Agon and Apron: hybridizing gender by “sportifying” cooking in MasterChef USA

Abstract Competition is fundamental to American life, and sport the cultural institution most closely linked organized competition in U.S. Historically, has been a male preserve. At same time, structures, practices, iconography of sports have infiltrated variety social fields institutions less obviously dominated by men—a process known as “sportification.” Reality programing one such field. In this paper, we analyze forty episodes spanning nine seasons reality show MasterChef USA explore gendered implications sportification cooking. harnesses competition, metaphorized sport, transform (feminine) cooks into (masculine) chefs. language Greek mythology, heroism agon meets mundanity apron. The not only effectively “softens” “hardens” cooking, it also hybridizes traditional gender difference itself cook-chef distinction animates destabilizes boundaries between home work, amateurs professionals, ordinary elevated. However, hybridization limits equally balanced masculine feminine poles—and imbalance where inequality resides.