Season 12 (U.S.)

 

Season 12 (U.S.)
Airdate:	May 25 - September 14, 2022
Number of Episodes:	20
Number of Contestants:	20
Winner:	Dara Yu
Runner(s)-Up:	Christian Green Michael Silverstein
Season Chronology
Previous Season:	Season 11
Next Season:	Season 13

Season 12 of MasterChef (titled as MasterChef: Back to Win) aired on FOX between May 25, 2022 and September 14, 2022, featuring the return of contestants from previous seasons to have a second chance to win. Dara Yu, who was the runner-up from Junior Season 1, was the winner of the season and was awarded with The MasterChef trophy, Viking Range kitchen appliances set, and a salary of $250,000.

Top 20

20 contestants from previous seasons return for a second chance to win, it also includes 2 contestants from junior seasons return all grown up to compete.

Contestant	Age	Hometown	Previous Season & Placement	Status
Dara Yu	20	Los Angeles, CA	Junior Season 1 (Runner-Up)	Winner September 14
Christian Green	36	New Orleans, LA	Season 5 (5th)	Runners Up September 14
Michael Silverstein	34	Pittsburgh, PA	Season 10 (15th)
Shanika Patterson	38	Miami, FL	Season 9 (8th)	Eliminated September 7
Emily Hallock	31	Neenah, WI	Season 9 (10th)
Willie Mike	33	Houston, TX	Season 5 (7th)	Eliminated August 31
Amanda Saab	32	Dearborn, MI	Season 6 (13th)
Derrick Fox	35	Fort Myers, FL	Season 6 (Runner-Up)
Bowen Li	29	West Lafayette, IN	Season 9 (5th)	Eliminated August 24
Brandi Mudd	33	Irvington, KY	Season 7 (Runner-Up)
Fred Chang	27	Redondo Beach, CA	Season 10 (10th)	Eliminated August 17
Gabriel Lewis	24	Oklahoma City, OK	Season 8 (7th)
Bri Baker	27	Los Angeles, CA	Season 10 (8th)	Eliminated August 10
Shelly Flash	39	Brooklyn, NY	Season 6 (9th)	Eliminated August 3
Tommy Walton	59	Chicago, IL	Season 6 (7th)	Eliminated July 27
Shayne Wells	18	Spring, TX	Junior Season 5 (3rd)	Eliminated July 20
Samantha Daily	23	West De Moines, IA	Season 9 (4th)	Eliminated July 13
Alejandro Valdivia	40	Atlanta, GA	Season 11 (4th)	Eliminated June 29
Cate Meade	30	Chicago, IL	Season 8 (4th)	Eliminated June 22
Stephen Lee	54	Palm Springs, CA	Season 6 (3rd)	Eliminated June 15

• Note: Italic indicates a contestant's hometown outside the US, who had successfully made it to the competition.

Contestants Eliminated In Qualifications

There was another group of 19 returning contestants who failed to receive their aprons back in the auditions.

