Twenty home cooks who won their white aprons during the audition rounds – five from each of the four regions – Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, face off in a MasterChef: Global Gauntlet World Cup-inspired challenge to create elevated versions of classic stadium foods infused with their own cultural flair.
Judges Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Tiffany Derry then selected the winner of the first night of the tournament, who received the first Immunity Pin of the season and kept their team safe from elimination. The winner takes home the MasterChef trophy, but also $250,000.
Here’s our spoiler-filled recap of who went home on MasterChef tonight.
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Who went home on MasterChef tonight?
Nora Chakri
Representing: Morocco
Current Residence: Las Vegas, NV
Advancing contestants tonight on MasterChef: Global Gauntlet
TEAM EUROPE
Nico Cosereanu
Representing: Italy
Current Residence: Millburn, NJ
Aghata Sunsi
Representing: Spain
Current Residence: Westminster, CO
Basia Newman
Representing: Poland
Current Residence: Asbury Park, NJ
Ted Pappas
Representing: Greece
Current Residence: Chicago, IL
Julia Cili
Representing: Italy
Current Residence: Miami, FL
TEAM ASIA-PACIFIC
Foo Nguyen
Representing: Vietnam
Current Residence: Irvine, CA
Aishu Challa
Representing: India
Current Residence: Georgetown, MA
Daniel Meng
Representing: China
Current Residence: Duluth, GA
Shompa Kabir-Furqan
Representing: Bangladesh
Current Residence: Brooklyn, NY
Jaime Tan
Representing: Malaysia
Current Residence: Los Angeles, CA
TEAM AFRICA
Peter Egede
Representing: Nigeria
Current Residence: Dallas, TX
Dave Patera
Representing: Morocco
Current Residence: Chicago, IL
Rita Igbinoba
Representing: Nigeria
Current Residence: Brooklyn, NY
Heidi Muston
Representing: South Africa
Current Residence: Plantation, FL
TEAM AMERICAS
Camilo Chavez III
Representing: Mexico
Current Residence: Bastrop, TX
Tkaiya Dryden
Representing: Jamaica
Current Residence: Jamaica Queens, NY
Jake Kelley
Representing: Mexico
Current Residence: Mount Pleasant, MI
Britny Underwood
Representing: Barbados
Current Residence: North Hollywood, CA
Maria Bourland
Representing: Brazil
Current Residence: Miami Beach, FL
Related: MasterChef’s Tiffany Derry Reveals the Biggest Mistake Contestants Keep Making (Exclusive)
Who won the challenge on MasterChef tonight?
The first challenge of the season was to cook elevated versions of stadium food but it has to reflect their culture.
The best dishes were:
Asia-Pacific: Aishu – South Indian Potato Bonda
Europe: Aghata – Spanish Potato Tortilla
Africa: Peter – Yaji-Spiced Chicken Tenders
Americas: Tkaiya – Jamaican Beef Patty
The winner of the Immunity Pin for best dish was cooked by Aishu.
“I am so happy. I am so excited to get to represent India and get to be the first to win the Immunity Pin,” Aishu said. “There are some talented people here but I’m hoping that people are starting to see me more as a competitor and taking me more seriously.
Who was in the MasterChef Gauntlet bottom three this week?
The three worst dishes were:
Europe: Julia – Loaded Crispy Polenta Fries
Americas: Jake – Filet Mignon Deconstructed Taco
Africa: Nora – Haddock & Maakouda Sandwich
The home cook leaving MasterChef was Nora, who presented her dish with a Band-Aid on it. She cut herself while cooking and lost the first bandage, and she had no idea where it went, but it ended up in her sandwich.
“I don’t feel good, obviously, but it’s fair,” Nora said. “I served a bandage to Gordon Ramsay. What do I expect? Beyond the bandage, I was not satisfied with how I executed the dish. I am still proud of myself. I’m one of the Top 20 best home cooks in all of America.”
MasterChef airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX. Streams next day on Hulu.
Related: ‘MasterChef’s Tiffany Derry Reveals the Biggest Mistake Contestants Keep Making (Exclusive)