NATIONWIDE SEARCH BRINGS BEST AMATEUR COOKS TO LOS ANGELES TO VIE FOR COVETED TITLE

Top 18 Revealed Monday, June 11

 

Award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot return for Season Three of the culinary smash hit MASTERCHEF with a two-night season premiere event on Monday, June 4 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Tuesday, June 5 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

 

Nearly 30,000 hopefuls auditioned at MASTERCHEF’s open casting calls in Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New York City, NY; San Francisco, CA; Savannah, GA; Seattle, WA; and Washington, DC. MASTERCHEF also hit the road for the first-ever food truck casting tour and made stops in cities throughout Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Only the best amateur cooks were flown to Los Angeles for a chance to compete for the coveted title of MASTERCHEF and the $250,000 grand prize. This season will feature contestants from all walks of life representing 23 states – including a stock broker, a professional opera singer, an emergency physician, a food photographer, a plastic surgeon, as well as the first blind cook to enter the competition – all with the hopes of turning their culinary dream into a reality.

 

In the premiere episode, the hopefuls will prepare their signature dish and present them to the distinguished MASTERCHEF judging panel: Gordon Ramsay (Gordon Ramsay Steak, maze), Joe Bastianich (Del Posto, Eataly) and Graham Elliot (Graham Elliot, Grahamwich). The judges will taste for flavor, originality, creativity and presentation. But most importantly, the amateur cooks must demonstrate a genuine passion for food and a drive to win in order to earn a coveted white apron and move on to the next round.

 

The auditions continue on Tuesday, June 5 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) as the judges critique the good and the bad and continue to winnow down the competition. On Monday, June 11 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), the stakes are raised as the 36 remaining hopefuls will be put to the ultimate test in an intense ground beef challenge. By the end of the episode, those who impress the judges will earn a spot in the Top 18 and join the nation’s best crop of amateur cooks in the MASTERCHEF kitchen. Only those who put their best dish forward will move one step closer to becoming a culinary master.

 

 

 

“MASTERCHEF” TOP AMATEUR COOKS – 

 

Below are the hometowns, names and professions of the top amateur cooks who were flown to Los Angeles to compete on MASTERCHEF:

 

State/Hometown

Name

Profession

Arizona

Mesa

Anis "Nino" Jabbes

Server 

Page

Renee Berthiaume

Office Manager

Laura Frederick

Retired Teacher

Hollie Schoppman

Convenience Store Owner

Dwayne Slate

Repossession Agent

Nicholas Smith

Marine Mechanic

 

Phoenix

Preethy Kaibara

Family Physician & Attorney

 

Scottsdale

Jason Clouse

Contractor

California

Apple Valley

Stacey Amagrande

Farmer's Market Manager

 

Bakersfield

Gregg McDonnell

IT Manager

Brentwood

Justin Weiss

Business Analyst

Cluco

Vanessa Larsen

Hair Stylist

Corona

Taylor Wilder

Sales Associate

Hidden Hills

Carrie Portman

Senior Real Estate Account Executive

Hollywood

Felix Fang

Food Runner

Encino

Melanie Lowry

Account Executive

Laguna Niguel

Jeff Cohen

Wealth Manager

Los Angeles

Monti Carlo

Homemaker

Trevor Janus

Composer

Patti Negri

Witch

Northridge

Regan Forston

Ventriloquist

Playa Del Rey

Becky Reams

Food Photographer

San Francisco

Laurence "Larry" Hing

Lawyer

Santa Monica

Craig Victor

Call Center Assistant

Studio City

Victoria Redstall

Author

Kelly Ryan

Professional Speaker

Colorado

Westminster

Barry "Bear" Plunkett

Software Sales Executive

Connecticut

Monroe

Jason Maur

Attorney

Woodbury

Arnaud Bourgeois

Pilot/Captain

Delaware

Newark

Tianna Wood

Inventory Control Specialist

 

Florida

Aventura

Ladda Cooper

Restaurant Co-Owner

 

Boyton Beach

Thomas Wright

Criminal Lawyer

 

Davie

David Mack

Caviar Sales Director

 

Deerfield Beach

Penny Suzuki

Firefighter and Paramedic

 

Jacksonville

Sonya Welch

Administrative Assistant

 

