The BEST episodes of MasterChef (US) season 12

Every episode of MasterChef (US) season 12, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of MasterChef (US) season 12!

Award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, acclaimed chef Aarón Sánchez and renowned restaurateur Joe Bastianich put a new batch of talented home cooks through a series of challenges and elimination rounds.

Last Updated: 11/2/2024Network: FOXStatus: Continuing
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 Finale Part 2 - Special Guest Christina Tosi
star
7.93
88 votes

#1 - Finale Part 2 - Special Guest Christina Tosi

Season 12 - Episode 20 - Aired 9/14/2022

The three remaining chefs rush against the clock to complete their final entree and whip up a gourmet dessert with the help of former judge Christina Tossi; a new champion is crowned.

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Bake to Win
star
7.87
112 votes

#2 - Bake to Win

Season 12 - Episode 9 - Aired 7/27/2022

One chef selects a dessert for each of his or her fellow competitors to bake to perfection. Anything less will force the contestants to face elimination.

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Dish That Sent You Home
star
7.86
106 votes

#3 - Dish That Sent You Home

Season 12 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/15/2022

In the first elimination round of the season, all 20 chefs must cook something inspired by the dish that originally sent them home. The chef that recreates their elimination dish in the most elevated, refined and skillful way will win immunity.

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Semi Finals
star
7.81
100 votes

#4 - Semi Finals

Season 12 - Episode 18 - Aired 9/7/2022

The top five chefs are faced with tow separate elimination challenges in the semifinals: a baked Alaska and an intricate lobster tortellini.

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Winners Mystery Box - Gerron Hurt
star
7.80
102 votes

#5 - Winners Mystery Box - Gerron Hurt

Season 12 - Episode 15 - Aired 8/24/2022

The Top Nine chefs are faced with another Winner's Mystery Box challenge, this time from MasterChef Season Nine winner Gerron Hurt. With no more immunity pins up for grabs, each contestant must create a dish that packs heat using an assortment of chilies and peppers.

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Back to Win - Audition Battles
star
7.76
111 votes

#6 - Back to Win - Audition Battles

Season 12 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/25/2022

Season 12 of MASTERCHEF is all about redemption, when All-Star competitors from the last 11 seasons return to the show to see if they have learned from their past mistakes. For the first time ever, MASTERCHEF is re-opening the door to some of the most memorable and talented cooks in the competition's history, including two MASTERCHEF Junior Edition cooks now competing as adults! 40 chefs get called back to audition, but only 20 will claim a coveted white apron. The returning chefs compete in groups of four in head-to-head audition battles. In each round, the two chefs that create the most impressive comeback dish will secure a spot this season.

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Finale Part 1 - Special Guest Graham Elliot
star
7.73
98 votes

#7 - Finale Part 1 - Special Guest Graham Elliot

Season 12 - Episode 19 - Aired 9/7/2022

The chefs who advance to the finals prepare an appetizer and entree with the support of Graham Elliot.

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Back to Win - Audition Battles (Part 2)
star
7.73
105 votes

#8 - Back to Win - Audition Battles (Part 2)

Season 12 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/1/2022

The audition battles continue this week on the most competitive season of MASTERCHEF yet. For those who fell short in past seasons, these auditions are a chance to fulfill their culinary dreams. This week, three chefs who competed on MASTERCHEF JUNIOR enter the kitchen for the first time as adults.

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Gas Station Gourmet
star
7.73
100 votes

#9 - Gas Station Gourmet

Season 12 - Episode 14 - Aired 8/24/2022

Keeping up with culinary trends and tapping into nostalgia, Chef Ramsay brings a new challenge to the kitchen. The Top 10 chefs are tasked with elevating traditional gas station and road trip snacks into gourmet dishes.

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GrubHub Challenge
star
7.72
98 votes

#10 - GrubHub Challenge

Season 12 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/17/2022

In order to secure a spot in the Top 10, the remaining chefs partner with GrubHub to elevate a traditional take-out dish into a gourmet concoction.

