Only three home cooks continue their quest to be crowned the next "MasterChef US" in the show's season 6, and their fate will be decided through a two-part season finale.
The "MasterChef US" top three home cooks vying for the title this season are Ft. Myers, Florida drummer Derrick Peltz; La Mesa, California events manager Claudia Sandoval; and Palm Springs, California urban gardener Stephen Lee.
The first part of the finale requires the three semifinalists to work with a team of other home cooks in the Team Challenge to come up with a unique dish for the 30 distinguished guests from the restaurant industry. The winner of this challenge will automatically advance to the finals, which means that they will no longer have to compete in the dreaded Pressure Test.
Those who will join the Pressure Test will have to prove that they deserve a spot in the finals by cooking three classic "MasterChef" dishes. The winner will be determined by resident judges Gordon Ramsay and Graham Elliot and first-time judge Christina Tosi.
For the Finale round, the top two home cooks will be facing each other to present their best dishes in front of the judges to be able to win a recipe book deal, a $250,000 cash prize, as well as the bragging rights to be called "MasterChef."
Among the three remaining home cooks, Derrick seems to be the biggest threat because of his kitchen skills and his smug attitude. The rock drummer has been through several pressure tests, but he managed to survive all and even emerged as the best cook in those instances. It would not be impossible to see him win all the remaining challenges to grab the MasterChef title.
But Stephen is also a tough opponent to beat, having gotten lots of praises all throughout the season for his exceptional outputs in all the challenges. Unlike Derrick, Stephen rarely has had to participate in pressure tests after winning different team and mystery box challenges.
However, Claudia is also a force to reckon with after surviving all the pressure tests that she had to participate in. The only female in the group was the last to enter the semi-final rounds after beating Nick Nappi in the chocolate malted later cake pressure test.
The winner of "MasterChef US" season 6 will be announced on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
