Meet the MasterChef 2026 finalists

MasterChef is back on BBC iPlayer and BBC One for its 22nd year, and one its most thrilling series yet.

Judges Grace Dent and Anna Haugh have been testing 48 of the country's best amateur cooks with some of the most arduous and spectacular culinary challenges yet. Only one will hit the gold standard and become MasterChef Champion 2026.

• Watch MasterChef on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist

It’s finals week. Six weeks of fraught competition have produced four exceptional amateur cooks, who all stand a chance of being enlisted into the MasterChef hall of fame. They are about to embark on the culinary trip of a lifetime, where they will experience a culture and cuisine full of life, beauty and exceptional talent on the Caribbean paradise of Antigua and Barbuda.

• Watch finals week on BBC iPlayer and BBC One on 3 June, 4 June and 5 June from 8pm

Meet the finalists 

First of all, congratulations on becoming a MasterChef finalist! How does it feel to have made it to the final four? 

Antos: Honestly, completely surreal. Walking into the competition, my only goal was to win an apron and even that felt like a long shot at the start. To somehow make it all the way to the final four, after seeing so many unbelievably talented cooks leave along the way, is beyond anything I imagined. I still don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet.

Jhané: It’s so surreal to be able to call myself a MasterChef finalist! At the start of the show I just wanted to get an apron, now I’m in the final four. It has taken so much hard work to get here, I’ve learned so much throughout the competition and made so many new friends along the way. I feel like I’ve pushed my cooking to a whole new level and I’m not ready for it to end.

Kristen: Making the final four is surreal. At each stage of the competition, I could only focus on the challenge that was in front of me. Reaching this stage, getting to know my fellow finalists so well, having more time with the judges and mentor chefs has been extraordinary.

Matt: It feels amazing! Particularly knowing that we’re heading to Antigua. Every single time you get through you think that the competition can’t surprise you any more and then they drop that you’re heading off to the Caribbean! It’s been such a brilliant journey so far and I feel very lucky to be able to continue into finals week. I don’t want it to end.

How are you feeling heading into finals week? Do you have any tricks up your sleeve to take into the last leg of the competition? 

Antos: Equal parts excited, terrified and very ready to give it absolutely everything. I do have a secret weapon… the night before every cook I’ve eaten the exact same rice vermicelli salad from the Vietnamese place round the corner. At this point I’m convinced it’s carrying me through the competition. If I somehow win MasterChef, I fully expect them to name a dish after me.

Jhané: I’m incredibly excited for finals week! I can’t even believe that I get to say that sentence. Heading into finals week I just want to keep doing what I have been so far. I want to keep cooking from the heart, telling stories and expressing myself through my food. The competition is fierce though, so I need to lock in and do my best to put everything I’ve learnt so far on the plate.

Kristen: I am soaking it all in. The challenges just keep getting more intriguing, and I can’t wait to see what finals week has in store. I have learned so much - through trial and (a lot of) error - about desserts, cooking red meat, and the importance of working fast and neatly. My approach now is to reflect on the judge’s feedback and the skills I’ve developed whilst staying true to my style.

Matt: I’m feeling excited. I absolutely love the competition. There’s something deeply satisfying about being able to really indulge a passion of yours in such a focused and intense way and to feel yourself improving cook by cook. There are no tricks - I’m just going to cook my little heart out.

What is one new cookery skill or top tip that has stayed with you from this series? 

Antos: Butter – add far more than you think is acceptable to any puree or sauce, and then double it. If you’re not slightly concerned for your arteries while making it, you probably haven’t added enough. 

Jhané: Every time I step into the MasterChef kitchen, I learn something new. Whether that’s about my cooking or myself! The cooking skill that has stayed with me the most has been learning to quenelle and rocher, they’re still not perfect but this is definitely not something I knew how to do before the restaurant challenges, so it was a real privilege to learn from the best in the industry. I also learnt how to handle the pressures of service in a professional kitchen. I'm not known for my speed, so learning to work quickly and efficiently was a challenge, but has changed the way that I cook for the better.

