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MasterChef (American TV series) season 16

2026 season of television series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The sixteenth season of the American competitive reality television series MasterChef (also known as MasterChef: Global Gauntlet) premiered on Fox on April 15, 2026. Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Tiffany Derry returned as judges.[1]

Judges
No. of contestants20
No. of episodes15
Original networkFox
Quick facts Judges, No. of contestants ...
MasterChef: Global Gauntlet
Season 16
Promotional poster for season 16, featuring (L to R) judges Joe Bastianich, Gordon Ramsay, and Tiffany Derry
Judges
No. of contestants20
No. of episodes15
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseApril 15, 2026 (2026-04-15) –
present
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 15
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Production

The series was confirmed for a sixteenth season renewal on October 9, 2025. It was also revealed that Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Tiffany Derry would be returning as judges for the season.[2] It was later revealed that the season would premiere on April 15, 2026.[3] Following the eighth episode, the season took a six-week hiatus due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[4]

This is the second season of the American series not to utilize its usual soundstage in Los Angeles; the season was instead filmed at the Canadian series' set in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as well as in Toronto's surrounding areas such as Brampton.[5]

Contestants

The top twenty contestants from this season were selected and represented four different regions in the world, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Americas.[6][7][8][9]

Note: Contestant details are as shown in graphics in the show except where cited.

More information Contestant, Age ...
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Country heritage Region Status
Julia Cili[10] 23 Miami, Florida Financial analyst Italy Europe Top 5
Basia Newman[11][12] 45 Asbury Park, New Jersey Teacher Poland Europe
Heidi Muston[13] 51 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Yacht charter broker South Africa Africa
Peter Egede[14] 29 Atlanta, Georgia Former banking consultant Nigeria Africa
Jake Kelley[15] 24 Alma, Michigan Pharmacy technician Mexico The Americas
Dave Patera[16] 42 Chicago, Illinois Food content creator Algeria/Morocco Africa Eliminated August 26
Foo Nguyen[17] 53 Irvine, California Stay-at-home dad Vietnam Asia-Pacific Eliminated August 19
Tkaiya Dryden[18] 23 Jamaica, New York Digital content specialist Jamaica The Americas
Aishu (Challa) Leitz[19] 33 Boston, Massachusetts Mom of three India Asia-Pacific Eliminated August 12
Jaime Horan (Tan)[20] 27 Queens, New York Content creator Malaysia Asia-Pacific
Maria Bourland[21] 48 Miami Beach, Florida Food content creator Brazil The Americas Eliminated August 5
Aghata Sunsi[22] 35 Westminster, Colorado Stay-at-home-mom Spain Europe Eliminated July 29
Rita Igbinoba[23] 24 Brooklyn, New York Human resources case manager Nigeria Africa Eliminated July 22
Shompa Kabir-Furqan[24] 29 Brooklyn, New York Content creator Bangladesh Asia-Pacific
Britny Underwood[25] 34 North Hollywood, California Pro-wrestler & personal trainer Barbados The Americas Eliminated July 15
Daniel Meng[26] 23 Johns Creek, Georgia Business school graduate China Asia-Pacific
Nico (Cosereanu) Savoré[27] 21 Millburn, New Jersey Student Italy/Romania Europe Eliminated June 3
Ted Pappas[28] 50 Chicago, Illinois Architect Greece Europe Eliminated May 27
Camilo Chavez III[29] 54 Bastrop, Texas Wholesale business director Mexico The Americas Eliminated May 20
Nora Chakri[30] 35 Las Vegas, Nevada Former model Morocco Africa Eliminated May 13
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Elimination table

