'MasterChef': Where are all the winners from previous ten seasons now?
‘MasterChef’ gives home cooks an amazing platform to make their dreams of becoming the culinary world’s superstars true. The show features celebrity judges (Gordon Ramsey, Aaron Sanchez, and Joe Bastianich) throw various challenges in the way of the participants thus giving them an opportunity to showcase their culinary skills.
The challenges range from pressure tests - where the participants must create or recreate a dish in a limited time or display their knife skills, to group challenges where the participants are split into teams and work together to complete a task. The participants who do not perform well in these tasks risk getting eliminated from the show. The participant who successfully completes most of these challenges and manages to impress the judges not only gets the MasterChef winner trophy, but also a cool $250,000 and a cookbook deal! The show has successfully completed ten seasons since its premiere. So, a total of ten MasterChef winners are out there, and have you ever wondered what have they been up to? Read on to know all about your favorite winner’s life post their sweet victory on MasterChef.
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Whitney Miller (season 1)
Whitney was still a college student when she entered the competition. This young girl however soon won over the judges with her impressive cooking and presentation skills, taking home the trophy and earning the nickname ‘Pastry Princess’ from the judges. She returned to college after the competition and released her cookbook - 'Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm'. More recently she took out another - Whitney Miller’s New Southern Table. She has published several recipes in various magazines and appeared in various cooking shows and cooking demonstrations since winning her title.
Jennifer Behm (season 2)
Jennifer was a realtor when she joined the show. After her success on the show, she organized and participated in several cooking events and demonstrations. Along with her husband, she started a catering company Pink Martini Catering and also runs a restaurant named Red Fin Crudo in Rhode Island.
Christine Ha (season 3)
Christine was still a student when she won the competition. She was the first-ever blind contestant on the show. After winning the competition, she published her cookbook 'Recipes from My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food'. Apart from writing, she offers private chef services. She co-hosts a television show ‘Four Senses’ and judged MasterChef Vietnam. She is currently working on her second cookbook/memoir.
Luca Manfe (season 4)
Luca was a restaurant manager when he entered the competition. After winning the competition, he published 'My Italian Kitchen: Favorite Family Recipes', launched a personal catering service called Dinner with Luca and a food truck The Lucky Fig. He also hosts online cookery classes with MasterChef winners Shaun and Claudia.
Courtney Lapresi (season 5)
Courtney was a dancer from Philadelphia. After winning MasterChef, she published her book 'Everyday Fancy: 65 Easy, Elegant Recipes for Meals, Snacks, Sweets, and Drinks'. She currently works in sales for Tesla.
Claudia Sandoval (season 6)
Claudia worked as an event manager when she joined the cooking competition. Post winning, she found plenty of success in the food scene. She published 'Claudia's Cocina: A Taste of Mexico', launched catering business Claudia's Cocina. She is also a brand ambassador for large brands and hosts online cookery classes with MasterChef winners Luca and Shaun.
Shaun O’Neale (season 7)
Shaun was a DJ when he joined the show. After winning the competition, Shaun published his cookbook 'My Modern American Table: Recipes for Inspired Home Cooks', has hosted several pop-up dining events and currently hosts online cookery classes with MasterChef winners Luca and Claudia.
Dino Angelo Luciano (season 8)
Dino was a dancer when he entered the competition. He currently works as an Executive Chef at Muse and Market in Phoenix.
Gerron Hurt (season 9)
Gerron Hurt worked as an English Teacher when he joined the competition. After the show, he has appeared at several cookery events in Louisville. His wedding to Brandi Beckham was televised on MasterChef season 10, and the participants from season 10 had to cater to his wedding as part of their challenge.
Dorian Hunter (Season 10)
In an exclusive interview with MEAWW, Dorian had shared what she planned on doing post 'MasterChef'. She shared, "I want to publish several cookbooks and open a fine dining restaurant featuring elevated southern cuisine.” According to her website, Dorian is "currently working on different recipes in preparation for the release of her first cookbook." On the show, Dorian shared the emotional story of how she lost her mother to breast cancer in 2017. The chef is determined to use her platform to create awareness about the disease and the importance of getting screened. So she also has plans of working alongside some of the cancer research organizations.
'MasterChef: Legends' Season 11 is set to premiere on Wednesday, June 2, at 8/7c on FOX.