The BEST episodes of MasterChef (US) season 7
Every episode of MasterChef (US) season 7, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of MasterChef (US) season 7!
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.
#1 - Tag Team
Season 7 - Episode 14 - Aired 8/31/2016
The 7 remaining cooks compete in their next Mystery Box Challenge using 3 basic utensils to prepare 2 dishes. The contestants are paired up and go head-to-head in the elimination challenge to create a picnic platter.
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#2 - A Piece of Cake
Season 7 - Episode 9 - Aired 7/27/2016
The remaining 12 contestants are broken up into two teams to prep, cook, and plate 30 dishes for teenagers celebrating their Sweet 16 birthdays. Each team receives a surprise box with 16 different ingredients and one protein. They'll have 60 minutes to prepare and present their dishes to the diners, who then vote on their favorite dish. The losing contestants are faced with the Birthday Cake pressure test and have 90 minutes to bake a three-layer birthday cake and then face a dramatic elimination.
#3 - The Finale (2)
Season 7 - Episode 19 - Aired 9/14/2016
The contestants have one hour to create entrees and one hour to create a dessert. After evaluating the final dishes, the judges reveal America's next MasterChef, and the deserving home cook walks away with the trophy, a book deal, and the $250,000 grand prize.
#4 - The Finale (1)
Season 7 - Episode 18 - Aired 9/14/2016
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. Appetizer: Brandi presents braised pork belly with BBQ sauce and squash-parsnip puree; David prepares beet cured salmon with a soft-boiled egg, filo dough noodles, salmon roe and caviar; and Shaun makes halibut cheeks with vadouvan carrot puree, pickled mushrooms, and uni foam. The entrées begin cooking as the first hour ends.
#5 - Critics Choice
Season 7 - Episode 17 - Aired 9/7/2016
The 4 remaining contestants are given 90 minutes to prepare either a halibut or duck entrée for VIP food critics in the Studio Box challenge. The winning team is exempt from the elimination challenge and the losing team faces the Pressure Test to recreate three pork dishes.
#6 - Vets, Jets, and Home Cooks
Season 7 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/13/2016
The remaining 15 home cooks separate into 2 teams for the second major field challenge of the competition, cooking for 101 hungry veterans! The 2 teams have 75 minutes to prep, and one hour to serve a dish consisting of a steak, two sides, and a sauce. After a dramatic day out in the field, the veterans have the power to vote for their favorite dish. The team with the most votes is safe in the competition, while the team with the least amount of votes faces the pressure test.
#7 - Battle for a White Apron (2)
Season 7 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/8/2016
The second half of the 40 home cooks have their culinary skills tested as the Battle of the Apron challenge continues.
#8 - The Weakest Links
Season 7 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/3/2016
The remaining 11 contestants are dropped off in the middle of a vegetable field and surprised by the judges – Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi, and guest judge Edward Lee – who inform them of their next team field challenge. The teams go head-to-head with 75 minutes to prepare and cook their dishes, followed by 45 minutes to serve more than 100 hungry farmers. The losing team must cook an elevated sausage in a bun in the elimination challenge.
#9 - Gordon Ramsay Masterclass
Season 7 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/6/2016
The remaining 16 home cooks get a very special treat leading into the next challenge, as Chef Ramsay demonstrates how to properly deconstruct a lobster. They then each have 25 minutes to kill, poach, and shell a lobster, just as they learned. The winner has the advantage of choosing which team he or she joins for the next field challenge. For the second part of the challenge, Chef Ramsay demonstrates how to make lobster tortellini in a seafood broth. The contestants have 45 minutes to recreate Ramsay’s dish to avoid elimination.
#10 - A MasterChef Wedding
Season 7 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/22/2016
The Top 18 home cooks are divided in to 2 teams where they have to prepare appetizers and entrees for season 6 contestant Nick Nappi on his wedding day! Not only do they feel the pressure from Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi, and a former contestant but also Nick's bride and 72 hungry wedding guests, the winning team earns a significant advantage in the next elimination challenge.
#11 - Family Drama
Season 7 - Episode 16 - Aired 9/7/2016
The 5 remaining contestants are introduced to special culinary guest judge Richard Blais – chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author – who reveals the seventh Mystery Box challenge. The winner avoids competing in the elimination challenge and the remaining contestants are given five minutes to shop for a basket full of twenty ingredients. With an unexpected twist in the competition, one is eliminated.
#12 - The Good, the Bad, and the Offal
Season 7 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/20/2016
The contestants are introduced to special culinary guest judge Edward Lee, who reveals the third Mystery Box challenge. Contestants lift their boxes only to find a $20 bill. They each have 5 minutes to shop for ingredients priced in the pantry without spending more than $20. Then they have 45 minutes to prepare four entree dishes to present to the judges. Not only will the winner and the winner's dish be featured in Family Circle magazine, but they also avoid having to participate in the elimination challenge.
#13 - Sweet Surprise
Season 7 - Episode 11 - Aired 8/3/2016
The Top 10 contestants have 60 minutes to prep, cook and plate a Nutella breakfast dish. The winner, who is safe from the next elimination challenge, also gets to choose what dish the other contestants must prepare for the challenge. Is it paella, bibimbap, or risotto?
#14 - A Mexican Mystery
Season 7 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/29/2016
The remaining 17 home cooks are joined by special guests Season 6 winner Claudia Sandoval and guest culinary judge Aarón Sánchez as they reveal the next mystery box challenge. Each contestant has 60 minutes to create their own unique dish using a number of Sandoval's favorite ingredients. The winner of the challenge is safe from the next elimination round and helps to decide the fate of 3 other contestants in the elimination.
#15 - 5 Star Food
Season 7 - Episode 12 - Aired 8/24/2016
Guest judge Kevin Sbraga cooks alongside the Top 9 in the next Mystery Box Challenge, as they create an impressive dish using unique upscale ingredients. The contestants then go head-to-head in the elimination challenge, cooking with either fresh salmon or canned salmon.
#16 - Wolfgang Puck
Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/15/2016
The top 20 home cooks in America meet guest judge Wolfgang Puck, who introduces the first Mystery Box Challenge - potatoes. The winner has a significant decision going into the elimination challenge, during which they have to replicate one of Chef Ramsay's signature dishes in less than 60 minutes.
#17 - Battle for a White Apron (1)
Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/1/2016
Forty of the best home cooks in America travel to Los Angeles to compete in the Battle of the Apron challenge and attempt to move forward to compete for the title, a cookbook deal, and the $250,000 grand prize. Judging the battle rounds are Ramsay and Tosi.
#18 - Hot Potato
Season 7 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/24/2016
The Top 8 remaining contenders must battle through a 3-part potato proficiency challenge. Guest judge Kevin Sbraga.
#19 - Pop-Up Restaurant
Season 7 - Episode 15 - Aired 8/31/2016
The 6 remaining contestants compete in the series' classic pop-up restaurant challenge.