Fox’s culinary hit MasterChef with host Gordon Ramsey has had quite a few noteworthy competitors since its debut in 2010. While most of the winners have seen a decent amount of success since their time on the show, a select few have really stood out. The American version of its British predecessor has crowned 11 talented and young amateur chefs so far.
Each season's champion has been awarded a $250,000 prize. Certain seasons also included a cookbook deal to help launch the winner's career. Also, the MasterChef title comes with many TV and event appearances, which gives the winners more chances to promote themselves. However, for some, success does not stop when the show ends. While some MasterChef contestants' stories have ended in tragedy, many have been successful.
Shaun O'Neale
Fans had mixed feelings about Las Vegas deejay Shaun O'Neale at the start of his MasterChef season 7 stint. His abrasive manner and condescending tone with fellow competitors made it difficult for some viewers to warm up to him. However, despite his sometimes cocky and arrogant attitude, his flair for fine dining and high-end cooking won over the audience and the judges, earning him the MasterChef title and the $250,000 prize.
After his first-place finish in 2016, Shaun released his cookbook My Modern American Table: Recipes for Inspired Home Cooks. He remains one of the most successful MasterChef winners, traveling the world to showcase his culinary creations. He has returned for several guest appearances on the show. Recently, Shaun teamed up with Survivor star Benjamin Browning to open a restaurant, Larrea Las Vegas, which serves high-end bar food and cocktails (via Shaun O'Neale's website).
Whitney Miller
In 2010, the U.S. was introduced to MasterChef and Mississippi native Whitney Miller. Despite being only 22 years old at the time, she pulled off three mystery box wins and had five dishes selected as top 3 picks. Her efforts culminated in her being named the first American MasterChef. The original champion now resides just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, and is arguably the most successful MasterChef alum.
After winning MasterChef's premiere season, Whitney penned her first cookbook, Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm, which was released in July 2011. Since then, she's released a second cookbook, Whitney Miller’s New Southern Table. She currently earns her living doing food styling for companies, including the Hampton Inn by Hilton. After winning the cutting competition, Whitney also writes blog posts and recipes for companies and magazines, including Big Green Egg, Tervis, Southern Living, Self, and Flavors. As if she weren't keeping busy enough doing all of that, she owns Whitney's Cookies, an online cookie brand (via Whitney Miller's website).
Christine Hà
MasterChef season 3 winner Christine Hà is arguably one of the most successful in the franchise. With over 150k followers on Instagram, the Vietnamese-American MasterChef is the most followed contestant of all time. She was the first blind contestant in the show's history. The young chef had never formally studied culinary arts prior to appearing on MasterChef, but she has had tremendous success since.
Her cookbook, Recipes from My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food, was released in May 2013. That same year, she also began co-hosting Four Senses, a Canadian cooking show geared toward the visually impaired. Christine has made several appearances on MasterChef and its spinoffs as a guest judge or celebrity competitor. In 2018, Christine opened The Blind Goat, a Vietnamese gastropub in Houston, Texas, which ranked as a semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant in America by the James Beard Foundation. Christine also opened a Korean-inspired eatery, The Sighted Pig Test Kitchen (
Sources: Shaun O'Neale, Whitney Miller, Christine Hà/Instagram
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Master Chef
- Cast:
- Gordon Ramsay
- Release Date:
- 2010-07-27
- Seasons:
- 21
- Genres:
- Reality
- Network:
- FOX
- Streaming Service(s):
- Hulu, Paramount+
- Summary:
- MasterChef is a reality show and cooking competition series where participants go through a series of culinary challenges to win the title of "MasterChef" and a cash prize. The series has spawned several spin-offs such as Celebrity, Junior, and The Professionals, across dozens of countries.
