# Food Network Star

Food Network Star is a reality television series that aired from June 5, 2005 to August 5, 2018. It was produced by CBS EYEtoo Productions for seasons 1–8 and by Triage Entertainment for seasons 9-14. It aired on the Food Network in the United States. Prior to season seven, the series was known as The Next Food Network Star.

## Season One
### Summary

The first season of The Next Food Network Star series was taped in February 2005, and was composed of five episodes in June 2005. Chicago area caterers Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh emerged as the winners, and went on to host a show called Party Line with Dan & Steve; later titled Party Line with The Hearty Boys, which premiered on September 18, 2005.
The runner-up, Deborah Fewell, was chosen to host a special on food at beaches, Surf N Turf, which aired in June 2006. Michael Thomas was the recurring chef on The Tyra Banks Show. Susannah Locketti made an appearance on The Tony Danza Show, and is also an on-air chef for Publix grocery stores in the southern United States.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Place |
| Dan Smith & Steve McDonagh | 42 and 40 | Bellmore, NY and Wayne, NJ | Winners |
| Deborah Fewell | 32 | Los Angeles | Runner-up |
| Hans Rueffert | 32 | Jasper, GA | 3rd |
| Susannah Locketti | 33 | Plymouth, MA | 4th |
| Eric Warren | 52 | Los Angeles | 5th |
| Michael Thomas | 36 | Venice, CA | 6th |
| Harmony Marceau | 30 | New York City, NY | 7th |
| Brook Harlan | 24 | Columbia, MO | 8th |

## Season Two
### Summary

The second season of The Next Food Network Star series was taped in December 2005 and began airing in March 2006. Guy Fieri was announced as the winner on April 23, 2006, beating Reggie Southerland.
Fieri has achieved considerable success and a Daytime Emmy at Food Network since his victory, and is still regularly on air as of February 2024. Guy's Big Bite premiered in June 2006 and aired for 13 seasons until December 2016. Fieri's second series, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, premiered in April 2007 and has aired for 33 seasons, being the recipient of several Primetime Emmy Award nominations. He went on to the series, Ultimate Recipe Showdown, premiering February 17, 2008, and Guy Off The Hook on September 14, 2008. His reality competition Guy's Grocery Games debuted in October 2013 and has aired for 29 seasons.
Fourth-place contestant Nathan Lyon began hosting his own series, A Lyon In the Kitchen, on the Discovery Health Channel in March 2007.
Four of the seasons cast members along with Fieri reunited on Season 10 episode 4 of Guy’s Grocery Games which aired on July 31, 2016.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Culinary P.O.V. | Eliminated |
| Guy Fieri | 38 | Ferndale, CA | "Off the Hook" California Cuisine | Winner |
| Reggie Southerland | 39 | Los Angeles | Modern Soul Food | Runner-up |
| Carissa Seward | 33 | San Diego, CA | Simple Food for Entertaining | Week 6 |
| Nathan Lyon | 35 | Los Angeles | Healthy and Seasonal Food | Week 5 |
| Andrew Schumacher | 26 | Brooklyn, NY | Cooking Techniques | Week 4 |
| Evette Rodriguez | 35 | Port St. Lucie, FL | Latin Cuisine | Week 3 |
| Elizabeth Raynor | 32 | Sausalito, CA | Simple Mediterranean Cuisine | Week 2 |
| Jess Dang | 24 | Menlo Park, CA | Asian Cuisine | Week 1 |

