In a MASTERCHEF First,

The Judges Choose Their Favorite Home Cooks and

Mentor Them Throughout the Season

New Batch of Home Cooks Begin Their MASTERCHEF Journey,

Including a Bus Driver, Personal Grocery Shopper, Country Singer,

Pilot, Model, Firefighter, Dishwasher and Optometrist

In a MASTERCHEF kitchen first, the judges will do battle when Season Nine of MASTERCHEF premieres Wednesday, May 30 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. For the first time ever, the judges – host and award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, acclaimed chef Aarón Sánchez and renowned restaurateur Joe Bastianich – will choose their favorite home cooks and mentor them throughout the competition. Another all-new two-hour episode of MASTERCHEF airs Wednesday, June 6 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Then, the series makes its time period premiere onWednesday, June 13(8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), followed by the series premiere of GORDON RAMSAY’S 24 HOURS TO HELL AND BACK (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

In the season premiere, the nation’s best home cooks travel to Los Angeles to compete for a spot in the Top 24. That’s when twist kicks in: the judges each will have eight aprons to hand out to the home cooks whom they deem worthy – and they will then mentor those contestants throughout the competition. However, as in all prior seasons, only one home cook will claim the MASTERCHEF title and the $250,000 grand prize.

Hopefuls auditioned at MASTERCHEF’s open casting calls in Chicago, IL; Atlanta, GA; Raleigh, NC; Phoenix, AZ; New York, NY; Miami, FL; Houston, TX; Philadelphia, PA; Las Vegas, NV; Nashville, TN; and Los Angeles, CA to prove they have the culinary skills to be the next MASTERCHEF. Only one talented home cook will join MASTERCHEF winners Dino Luciano (Season Eight), Shaun O’Neale (Season Seven), Claudia Sandoval (Season Six), Courtney Lapresi (Season Five); Luca Manfe (Season Four); Christine Ha (Season Three), the first-ever blind contestant; Jennifer Behm (Season Two); and Whitney Miller (Season One) in the elite group of MASTERCHEF titleholders.

Below are the hometowns, names and professions of the Home Cooks who will participate in the MASTERCHEF Battle for a White Apron:

State/Hometown

Name

Profession

Alabama

   Slapout

Jessica Meuse

Country Singer

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“MASTERCHEF” SEASON NINE TOP 43 CONTESTANTS – Page 2

Arizona

    Peoria

Darrick Krause

Engineer

California

Los Angeles

S.J.

College Student

Sal Maida

Architect

San Francisco

Imani Browning

Server

Sylmar

Cynthia Smith-Allen Bey

Accounting Assistant

Cayman Islands 

  

Nik Stewart

Model

China 

  

Tianjin

Bowen Li

Pilot

Florida

  

    Miami

Shanika Patterson

Event Promoter

   

Sid Hoeltzell

Food Photographer

    Opa-Locka

Ashley Mincey

Professional Grocery Shopper

Georgia

    Atlanta

Camerron Dangerfield

Financial Analyst

Illinois

  

Chicago

Farhan Momin

Dental Student

 

Julia Danno

Sales Manager

Iowa

    Iowa City

Matt Houck

Optometrist

West Des Moines

Samantha Daily

College Student

Kentucky

 

Louisville

Gerron Hurt

English Teacher

Louisiana

 

Shreveport

Mark Myers Jr.

Firefighter

Maine

 

Rockport

Mark Ingraham

Dishwasher

Maryland

 

Laurel

Tye Hall Brown

Associate Professor

Massachusetts

 

Orange

Lindsay Haigh

Trial Attorney

Michigan

 

Grand Rapids

Alecia Winters

Daycare Owner

Nevada

 

Las Vegas

Jannie Lam

Cocktail Server

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“MASTERCHEF” SEASON NINE TOP 43 CONTESTANTS – Page 3

New Jersey

 

Cherry Hill

Stephanie Willis

Bartender

New York

 

Brooklyn

Maya Rose Lederer

Personal Assistant

Mamaroneck

Daniela Savone

ESL Teacher

Westchester

Frank Tufano

Bartender

North Carolina

 

Clayton

Hope McFarland

Health Care Administrator

Four Oaks

Jody Rhodes

Hunting Guide

Raleigh

Juni Cuevas

Disability Analyst

South Carolina

 

Columbia

Olusola Ogbomo

Bus Driver

South Africa 

  

Butterworth

Markheavens Tshuma

Retail Manager

Tennessee

 

Nashville

Mark Medlin

Business Owner

Texas 

  

