MASTERCHEF: A Contestant in the season premiere of MASTERCHEF airing Wed. May 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX

Best-bets for May 25: Chefs begin; other shows end

1) “MasterChef” season-opener (shown here), 8 p.m., Fox. Forty contestants from past seasons get one more shot. Derrick Pelz was a drummer in 2015 … Brandi Mudd was an elementary school teacher in 2016… Lindsay Haig was a lawyer in 2018 … Wuta Onda was an English teacher in 2019. None won (although Mudd was runner-up), but all four became food professionals. In this brisk opener, they’re among 12 people competing for six spots. Read more…

1) “MasterChef” season-opener (shown here), 8 p.m., Fox. Forty contestants from past seasons get one more shot. Derrick Pelz was a drummer in 2015 … Brandi Mudd was an elementary school teacher in 2016… Lindsay Haig was a lawyer in 2018 … Wuta Onda was an English teacher in 2019. None won (although Mudd was runner-up), but all four became food professionals. In this brisk opener, they’re among 12 people competing for six spots.

2) “Survivor” finale, 8-11 p.m., CBS. We’re down to the final five and two will be ousted in the first hour. The second hour will choose the 42nd champion, with a reunion at 10. Contestants range from a young seminary student (Maryanne Oketch, 24 when the season started) to a retired firefighter (Mike Turner, 58). Also: Romeo Ecobar, 37, a pageant coach; Jonathan Young, 29, who co-owns a beach service; and Lindsay Dolashewich, 31, a dietician.

3) “Chicago” shows season-finales, NBC. This is supposed to be a big day – the “Chicago Fire” wedding of Kidd and Severide … with Casey (who’s been gone most of the year) back as best man. The bride and groom are clearly in love, but they fight about work and both are wary of marriage. That’s at 9 p.m., surrounded by “Chicago Med” (Will and Hannah clash over a patient) and “Chicago P.D..”: We learn if Hailey survived the explosion and if the team can finally stop Escano.

4) “The Great American Tag Sale,” 8 p.m., ABC. Martha Stewart had lots of stuff – art or artifacts or mere knickknacks – scattered at her estate. So at 80, she decided to have a sale, inviting celebrities, neighbors and commonfolk. That was turned into this special, with Stewart telling the stories behind some items. It’s followed at 9 by “The American Rescue Dog Show,” with Rob Riggle and Joe Tessitore (“Holey Moley”) giving offbeat awards.

5) “Colombia – Wild and Free” conclusion, 10 p.m., PBS. This two-parter started last week with gorgeous looks at two rivers. Now it visits the ocean and the nearby Andes. There are great water scenes – including eels that turn mating into balletic splendor – plus mountains that occasionally turn deadly. In 1985, a volcano erupted for the first time in 69 years. It killed 20,000 people in a town of 29,000, plus another 3,000 nearby. The abandoned remains of the town are both grim and oddly beautiful.

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