Miami

Samantha de Silva

Design Consultant

Jordan Fein

Credit Services Director of Operations

Zelick Gimelstein

Musician

Dolores Royale

Real Estate Investor

Charles Vidales

Interior Designer

Miramar

Joel Ringrose

U.S. Army Station Commander

Palm Beach Gardens

Kate D'Hondt

Bartender

West Palm Beach

Andrew Rosenthal

Plastic Surgeon

Georgia

Blackshear

Bubba Strickland

Singer

Marietta

Lindsay Tarquinio

Non-Profit Co-Founder

Powder Springs

Mike Hill

Contractor

 

Rowell

Bobby Manheim

Primate Therapy for Special Needs Children (Monkey Doctor)

 

Savannah

Alysha Augustus

Homemaker

Illinois

Chicago

Tali Clavijo

Musician

Vladimir Giuliano Djurkovic

Assistant Manager

Aleithea Ellis

Student

Greg Tomaras

Field Service Engineer

Elisa Veal

Administrative Assistant

Glencoe

David Martinez

Educational Administrator

Kansas

Stilwell

Becky Reams

Food Photographer

Louisiana

New Orleans

Heber Dunaway

Music Teacher

Massachussetts

Cohasset

Julie Mitterando

Emergency Physician

 

Boston

AJ Rossi

Director of Sales (Antiques and Fine Art Magazine)

Anna Rossi

Pharmaceutical Sales Representative

 

Fall River

Adam Camacho

Mechanical Engineer

Nantucket

Pete Nevers

Carpenter

Maryland

Baldwin

Helene Leeds

Health Coach

Baltimore

Elizabeth Etzel

Real Estate Agent

Bethesda

Amy Holmwood

President of Life Insurance Company

Silver Spring

Kaimana Chee

Director of IT Training

Windsor Mill

Sherine Taylor

Benefits Counselor

 

Michigan

Ada

James Lee

Retired Police Officer

Royal Oak

Brian Kho

Business Student

Mississippi

Biloxi

Michelle Gollott

Food Services Sales Consultant

Jackson

Joshua Marks

Contract Specialist for US Army

New Jersey

Florham Park

Samantha McNulty

High School Student

Manahawkin

Jessika Morgan

Nutrition Sales

West Orange

Nandini Anant

Homemaker

New York

Astoria

Luca Manfe

Restaurant Manager

Brooklyn

Raiza Costa

Artist

Jack Hazan

Children's Wear Assistant

Earlville

Gabe Fowler

Journalism Student

Harlem

Courtney Carey

Professional Opera Singer

Holtsville

Frank Mirando

Stock Broker

Katonah

Kim Maloof

Homemaker

Levittown

Al Matousek

Teaching Assistant

Long Beach

Alessio Vella

Sales Manager

New York City

Ryan Umane

Unemployed

Nichelle Wright

Dancer

Woodside

Michael Petroff

School Aide

Ohio

Cincinnati

Krystal Mandap

Food Sales Representative

Oregon

Clackamas

Josue del Castillo Rios

On-Air Radio Personality

Portland

Jessica Glenn

Book Publicist

Rhode Island

Cranston

Cheryl Manzi

Admissions Representative

Texas

Austin

Michael Chen

Meteorology Student

Tanya Noble

Student and Hospitality Assistant

Dallas

Rami Rassas

Used Car Salesman

Frisco

Audrey McGinnis

Homemaker

Houston

Christine Ha

Graduate Student

Virginia

Annandale

Scott Little

Interactive Producer

Arlington

Matthew Duffy

IT Manager

Joe Maiellano

Political Consultant

Washington

Kirkland

Shami Marangwanda

Recruiter

Seattle

Jaeger Stoltz

Hair Stylist

 

Wisconsin

Sun Prairie

Derek Distin

Medical Device Sales Representative

 

MASTERCHEF is produced by Shine America and One Potato Two Potato and is based on a format created by Franc Roddam and Shine. Shine International handles distribution for the MASTERCHEF format. Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Robin Ashbrook, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Pat Llewellyn and Ben Adler serve as executive producers.

 

“Like” MASTERCHEF on Facebook at www.facebook.com/masterchef. Follow the series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/masterchefonfox and join the discussion @masterchefonfox.  

 

-FOX-