Another summer, another series of Celebrity MasterChef, packed full of cooking calamities, stressed faces and maybe even the odd surprise from some household names. While it may be slightly lighter-hearted than both regular MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals, the format of Celebrity MasterChef is largely the same and equally as addictive.
Spread over six weeks, the series saw the same format of 20 celebrity contestants taking part in a variety of different challenges as they all vie for the prestigious crown, showcasing a mixture of different cooking abilities. But that’s the best part of the show, in our opinion, with everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, particularly in the earlier stages of the series.
Past winners include Greg Rutherford, Kimberley Wyatt and last year’s winner Wynne Evans, who beat Amy Walsh and Luca Bish in the final. Although you might assume that the celebrities are just taking part for fun, the show has been the start of something bigger for many of the past winners. Series five winner Lisa Faulkner has now written multiple cookbooks and has also gone on to host a variety of different cookery shows including one with her now-husband and MasterChef judge, John Torode – there’s a fairytale ending if ever we’ve heard one.
This year’s season of Celebrity MasterChef 2024 may have come to an end, but we’ve rounded up everything that happened throughout the past six weeks in case you missed it. Find out everything you need to know about season 19 of Celebrity MasterChef 2024 here, including who was crowned the winner.
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When does the new season start?
The new season started on Tuesday 13 August at 8pm on BBC One, with three episodes each week, airing on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Where can I watch Celebrity MasterChef 2024?
All episodes aired on BBC One and are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Who were the Celebrity MasterChef 2024 contestants?
Each week saw five celebrities go head to head in a series of challenges, including the same invention tests and signature dish challenges that are seen in the classic format of the show, with other unique tests such as requiring the celebrities to work together in a pairs challenges.
Week One
Left to right: Charlotte Crosby, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Edith Bowman, Craig Doyle, Snoochie Shy
– Charlotte Crosby, Reality TV Star (eliminated)
– Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Singer
– Edith Bowman, TV and Radio Presenter (eliminated)
– Craig Doyle, TV and Radio Presenter
– Snoochie Shy, TV and Radio Presenter (eliminated)
Week Two
Left to right: Danielle Harold, Eshaan Akbar, Rochenda Sandall, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Chloe Burrows
– Danielle Harold, Actor (eliminated)
– Eshaan Akbar, Comedian and Actor (eliminated)
– Rochenda Sandall, Actor
– Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Former Sprinter
– Chloe Burrows, Reality TV Star (eliminated)
Week Three
Left to right: Jake Quickenden, Emma Thynn, Jamie MacDonald, Christine McGuinnes, Tamer Hassan
– Jake Quickenden, TV Personality
– Emma Thynn, Model (eliminated)
– Jamie MacDonald, Comedian (eliminated)
– Christine McGuinness, TV Personality (eliminated)
– Tamer Hassan, Actor
Week Four
Left to right: Dominic Skinner, Mutya Buena, OJ Borg, Diane Carson, Vito Coppola
– Dominic Skinner, Makeup Artist
– Mutya Buena, Pop Star (eliminated)
– OJ Borg, Radio Presenter (eliminated)
– Diane Carson, TV Personality (eliminated)
– Vito Coppola, Professional Dancer
Who went through to the Celebrity MasterChef 2024 semi final?
There were eight celebrities in the semi final. The Celebrity MasterChef 2024 semi finalists are: Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Craig Doyle, Rochenda Sandall, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Jake Quickenden, Tamer Hassan, Dominic Skinner and Vito Coppola. These eight competed in a number of challenges over the week’s episodes, fighting for a place in the final five and a chance to win Celebrity MasterChef 2024.
Left to right: Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Craig Doyle, Rochenda Sandall, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey
Left to right: Jake Quickenden, Tamer Hassan, Dominic Skinner, Vito Coppola
What happened in the Celebrity MasterChef 2024 semi final?
Episode One
The first episode of the semi-finals saw all eight celebrities head to Butser Ancient Farm in South Downs National Park, Hampshire. Here, they were split into two teams in order to prepare a hearty lunch for 70 volunteers who were recreating life in an Anglo Saxon village. The Blue Team (Rochenda, H, Jake, and Dom) faced off against the Red Team (Craig, Vito, Tamer, and Harry), each tackling a course using historical ingredients. Dishes included axe-cut pork with a nettle risotto and cider sauce, and venison pie with celeriac and parsnip mash, roasted root vegetables and a venison gravy.
Back in the MasterChef kitchen, they faced a tough challenge of creating a dish using an ingredient that they hate. This challenge saw dishes based around spinach, aubergine, truffle and liver, but it was Jake who failed to impress the judges with his gnocchi. His prawn-topped dish, cooked in an olive, tomato and aubergine sauce hit the mark with its flavours, but the judges found the gnocchi was dense and chewy, costing him his spot in the competition.
