NATIONWIDE SEARCH BRINGS BEST AMATEUR COOKS
TO LOS ANGELES TO VIE FOR COVETED TITLE
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Top 18 Revealed Monday, June 11
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Award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot return for Season Three of the culinary smash hit MASTERCHEF with a two-night season premiere event on Monday, June 4 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Tuesday, June 5 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Nearly 30,000 hopefuls auditioned at MASTERCHEF’s open casting calls in Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New York City, NY; San Francisco, CA; Savannah, GA; Seattle, WA; and Washington, DC. MASTERCHEF also hit the road for the first-ever food truck casting tour and made stops in cities throughout Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Only the best amateur cooks were flown to Los Angeles for a chance to compete for the coveted title of MASTERCHEF and the $250,000 grand prize. This season will feature contestants from all walks of life representing 23 states – including a stock broker, a professional opera singer, an emergency physician, a food photographer, a plastic surgeon, as well as the first blind cook to enter the competition – all with the hopes of turning their culinary dream into a reality.
In the premiere episode, the hopefuls will prepare their signature dish and present them to the distinguished MASTERCHEF judging panel: Gordon Ramsay (Gordon Ramsay Steak, maze), Joe Bastianich (Del Posto, Eataly) and Graham Elliot (Graham Elliot, Grahamwich). The judges will taste for flavor, originality, creativity and presentation. But most importantly, the amateur cooks must demonstrate a genuine passion for food and a drive to win in order to earn a coveted white apron and move on to the next round.
The auditions continue on Tuesday, June 5 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) as the judges critique the good and the bad and continue to winnow down the competition. On Monday, June 11 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), the stakes are raised as the 36 remaining hopefuls will be put to the ultimate test in an intense ground beef challenge. By the end of the episode, those who impress the judges will earn a spot in the Top 18 and join the nation’s best crop of amateur cooks in the MASTERCHEF kitchen. Only those who put their best dish forward will move one step closer to becoming a culinary master.
Below are the hometowns, names and professions of the top amateur cooks who were flown to Los Angeles to compete on MASTERCHEF:
| State/Hometown | Name | Profession | |
| Arizona | |||
| Â | Mesa | Anis “Nino” Jabbes | Server |
| Page | Renee Berthiaume | Office Manager | |
| Laura Frederick | Retired Teacher | ||
| Hollie Schoppman | Convenience Store Owner | ||
| Dwayne Slate | Repossession Agent | ||
| Nicholas Smith | Marine Mechanic | ||
| Â | Phoenix | Preethy Kaibara | Family Physician & Attorney |
| Â | Scottsdale | Jason Clouse | Contractor |
| California | |||
| Apple Valley | Stacey Amagrande | Farmer’s Market Manager | |
| Bakersfield | Gregg McDonnell | IT Manager | |
| Brentwood | Justin Weiss | Business Analyst
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| Cluco | Vanessa Larsen | Hair Stylist | |
| Corona | Taylor Wilder | Sales Associate | |
| Hidden Hills | Carrie Portman | Senior Real Estate Account Executive | |
| Hollywood | Felix Fang | Food Runner | |
| Encino | Melanie Lowry | Account Executive | |
| Laguna Niguel | Jeff Cohen | Wealth Manager | |
| Los Angeles | Monti Carlo | Homemaker | |
| Trevor Janus | Composer | ||
| Patti Negri | Witch | ||
| Northridge | Regan Forston | Ventriloquist | |
| Playa Del Rey | Becky Reams | Food Photographer | |
| San Francisco | Laurence “Larry” Hing | Lawyer | |
| Santa Monica | Craig Victor | Call Center Assistant | |
| Â | Studio City | Victoria Redstall | Author |
| Kelly Ryan | Professional Speaker | ||
| Colorado | |||
| Westminster | Barry “Bear” Plunkett | Software Sales Executive | |
| Connecticut | |||
| Monroe | Jason Maur | Attorney | |
| Â | Woodbury | Arnaud Bourgeois | Pilot/Captain |
| Delaware | |||
| Newark | Tianna Wood | Inventory Control Specialist | |
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| Florida |
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| Aventura | Ladda Cooper | Restaurant Co-Owner | |
| Boyton Beach | Thomas Wright | Criminal Lawyer | |
| Davie | David Mack | Caviar Sales Director | |