Austin

Chera Lynn Little

Realtor

Houston

Cesar Cano

High School Teacher

Chelsea Sargent

Sales Specialist

Ralph Xavier Degala

Senior Accountant

Ryan Cortez

Taylor Waltmon

Drummer

Sales Training Director

San Antonio

Jason Beauchamp

Business Owner

Orlando Velasquez

Family & Criminal Law

Virginia 

  

Fairfax

Eric Clingan

Criminal Defense Attorney

Wisconsin

Neenah

Emily Hallock

Food Research Analyst

      

MASTERCHEF is produced by Endemol Shine North America and One Potato Two Potato, and is based on a format created by Franc Roddam and Endemol Shine. Robin Ashbrook, Elisabeth Murdoch, Georgie Hurford-Jones, Gordon Ramsay, Danny Schrader, Yasmin Shackleton, Patricia Llewellyn and Ben Adler serve as executive producers. “Like” MASTERCHEF on Facebook at facebook.com/Masterchef/. Follow the series on Twitter @MasterChefonFOX and join the discussion with #MasterChef. See photos and videos on Instagram @MasterchefonFOX. Follow the judges on Twitter: Gordon Ramsay - @gordonramsay; Aarón Sánchez - @Chef_Aaron; Joe Bastianich - @JBastianich.

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ABOUT ENDEMOL SHINE NORTH AMERICA

Endemol Shine North America delivers world-class content and compelling storytelling to multiple platforms in the U.S. and across the globe. Endemol Shine North America is part of Endemol Shine Group, the global content creator, producer and distributor with a diverse portfolio of companies that are behind some of the most prominent hit television formats and series in the world.

Its Endemol Shine Latino division oversees all Spanish and Portuguese-language operations across Latin America, including newly launched studio Endemol Shine Boomdog, which produces original content for both the U.S. Hispanic and Mexican markets. Subsidiary production companies include Authentic Entertainment, Truly Original and 51 Minds Entertainment.

Endemol Shine Group’s companies in North America are behind such hit series as “Big Brother” (CBS), “Ink Master” (Spike), “Kingdom” (AT&T Audience Network), MASTERCHEF (FOX), MASTERCHEF JUNIOR (FOX), “Swamp People” (History), “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” (Bravo), “T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle” (VH1), “Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge” (CMT), “Page Six TV” (Syndicated), “Billion Dollar Buyer” (CNBC), “Fear Factor” (MTV), “Best.Cover.Ever.” (YouTube), “I’m Dying Up Here” (Showtime), “Trading Spaces” (TLC) and upcoming “Deal or No Deal” (CNBC) and “Utopia” (Amazon).

ABOUT STUDIO RAMSAY

The next-generation multi-media production company STUDIO RAMSAY has a joint venture with All3Media to develop and produce both unscripted and scripted television shows, creating new formats and innovative programming that includes a scripted arm focused on food-related themes, and development of new talent on a global front. The catalogue of programs that Gordon Ramsay has worked on historically with All3Media via One Potato Two Potato, together with new original content he’s currently developing, make for a unique and dynamic production and distribution partnership. Studio Ramsay’s first production, THE F WORD WITH GORDON RAMSAY, premiered live this past summer in the U.S. on FOX. Its first daytime cooking series, CULINARY GENIUS, premiered in the spring on ITV in the U.K. and was syndicated on FOX stations in the U.S. this summer, while his new documentary series, “Gordon on Cocaine,” for ITV, premiered this fall. Seasons Three and Four of “Matilda And The Ramsay Bunch,” starring Tilly Ramsay, for U.K. children's channel CBBC, are also produced by STUDIO RAMSAY. 

Renowned for highly successful and award-winning original programming, Emmy-nominated, multi-Michelin star chef Gordon Ramsay produces TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic seen by audiences worldwide, including his FOX shows, THE F WORD WITH GORDON RAMSAY, GORDON RAMSAY’S 24 HOURS TO HELL AND BACK, MASTERCHEF, MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, HELL’S KITCHEN and MASTERCHEF CELEBRITY SHOWDOWN, as well as Bravo’s “Best New Restaurant” and Food Network’s competition series “Food Court Wars.” In the U.K., he’s produced “Gordon Ramsay Behind Bars” and “Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escape” for Channel 4; food biography and nostalgia series “My Kitchen” for UKTV’s Good Food Channel; two instructional cookery series, “Ultimate Home Cooking” and “Ultimate Cookery Course” for Channel 4; and “Matilda And The Ramsay Bunch,” all under his One Potato Two Potato banner.

 

 

 

 

[EDITOR’S NOTE: For episodic photos and more information on MASTERCHEF, please visit http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z308.]

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