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Cooking for Horse Town U.S.A.
star
7.72
106 votes

#11 - Cooking for Horse Town U.S.A.

Season 12 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/3/2022

More than 100 cowboys and cowgirls in Horse Town, U.S.A., gather for the MasterChef rodeo, where the Top 14 chefs divide into two teams to create the best steak and sides. The team that doesn't live up to the cowboys' standards faces the possibility of elimination.

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Back to Win - Audition Battles (Part 3)
star
7.70
103 votes

#12 - Back to Win - Audition Battles (Part 3)

Season 12 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/8/2022

With only six aprons left, the judges round out auditions and give a lucky few chefs a chance to return to the MasterChef kitchen. Each 45-minute audition battle brings the contestants one step closer to being in the top 20.

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Tag Team
star
7.67
95 votes

#13 - Tag Team

Season 12 - Episode 12 - Aired 8/17/2022

The Top 12 chefs are challenged to a tag-team cook-off, as they approach the halfway point in the competition. They're tasked with choosing a partner and cooking three menu items from Gordon Ramsay's Michelin-starred restaurants, taking turns against the clock.

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Winners Mystery Box - Christine Ha
star
7.63
101 votes

#14 - Winners Mystery Box - Christine Ha

Season 12 - Episode 11 - Aired 8/10/2022

The remaining chefs are challenged with a "Winner's Mystery Box," curated by the Season 3 Champion, Christine Ha. The contestants are tasked with creating a Michelin-starred Vietnamese dish, but there's a catch - they must use every ingredient given to them.

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Spago
star
7.63
87 votes

#15 - Spago

Season 12 - Episode 17 - Aired 8/31/2022

The chefs must take over Wolfgang Puck's kitchen at Spago restaurant in Los Angeles.

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Gordon Ramsay Loves Vegans!
star
7.63
105 votes

#16 - Gordon Ramsay Loves Vegans!

Season 12 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/13/2022

Chef Gordon Ramsay shares his secret love for meatless, dairy-free dishes by demonstrating his famous Beef Wellington transformed into a vegan dish made out of beets. Chef Ramsay then challenges the contestants to create a top-notch vegan dish, using their knowledge of flavors and techniques.

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Southern Fusion with Guest Chef Tiffany Derry
star
7.58
101 votes

#17 - Southern Fusion with Guest Chef Tiffany Derry

Season 12 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/20/2022

The 16 remaining chefs are challenged to cook a Southern cuisine dish inspired by complex flavors from countries around the world. MasterChef also welcomes award-winning chef and Southern fusion restaurateur Tiffany Derry to the kitchen.

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Back to Win: Feeding the U.S. Coast Guard
star
7.55
105 votes

#18 - Back to Win: Feeding the U.S. Coast Guard

Season 12 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/29/2022

For their first team challenge, the top 18 travel to the U.S. Coast Guard Base in Los Angeles. The chefs must collaborate to create a hearty and delicious lunch for more than 100 brave women and men. One contestant will be eliminated.

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Winners Mystery Box - Spirit of Vegas
star
7.48
105 votes

#19 - Winners Mystery Box - Spirit of Vegas

Season 12 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/22/2022

This week, the chefs face their first mystery box challenge of the season. Season Seven winner, Vegas restaurant owner and cocktail connoisseur Shaun O'Neale, returns to the MASTERCHEF kitchen to dish out the challenge. The chefs have 60 minutes to cook three identical dishes using the spirits they receive in their mystery box. On the line are immunity or elimination, as the chefs compete to create a dish with their respective spirit as the star.

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The Wall
star
7.39
101 votes

#20 - The Wall

Season 12 - Episode 16 - Aired 8/31/2022

The top eight chefs are paired together and must communicate on opposite sides of a wall to create identical dishes.

Watch Now:Apple TV