| Deerfield Beach | Penny Suzuki | Firefighter and Paramedic | |
| Jacksonville | Sonya Welch | Administrative Assistant | |
| Miami | Samantha de Silva | Design Consultant | |
| Jordan Fein | Credit Services Director of Operations | ||
| Zelick Gimelstein | Musician | ||
| Dolores Royale | Real Estate Investor | ||
| Â | Charles Vidales | Interior Designer | |
| Â | Miramar | Joel Ringrose | U.S. Army Station Commander |
| Palm Beach Gardens | Kate D’Hondt | Bartender | |
| West Palm Beach | Andrew Rosenthal | Plastic Surgeon | |
| Georgia | |||
| Blackshear | Bubba Strickland | Singer | |
| Marietta | Lindsay Tarquinio | Non-Profit Co-Founder | |
| Powder Springs | Mike Hill | Contractor | |
| Rowell | Bobby Manheim | Primate Therapy for Special Needs Children (Monkey Doctor) | |
| Savannah | Alysha Augustus | Homemaker | |
| Illinois | |||
| Chicago | Tali Clavijo | Musician | |
| Â | Vladimir Giuliano Djurkovic | Assistant Manager | |
| Â | Aleithea Ellis | Student | |
| Greg Tomaras | Field Service Engineer | ||
| Â | Elisa Veal | Administrative Assistant | |
| Glencoe | David Martinez | Educational Administrator | |
| Kansas | |||
| Stilwell | Becky Reams | Food Photographer | |
| Louisiana | |||
| New Orleans | Heber Dunaway | Music Teacher | |
| Massachussetts | |||
| Cohasset | Julie Mitterando | Emergency Physician | |
| Boston | AJ Rossi | Director of Sales (Antiques and Fine Art Magazine) | |
| Anna Rossi | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | ||
| Fall River | Adam Camacho | Mechanical Engineer | |
| Nantucket | Pete Nevers | Carpenter | |
| Maryland | |||
| Baldwin | Helene Leeds | Health Coach | |
| Baltimore | Elizabeth Etzel | Real Estate Agent | |
| Bethesda | Amy Holmwood | President of Life Insurance Company | |
| Silver Spring | Kaimana Chee | Director of IT Training | |
| Windsor Mill | Sherine Taylor | Benefits Counselor | |
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| Michigan | |||
| Ada | James Lee | Retired Police Officer | |
| Royal Oak | Brian Kho | Business Student | |
| Mississippi | |||
| Biloxi | Michelle Gollott | Food Services Sales Consultant | |
| Jackson | Joshua Marks | Contract Specialist for US Army | |
| New Jersey | |||
| Florham Park | Samantha McNulty | High School Student | |
| Manahawkin | Jessika Morgan | Nutrition Sales | |
| Â | West Orange | Nandini Anant | Homemaker |
| New York | |||
| Â | Astoria | Luca Manfe | Restaurant Manager |
| Â | Brooklyn | Raiza Costa | Artist |
| Jack Hazan | Children’s Wear Assistant | ||
| Earlville | Gabe Fowler | Journalism Student | |
| Harlem | Courtney Carey | Professional Opera Singer | |
| Holtsville | Frank Mirando | Stock Broker | |
| Katonah | Kim Maloof | Homemaker | |
| Levittown | Al Matousek | Teaching Assistant | |
| Â | Long Beach | Alessio Vella | Sales Manager |
| New York City | Ryan Umane | Unemployed | |
| Nichelle Wright | Dancer | ||
| Woodside | Michael Petroff | School Aide | |
| Ohio | |||
| Cincinnati | Krystal Mandap | Food Sales Representative | |
| Oregon | |||
| Â | Clackamas | Josue del Castillo Rios | On-Air Radio Personality |
| Â | Portland | Jessica Glenn | Book Publicist |
| Rhode Island | |||
| Cranston | Cheryl Manzi | Admissions Representative | |
| Texas | |||
| Austin | Michael Chen | Meteorology Student | |
| Â | Tanya Noble | Student and Hospitality Assistant | |
| Dallas | Rami Rassas | Used Car Salesman | |
| Frisco | Audrey McGinnis | Homemaker | |
| Houston | Christine Ha | Graduate Student | |
| Virginia | |||
| Annandale | Scott Little | Interactive Producer | |
| Arlington | Matthew Duffy | IT Manager | |
| Joe Maiellano | Political Consultant | ||
| Washington | |||
| Â | Kirkland | Shami Marangwanda | Recruiter |
| Seattle | Jaeger Stoltz | Hair Stylist | |
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| Wisconsin | |||
| Sun Prairie | Derek Distin | Medical Device Sales Representative | |
MASTERCHEF is produced by Shine America and One Potato Two Potato and is based on a format created by Franc Roddam and Shine. Shine International handles distribution for the MASTERCHEF format. Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Robin Ashbrook, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Pat Llewellyn and Ben Adler serve as executive producers.
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“Like†MASTERCHEF on Facebook at www.facebook.com/masterchef. Follow the series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/masterchefonfox and join the discussion @masterchefonfox.