Contestant	Age	Hometown	Previous Season & Placement	Result
Adrien Nieto	38	Ventura, CA	Season 2 (Runner-Up)	Lost to Brandi Mudd & Derrick Fox
Natasha Crnjac	35	San Diego, CA	Season 4 (Runner-Up)
Julia Danno	47	Chicago, IL	Season 9 (7th)	Lost to Emily Hallock & Shanika Patterson
Lindsay Haigh	44	Orange, MA	Season 9 (16th)
Wuta Onda	33	Bronx, NY	Season 10 (11th)	Lost to Christian Green & Amanda Saab
Lexy Rogers	24	Zion, IL	Season 11 (9th)
Derrick Prince	44	West Babylon, NY	Season 2 (7th)	Lost to Willie Mike & Tommy Walton
Micah Yaroch	21	Grand Rapids, MI	Season 10 (7th)
Daniel Pontes-Macedo	36	Medford, MA	Season 8 (8th)	Lost to Cate Meade & Michael Silverstein
Sarah Faherty	34	San Diego, CA	Season 10 (Runner-Up)
Brien O'Brien	37	Redding, CA	Season 8 (14th)	Lost to Bowen Li & Stephen Lee
Mike Newton	58	Lipan, TX	Season 8 (12th)
Tae-Ho Ahn	19	Chula Vista, CA	Junior Season 4 (13th)	Lost to Dara Yu & Shayne Wells
Felix Fang	34	Hollywood, CA	Season 3 (7th)	Lost to Fred Chang & Bri Baker
Olivia Crouppen	31	Thousand Oaks, CA	Season 6 (8th)
Jaimee Vitolo		Queens, NY	Season 5 (6th)	Lost to Samantha Daily & Alejandro Valdivia
Keturah King	32	London, England	Season 10 (14th)
Sheetal Bhagat	49	Chicago, IL	Season 1 (4th)	Lost to Shelly Flash & Gabriel Lewis
Malcolm Green	35	Cambridge, MA	Season 4 (17th)

Competition table

Place	Contestant	Episode
		4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18		19/20
1	Dara	IN	LOW	WIN	IN	IN	WIN	IMM	HIGH	LOW	HIGH	IN	IN	LOW	WIN	WIN	WIN	WINNER
2	Christian	IN	HIGH	WIN	IN	WIN	IMM	LOSE	HIGH	IN	IN	WIN	IMM	WIN	WIN	WIN	IN	RUNNERS-UP
	Michael	IN	IN	LOSE	IN	IN	HIGH	WIN	WIN	HIGH	HIGH	LOW	IN	IN	LOSE	LOW	LOW
4	Shanika	HIGH	IN	LOSE	IN	IN	IN	LOSE	IN	WIN	IMM	WIN	IMM	LOW	LOSE	IN	ELIM
5	Emily	WIN	IMM	LOSE	IN	HIGH	IN	LOSE	LOW	LOW	IN	IN	WIN	IN	WIN	ELIM
6	Willie	HIGH	IN	WIN	IN	IN	IN	LOSE	IN	IN	LOW	LOW	IN	WIN	ELIM
7	Amanda	IN	IN	WIN	WIN	IMM	HIGH	LOSE	IN	IN	IN	IN	HIGH	ELIM
	Derrick	IN	IN	WIN	HIGH	IN	IN	WIN	IN	HIGH	WIN	IMM	LOW	ELIM
9	Bowen	IN	IN	LOSE	HIGH	LOW	IN	WIN	IN	WIN	IMM	HIGH	ELIM
10	Brandi	IN	HIGH	WIN	IN	IN	IN	LOSE	LOW	IN	IN	ELIM
11	Fred	IN	WIN	IMM	LOW	IN	IN	WIN	IN	LOW	ELIM
12	Gabriel	LOW	IN	LOSE	IN	IN	IN	WIN	IN	ELIM
13	Bri	IN	IN	LOSE	IN	LOW	LOW	WIN	ELIM
14	Shelly	IN	IN	WIN	LOW	HIGH	LOW	ELIM
15	Tommy	LOW	LOW	WIN	IN	IN	ELIM
16	Shayne	IN	IN	WIN	IN	ELIM
17	Samantha	IN	IN	LOSE	ELIM
18	Alejandro	IN	IN	ELIM
19	Cate	IN	ELIM
20	Stephen	ELIM

     (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 a team challenge but didn't win.

     (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.

     (NOM) The cook was on the winning team in the Team Challenge, but was selected to compete in the Pressure Test, and advanced.

     (WDRW) The cook was forced to leave the competition, due to either personal or medical reasons.

     (PT) The cook was on the losing team in the Team Challenge, competed in the Pressure Test, and advanced.

     (NPT) The cook was on the losing team in the Team Challenge, did not compete in the Pressure Test, and advanced.

