Season 7 of MasterChef aired on FOX between June 1 and September 14, 2016. DJ Shaun O'Neale, from Las Vegas, Nevada, was the winner of the season and was awarded with the MasterChef trophy, the right to publish his own cookbook, and a salary of $250,000.
Top 20
20 contestants competed on this season. The contestants were (relative to their placement):
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaun O'Neale | 33 | Las Vegas, NV | DJ | Winner September 14 |
| Brandi Mudd | 27 | Irvingtton, KY | Elementary School Teacher | Runners-Up September 14 |
| David Williams | 35 | Las Vegas, NV | Professional Poker Player | |
| Tanorria Askew | 34 | Chattanooga, TN | Credit Union Coordinator | Eliminated September 7 |
| Dan Paustian | 26 | Charlotte, NC | Server | |
| Katie Dixon | 33 | Hattiesburg, MS | Fitness Trainer/Retail Associate | Eliminated August 31 |
| Nathan Barnhouse | 20 | Slippery Rock, PA | Tuxedo Salesman | |
| Eric Howard | 26 | Queens, NY | Fireman | Eliminated August 24 |
| Terry Mueller | 40 | Long Island, NY | Handyman | |
| Diamond Alexander | 24 | San Diego, CA | Web Designer | Eliminated August 3 |
| Andrea Galan | 21 | Miami, FL | Student | Disqualified August 3 |
| Alejandro Toro | 26 | Voice Over Artist | Eliminated July 27 | |
| D'Andre Balaoing | 25 | Las Vegas, NV | Bartender | Eliminated July 20 |
| Diana Bilow | 23 | Plainfield, IL | Server | |
| Manny Washington | 29 | Orlando, FL | Fireman | Eliminated July 13 |
| Lisa-Ann Marchesi | 46 | Gillette, NJ | Insurance Manager | Eliminated July 6 |
| Brittany Craig | 22 | New Hartford, NY | Server | Eliminated June 29 |
| Barbara Savage | 51 | Denver, CO | Investigator | Eliminated June 22 |
| Bill Travers | 62 | Pauma Valley, CA | Retired | Eliminated June 15 |
| Cassie Peterson | 25 | Clear Lake, IA | Bakery Clerk |
Competition table
| Place | Contestant | Episode | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18/19 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | Shaun | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IMM | WIN | WIN | IMM | WPT | PT | IN | WIN | WIN | IMM | IN | IMM | IMM | IN | LOW | WPT | WIN | IMM | WIN | WINNER | ||
| 2 | Brandi | IN | IMM | WIN | IN | LOW | IN | IMM | WIN | HIGH | IMM | WIN | WIN | IN | IN | HIGH | WIN | WIN | IMM | IMM | WIN | IMM | WIN | IN | WIN | WIN | RUNNERS-UP | ||
| David | IN | IN | WIN | IN | IMM | IN | IMM | PT | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | LOW | HIGH | WIN | IN | IMM | IMM | HIGH | WIN | WIN | IN | LOW | WPT | ||||
| 4 | Tanorria | IN | IMM | WIN | WIN | IMM | IN | IMM | PT | IN | IN | LOW | WIN | HIGH | IN | IN | LOW | LOW | IN | IMM | HIGH | IN | WIN | HIGH | HIGH | ELIM | |||
| 5 | Dan | IN | IN | NPT | IN | IN | IN | IMM | WIN | IN | IN | PT | WIN | HIGH | IN | IN | IN | LOW | IN | IMM | IN | IN | LOW | HIGH | ELIM | ||||
| 6 | Katie | IN | IMM | IN | IN | IN | IN | IMM | LOW | IN | WIN | WIN | WIN | IN | LOW | IN | IN | LOW | LOW | IN | IN | WIN | ELIM | ||||||
| 7 | Nathan | LOW | WIN | IN | IN | IN | LOW | IN | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | NPT | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IMM | IMM | IN | ELIM | |||||||
| 8 | Eric | IN | IN | WIN | IN | LOW | LOW | IN | NPT | HIGH | WIN | LOW | PT | IN | IN | IN | IMM | LOW | LOW | ELIM | |||||||||
| 9 | Terry | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | WIN | IN | IMM | PT | IN | IN | PT | PT | WIN | IMM | IN | ELIM | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Diamond | IN | IMM | WIN | IN | IMM | IN | IMM | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | PT | IN | ELIM | ||||||||||||||
| 11 | Andrea | WIN | IMM | NPT | HIGH | IN | LOW | IN | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | DSQ | ||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Alejandro | IN | IN | IN | HIGH | IN | WIN | IMM | WIN | IN | LOW | ELIM | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | D'Andre | IN | LOW | LOW | IN | IN | IN | IMM | WIN | IN | ELIM | ||||||||||||||||||
