The Taste season 15 premieres with new coach battle format

The 15th anniversary season of the cooking competition ‘The Taste’ premiered on SAT. 1 and Joyn with a new introductory segment. Before the contestants began their auditions, the four coaches—Steffen Henssler, Tim Raue, Elif Oskan, and Alexander Herrmann—competed in a street and soul food cook-off judged by Nelson Müller.

Steffen Henssler won the duel with a kebab, earning a newly introduced ‘golden buzzer’. This advantage allows him to claim a contestant directly if multiple coaches express interest in the same talent.

During the initial casting phase, professional and hobby cooks presented dishes within a 60-minute limit. The first round of team selections resulted in eight members being chosen: Steffen secured Calvin and Tom; Tim selected Alex and Manyedi; Alexander chose Hanna and Bernd; and Elif recruited Irfan and Elisabeth.

One notable moment involved Palesa Khobo, a professional cook from Neu-Ulm, who was eliminated after failing to complete her fish and chips variation due to time constraints. Despite harsh critiques from judges, Henssler indicated he might use his golden buzzer to potentially bring her back into the competition.