Marcus Samuelsson IN as Judge on The Taste

The Taste has announced that New York City chef Marcus Samuelsson will be joining Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, and Ludo Lefebvre as a judge for the second season. Samuelsson will replace chef Brian Malarkey, who was relieved of his judging position earlier this year. In the press release below, a producer for The Taste calls Samuelsson "a perfect fit to work with and compete against Anthony, Nigella and Ludo." The airdate for the second season is still unconfirmed. Will Samuelsson save the show from another season of not-so-hot ratings? Below, the press release:

CHEF MARCUS SAMUELSSON JOINS ABC'S "THE TASTE"

LOS ANGELES, CA, September 10, 2013--Chef, restaurateur and author Marcus Samuelsson has joined ABC's cooking competition show "The Taste" as its newest mentor. Chef Samuelsson joins chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain, British food star Nigella Lawson and chef and author Ludo Lefebvre as they begin production on the show's second season (airdate TBD).

"The Taste" is an exhilarating two-hour cooking competition program that puts 16 culinary competitors - from professional chefs to home cooks alike - into a pressure cooker of a kitchen where one blind spoonful of their culinary creations are served to four of the world's most notable chefs and food experts to determine who stays and who is eliminated from the competition.

"Marcus is a world-renowned chef with an infectious passion for food," said Executive Producer Chris Coelen. "He's a perfect fit to work with and compete against Anthony, Nigella and Ludo on Season Two of 'The Taste'".

"I am thrilled to be joining 'The Taste'," said Chef Samuelsson. "I'm looking forward to working alongside such an esteemed group of culinary figures and discovering new talents."

· All Marcus Samuelsson Coverage on Eater [-E-]
· All The Taste Coverage on Eater [-E-]