TV ratings: Fox takes quiet Memorial Day with ‘Masterchef,’ ‘24’

Not many people watched TV on Memorial Day, but many who did saw Gordon Ramsay and Jack Bauer.

With the help of the Season 5 premiere of “Masterchef” and another episode of “24: Live Another Day,” Fox won the night in ratings in the key young-adults demographic.

The network averaged a rating of 1.5 among 18- to 49-year-old viewers, where a point equals about 1.3 million people. However, Fox came in third in overall viewership, behind “Bachelorette”-fueled ABC and a rerun-heavy CBS.

“Masterchef” premiered to 4.1 million viewers and a rating of 1.4 in 18-49, down 33% from the 8-9 p.m. hour of its two-hour season opener a year ago, which was not on a holiday. The Memorial Day “24” episode fell 12% week-to-week to a 1.5, which gave it a tie with NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior” premiere for the highest-rated show of the night in the key demo.

The 1.5 for “American Ninja Warrior” was down 12% from last summer’s debut.

ABC’s “The Bachelorette” won in total viewership by averaging 5.7 million viewers. Its 18-49 rating of 1.4 was 30% lower than its premiere last week.

CBS had a quiet night with comedy reruns and specials from “Friends With Better Lives” and “48 Hours,” but managed to pull in an average of 5 million viewers.