| Diana | IN | IMM | WIN | IN | IMM | LOW | LOW | LOW | IN | ELIM | |||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Manny | IN | IN | WIN | IN | IN | IN | IMM | ELIM | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Lisa-Ann | IN | IMM | WIN | IN | IN | LOW | ELIM | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | Brittany | IN | IMM | NPT | IN | ELIM | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | Barbara | IN | IMM | ELIM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | Bill | LOW | ELIM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 | Cassie | ELIM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- (WINNER) This cook won the competition.
- (RUNNER-UP) This cook finished in second place.
- (WIN) The cook won an individual challenge (Mystery Box Challenge, Pressure Test, 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.
- (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.
- (IMM) The cook was selected by Mystery Box Challenge winner and didn't have to compete in the Elimination Test.
- (PT) The cook was on the losing team in the Team Challenge and 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.
- (WPT) The cook was on the losing team in the Team Challenge, and competed in the Pressure Test, and won.
- (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 the only person from their team to advance.
- (DSQ) The cook was disqualified from the competition.
(ELIM) The cook was eliminated from MasterChef.
Ranking of Contestants Per Episode
| Place | Contestant | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun | 12 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Brandi | 2 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 (3) | David | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 (3) |
| 4 | Tanorria | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 5 | Dan | 12 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | ||
| 6 | Katie | 2 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 6 | |||
| 7 | Nathan | 10 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Eric | 12 | 1 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 8 | |||||
| 9 | Terry | 11 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 9 | ||||||
| 10 | Diamond | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 10 | |||||||
| 11 | Andrea | 1 | 14 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 11 | ||||||||
| 12 | Alejandro | 12 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 12 | |||||||||
| 13 | D’Andre | 18 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 13 | ||||||||||
| 14 | Diana | 2 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 14 | 14 | ||||||||||
| 15 | Manny | 12 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 15 | |||||||||||
| 16 | Lisa-Ann | 2 | 1 | 6 | 16 | ||||||||||||
| 17 | Brittany | 2 | 14 | 17 | |||||||||||||
| 18 | Barbara | 2 | 18 | ||||||||||||||
| 19 | Bill | 19 | |||||||||||||||
| 20 | Cassie | 20 |
Guest Judges
- Wolfgang Puck - Episode 3; Episodes 18-19
- Aarón Sanchez - Episodes 5-7
- Edward Lee - Episodes 8-11
- Kevin Sbraga - Episodes 12-15
- Richard Blais - Episode 16-17
- Daniel Boulud - Episodes 18-19
Main Guest Appearances
- Nick Nappi - Episode 4
- Claudia Sandoval - Episode 5
Episodes
| # | Image | Title | Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Episode_701_(U.S.)_-_Battle_for_a_White_Apron,_Part_1 | June 1, 2016 | ||
| Episode Rundown: * Auditions Round 1: 40 contestants participate in head-to-head battles in front of Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi, with home cooks with similar signature dishes competing against each other for a white apron and a spot in the top 20. The first battle is between Brandi and Samson in steaks. Brandi's dish is deemed to be better, winning her the first MasterChef white apron. The second battle is between Andrea and Taylor in cupcakes, where Andrea is declared as the winner. The next battle is between four firemen in their signature fire house dishes; Eric and Manny both receive white aprons. In the following battles, Terry, Bill, Barbara, Nathan and Lisa-Ann all are advanced into the next stage of the competition. The last battle in this episode is between Joe and David in pork chops. David is declared as the winner. | ||||
