The New Twitch Cooking Show That Gets Viewers Involved In The Action

Before terms like "social distancing" and "polymerase chain reaction" were part of our everyday social lexicon, you may not have known about Twitch. In its early days, the live-streaming service was primarily treated as a place for gamers to stream their Esports tournaments, but it evolved into a platform for all kinds of entertainment at the onset of the pandemic, which saw a huge spike in its popularity as virtual entertainment became par for the course. According to The Verge, Twitch viewership reached an average of five billion hours between April and June of 2020; upwards of a 50% increase from the year's first quarter.

Plenty of streamers still use the service to broadcast their virtual adventures in the land of "Animal Crossing," but the platform continues to prove its versatility by playing host to plenty of non-gaming activities, including impromptu chats between influencers and fans (à la Instagram Live). In fact, a report from StreamElements shows that Twitch's "Just Chatting" section racked up 81 million hours of views in December of 2020. 

Now, Business Wire reports that Twitch is dipping into yet another genre that has nothing to do with gaming. In partnership with the meal-kit company HelloFresh, the platform is releasing its first-ever cooking show – one that invites viewers to join in on the action. 

According to Business Wire, Twitch's "Unleash the Feast" will see "notable Twitch streamers tackling theme-based challenges" using kits and ingredients provided by HelloFresh. The six-episode series, which will stream on Tuesdays at 5:00 pm Eastern starting June 21, will be hosted by gaming commentators Soe Gschwind and Guy Blaze, featuring Chef Tricia Wang as the "Feast Master," alongside additional gaming-celeb judges. 

What differentiates "Unleash the Feast" from similar-sounding cooking competition shows, like "Chopped," is its interactive element. Per Business Wire, viewers will be able to cast their votes for their favorite dishes at the end of each episode, and they'll also have opportunities to win prizes and code-based deals from HelloFresh throughout the live broadcasts. 

In case you're unfamiliar with HelloFresh, the subscription-based meal-kit company sends customers semi-customized parcels with pre-measured ingredients, along with recipe cards, to ostensibly take some of the anxiety out of home cooking. It'll be interesting to see how the "Unleash the Feast" producers add that anxiety back in to make for an entertaining cooking show.