Emotions Expression in Cooking Shows (Based on MasterChef USA Season 13)

Korotkikh V. Emotions Expression in Cooking Shows (Based on MasterChef USA Season 13) : bachelor’s thesis : 035 Philology / supervised by O. Kaptiurova. Kyiv, 2025. 59 p.

This study investigates emotion expression in televised cooking shows, a culturally prominent genre where emotional displays drive narrative and viewer engagement. The research object is emotions in cooking shows. The subject covers diverse verbal and non-verbal means of articulating emotional states. The aim is to analyze these manifestations within gastronomic discourse. This entails theoretically framing emotion in linguistics and empirically examining its multifaceted expression, via an in-depth “MasterChef USA” analysis.
The methodology includes semantic-component analysis to transcribed interactions, a method of sampling, a descriptive method, and an observation of non-verbal behaviors in the competitive cooking show context. The novelty of the research is its detailed codification of diverse emotional articulation techniques in competitive culinary programs, fulfilling the aim of a thorough linguistic and paralinguistic analysis of emotion in this unique discourse.
The research shows that good communication is about more than just getting your message across; it's also about being able to read and respond to people's emotions. There are two ways in which language serves its communication purpose in “MasterChef USA”: directly (explicitly through verbal signals) and indirectly (implicitly via non-verbal means such as mimicry, gestures, pantomime, etc.). Verbal strategies include direct statements, evaluative vocabulary, and stylistic figures, amplified by grammatic structures. Crucially, non-verbal often outweigh verbalizations in conveying nuanced emotions. The study concludes the show's dramatic effect and audience connection are greatly enhanced by this multimodal representation of emotion, which allows viewers to engage in the triumphs and tragedies of the competition.