     (LOSE) The cook was on the losing team in the Team Challenge.

     (LOW) The cook was one of the bottom entries in an individual challenge or Pressure Test, and they advanced.

     (LOW) The cook was one of the bottom entries in the Team Challenge and they advanced.

     (ELIM) The cook was eliminated from MasterChef.

Ranking to advance per episode

Place	Contestant	Episode
		4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18		19/20
	Michael	4	4	11	4	4	2	2	1	3	2	8	3	3	4	4	3
TBA	Christian	4	2	1	4	1		8	2	5	4	1		1	1	1	2
	Dara	4	17	1	4	4	1	1	2	9	2	4	3	5	1	1	1
4	Shanika	2	4	11	4	4	4	8	4	1		1		5	4	3	4
5	Emily	1		11	4	2	4	8	11	11	4	4	1	3	1	5
6	Willie	2	4	1	4	4	4	8	4	5	10	9	3	1	6
7	Derrick	4	4	1	2	4	4	2	4	4	1		8	7
	Amanda	4	4	1	1		2	8	4	5	4	4	2	7
9	Bowen	4	4	11	2	13	4	2	4	1		3	9
10	Brandi	4	2	1	4	4	4	8	11	5	4	10
11	Fred	4	1	10	15	4	4	1	4	9	11
12	Gabriel	18	4	11	4	4	4	1	4	12
13	Bri	4	4	11	4	13	12	2	13
14	Shelly	4	4	1	15	2	12	14
15	Tommy	18	17	1	4	4	14
16	Shayne	4	4	1	4	15
17	Samantha	4	4	11	17
18	Alejandro	4	4	18
19	Cate	4	19
20	Stephen	20