More information Place, Contestant ...
Place Contestant Episodes
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
TBA Basia IN HIGH IN IN IMM LOW IN IMM LOW LOW IN TBA
Heidi IN WIN IMM HIGH IN IN WIN IN LOW WIN WIN TBA
Jake LOW IN WIN IN HIGH IMM WIN HIGH WIN HIGH WIN TBA
Julia LOW IN IN HIGH WIN IMM IN WIN LOW HIGH WIN TBA
Peter HIGH IMM WIN LOW LOW HIGH WIN LOW HIGH LOW IN TBA
6 Dave IN IMM WIN IMM IN IN WIN HIGH WIN WIN ELIM
7 Foo IMM LOW IN IMM IN IN IN LOW LOW ELIM
Tkaiya HIGH IN WIN HIGH IN IMM WIN IN HIGH ELIM
9 Aishu WIN IMM IN IMM IN HIGH IN IN ELIM
Jaime IMM IN IN WIN IMM IN LOW HIGH ELIM
11 Maria IN HIGH WIN LOW IN WIN IMM ELIM
12 Aghata HIGH IN IN IN IMM HIGH ELIM
13 Rita IN IMM WIN IMM HIGH ELIM
Shompa IMM HIGH IN IMM HIGH ELIM
15 Britny IN IN WIN IN ELIM
Daniel IMM IN LOW IMM ELIM
17 Nico IN LOW LOW ELIM
18 Ted IN IN ELIM
19 Camilo IN ELIM
20 Nora ELIM
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  (WINNER) This cook won the competition.
  (RUNNER-UP) This cook finished as a runner-up in the finals.
  (WIN) The cook won the individual challenge (Mystery Box Challenge/Skills Test or Elimination Test).
  (WIN) The cook was on the winning team in the Team Challenge and directly advanced to the next round.
  (HIGH) The cook was one of the top entries in the individual challenge but didn't win.
  (HIGH) The cook was one of the top entries in the Team Challenge.
  (IN) The cook wasn't selected as a top or bottom entry in an individual challenge.
  (IN) The cook wasn't selected as a top or bottom entry in a team challenge.
  (IMM) The cook didn't have to compete in that round of the competition and was safe from elimination.
  (IMM) The cook had to compete in that round of the competition but was safe from elimination.
  (IMM) The cook was selected by the winner of the previous challenge and didn't have to compete in the Elimination Test.
  (LOW) The cook was one of the bottom entries in an individual challenge, and was the last person to advance.
  (LOW) The cook was one of the bottom entries in the Team Challenge and they advanced.
  (ELIM) The cook was eliminated from MasterChef.

Episodes

More information No. overall, No. in season ...
No.
overall		No. in
season		Title [31][32]Original release date [31][32]Prod.
code [31]		U.S. viewers
(millions)
3011"Auditions Day 1 (Europe)"April 15, 2026 (2026-04-15)MCH-1601N/A
The contestants will be separated into audition groups based on the territory they are representing. They will have 45 minutes to prepare a signature dish. Europe is up first. In order to receive a white apron, contestants must receive yeses from all three judges. The first contestants are Dan and Julia. Dan fails his audition, but Julia receives three yeses and advances. Nico and Jocelyn are next. Jocelyn does not advance, however Nico does. Aghata is the next contestant. She receives three yeses earning her the next apron. Ted auditions next and earns the next apron. The final auditions are of Jeff and Basia both representing Poland. Jeff fails, however Basia succeeds earning her the final apron for Europe.
3022"Auditions Day 2 (Asia-Pacific)"April 22, 2026 (2026-04-22)MCH-1602N/A
The territory auditioning next is Asia-Pacific. Laurence is the first to audition but he fails. Aishu is the next to audition and she receives three yeses advancing her. Foo and Shompa both earn three yeses each and advance. Tony and Iman are next but both fail to earn an apron. Jaime auditions next and she gets three yeses giving her the next apron. Fatima is the next to audition but fails. Daniel is the last to audition of the day and he gets three yeses winning him the final apron for Asia-Pacific.
3033"Auditions Day 3 (Africa)"April 29, 2026 (2026-04-29)MCH-1603N/A
Africa will be the next territory to audition. Nadine is the first to audition but she fails. Nora auditions next and earns three yeses which earns her the first apron. Rita is next to audition and she also receives three yeses and an apron. Dave is the next contestant to audition and he gets three yeses as well earning him the third apron. Abel is next to audition but doesn't earn an apron. Heidi auditions next and she gets three yeses earning her the fourth apron. Meryhan is the next contestant to audition, she only receives one yes so she does not advance. The final contestant to audition is Peter and he receives three yeses and the final apron for Africa.
3044"Auditions Day 4 (The Americas)"May 6, 2026 (2026-05-06)MCH-1604N/A
The final territory to audition will be The Americas. Tkaiya is the first to audition and she receives three yeses earning her the first apron. Coby is next but fails his audition. Camilo auditions next and receives three yeses earning him the next white apron. Both Harold and Jhanelle fail their audition. Britny is who auditions next and she earns three yeses along with the third apron. Jake auditions next and receives a unanimous yes along with the fourth apron. Maria and Andrea are the final two who audition. Andrea fails her audition, but Maria receives three yeses and the last apron for Americas and overall.
3055"Game Day Gourmet"May 13, 2026 (2026-05-13)MCH-1605N/A