Episode Two
Thursday’s episode saw the pressure heating up as the celebrities were tasked with recreating one of Ainsley Harriet’s iconic recipes. Each would be attempting a different recipe with a number of unfamiliar ingredients and techniques and fighting for an automatic place in the next round. Craig stunned the judges with his bao buns filled with fried tofu, hoisin sauce and a spring onion, cucumber, coriander, chilli and sesame slaw, in a sriracha mayonnaise. He earned high praise from Gregg, who called it ‘an envelope of absolute brilliance,’ and earned his place in the next round.
The remaining six had to fire up wood ovens for the ultimate pizza challenge where they were tasked with designing unique and creative pizzas, whilst also having to light and maintain the temperature of a wood-fire oven in order to cook their pizzas. Dom’s fig, goat cheese, and bacon pizza with a caramelised onion bechamel sauce and a maple syrup and chilli drizzle missed the mark with its doughy texture and undercooked base, and it was his turn to leave the competition.
Episode Three
The final episode of semi final week saw the remaining six celebrities cooking for renowned food critic Grace Dent, who was looking to be indulged with a selection of decadent dishes from the remaining competitors. The brief was to cook something that excites the senses and delicately balances an extravagant taste sensation.
Rochenda’s savoury dish of Korean fried chicken with perilla leaves left the judges impressed, whilst Harry and Vito’s decadent chocolate desserts saw them also going straight through to the final. Unfortunately, it was the end of Tamer’s time in the competition. His salt-crusted sea bass with chimichurri and roasted vegetables was beautifully cooked, but lacked seasoning and felt like a bit of a mismatch.
Who went through to the Celebrity MasterChef 2024 final?
Vito Coppola, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Craig Doyle, Rochenda Sandall, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey went through to the final five to battle for the title of Celebrity MasterChef 2024 winner.
Left to right: Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Rochenda Sandall, Vito Coppola, Craig Doyle
What happened in the Celebrity MasterChef 2024 final?
Episode One
Finals week kicked off with a challenge for the celebrities to create a dish inspired by a well-known chef. The remaining five all impressed with their dishes, taking inspiration from James Martin, Antonino Cannavacciuolo, Yotam Ottolenghi and Heston Blumenthal. But it was Vito’s take on a parmigiana was a stand out for the judges who agreed that he had ‘added to it [the dish] without taking away its soul.’
Unfortunately, it was H’s time to leave the competition. His layered chocolate cake with buttercream icing and popping candy, served with a Turkish delight ice cream, was lovely and moist but far too large and rich, lacking any subtlety. Gregg said he would ‘have liked something else to break up the chocolate.’
The remaining four moved straight on to their next challenge, where they would be in charge of luxury four-course lunch service onboard the British Pullman train – a 1920s experience, renowned for its first-class dining. The four worked alongside head chef John Freeman, who had designed today’s menu, with each celebrity in charge of one of the courses. They would have two and a half hours to complete their prep, before boarding the moving train and continuing to cook.
The four will all return in the next episode to fight for a spot in the final three and a chance to cook at Chef’s Table.
Episode Two
Thursday evening’s episode was the one that everyone had been waiting for. The four remaining celebrities would be competing for a place in the final three, and the chance to cook at Chef’s Table. But before that, the four contestants were set the task of cooking a dish inspired by a special person in their lives.
Crab tagliatelle, lemon curd tart, Italian pastiera and apple and plum crumble were all on the menu, but only three could continue to the next round. Despite Craig accidently putting salt on his brulee tart, rather than sugar, it was Harry’s turn to leave the competition. His apple and plum oat crumble with a strawberry crumble slice, baked meringue and vanilla custard lacked cohesion, acting as more of a selection of desserts than a singular dish.
Vito, Craig and Rochenda were then faced with the most iconic challenge of the MasterChef Competition – Chef’s Table – where they would be cooking under the guidance of Adam Smith at Coworth Park Hotel, home to Woven by Adam Smith. This restaurant is where ‘science meets art’ and would challenge the celebrities to new and exciting scientific techniques that they hadn’t encountered so far in the competition. Here, they would be cooking for some of the best in the industry: Aktar Islam (Opheem), Anna Haugh (Myrtle), Frederick Forster (190 Queen’s Gate), Simon Hulstone (The Elephant), Cherish Finden and Mike Reid.
Vito was responsible for the starter, serving up steamed Cornish turbot in a lobster and truffle mousse, topped with a lobster medallion and caviar, with a cauliflower and bonito puree, salted grapes, pickled cucumber, finished with a lobster and truffle jus and a Champagne sauce. The judges agreed that the fish was cooked perfectly, and delivered an exciting combination of texture and taste that was a ‘match made in heaven.’