Kristen: I’m channeling Anna here: everything tastes better with a bit more butter and salt. I have discovered that desserts aren’t as intimidating as they seem. Experience is key; you might not get it right the first time, but each attempt teaches you something, and by the tenth plate, you’re likely doing something well.

Matt: All of the judge’s feedback has been incredibly helpful for me to improve. I’d say really considering the composition of a dish - making sure that ingredients are on the plate for a reason; if you can’t taste it, it might not need to be there.

Looking back at the food you’ve presented to the judges so far, is there one dish you’re most proud of? 

Antos: My Indian-inspired Easter lamb dish that took me through to the finals: roasted lamb rump, curried pea purée, mint pakora, tadka peas, spiced poppadom and mint-chilli chutney. That dish felt like a real snapshot of everything I’d learnt during the competition, while also paying tribute to my late grandfather, who worked for Air India and introduced my family to Indian flavours long before they became mainstream in the UK. It’s the sort of dish I could never have created at the start of the competition, let alone executed under pressure. Hearing such positive feedback from the judges and critics meant a huge amount to me. I think I’ll be making that one for many Easter’s to come!

Jhané: There are two dishes from the competition that I’m super proud of so far. The first has got to be my Thai green curry fried chicken. It was the first dish I made in the competition and I’ve seen lots of my friends and people on social media recreating it. Seeing people make my recipes is a dream come true - I love it! After that it’s got to be my smoked venison with jerk sauce from the semi-finals. Bringing jerk to the MasterChef kitchen was a really special moment and I’m glad I got to bring a little taste of Jamaica to MasterChef. I think this dish also showed how far I’ve come in the competition, I would’ve never have been able to deliver a technical dish like this at the start. 

Kristen: I’m particularly proud of my very first dish: Thai cured seabream with smoked coconut milk and spicy granita. The feedback from Anna and Grace was unforgettable, and I love the layers of flavour in that dish. It’s one I genuinely enjoy making for others. 

Matt: I’ve been really proud of all my dishes - I was particularly happy to cook the turbot with kipper butter sauce for my dad and get great comments for the judges - it means a little bit more when it’s in honour of someone else. 

What is one memory from filming so far that sticks with you, any particularly funny/memorable moments?

Antos: Probably getting changed into our chef whites in the public toilets in St James’s Park before the secret spy challenge at The OWO, then awkwardly shuffling through central London in oversized coats trying not to reveal we were all dressed for MasterChef. Having to suddenly become undercover agents on the way to the UK’s old spy headquarters definitely added to the drama - although I’m not sure any of us looked remotely subtle.

Jhané: Some of my favourite memories are the train journeys with the other contestants back home after challenges. We always share drinks, sweets and packets of crisps whilst debriefing the day, which was always a funny contrast to the fine dining restaurants and incredible ingredients that we’d just been cooking with. One of the real highlights of the whole experience so far was finding out that I’d made it to finals week and that I was going on the trip abroad. I just remember thinking about how proud my family would be, I just couldn’t wait to call them!

Kristen: There have been plenty! While pinboning three mackerels for my first dish in knockout week, I found myself getting quite focused - let’s say I have a resting concentration face.

Matt: In the episode with Phillip Khoury - the producers wanted to keep the dessert a secret, so we had to keep our eyes closed as they got the room sorted. Someone finally noticed that my eyes were still closed well after everyone else, and gently let me know that they had been able to see for about two minutes.

Has there been a guest judge on this series so far that has had you starstruck?

Antos: Definitely the Fallow and Roe chefs. I’ve watched Will Murray and Jack Croft online for years and honestly learnt loads from their videos, so getting the chance to cook alongside them was a bit surreal. I did somehow manage to make frying doughnuts look as technically demanding as open-heart surgery, but I was trying to absorb as much as possible the whole time. After the shift, I went straight home and immediately started trying to recreate the pickled lemons they’d used on my dish. My brain was absolutely buzzing with ideas for days afterwards and it really pushed me going into the next rounds. 