  • Elimination Challenge: The top 20 face their first challenge where they have to elevate their own version of Stadium Food while showing their heritage on a plate. The winner of this challenge will win the immunity pin and be safe from elimination in the next challenge, as well as save their entire territory from elimination that night. They have 60 minutes to make their dishes. The top four dishes belong to Aishu, Aghata, Peter, and Tkaiya, and Aishu wins the challenge, winning immunity for the entire Asia-Pacific territory. The bottom three dishes belong to Julia, Jake, and Nora. When the judges tasted Nora's dish, Tiffany spotted a band-aid in her dish, which made it an easy consensus for the judges to eliminate Nora without discussing the mistakes on Julia and Jake's dishes.
  • Challenge winner/Immune: Aishu (Challa) Leitz
  • Immune: Daniel Meng, Foo Nguyen, Jaime Horan (Tan), and Shompa Kabir-Furqan
  • Bottom three: Jake Kelley, Julia Cili, and Nora Chakri
  • Eliminated: Nora Chakri
3066"Eggs Benedict"May 20, 2026 (2026-05-20)MCH-1606N/A

  • Mystery Box Challenge: Aishu is immune from this challenge due to winning the previous one. The other home cooks arrive to mystery boxes and find Eggland's Best eggs inside. They are tasked with sixty minutes to make an Eggs Benedict and also putting their cultural spin on it. After a demonstration from Gordon where he made a Scottish inspired version, Aishu was revealed to have an advantage of giving one territory a tiny whisk. Targeting Europe, Aishu gives them the whisk. The top four dishes are those of Shompa, Basia, Heidi, and Maria. Heidi ends up winning saving her entire territory and earning her the immunity pin. The bottom three dishes belong to Foo, Nico and Camilo. Camilo is sent home.
  • Immune: Aishu (Challa) Leitz
  • Challenge winner/Immune: Heidi Muston
  • Immune: Dave Patera, Peter Egede, Rita Igbinoba
  • Bottom three: Camilo Chavez III, Foo Nguyen, and Nico (Cosereanu) Savoré
  • Eliminated: Camilo Chavez III
3077"Team Pitch to Plate"May 27, 2026 (2026-05-27)MCH-1607N/A

  • Team Challenge: For their first team challenge, the top 18 have to cook lunch for 100 young soccer players part of the U.S. Soccer Forward foundation as well as their coach and manager Mauricio Pochettino. Heidi has the advantage of choosing which territories to pair up with for this challenge. She pairs Africa with The Americas, forming the Red Team with Dave as the captain, while Europe and Asia-Pacific make up the Blue Team with Ted as the captain. The Red Team wins the challenge and Dave wins the immunity pin and an advantage in the upcoming challenge. Ted, Daniel, and Nico are deemed as the bottom three. Ted is eliminated.
  • Immune: Heidi Muston
  • Challenge winners/Immune: Britny Underwood, Dave Patera, Heidi Muston, Jake Kelley, Maria Bourland, Peter Egede, Rita Igbinoba, and Tkaiya Dryden
  • Bottom three: Daniel Meng, Nico (Cosereanu) Savoré, and Ted Pappas
  • Eliminated: Ted Pappas
3088"World Cup Cookoff"June 3, 2026 (2026-06-03)MCH-1608N/A