## Season Three
### Summary

The third season began on June 3, 2007, and the winner was announced on Sunday, July 22. In season 3, judges sent 1 or 2 contestants home weekly. Once the field was down to 2 final contestants, the viewers picked the winner. Marc Summers (host of the first 2 seasons) only returned for this season's finale. Bobby Flay would host subsequent season finales.
During the season, the contestants lived in a shared house in New York City. The contestants' challenges included cooking concession food for an NBA game (with guest Darryl Dawkins) to a mini version of Food Network's Iron Chef America (with guest judges Bobby Flay and Cat Cora). The Selection Committee consisted of Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson along with one guest. Guest judges included Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis, Duff Goldman, season two winner Guy Fieri, and Robert Irvine.
Paula Deen and Rachael Ray participated in contestant challenges, and Bobby Flay also played a role in the guidance and selection process. Amy Finley was chosen by America as The Next Food Network Star on July 22, 2007. Her new show The Gourmet Next Door premiered on October 14, 2007 and ran for six episodes. Finley later declined to continue with the series, citing relocation to France for family reasons.
Among the contestants this season was former child actress Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine, best known for her appearances in the Mighty Ducks film franchise.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Eliminated |
| Amy Finley | 33 | San Diego, CA | Stay-at-Home Mom | Winner$^1$ |
| Rory Schepisi | 31 | Vega, TX | Restaurateur | Runner-Up |
| Joshua Adam "JAG" Garcia | 25 | Havelock, NC | Chef-de-Cuisine | Withdrew$^1$ |
| Paul McCullough | 36 | Los Angeles | Caterer | Week 6 |
| Adrien Sharp | 29 | Jackson, MI | Local Cooking Show Host | Week 5 |
| Michael Salmon | 53 | Brooklyn, NY | Director of Operations for Macy's | Week 4 |
| Tommy Grella, Jr. | 34 | Methuen, MA | Self-Taught Chef | Week 3 |
| Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine | 29 | New York, NY | Former Child Actress | Week 3 |
| Nikki Shaw | 38 | Oakland, CA | Caterer | Week 2 |
| Patrick Rolfe | 33 | Seattle, WA | Chef | Week 1 |
| Vivien Cunha | 40 | Hermosa Beach, CA | Caterer | Week 1 |
^Note 1 : Amy Finley was eliminated Week 7, and the original finalists were Rory Schepisi and Joshua "JAG" Garcia. After the final elimination episode was aired, evidence came to light that JAG had lied about both his culinary training and his military service, representing both as more extensive than they actually were. Food Network allowed him to withdraw from the competition and reinstated Amy Finley, who was voted The Next Food Network Star.

## Season Four
### Summary

Season four of The Next Food Network Star premiered on Sunday, June 1, 2008. Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson are joined by Bobby Flay as the selection committee for this season. Each new episode aired on Sundays at 10:00 PM EDT. For this season, the viewers no longer received the chance to vote for the winner; producers instead made the final decision. This led to an error by FoodNetwork.com, which briefly posted the winning moment video on their website three days before the finale aired. The winner for the fourth season was Aaron McCargo Jr. His winning show idea, Big Daddy's House, first aired August 3, 2008.
Finalist Adam Gertler was hired to host a Food Network show called Will Work for Food, which debuted on January 19, 2009 and was cancelled after one season. He hosted the Food Network show Kid in a Candy Store, which aired two seasons.
Kelsey Nixon co-hosted a web show on food2.com (a Food Network sister site aka Cooking Channel) and also appeared in the premiere of Chefs vs. City in 2009. In 2010, Gertler and Nixon became co-hosts of The Next Food Network Star After Party, a half-hour recap/interview show following that night's episode of Star, on Cooking Channel. Nixon stars in Kelsey's Essentials, a program on kitchen and cooking basics for The Cooking Channel that ran November, 2010–2013.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Eliminated |
| Aaron McCargo Jr. | 36 | Camden, NJ | Chef | Winner |
| Adam Gertler | 30 | Philadelphia, PA | Food Server | Runner-Up |
| Lisa Garza | 32 | Dallas, TX | Restaurateur/Designer | Runner-Up |
| Kelsey Nixon | 23 | North Ogden, UT | Assistant Culinary Director | Week 7 |
| Shane Lyons | 20 | Colorado Springs, CO | Private Chef and actor | Week 6 |
| Jennifer Cochrane | 32 | Woonsocket, RI | Chef | Week 5 |
| Nipa Bhatt | 35 | Victoria, MN | Marketing Manager | Week 4 |
| Jeffrey Vaden | 43 | White Plains, NY | Food Service Management | Week 3 |
| Kevin Roberts | 39 | San Diego, CA | Radio Talk Show Host/Restaurant Owner/Author | Week 2 |
| Cory Kahaney | 45 | New York, NY | Stand-up Comedian | Week 1 |