Jhané: Aside from cooking for Anna and Grace, I loved cooking for food critics like Jimi Famurewa and Jay Rayner. I’ve enjoyed their work for so long, so to hear them say such positive things about my food gave me so much confidence in my cooking. Also getting to cook at Roe restaurant with Jack and Will was wild, that was my first time cooking in a professional restaurant kitchen and I learnt so much from them that I’ll take forward into my career long after MasterChef is over.

Kristen: The day we cooked under Aktar Islam at Opheem for a chefs table of Michelin Starred chefs was one of the best days of my life. I still can’t believe that Sally Abé, Nieves Barragán, Daniel Clifford, Sat Bains and Paul Ainsworth tasted my food. My boys and I watch Great British Menu religiously, so it was a proper fangirl moment. 

Matt: It was truly surreal every time we got to cook for the critics - I’ve watched them judge other contestants’ food for years and years on this show, so being the one in the room was an out of body experience.

What do you hope audiences take from this series and from watching your journey on the show? 

Antos: That you can work incredibly hard and still keep the imagination and playfulness in your food. Before MasterChef, my food probably lacked some of the refinement and technical ability needed to really elevate it. The improvement in my cooking, and my finding my cooking style throughout the competition is something I’m massively proud of. It’s easily the most stressful thing I’ve ever done, but also the most alive I’ve ever felt. Waking up on filming days with pure adrenaline flying around my body, knowing how much work I’d put in at home beforehand, was such an amazing feeling. It’s genuinely taken me a while to adjust back to normal life afterwards — there were definite MasterChef withdrawal symptoms which shows how special the show is!

Jhané: I hope that when people are watching my journey on the show, they see that food can be more than just something to feed you. Cooking can also be a way to share your stories, express yourself, bring people together and have fun! Sometimes it feels like good food has to be exclusive, fussy or overly fancy, but actually, food that is authentic, flavourful and tells a story is just as good. I’ve made so many great friends throughout the show so far, learned so many new skills and learnt so much about myself. There was so much joy in the MasterChef journey and I hope people at home get a little feeling of that in their living rooms when they’re watching us on the TV. 

Kristen: I love the energy Grace and Anna have brought to the MasterChef universe. I hope viewers sense this evolution. Personally, I hope my journey will inspire others to step out of their comfort zones - whether that’s applying for a job they might not feel 100% qualified for, leaving one, or trying a new hobby. In the kitchen, I’d love for someone to feel encouraged to experiment with pickling, curing, smoking or fermenting. 

Matt: I hope that they see someone who loves cooking and tries their absolute hardest every time to cook something interesting and delicious. It’s been a strangely profound thing for me to discover how much of yourself goes onto the plate - I’d never thought about what I cook in relation to myself or my personality or my background before, or how you can make people feel more than just ‘this is delicious’ when they eat your food. Cooking is great! 

Is there someone in the culinary world who you take inspiration from? Any dream collaborations in the future? 

Antos: Anthony Bourdain, without question. The way he combined food, travel and storytelling always felt incredibly special to me. He had this curiosity about people and places that made you want to go out and see the world properly, and I think a lot of my own ambitions come from watching his shows. His move from chef to presenter and storyteller is something I’d love to emulate one day. As for dream collaborations, working with Gordon Ramsay would be incredible. He’s obviously one of the biggest personalities in the food industry.

Jhané: My dream collaborations would be with Clement Ogbonnaya who runs some incredible London pubs and is doing so much to foster community spaces over great food and drinks. I’d love to host events with him with great food and more importantly, a great party. Another big inspiration is Mark Weins. I grew up watching him travelling for food on YouTube and his videos allowed me to learn about food from all corners of the planet, even when I didn’t have the means to go there myself. Special mention to chef Samin Nosrat. She is the true flavour queen and her books/tv shows taught me (and so many others) how to be a better home cook. 