Episodes

No. in season	Title	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	Episode 1201 (U.S.) - Back to Win - Audition Battles	May 25, 2022	1.75
The judges invite back former contestants for a second chance to win the competition, with only 20 white aprons being handed out. The winner will receive $250,000 and the trophy, as well as a set of appliances from Viking Range. The contestants will have 45 minutes to prepare a redemption dish in a head-to-head battle. Former runners-up Adrien, Brandi, Derrick, and Natasha compete against each other, and Brandi and Derrick both earn an apron. The second group features season nine alums Emily, Julia, Lindsay and Shanika. Emily and Shanika advance. The next group consists of Amanda, Christian, Lexy, and Wuta. Amanda and Christian also advance.
2	Episode 1202 (U.S.) - Back to Win - Audition Battles (Part 2)	June 1, 2022	2.25
The auditions continue with former seventh-place finishers Derrick, Micah, Tommy and Willie. Tommy and Willie earn an apron each. Next, Cate, Daniel, Michael and Sarah cook against each other. Cate and Michael advance. The third group consists of Brien, Bowen, Newton and Stephen. Bowen and Stephen also advance. The last group of the day features MasterChef Junior alums Dara, Shayne and Tae-ho. Dara and Shayne receive the next two aprons.
3	Episode 1203 (U.S.) - Back to Win - Audition Battles (Part 3)	June 8, 2022	2.17
The final rounds of the audition commence as Bri, Olivia, Fred, and Felix compete. Bri and Fred earn their aprons. Next, Keturah, Alejandro, Samantha, and Jaimee cook against each other. Alejandro and Samantha advance. The final competing group is Gabriel, Malcolm, Sheetal, and Shelly. Shelly and Gabriel receive their aprons, rounding out the Top 20.
4	Episode 1204 (U.S.) - Dish That Sent You Home	June 15, 2022	2.38
Elimination Challenge: The top 20 are given one hour to reinvent the dish that resulted in their first elimination. Emily, Willie and Shanika are the top three, and Emily wins the challenge, winning the first immunity pin. Gabriel, Stephen, and Tommy are singled out for having the worst three dishes. Challenge winner/Immune: Emily Hallock Bottom three: Gabriel Lewis, Stephen Lee and Tommy Walton Eliminated: Stephen Lee
5	Episode 1205 (U.S.) - Winners Mystery Box - Spirit of Vegas	June 22, 2022	2.35
Mystery Box Challenge: Emily is immune from elimination. The remaining contestants face a mystery box challenge set by season seven winner Shaun O'Neale. They are given one hour to cook a dish featuring the spirit under their box. Brandi, Christian and Fred are the top three, and Fred wins, earning the immunity pin. Cate, Dara, and Tommy land in the bottom three. Challenge winner/Immune: Fred Chang Bottom three: Cate Meade, Dara Yu and Tommy Walton Eliminated: Cate Meade
6	Episode 1206 (U.S.) - Back to Win: Feeding the U.S. Coast Guard	June 29, 2022	2.23
Team Challenge: For the top 18's first team challenge, they must cater to 101 U.S. Coast Guards. Fred is safe from elimination, but still has to participate in the cook. The judges divided the teams up with the Blue team consisting of everyone from the first season to season seven and the two former Junior contestants, and the Red team consisting of everyone from season eight to season eleven. Christian led the Blue team while Alejandro led the Red team. The Blue team won 71-30 and rather than putting people in the bottom based on their performances, the judges immediately eliminate Alejandro. Challenge winners: Amanda Saab, Brandi Mudd, Christian Green, Dara Yu, Derrick Fox, Shayne Wells, Shelly Flash, Tommy Walton, and Willie Mike Eliminated: Alejandro Valdivia
7	Episode 1207 (U.S.) - Gordon Ramsay Loves Vegans!	July 13, 2022	2.22
Elimination Challenge: Gordon shows a vegan version of his beef wellington to the top 17. They are then given one hour to cook a vegan dish. Bowen, Derrick and Amanda are the top three, and Amanda wins, receiving the immunity pin. Fred, Samantha, and Shelly present the bottom three dishes. Challenge winner/Immune: Amanda Saab Bottom three: Fred Chang, Samantha Daily and Shelly Flash Eliminated: Samantha Daily
8	Episode 1208 (U.S.) - Southern Fusion with Guest Chef Tiffany Derry		July 20, 2022	2.38
Elimination Challenge: Amanda is safe from elimination. The 15 remaining contestants are joined by Tiffany Derry for their next challenge. They are tasked with cooking a fusion dish combining Southern cuisine with an international cuisine chosen randomly. Christian, Emily and Shelly are the top three, and Christian wins, winning the immunity pin. Bowen, Bri and Shayne are the bottom three Challenge winner/Immune: Christian Green Bottom three: Bri Baker, Bowen Li and Shayne Wells Eliminated: Shayne Wells