| 02 | Episode 702 (U.S.) - Battle for a White Apron, Part 2 (Season 7) | June 8, 2016 | ||
| Episode Rundown: * Auditions Round 2: The remaining contestants continue participating in head-to-head battles in front of Gordon and Christina to earn a spot in the top 20. The first battle is between Dan and Takeila in tacos, where Dan emerges as the winner. The second battle is between Alejandro and Zack in burgers. The judges invite both home cooks' mothers in, and Alejandro is declared as the winner. The following battle is between Brittany, Shawn, Neco and Tanorria in the classic shrimp and grits. The white aprons go to Tanorria and Brittany. In following battles, Katie, Diana, Cassie, Diamond and D'Andre all come out victorious and earn their spots in the top 20. The last head-to-head features a surf and turf battle between Shaun and James, who are both from Las Vegas. Shaun's dish wins him the final white apron of the season. The twenty contestants who failed to get an apron are eliminated immediately without a second chance, unlike the auditions in season six. | ||||
| 03 |  |
Episode 703 (U.S.) - Wolfgang Puck | June 15, 2016 | |
| Episode Rundown: Wolfgang Puck was the first guest judge for the week, a surprise elimination occurred, half had to replicate Ramsay's signature dishes using their palettes alone, and the oldest cook proved to be way out of their league. | ||||
| 04 |  |
Episode 704 (U.S.) - A MasterChef Wedding | June 22, 2016 | |
| Episode Rundown: The Top 18 catered for a former contestant's wedding, a power struggle in one team occurred, one cook proved to be very clueless in the kitchen, and someone was eliminated with no Pressure Test. | ||||
| 05 |  |
Episode 705 (U.S.) - Mexican Mystery | June 29, 2016 | |
| Episode Rundown: A new guest judge came alongside the reining champion with their own Latin ingredients, desserts were the main theme, and one chef struggle on what should have been their strong suit. | ||||
| 06 |  |
Episode 706 (U.S.) - Gordon Ramsay Masterclass | July 6, 2016 | |
| Episode Rundown: Lobster was the main ingredient, one person took a step further when cleaning the protein, six home cooks had to recreate a Gordon Ramsay classic, and one of them lost their cool. | ||||
| 07 |  |
Episode 707 (U.S.) - Jets, Vets, and Home Cooks | July 13, 2016 | |
| Episode Rundown: The Top 15 cooked for 101 military veterans, one team won by a landslide, the losing team captain got frustrated at their teammates while deciding who to be saved, and an early favorite was sent home. | ||||
| 08 |  |
Episode 708 (U.S.) - The Good, The Bad, and The Offal | July 20, 2016 | |
| Episode Rundown: Edward Lee was the guest judge for that week, the Top 14 prepared four entrées on a budget, offal was the main ingredient, and two of the worst performers of the season finally bit the bullet after surviving multiple eliminations. | ||||
| 09 |  |
Episode 709 (U.S.) - A Piece of Cake | July 27, 2016 | |
| Episode Rundown: A sweet 16 birthday party was hosted, both teems performed very poorly due to making simple mistakes, one team won by a landslide, birthday cake was the main dish, and an early favorite was shown to the door. | ||||
| 10 |  |
Episode 710 (U.S.) - The Weakest Links | August 3, 2016 | |
| Episode Rundown: The Top 11 harvested vegetables and fed 101 farmers, two cooks exploded at each other after losing by a landslide, there is trash talking between two rivals, and a shocking, but satisfying elimination of an early front-runner occurred in the worst way possible. | ||||
| 11 | Episode 711 (U.S.) - Sweet Surprise | August 3, 2016 | ||
Episode Rundown: * Mystery Box Challenge: The remaining home cooks have an hour to make a breakfast dish with Nutella spread, with Christina cooking along with them. The winner will choose the dish made in the Elimination Challenge. The top three dishes belong to Dan, Tannoria, and Terry. Terry's dish wins this challenge.