Craig was in charge of the main course, serving Yorkshire lamb stuffed with a sweetbread and lamb’s tongue mousse, with mushroom, and wild garlic purees, alongside glazed sweetbreads and braised morels topped with a sheep’s cheese cream and a herb crust. The judges agreed that it showcased ‘skill after skill after skill’ with Gregg going as far to say that it was ‘heaven’.
Finally, Rochenda finished up the evening with dessert. Her delicately presented dish was salted caramel mousse on a chocolate brownie and feuilletine biscuit base, topped with a cocoa nib whipped ganache rolled in tempered chocolate spirals and served with a creme fraiche and vanilla sorbet. The judges ‘couldn’t fault’ it, loving the balance of sweet and bitter notes.
The final three will return for Friday’s episode, where one will be crowned the Celebrity MasterChef 2024 winner.
Episode Three
The final episode of this season of Celebrity MasterChef ended with one simple challenge: to deliver a majestic main course and dessert for the judges, showcasing everything that they’ve learned throughout the competition.
Craig was up first. His main was monkfish on a bed of buttered leeks and wild garlic, topped with a panko mussel and crispy leeks served with a mussel veloute and a wild garlic oil. The judges described it as ‘a fantastic demonstration of some serious, classic cookery.’ His dessert was a blood orange panna cotta with lemon curd, salted chocolate tuile, fresh blood orange and a brown sugar crumb.
Rochenda’s main dish was a rump of lamb with mint sauce, fondant potato, a kale, anchovy and hazelnut bonbon, onion cream, charred spring onion and a lamb and red wine sauce. This came followed by an orange polenta cake, soaked in an orange syrup topped with pistachio crumb, fresh blackberries and served with a pistachio ice cream. The judges agreed that it showed ‘a lot of really good cookery,’ using ‘some great, classic technique,’ despite the fact that the ice cream didn’t quite set in time.
Finally, it was Vito’s turn. His main, was a seafood scialatielli made with handmade basil, parmesan and pecorino pasta with prawns, clams, mussels and squid served in a tomato and chilli sauce. His dessert was a rum baba, with one half soaked in rum syrup, the other half topped with zabaglione, a Marsala wine cream, and cherries in syrup, which was described by Gregg as ‘perfect, perfect, perfect.’
Despite each of the three showcasing excellent techniques and flavours across their dishes, there could only be one winner. Vito was crowned by the judges as the winner of season 19 of Celebrity MasterChef.
Who was in the final three on Celebrity MasterChef 2024?
This year’s final three for Celebrity MasterChef 2024 was Rochenda Sandall, Vito Coppola and Craig Doyle.
Left to right: Vito Coppola, Rochenda Sandall, Craig Doyle
Who won Celebrity MasterChef 2024?
The winner of Celebrity MasterChef 2024 was professional dancer Vito Coppola. After 20 amateur cooks battled it out over six weeks, the grand final saw three contestants go head to head to be crowned the winner, including Rochenda Sandall and Craig Doyle.
Image: Vito Coppola – Winner of Celebrity MasterChef 2024.
Vito impressed judges John Torrode and Gregg Wallace with a seafood scialatielli main, followed by rum baba dessert.
Vito is the 19th person to become a Celebrity MasterChef winner.
Who was in the final of Celebrity MasterChef 2024?
The contestants taking part in the final of Celebrity MasterChef 2024 were Rochenda Sandall, Craig Doyle and Vito Coppola.
What happens in the Celebrity MasterChef final?
After weeks of intense heats, the next stage of the competition is the semi-final, where contestants battle it out for a place in the final and the chance to take the Celebrity MasterChef crown. The final week of the competition sees the remaining celebrities have to impress well-known celebrity chefs with their cooking. In the final itself, the three finalists have to cook a perfect three-course meal for John and Gregg.
Who are the judges on Celebrity MasterChef?
Presenters and judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace will return once again to dish out their critiques for Celebrity MasterChef 2024. The pair will also be joined occasionally by guest judges, the names of whom will be revealed as the programme airs.
What are the Celebrity MasterChef 2024 challenges?
While the challenges change a bit every series of Celebrity MasterChef, you can expect favourites such as the market challenge where contestants have to devise a dish on the spot using only the provided produce, and the pairs challenge where contestants attempt to cook identical dishes with a wall in between them. As well as these, there will be mass-catering tasks, challenges involving cooking for former Celebrity MasterChef winners, and the celebrities will even have to try their hand at cooking in a professional kitchen.
Where is Celebrity MasterChef filmed?
Celebrity MasterChef has been filmed at 3 Mills Studios in East London since 2014. The film and television studio has also been used as a recording space for several other popular television programmes, such as Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live, Million Pound Drop Live and Stand Up To Cancer.
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