9	Episode 1209 (U.S.) - Bake to Win		July 27, 2022	2.35
Elimination Challenge: Christian is immune from elimination. The remaining contestants are given 90 minutes to bake one of 14 desserts, with Christian deciding the order in which they select their desserts. Michael, Amanda and Dara are the top three, and Dara wins, earning the immunity pin. Bri, Shelly, and Tommy are called out for having the worst three dishes. Challenge winner/Immune: Dara Yu Bottom three: Bri Baker, Shelly Flash and Tommy Walton Eliminated: Tommy Walton
10	Episode 1210 (U.S.) - Cooking for Horse Town U.S.A.		August 3, 2022	2.22
Team Challenge: The top 14 travel to Norco, California for their next team challenge, where they are asked to prepare a steak entree with sides for 101 cowboys and cowgirls. Bri is selected as the captain of the Red Team and Shelly as the captain of the Blue Team. The Red Team members consist of Bowen, Bri, Dara, Derrick, Fred, Gabriel and Michael; the Blue Team members consist of Amanda, Brandi, Christian, Emily, Shanika, Shelly and Willie. The Red Team is declared the winner. The judges deem Shelly's performance to be the weakest and she is eliminated. Challenge winners: Bri Baker, Bowen Li, Dara Yu, Derrick Fox, Fred Chang, Gabriel Lewis and Michael Silverstein Eliminated: Shelly Flash
11	Episode 1211 (U.S.) - Winners Mystery Box - Christine Ha		August 10, 2022	2.09
Mystery Box Challenge: The top 13 are given a mystery box assembled by season three winner Christine Hà. They have one hour to cook a dish using every Vietnamese cuisine ingredient in the box. Christian, Michael and Dara are the top three, and Michael wins, receiving the immunity pin. Brandi, Bri, and Emily land in the bottom three. Challenge winner/Immune: Michael Silverstein Bottom three: Brandi Mudd, Bri Baker and Emily Hallock Eliminated: Bri Baker
12	Episode 1212 (U.S.) - Tag Team		August 17, 2022	1.97
Tag Team Challenge: The top 12 are split into six teams of two: The Blue Team (Amanda and Willie), Green Team (Bowen and Shanika), Grey Team (Derrick and Michael), Maroon Team (Brandi and Christian), Orange Team (Dara and Fred), and Yellow Team (Emily and Gabriel) for a tag team challenge. They are tasked with recreating three of Gordon's signature dishes in 90 minutes, with the teams taking turns cooking and giving directions. The Green and Grey Teams are the top four, and the Green Team wins, winning two immunity pins. The Orange and Yellow Teams are the bottom four. Challenge winners: Bowen Li and Shanika Patterson Bottom four: Dara Yu, Fred Chang, Emily Hallock, and Gabriel Lewis Eliminated: Gabriel Lewis
13	Episode 1213 (U.S.) - GrubHub Challenge		August 17, 2022	1.97
Elimination Challenge: Bowen and Shanika are safe from elimination. The nine remaining contestants are given 45 minutes to create an elevated version of a randomly selected take-out dish. Michael, Dara and Derrick are the top three, and Derrick wins, receiving the immunity pin. Fred and Willie's dishes are singled out as the two worst. Challenge winner/Immune: Derrick Fox Bottom two: Fred Chang and Willie Mike Eliminated: Fred Chang
14	Episode 1214 (U.S.) - Gas Station Gourmet		August 24, 2022	2.33
Elimination Challenge: Derrick is safe from elimination. The other nine contestants have 45 minutes to make a gourmet dish inspired by gas station food. Bowen, Christian and Shanika are the top three, and Christian and Shanika each receive a immunity pin for the second time. Brandi, Michael, and Willie present the three worst dishes. Challenge winners/Immune: Christian Green and Shanika Patterson Bottom three: Brandi Mudd, Michael Silverstein and Willie Mike Eliminated: Brandi Mudd
15	Episode 1215 (U.S.) - Winners Mystery Box - Gerron Hurt		August 24, 2022	2.33
Mystery Box Challenge: The seven contestants besides Christian and Shanika face their next mystery box challenge, set by season nine winner Gerron Hurt. They are given 45 minutes to cook a dish highlighting chili peppers. Amanda and Emily are the top two, and Emily wins, receiving an advantage in the following challenge. Bowen and Derrick land in the bottom two. Challenge winner: Emily Hallock Bottom two: Bowen Li and Derrick Fox Eliminated: Bowen Li
16	Episode 1216 (U.S.) - The Wall		August 31, 2022	2.12
