The BEST episodes of MasterChef (US) season 8

#1 - The Finale (2)

Season 8 - Episode 21 - Aired 9/20/2017

#2 - Pop-Up Restaurant

Season 8 - Episode 17 - Aired 9/6/2017

The Top 6 split up in teams for a classic MasterChef challenge - to cook for food critics, writers, and chefs at a pop-up restaurant in a Southern California vineyard. Find out which contestant is eliminated.

#3 - The Semi-Finals

Season 8 - Episode 19 - Aired 9/13/2017

The remaining home cooks will face a series of skills tests that will determine who will make it to the finale.

#4 - The Finale (1)

Season 8 - Episode 20 - Aired 9/20/2017

The remaining chefs compete for the trophy and the $250,000 prize. Guest judge: Joe Bastianich.

#5 - Chopsticks & Pasta

Season 8 - Episode 16 - Aired 9/6/2017

In this week's mystery box challenge, the Top 7 must create an Asian-inspired dish that centers around one of the most prominent utensils in culinary history - chopsticks! The winner gets a huge advantage moving forward, leaving the remaining home cooks to compete in a pasta-themed elimination challenge.

#6 - Gordon's Game of Chicken

Season 8 - Episode 13 - Aired 8/23/2017

The Top 10 cooks compete in a chicken-and-potato team challenge. Find out which contestants will be eliminated.

#7 - In a Pinch

Season 8 - Episode 12 - Aired 8/23/2017

In this week's skills test, the Top 11 are given a bag of live crawfish and have to carefully cook them in order to extract the most meat possible. The six weakest cooks go head-to-head in an elimination challenge, during which they will make a crawfish dish created by none other than Gordon Ramsay.

#8 - Battle for a White Apron (1)

Season 8 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/31/2017

Forty of America's best home cooks travel to Los Angeles to compete in the Battle for a White Apron challenge, during which they face off against each other to try to earn a place in the Top 20. Judging the battle rounds is Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi, and new judge and award-winning chef Aarón Sánchez.

#9 - Breakfast, Lunch & Winner

Season 8 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/19/2017

The home cooks head to Beverly Hills, CA, to take over the dining room breakfast service for The Belvedere restaurant at the iconic five-star Peninsula Hotel. After splitting into two teams, the cooks makes a variety of dishes for diners. The team that fails the challenge has to face a pressure test and cook a perfectly battered fish and chips dish. It is then up to the judges to decide who leaves the kitchen.

#10 - Whole-y Cow!

Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/26/2017

The Top 15 face a mystery box challenge in which they randomly choose from boxes containing a different body part of a cow and use it as the star of a dish. The winner receives a huge advantage moving forward, while those who didn't impress must face off in an elimination challenge. It is then up to the judges to decide who leaves the kitchen.

#11 - Something Fishy

Season 8 - Episode 18 - Aired 9/13/2017

In this week's mystery box challenge, the Top 6 get a special treat as their family members join them in the MasterChef kitchen. The contestants will then have to cook a dish inspired by their families before competing in an elimination test that will send one or more of them home.

#12 - Battle for a White Apron (2)

Season 8 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/7/2017

The remaining chefs compete for a spot in the Top 20. Only nine aprons remain and it is up to the judges to decide who makes it and who goes home.

#13 - Silenced by the Lambs

Season 8 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/12/2017

The cooks take part in a challenging skills test, during which they must prepare racks of lamb with fine artistry. Those who fail to impress the judges face an elimination challenge that includes recreating Gordon Ramsay's signature lamb chop dish. It is then up to the judges to decide who leaves the kitchen.

#14 - A Mexican Tag Team Challenge

Season 8 - Episode 14 - Aired 8/30/2017

In this week's mystery box challenge, the Top 9 must create a dish that is reminiscent of their favorite family breakfast, using Nutella as the key ingredient. The winner gets a huge advantage moving forward, leaving the rest of the chefs to pair up for a Mexican-themed tag team challenge.

#15 - The MasterChef Returns

Season 8 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/9/2017

Reigning champion Shaun O'Neale returns to the MasterChef kitchen, as he chooses ingredients from his new cookbook to be part of the mystery box challenge. The winner receives a huge advantage moving forward, leaving the other chefs to battle it out in a coconut-themed elimination challenge. It is then up to the judges to decide who heads home.

#16 - America's Grocery Bag

Season 8 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/14/2017

In their first mystery box challenge of the season, the Top 20 have to take 12 of the most popular ingredients found on any American home cook's shopping list and make the judges a MasterChef-worthy dish. Whoever wins the challenge has a huge advantage moving forward in the competition.

#17 - The Great Outdoors

Season 8 - Episode 15 - Aired 8/30/2017

The Top 8 head to Big Bear Lake to cook fresh fish. Find out which contestants will be eliminated.

#18 - Shell-Shocked & Scrambled

Season 8 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/28/2017

The Top 18 face a mystery box challenge that includes cooking some of the finest shellfish in the world. The winner receives a huge advantage moving forward, leaving the rest of the home cooks to compete in an elimination challenge, during which they must create a Gordon Ramsay classic. Then, it is up to the judges to decide who leaves the kitchen.

#19 - Vegas Deluxe & Oyster Shucks

Season 8 - Episode 11 - Aired 8/16/2017

The Top 12 head to Sin City for a team challenge during which they serve 50 VIPs in entertainment and hospitality at Caesars Palace for its 50th Anniversary party. Each guest tastes both teams' dishes and then casts a vote for their favorite dish. The team with the most votes wins, sending the losing team back to the kitchen for a pressure test. It is then up to the judges to decide who heads home.

#20 - Feeding the Lifeguards

Season 8 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/21/2017

The Top 19 take it to the sandy shore, where they compete in their first team challenge of the season. The chefs have to prepare and cook fresh fish for 101 lifeguards who then vote on their favorite dish. The losing team has to compete in a pressure test before the judges send one chef home.

#21 - Holy Cannoli

Season 8 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/2/2017

The kitchen is transformed into a full dining room, as it welcomes purveyors of the finest local ingredients, ranging from butchers and vegetable farmers, to beekeepers and herb growers. After splitting into two teams, the home cooks must prepare dishes using the guests' own ingredients. The purveyors then vote on which team created a better dish, forcing the losing team to head back to the kitchen for a pressure test, during which they cook a classic Italian dessert, the cannoli. It is then up to the judges to decide who heads home.