Celebrated chef and restaurateur Aarón Sánchez will join Chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi as the third judge throughout Season Eight of the hit culinary competition series MASTERCHEF, premiering Summer 2017.

A James Beard Award-winning chef, Sánchez is chef/owner of Mexican restaurant Johnny Sánchez, with locations in New Orleans and Baltimore. He co-starred on "Chopped" and "Chopped Junior," and is the author of two cookbooks – "Simple Food, Big Flavor: Unforgettable Mexican-Inspired Recipes from My Kitchen to Yours" and "La Comida del Barrio." An active philanthropist, Sánchez launched his own charity, the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund, empowering aspiring chefs from the Latin community to attend culinary school. An avid tattoo lover, he also is a partner in the world-famous ink shop "Daredevil Tattoo" in New York City.

Sánchez was a guest judge on Season Seven of MASTERCHEF and also will be featured in upcoming episodes of MASTERCHEF JUNIOR Season Five, airing Thursdays (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

MASTERCHEF is produced by Endemol Shine North America and One Potato Two Potato, and is based on a format created by Franc Roddam and Endemol Shine. Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Michael Brooks, Robin Ashbrook, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Patricia Llewellyn and Ben Adler serve as executive producers. "Like" MASTERCHEF on Facebook at facebook.com/MasterChef. Follow the series on Twitter @MASTERCHEFonFOX and join the discussion at #masterchef. Follow the judges on Twitter: Gordon Ramsay - @gordonramsay; Christina Tosi - @christinatosi; Aarón Sánchez - @Chef_Aaron.

Renowned for award-winning original programming, One Potato Two Potato produces high-quality TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic, including the smash-hit HOTEL HELL, the blockbuster MASTERCHEF,　irresistible spin-off MASTERCHEF JUNIOR and MASTERCHEF CELEBRITY SHOWDOWN,　all for FOX; as well as "Best New Restaurant" and competition series "Food Court Wars." In the U.K., OPTP produces "Gordon Ramsay Behind Bars" and "Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escape," for Channel 4; food biography and nostalgia series "My Kitchen," for UKTV’s Good Food Channel; and "Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch," starring Tilly Ramsay for U.K. children’s channel CBBC. OPTP has also produced two instructional cookery series featuring Gordon Ramsay, "Ultimate Home Cooking" and "Ultimate Cookery Course," both of which have sold all over the globe.

Renowned for highly successful and award-winning original programming, multi-Michelin star chef Gordon Ramsay produces TV　 shows on both sides of the Atlantic seen by audiences worldwide, including his FOX shows MASTERCHEF, MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, HELL’S KITCHEN and MASTERCHEF CELEBRITY SHOWDOWN, as well as Bravo’s "Best New Restaurant" and Food Network’s competition series "Food Court Wars."　In the U.K., he’s produced "Gordon Ramsay Behind Bars" and "Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escape" for Channel 4; food biography and nostalgia series "My Kitchen" for UKTV’s Good Food Channel; two instructional cookery series, "Ultimate Home Cooking" and "Ultimate Cookery Course" for Channel 4; and the first two seasons of "Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch," starring Tilly Ramsay for U.K. children's channel CBBC, all under his One Potato Two Potato banner.

The next-generation multi-media production company STUDIO RAMSAY has a joint venture with All3Media to develop and produce both unscripted and scripted television shows, creating new formats and innovative programming that includes a scripted arm focused on food-related themes, and development of new talent on a global front.　The catalogue of programs that Ramsay has worked on historically with All3Media via One Potato Two Potato, together with new original content he’s currently developing, make for a unique and dynamic production and distribution partnership.　Studio Ramsay’s first production, live food variety show THE F WORD, will premiere Summer 2017 on FOX.

Endemol Shine North America delivers world-class content and compelling storytelling to multiple platforms in the U.S. and across the globe. Endemol Shine North America is part of Endemol Shine Group, the global content creator, producer and distributor with a diverse portfolio of companies that are behind some of the most prominent hit television formats and series in the world.

Its Endemol Shine Studios division develops and produces original scripted television programming in the U.S. for global exploitation and Endemol Shine Latino oversees all Spanish-language sales and development in both the U.S. and now across all of Latin America. Subsidiary production companies include Authentic Entertainment, Original Media, True Entertainment and 51 Minds Entertainment. In addition, Endemol Shine North America has a strategic partnership with Ryan Seacrest Productions.

Endemol Shine Group’s companies in North America are behind such hit series as "Big Brother" (CBS), "The Biggest Loser" (NBC), "Ink Master" (Spike), "Kingdom" (AT&T Audience Network), MASTERCHEF (FOX), MASTERCHEF JUNIOR (FOX), "Hunted" (CBS), "Swamp People" (History), "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" (Bravo), "Steve Harvey" (NBCU), "T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle" (VH1), "Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge" (CMT), "Billion Dollar Buyer" (CNBC) and upcoming "Page Six TV" (Syndicated), SUPERHUMAN (FOX) and "I’m Dying Up Here" (Showtime).

[EDITOR’S NOTE: For photos and more information on MASTERCHEF, please visit www.foxflash.com.]

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