| ||||
| 12 | Episode 712 (U.S.) - 5 Star Food | August 24, 2016 | ||
Episode Rundown: * Mystery Box Challenge: The remaining contestants receive a Mystery Box of high-end ingredients, and must make their dish while being joined by this week's guest judge, Kevin Sbraga. The top three dishes are David's, Shaun's, and Brandi's. Shaun wins.
| ||||
| 13 | Episode 713 (U.S.) - Hot Potato | August 24, 2016 | ||
Episode Rundown: * Skills Test Part 1: The top eight compete in a series of three skills challenges involving potatoes. The top half in each test will be safe until the last challenge when the lowest contestant will be eliminated. The first skills test involves cutting and cooking fresh French fries. Brandi, David, Shaun, and Nathan advance.
| ||||
| 14 |  |
Episode 714 (U.S.) - Tag Team | August 31, 2016 | |
| Episode Rundown: The Top 7 went back to basics, the annual Tag Team Challenge with explosive results, one cook cracked under pressure and unexpectedly fainted, and the brattiest and most immature cook of that season is finally eliminated. | ||||
| 15 | Episode 715 (U.S.) - Pop-Up Restaurant | August 31, 2016 | ||
Episode Rundown: * Team Challenge: The contestants are taken to a pop-up restaurant where they will cook two appetizers and two entrées for the restaurant's guests. David and Katie are team captains, with David choosing Brandi and Tanorria for his Blue Team, and Katie choosing Shaun and Dan for the Red Team. After service is completed, the Blue Team is declared the winners.
| ||||
| 16 |  |
Episode 716 (U.S.) - Family Drama | September 7, 2016 | |
| Episode Rundown: Richard Blais arrived as the guest judge for this week, the Top 5 were reunited with their families and cooked a dish inspired by them, and one cook did something that nobody before or after him ever did. | ||||
| 17 | Episode 717 (U.S.) - Critics Choice | September 7, 2016 | ||
Episode Rundown: * Team Challenge: The judges announce that three cooks will advance to the final. The team challenge is to cook an entrée for 17 restaurant critics. For winning the last challenge, Brandi was allowed to choose her teammate. She pairs with Shaun for the Blue Team, leaving David and Tanorria as the Red Team. The critics name the Blue Team winners.
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| 18 | Episode 718 (U.S.) - The Finale, Pt. 1 | September 14, 2016 | ||
Episode Rundown: * The three finalists are sent home for one week to plan their menus. They are visited at their homes by Gordon and Christina. For the finals, Wolfgang Puck and Daniel Boulud join the judging panel. The finalists will have one hour for each course to prepare four portions of their best appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
| ||||
| 19 | Episode 719 (U.S.) - The Finale, Pt. 2 | September 14, 2016 | ||
Episode Rundown: * Entrée: Shaun makes a spice-rubbed venison with cipollini onions, smoked plums, black truffle, and fiddlehead ferns; Brandi makes a seared duck breast with andoulle-greens, blackberry demi-glace, and ramp hush puppies; while David serves cabbage-wrapped guinea hen with foie gras, morel mushrooms, and a yellow wine cream sauce.
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Trivia
- Casting call auditions were held in Autumn 2015. Filming begin in late January 2016 and ended in late March 2016.
- This is the second season, since Season 4, to be won by a male contestant.
- This season marks the first time in the show's history that three contestants have gone against each other in the grand finale.
- This season had the first ever 2-hours, three way finale two-parter, featuring threesome finalists.
- This is the only season with only two main judges, joined by a rotating cast of various guest judges.
- Along with Season 8, this season has a number of 20 contestants.
- This is the first season ever to introduce the "Skills Test" challenges.
- This is the first of the two seasons ever to not have a Pressure Test at the after day of the team challenge.
- This is the second season to have the "Series of Pressure Tests" challenge.
- Future Appearances:
- Brandi returned in Season 12: Back To Win to compete.