  • Elimination Challenge: The top 17 arrive in the kitchen to a cookout like setup and a TV. In honor of the World Cup, the contestants are tasked with sixty minutes to make a dish that would be eaten to watch the game. The winner of the challenge would receive the immunity pin as well as a $2500 gift card to Home Depot. Dave was revealed to have the advantage of giving one contestant a “red card” halfway through the cook saving them from elimination. At the halfway mark, Dave decides to give the red card to Rita thereby saving her. The top four dishes belong to Jaime, Julia, Heidi and Tkaiya. Jaime wins earning her the immunity pin, the gift card and immunity for the rest of her territory. Nico, Peter, and Maria are the bottom three. Peter is saved first due to making a good dish just being on the bottom by default. Nico is eliminated.
  • Immune: Dave Patera and Rita Igbinoba
  • Challenge winner/Immune: Jaime Horan (Tan)
  • Immune: Aishu (Challa) Leitz, Daniel Meng, Foo Nguyen, and Shompa Kabir-Furqan
  • Bottom three: Maria Bourland, Nico (Cosereanu) Savoré, and Peter Egede
  • Eliminated: Nico (Cosereanu) Savoré
3099"Bitter Sweet Mystery Box"July 15, 2026 (2026-07-15)MCH-1609N/A

  • Mystery Box Challenge: The top 16 face another mystery box challenge where they will have 75 minutes to make a dish using chocolate, incorporating their heritage on a plate. The winner of the challenge will win the immunity pin as well as kitchen tools from OXO. It is also announced that two cooks will be eliminated after this challenge. Jaime has the advantage of giving one territory five extra minutes to cook, giving them 80 minutes, and another territory five less minutes, giving them 70 minutes. She chooses Asia-Pacific to have 80 minutes and Africa to have 70 minutes. The top four dishes belong to Shompa, Julia, Rita, and Jake. Julia wins the challenge, earning the immunity pin, the OXO cookware, and saving Europe from elimination. The bottom three dishes belong to Daniel, Peter, and Britny. Peter is saved, sending Daniel and Britny home.
  • Immune: Jaime Horan (Tan)
  • Challenge winner/Immune: Julia Cili
  • Immune: Aghata Sunsi and Basia Newman
  • Bottom three: Britny Underwood, Daniel Meng, and Peter Egede
  • Eliminated: Britny Underwood and Daniel Meng
31010"Wheel of Fusion"July 22, 2026 (2026-07-22)MCH-1610N/A

  • Elimination Challenge: The top 14 enter the kitchen to find a giant spinning wheel with many different types of cuisines on it. The judges announce that each territory will pick one representative to spin the wheel and whatever cuisine it lands on, they must fuse that country's cuisine with the cuisine of their own culture in 60 minutes. Upon spinning, Asia-Pacific gets assigned French, Europe gets Japanese, The Americas get Nigerian, and Africa gets Greek. As Julia's advantage for winning the previous challenge, she is able to switch what cuisine a territory has to fuse their dishes with. She switches Africa from Greek to Australian. The top four dishes belong to Aishu, Aghata, Peter and Maria. Maria wins earning her immunity for herself and the rest of her territory. The bottom three dishes belong to Shompa, Basia and Rita. The judges decide to eliminate both Shompa and Rita.
  • Immune: Julia Cili
  • Challenge winner/Immune: Maria Bourland
  • Immune: Jake Kelley, Tkaiya Dryden
  • Bottom three: Basia Newman, Rita Igbinoba, and Shompa Kabir-Furquan
  • Eliminated: Rita Igbinoba and Shompa Kabir-Furquan
31111"Royal Wedding"July 29, 2026 (2026-07-29)MCH-1611N/A

