefonfox @gordongram @christinatosi and @abramsbooks and everyone else involved!! Pre order your copy now on @amazon and get cooking May 9th!!”

The cookbook deal is part of O’Neale’s prizes as the winner of “MasterChef US,” which wrapped in Sep. 2016. He also took home US$250,000 (AU$327,000) after defeating school teacher Brandi Mudd and professional poker player David Williams. It would be exciting to see who succeeds O’Neale as the Season 8 winner. Early last year, “MasterChef US” held auditions in various US states for the upcoming season.

According to Fox, “MasterChef US” Season 8 will premiere in summer this year, although the network has not provided a specific date yet. The previous season started airing in June 1. Currently, the successful TV franchise is showing “MasterChef Junior” Season 5 with judges Ramsay and Tosi. Sánchez appeared as a guest judge in episode 3, wherein contestants were trimmed down to top 18. Other s pecial guest judges who will make appearances throughout the season include “The Big Bang Theory” star Mayim Bialik, “Modern Family” actress Julie Bowen and the Muppets’ Miss Piggy, according to Fox.

“MasterChef Junior” Season 5 airs in the US every Thursday at 8 p.m. on Fox. Stay tuned for “MasterChef US” Season 8 spoilers and updates.