TV Ratings: 'MasterChef' Finale Improves Double Digits

Greg Gayne/Fox Great news for Fox: Last night's two-hour MasterChef season finale improved drastically on last year's. On the strength of MasterChef's (6.5 million total viewers, 2.6 rating in adults 18-49 demographic) ratings performance (up 30 percent from last season's closer), Fox dominated Tuesday night in the key demo and delivered the network's highest-rated night in total viewers so far this summer. In head-to-head competition with America's Got Talent at 9 p.m., MasterChef topped NBC's summer reality series by 8 percent. NBC placed second on the night, averaging a 2.2 rating, thanks mainly to a two-hour America's Got Talent (10.1 million, 2.7). Talent, however, did sink 10 percent making it a season low for a Tuesday telecast. A weak performance for lead-in It's Worth What? (4.1 million, 1.0), hitting a series low, didn't help. ABC's Take the Money and Run (3.6 million, 1.4) sank 22 percent, hitting a series low, but medical drama Combat Hospital (3.6 million, 0.9) improved 13 percent. CBS and the CW aired repeats. Fox - 2.6 · MasterChef: 2.6, 6.5 million NBC - 2.2 · It's Worth What?: 1.0, 4.1 million · America's Got Talent: 2.7, 10.1 million ABC - 1.3 · Wipeout (R): 1.6, 5.5 million · Take The Money & Run: 1.4, 3.6 million · Combat Hospital: 0.9, 3.6 million CBS - 1.2 · NCIS (R): 1.2, 8.5 million · NCIS: LA (R): 1.3, 7.8 million · Hawaii Five-0 (RS): 1.1, 5.8 million CW - 0.3 · 90210 (R): 0.4, 987,000 · Shedding for the Wedding (R): 0.3, 742,000 TV Ratings