  • Team Challenge: The top 12 arrive at the Casa Loma where they will be catering the wedding of season 15 winners, Jesse & Jessica. They are required to serve a scallop appetizer and a duck entree. Maria has the advantage of choosing which territory to pair up with. She chooses Africa, forming the Blue Team, while Europe and Asia-Pacific form the Red Team. The judges tell Maria that since she has immunity, she can’t be the captain, then they select Peter as the Blue Team captain and select Aishu and Aghata as the candidates for the Red Team captain which Aishu ends up volunteering. The Blue Team wins the challenge. Jaime and Aghata are singled out as the bottom two. The judges eliminate Aghata.
  • Immune: Maria Bourland
  • Challenge winners/Immune: Dave Petera, Heidi Muston, Jake Kelley, Maria Bourland, Peter Egede, and Tkaiya Dryden
  • Bottom two: Aghata Sunsi and Jaime Horan (Tan)
  • Eliminated: Aghata Sunsi
31212"Global Feed"August 5, 2026 (2026-08-05)MCH-1612TBD

  • Mystery Box Challenge: The top 11 face another mystery box challenge where they must make a dish that has the potential to go viral on social media. It is also stated that there are no more immunity pins in play. Internet personality, Nick DiGiovanni appears as a special guest judge for this challenge and announces that the winner of this challenge will get an opportunity to collaborate in one of his videos. The top four dishes belong to Jaime, Julia, Dave, and Jake. Julia wins the challenge, saving her territory from elimination and getting the opportunity to work with Nick. The bottom three dishes belong to Foo, Peter and Maria. Maria is eliminated.
  • Challenge winner/Immune: Julia Cili
  • Immune: Basia Newman
  • Bottom three: Foo Nguyen, Maria Bourland, and Peter Egede
  • Eliminated: Maria Bourland
31313"Tag Team"August 12, 2026 (2026-08-12)MCH-1613TBD

  • Team Challenge: In honor of the upcoming DreamWorks Animation film, Forgotten Island, the top 10 face the annual Tag Team Challenge where they must replicate three dishes based on the judges’ most cherished food memories. It is announced that both cooks from the worst performing team will be leaving after this challenge, so the judges let everyone choose their own partner for this challenge. The pairs are Aishu and Jaime (Red Team), Basia and Foo (Yellow Team), Heidi and Julia (Blue Team), Dave and Jake (Pink Team), and Peter and Tkaiya (Grey Team). The top two teams are the Grey and Pink Teams and the Pink Team wins the challenge, earning an advantage in the next challenge and winning tickets to the premiere of Forgotten Island. The Red, Yellow, and Blue Teams are called forward as the bottom six. The Blue Team is saved first, then the judges eliminate the Red Team.
  • Challenge winners/Immune: Dave Patera and Jake Kelley
  • Bottom six: Aishu (Challa) Leitz, Basia Newman, Foo Nguyen, Heidi Muston, Jaime Horan (Tan), and Julia Cili
  • Eliminated: Aishu (Challa) Leitz and Jaime Horan (Tan)
31414"The Wall"August 19, 2026 (2026-08-19)MCH-1614TBD

  • Team Challenge: The top eight compete in the Wall Challenge, where they will work in pairs to make a dishes that look and taste identical. The judges also warn that two home cooks will be sent home after this challenge and that they don't have to be from the same team. Dave and Jake get to choose the teams, but they are first given the option to cook as a pair again after winning the Tag Team Challenge, but they opt to split up and form new pairs. The pairs are Dave and Heidi (Red Team), Jake and Julia (Yellow Team), Tkaiya and Basia (Blue Team), and Peter and Foo (Pink Team). The Red Team wins the challenge, while the Yellow Team also does enough to be safe. The Blue and Pink Teams are the bottom four. The judges eliminate Foo and Tkaiya.
  • Challenge winners/Immune: Dave Patera and Heidi Muston
  • Bottom four: Basia Newman, Foo Nguyen, Peter Egede, and Tkaiya Dryden
  • Eliminated: Foo Nguyen and Tkaiya Dryden
31515"Restaurant Takeover"August 26, 2026 (2026-08-26)MCH-1615TBD
31616"Keeping Up With Gordon and Tiffany"September 2, 2026 (2026-09-02)MCH-1616TBD
31717"Finale Part 1"September 9, 2026 (2026-09-09)MCH-1617TBD
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References

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