The auditions conclude as the Gen X chefs take over the kitchen; chef Christine Ha guest judges.
The Top 18 contestants compete in their first mystery box challenge of the season and must create a unique and delicious dish using duck and bananas. Later, the remaining amateur cooks are forced out of their comfort zone when the judges challenge them to cook an outstanding dish using unusual and intimidating ingredients. Find out which contestants make the cut after the first emotional elimination round.
The remaining chefs are challenged with a "Winner's Mystery Box" curated by the Season 3 Champion, Christine Ha. The contestants are tasked with creating a Michelin-starred Vietnamese dish, but there's a catch - they must use every ingredient given to them.
The remaining sixteen contestants visit military base Camp Pendleton, CA where they will work in teams to prepare a healthy and balanced meal for 200 servicemen and women. After judges put the contestants through culinary boot camp, the contestants return to the MasterChef kitchen for an intense elimination round. Find out who will emerge from the trenches and continue in the competition in the MasterChef kitchen.
Guts are tested as the remaining fifteen contestants are challenged to create a unique dish using unconventional – and unappetizing – cuts of meat. The contestants who are most resourceful and think outside the box will make the cut and continue to the next round.
