Episode 16

Knockout week is coming to an end, but not before a few more cooks have to say goodbye. Ten incredible contestants remain in the competition, but there is only room in the semi-finals for eight.

Anna and Grace will be looking at the finer details now, and every single plate needs to be championship-worthy as the hunt for MasterChef 2026 reaches its peak.

MasterChef delivers twists and turns at every stage, but none of the remaining ten cooks are expecting the next task issued by our judges: their place in the semi-finals rests on the perfect pizza. This might sound simple, but making the perfect dough, a balanced sauce and a creative array of perfectly cooked toppings is much harder than it might sound. They only have four pizza ovens available, which will leave all ten cooks with some negotiating to do between themselves.

Anna and Grace have also added a secret guest judge to the mix, co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims James Elliot. James and his brother created their hugely successful chain of restaurants after travelling around Italy, where they learned the craft of making the perfect pizza. James knows pizza inside and out and won’t hold back when it comes to judging our competitors' dishes.

James will assist Anna and Grace during the judging, inputting his thoughts on the best four pizzas and on who he thinks deserves to head straight into the semi-finals.

The six chefs remaining must cook again, but Anna and Grace are keeping the comfort-food theme alive. Their next brief is to cook a fabulous fakeaway: a dish inspired by their favourite takeaway. These dishes need all the bells and whistles, delivering a comforting, hearty meal full of creativity, not to mention all the condiments we have come to expect from a Friday night treat! The amateurs have just 90 minutes to deliver this semi-final-worthy fakeaway, but the skill on show needs to be next-level, as two more cooks will be going home.

Having tasted their way around the world by way of six fakeaways, Anna and Grace will pick the last four cooks worthy of reaching the semi-finals, where they will have a one-in-eight chance of becoming MasterChef Champion 2026.