MasterChef crowns their Back to Win winner

MASTERCHEF: L-R: Contestants Michael, Dara and Christian in the “Season Finale Pt. 2” episode of MASTERCHEF airing Wednesday, Sep. 14 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. © 2022 FOX MEDIA LLC. CR: FOX.
MASTERCHEF: L-R: Contestants Michael, Dara and Christian in the “Season Finale Pt. 2” episode of MASTERCHEF airing Wednesday, Sep. 14 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. © 2022 FOX MEDIA LLC. CR: FOX.

It’s finally time to crown the winner of the MasterChef: Back to Win season! And our final three chefs have just two more dishes to create for the title.

After an appetizer round that saw Michael, Dara, and Christian present the judges with delicious dishes that all got relatively solid comments, we have no idea which chef has the edge heading into the entree round. And of course, we got to see all three chefs get their main dishes started at the end of the Finale Part 1 episode, but there is still so much to do to get those entrees in front of the judges. Plus, we still have the dessert round to finish up a season of epic challenges and fan favorites giving their all.

And with both Graham Elliott and Christina Tosi stepping back into the MasterChef kitchen to help with the judging (the former is helping with the entree, while the latter is joining the dessert round), we truly don’t know which of our returning chefs will end up with the title.

It’s time to crown the winner of MasterChef: Back to Win

MasterChef
MASTERCHEF: L-R: Contestant Michael with Gordon Ramsay and special guest Graham Elliott in the “Season Finale Pt. 2” episode of MASTERCHEF airing Wednesday, Sep. 14 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. © 2022 FOX MEDIA LLC. CR: FOX.

With only about ten minutes left in the entree round, it is clear that these chefs have a lot of work still to do and they will only be judged on what they actually deliver on that plate. And thanks to the eliminated chefs in the balcony cheering them on, it is clear that even when it seems like one of our final three might not finish, we know they have what it takes to push the limits of their culinary talents.

Michael was the first to present his entree and he got some criticisms across the board, but he also got a few positive reactions from the judges. It was a moment that had us worried for his chances to win.

Then it was time for Dara to bring up her dish. And right off the bat, she got great reactions on her presentation. But it wasn’t just her presentation that was well-received as her dish was clearly a winner for all the judges.

Finally Christian presented his dish, which sadly did have a few technical errors with the steaks. Overall, he got mixed reviews from the judges, with Joe pointing out that if all four dishes were dropped in his restaurant, two would have been sent back.

Now that the entree round is done, it is time for the dessert round. And that means bringing out Christina Tosi.

MasterChef
MASTERCHEF: L-R: Gordon Ramsay, special guests Christina Tosi and Graham Elliot, Aaron Sanchez and Joe Bastianich in the “Season Finale Pt. 2” episode of MASTERCHEF airing Wednesday, Sep. 14 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. © 2022 FOX MEDIA LLC. CR: FOX.

After a brief look back at Tosi’s time on the series, our final three revealed the next level desserts that they will be creating to end their MasterChef journey. And all three of our chefs are bringing everything they have to these cooks (and bakes).

Following an intense round of cooking, Dara presented her dish first. And it was as much about having some fun with the dish as it was bringing in seasoning to the dessert. There were definitely great comments from the judges.

Next we had Michael who delivered dishes that could have easily been seen in an elegant dining room. But the problem with his dish was that Aaron didn’t get a complete plate, as one of the fried ice cream squares was missing. And this was definitely a bummer since overall his dessert got some really solid reactions from the judges.

Finally, the last dish of the entire competition came from Christian. And his dessert was delicious, but he did get dinged for not being nearly as elevated as the other two finalists. It was a good dessert, but it may not have been a winning one.

Ultimately, there can be only one winner. So which chefs menu delivered everything it needed to give us a new MasterChef?

The winner of the MasterChef: Back to Win season is… Dara!