Wednesday night's season premiere of MasterChef opened up much like the five seasons that came before it: Hopeful contestants shouting out their normal, everyday, American jobs (Firefighter! Teacher! Drummer!). A testimonial, "I quit my job to be here." And a moment with 32-year-old Shelly, a single mom, who claims being the next Master Chef "would be life-changing."

With families put on hold and plans abandoned, they embarked on this quest because at the end of this journey lies the opportunity for a different life, presumably a better one.

Sound corny? Maybe. But that's the fuel that has powered the show since 2010; it sells itself on the American Dream being attainable for all. (After all, how many times was that phrase uttered in the season premiere?)

Its characters — yes, the contestants become characters with masterfully edited cut scenes, as in most reality shows — are truck drivers, marketers, exotic dancers and single mothers. The focus is home cooks i.e. real Americans.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from,” one contestant says.

That's the brilliance of it. That's why MasterChef is easily the best cooking show on television.

Which is not to say the season premiere was a perfect episode of television.

Joe Bastianich, the high-born (in the food world) son of Lidia Bastianich has served as the coldest of the three judges since the show’s inception. He was an ice queen to Graham Elliot’s teddy bear-cuddliness and Gordon Ramsay’s trademark fire. And he wasn't here this year.

(from left) Christina Tosi joins Gordon Ramsay and Graham Elliot on the judges panel this season. Image: FOX

He's been replaced with Christina Tosi, the Ohio-born, Virginia-raised chef who co-owns Momofuku Milk Bar. Breaking up the boy's club — both of the show and in professional kitchens across the country — is long overdue. Still, it’s hard to wonder if Tosi is the best choice.

In the premiere, she acted as bland as the liquid her bakery is named for, especially compared to Bastinanich’s clear point-of-view, one that often felt as complex and unpredictable as his beloved spicy sauces. While she clearly understands food, it's unclear if she understands showmanship. Hopefully she’ll follow Emeril’s ubiquitous advice and kick it up a notch as the season progresses.

Otherwise, the episode worked as well as a reality premiere can. The show aims to be, and often is, as unexpected the basil panna cotta that won fan-favorite Luca the title two years ago. In the first episode of the new season — traditionally a tedious introduction to the contestants — that surprise existed in droves.

For starters, the 20 "contestants" that open the show realized they weren't actually contestants yet. Instead, they had to battle 20 other home cooks for a white apron. Then some are given another chance in a second surprise twist.

If the episode wasn't your cup of tea, don't fret. Creating storylines for 40 people during a two-hour show (1.5 hours of screen time) is as impossible as speed-cooking rice, yet the episode made an admirable attempt. What it lacked was the social aspect — that Survivor-born strategy — that generally accompanies later episodes.

Still, there were clever twists. One contestant — a son wanting to impress his mom, who raised him alone — flipped the script on the single-parent story.

And there's already a standout contestant in Shelley, the aforementioned single mother who is looking for a life-changing event.

From losing the first round — even with Ramsay uncharacteristically shouting (literally shouting!) support on her behalf — she redeemed herself in the final twist round. MasterChef has always included Oscar-worthy editing, and it's never been more evident than in the telling of her joyful if teary-eyed story.

Stretching the episode to two hours and adding in extra chances, twists and turns was a mistake. But it's an expected one, made every year.

Perhaps that's going too easy on the show, which should have learned by now, but it's like all origin stories — we may not like them, but they’re necessary (but only once, Spiderman writers, only once).

Our emotional connection with the contestants will only strengthen this season, along with the quality of their dishes. That’s a given. What isn't is whether Tosi can fill the huge, grumpy and empty shoes left by Bastianich.

Either way, you can probably find me in the kitchen after every episode, burning something that at the start of the episode seemed easier to make in theory. Chasing the American Dream.