Kristen: I draw inspiration from London-based chefs that are modernising their heritage cuisines, like John Chantarasak from AngloThai, who crafts exceptional Thai dishes using British ingredients. I have so much admiration for Ottolenghi, Jamie Oliver and Simon Rogan - not just for their cooking styles and businesses, but for the phenomenal impact they’ve had on countless home cooks and up-and-coming chefs, who in turn continue to shape food culture in the UK. If I could switch places with anyone, it would be Rick Stein; his cooking and travel shows have certainly impacted the way I explore local markets and bring that inspiration back home in my own cooking. 

Matt: Lee Tiernan at Black Axe Mangal - observant viewers of the show who have been to his brilliant (and now sadly closed) restaurant will recognise his lamb offal flatbread as the direct inspiration for my pizza round dish. Also, Jeremy Chan at Ikoyi - I was lucky enough to celebrate my 30th birthday with my fiance at a restaurant called Ikoyi back in April. It confirmed to me that a good meal can be a transcendent experience like absolutely nothing else. I am determined to return one day.

What have you found the most challenging about your MasterChef journey so far? 

Antos: The intensity of it all. For three months, every spare second was spent thinking about food — tweaking dishes, testing ideas, changing components and then starting all over again. Because I come across fairly calm on screen, people might not realise just how much work goes into it behind the scenes. It’s easily the hardest I’ve ever worked at anything and I’m so glad that hard work is translating into noticeable improvements just in time for finals week!

Jhané: I found the restaurant challenges on MasterChef the hardest. I usually cook without a recipe, adding a sprinkle of this and a dash of that as I go. So going into real restaurants and having to perfectly replicate top dishes, under time pressure and with the best chefs in the world watching me, was a challenge to say the least. I loved these challenges though as they really pushed me far out of my comfort zone and forced me to try ingredients, techniques and skills that I’d never even heard of before. 

Kristen: Practically speaking, balancing the competition with my commitments at home has been tough, especially whilst not being able to tell anyone what I was doing. In the kitchen, I found the pastry section particularly challenging, but it was a learning experience that has boosted my confidence for subsequent challenges.

Matt: The toughest thing has been just how relentless the competition is, particularly once knockout week started and the turnaround time for new dish ideas just kept getting shorter and shorter. You’re really forcing yourself to plumb new depths in the search for creative, new, and good ideas for dishes.

And finally, what do you hope to explore once MasterChef is finished? Any big foodie aspirations? 

Antos: Anything that lets me combine my love of cooking with presenting and meeting people. Food festivals, cooking classes, supper clubs - honestly, anything where I get to share food and make people excited about it. And if we’re really dreaming big, I’d absolutely love to make a food and travel show. I’m a big believer in manifesting things, so I may as well fully commit now: hopefully one day that show wins a BAFTA!

Jhané: MasterChef has been the experience of a lifetime and it has shown me that I’m supposed to have a career in food. I would love to write my own cookbook sharing recipes from around the world, family recipes and showing people how to cook in a way that’s fun and joyful. I’d also love to host my own events, supper clubs and pop ups where people come together to make new friends, eat exciting food and dance! In the long term, I’d love to have my own little pub to give a permanent home to my food, and so that everyone can join the family for a night. 

Kristen: I’d love to delve into food writing and broadcasting. Having worked in communications, this feels like a natural blend of my two passions. I’ve also enjoyed sharing my love of pickling and fermenting on the show, and people’s reaction to it. I’d love to do more of that. 

Matt: I’d love to do some supper clubs - watch this space, and please come along if you like what you’ve seen me cook!

taffie.rwapunga@multitudemedia.co.uk / emily.brigstocke@multitudemedia.co.uk

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