Team Challenge: The top eight are divided into four teams of two, with Emily choosing the teams. She selects Michael as her partner, forming the Orange Team. She then pairs up Christian and Willie (Blue Team), Amanda and Derrick (Green Team), and Shanika and Dara (Red Team). The teams are allowed to cook any dish they want, but the members cannot see each other and must communicate to produce exact replications. The Blue Team wins the challenge, and the Orange Team is saved, putting the Green and Red Teams in the bottom four. Challenge winners: Christian Green and Willie Mike Bottom four: Amanda Saab, Dara Yu, Derrick Fox and Shanika Patterson Eliminated: Amanda Saab and Derrick Fox
17	Episode 1217 (U.S.) - Restaurant Takeover - Spago		August 31, 2022	2.12
Team Challenge: The top six takeover the kitchen of Wolfgang Puck's Los Angeles restaurant, Spago. For winning the previous challenge, Willie and Christian become team captains, with the judges picking the teams. Christian leads the Red Team with Emily and Dara, while Willie leads the Blue Team with Michael and Shanika. The teams are tasked with preparing and serving two appetizers and two entrees from the menu, with Gordon running the pass. The Red Team is declared the winner. Challenge winners: Christian Green, Dara Yu, and Emily Hallock Eliminated: Willie Mike
18	Episode 1218 (U.S.) - Semi Finals		September 7, 2022	2.32
Pressure Test: In the first round of the semifinals, the top five are asked to recreate a baked Alaska in 75 minutes. Dara and Christian's desserts are judged to be the best, and Shanika is saved, leaving Emily and Michael as the bottom two. Challenge winners: Christian Green and Dara Yu Bottom two: Emily Hallock and Michael Silverstein Eliminated: Emily Hallock Pressure Test: The remaining contestants must keep up with Gordon in replicating his dish as he prepares it. They are given an additional 30 seconds to plate after he finishes. Michael and Shanika's dishes are considered the two worst. Bottom two: Michael Silverstein and Shanika Patterson Eliminated: Shanika Patterson
19	Episode 1219 (U.S.) - Finale Part 1 - Special Guest Graham Elliot		September 7, 2022	2.32
Finale: The finalists must prepare and execute a three-course menu consisting of an appetizer, entree and dessert, with one hour to cook each course. Appetizers: Michael serves cold smoked steelhead trout with a pomelo and cucumber aguachile, salsa macha and pickled cucumbers. Dara serves crispy skin red snapper with grilled asparagus and a miso Béarnaise sauce. Christian serves fried green tomato with a crawfish salad, remoulade sauce and caviar. Former MasterChef judge Graham Elliot joins the judging panel for the second course. The entrees begin cooking as the first hour ends.
20	Episode 1220 (U.S.) - Finale Part 2 - Special Guest Christina Tosi		September 14, 2022	2.53
Entree: Michael serves chili rubbed lamb loin with a roasted poblano grit cake, corn puree and birria jus. Dara serves Chinese-style short ribs with Japanese sweet potato, spiced carrot, caramelized onions and a carrot top gremolata. Christian serves a Cajun-rubbed filet mignon with shrimp & crab cake, sauteed turnip greens, parsnip puree and a tomato Cajun cream sauce. Former judge Christina Tosi returns for the last course of the finale. Dessert: Dara serves vanilla floating island with a crème anglaise, tropical fruit and caramelized forbidden rice. Michael serves tres leches with deep-fried milk, mango ice cream, Cajeta "goat's milk" caramel and a tropical fruit salsa. Christian serves his grandmother's banana pudding with a bourbon caramel sauce, salted pecans and a lemon cookie. Final Three: Christian Green, Dara Yu and Michael Silverstein Dara is named the winner, winning $250,000, the trophy and the MasterChef title. MasterChef Winner: Dara Yu

Trivia

• This is the second season in a row where auditions take three episodes.
• In terms of season representations that passed the auditions, Season 6 had the most at five returning chefs be in this season, but Seasons 7, 11, and Junior Seasons 1 and 5 are tied with the least amount of representatives with one returning chef each.
  • Counting contestants that failed to receive aprons, Season 10 had the most at seven returning chefs auditioning, but Seasons 1, 3, 7, and Junior Seasons 1, 4, and 5 are tied with the least amount of returning chefs auditioning, with one returning chef each.
• This is the first season where the team captains of every single team challenge, except the Tag Team and The Wall ones, were eliminated (Alejandro, Shelly, and Willie).