Audio By Carbonatix
Fox’s hit television show featuring celebu-chef Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur and winemaker Joe Bastianich, and Michelin-starred chef Graham Elliot will return for its fifth season in May. The show, which searches for the country’s best home cooks, will feature 30 contestants from 14 states competing to win the title of MasterChef, a cookbook deal, and the $250,000 grand prize.
The Season 5 contestants include Phoenix-resident Natanya Spears.
See also: Amy’s Baking Company – A History of Kitchen Nightmares – The Original Story by Phoenix New Times
The new season of MasterChef will premiere on Monday, May 26, on Fox. During the first episode, 30 contestants will travel to Los Angeles, where they will present their “signature dishes” to the judging panel. The judges will taste for flavor, creativity, and presentation.
Other challenges throughout include preparing a meal for more than 500 servicemen and women on an Army base, making a three-course meal for a summer wedding, and taking over a legendary Hollywood restaurant.
Spears, 37, is the only contestant from Arizona and works as a construction coordinator. The show held a casting call at the Embassy Suites Biltmore in Phoenix last September. Other contestants hail from Alabama, California, Florida, Idaho, Texas, Ohio, New York, and Louisiana.
You can view the complete contestant list on the next page.
For more information check out the MasterChef Facebook page.
Alabama
Birmingham, Elise Mayfield, e-learning administrator
Arizona
Phoenix, Natanya Spears, construction coordinator
California
Irvine, Gordon Houston, law student graduate
Los Angeles, Daniel McGuffey, video game designer
Malibu, Leslie Gilliams, stay-at-home dad
Palo Alto, Ahran Cho, high school student
Tarzana, Amy Pezeshkifar, graduate student
Yorba Linda, Ruth Schreber Sanchez, stay-at-home mom
Florida
Orlando, Francis Biondi, server
Idaho
Star, Chandis Siwek, dietician intern
Illinois
Chicago, Rickie Perez, food truck manager
Kentucky
Lexington, Dan Wu, unemployed
Pikeville, Corey Charles, winery manager
Louisiana
Mandeville, Astrid Lavenia, food sales
New Orleans, Christian Green, sales representative
Thibidaux, Michael Williams, student
Michigan
Detroit, Stephani Syfax-Shepherd, server
New York
Brooklyn, Elizabeth Cauvel, advertising executive
New York City, Francis Legge, music video director
Queens, Jaimee Vitolo, bakery assistant
Yonkers, Christine Silverstein, investment director
Ohio
Columbus, Whitney Bray, call center representative
Wilmington, Tyler Viars, hunting sales manager
Youngstown, Kira Novak, medical recruiter
Pennsylvania
Meadville, Gavin Edmondson, admissions counselor
Philadelphia, Courtney Lapresi, aerial dancer
Texas
Beaumont, Cutter Brewer, petroleum landman
Houston, Willie Mike, church music director
San Angelo, Victoria Scroggins, bartender
Wisconsin
Muskego, Jordan Kaminski, college student