## Season Five
### Summary

Season five of The Next Food Network Star premiered on June 7, 2009. Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson were joined by Bobby Flay as the Selection Committee for this season, which was filmed early 2009 in New York, New York and Miami, Florida. Melissa D'Arabian was declared the winner on August 2, 2009 with the title for her show being Ten Dollar Dinners. Her show premiered on August 9, 2009.
On August 17, 2009, Food Network announced Jeffrey Saad would return in a series of online videos based on his pilot, now called "The Spice Smuggler." The program premiered with four 4+1⁄2-minute videos featuring one spice and a recipe incorporating it. Saad was named the national representative for the American Egg Board. In November, 2010, Saad debuted in a new show for The Cooking Channel titled United Tastes of America, which explores multiple aspects of traditional American food.
Finalist Debbie Lee has carried her "Seoul to Soul" concept to the streets of L.A., opening a lunch truck, Ahn-Joo, featuring a range of Korean food.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Culinary P.O.V. | Eliminated |
| Melissa d'Arabian | 40 | Keller, TX | Stay-At-Home Mom | "Kitchen Survival Guide" | Winner |
| Jeffrey Saad | 42 | Los Angeles, California | Restaurateur/Food Consultant/Recipe Developer/Chef | "Ingredient Smuggler" | Runner-Up |
| Debbie Lee | 39 | West Hollywood, California | Restaurant Consultant | "From Seoul to Soul" | Week 8 |
| Jamika Pessoa | 30 | Atlanta, Georgia | Personal Chef/Businesswoman | Caribbean Cuisine | Week 7 |
| Michael Proietti | 28 | City Island, NY | Executive Chef | "Global A Go-Go" | Week 6 |
| Katie Cavuto | 30 | Philadelphia, PA | Personal Chef & Dietician | Healthy and Green Cuisine | Week 5 |
| Teddy Folkman | 33 | Alexandria, VA | Restaurant Owner/Executive Chef | "Gourmet Bar Food" | Week 4 |
| Eddie Gilbert | 30 | Los Angeles | Apprentice Chef | "Modernized Traditional Food" | Week 3 |
| Brett August | 33 | New York, New York | Executive Sous Chef | Italian-American Cuisine | Week 2 |
| Jen Isham | 30 | Orlando, FL | Sales Manager | "Housewife 2.0" | Week 1 |

## Season Six
### Summary

The sixth season of the series premiered on Sunday, June 6, 2010. Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson were again joined by Bobby Flay as judges; in addition, Giada De Laurentiis served as an on-set mentor. On July 17, 2010, a post-competition recap and discussion show premiered on The Cooking Channel. Shows were filmed in Los Angeles, California and New York, New York.
On August 15, 2010, Aarti Sequeira was declared the winner, and her new show Aarti Party premiered on Sunday, August 22, 2010 and features American style cuisine with unique Indian flair. Season 2 of Aarti Party premiered that December.
The Food Network also signed runner-up Tom Pizzica to host a new show called Outrageous Food, which premiered in November 2010. The last new episodes of Aarti Party aired in mid-2013.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Culinary P.O.V. | Eliminated |
| Aarti Sequeira | 31 | Los Angeles, California | Food Blogger | "Aarti Paarti" | Winner |
| Herb Mesa | 41 | Atlanta, Georgia | Personal Trainer/Personal Chef | "Cooking Con Sabor" | Runner-Up |
| Tom Pizzica | 32 | San Francisco, CA | Unemployed Chef | "Big Chef" | Runner-Up |
| Aria Kagan | 30 | Hollywood, FL | Private Chef | "Family Style" | Week 9 |
| Brad Sorenson | 25 | Austin, Texas | Professional Chef | "Pro"/"Culinary Quest" | Week 8 |
| Serena Palumbo | 31 | New York, New York | Attorney | "Serena's Trattoria" | Week 7 |
| Brianna Jenkins | 30 | Atlanta, Georgia | Caterer | "Sexy and Fabulous Flavors" | Week 6 |
| Paul Young | 32 | Chicago, IL | Waiter | "Blue-Collar Dollar" | Week 5 |
| Darrell "DAS" Smith | 28 | Los Angeles | High School Culinary Teacher | "Food is the Life of the Party" | Week 4 |
| Dzintra Dzenis | 44 | Austin, TX | Private Cooking Instructor | | Week 3 |
| Doreen Fang | 38 | Los Angeles | Caterer/Cooking Instructor | "Simply Complex" | Week 2 |
| Alexis Hernandez | 40 | Clarksville, IN | Part-time food Writer | | Week 1 |

## Season Seven
### Summary

For the seventh season, the reality television series was renamed, after the first episode, Food Network Star, dropping the word "Next". It premiered Sunday, June 5, 2011. Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson were joined again by Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis as the judges for this season. The series was filmed in Los Angeles, California and New York, New York.
Season seven winner Jeff Mauro's show "Sandwich King" premiered on Sunday, August 21, 2011. In spring 2013, Jeff hosted $24 in 24, a show in which he went to several cities and ate an entire day's worth of meals on 24 dollars. Mauro is currently a co-host on "The Kitchen", airing Saturday mornings on Food Network with cohosts Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee and Geoffrey Zakarian.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Culinary P.O.V. | Eliminated |
| Jeff Mauro | 32 | Chicago, IL | Corporate Chef | "Sandwich King" | Winner |
| Susie Jimenez | 31 | Carbondale, CO | Catering Company Owner | "Spice It Up" | Runner-Up |
| Vic "Vegas" Moea | 36 | Brooklyn, NY | Executive Chef | "Mama's Boy" | Week 11 |
| Mary Beth Albright | 38 | Washington, DC | Food Writer and Blogger | "Sunday Supper" | Week 10 |
| Whitney Chen | 28 | New York, NY | Chef | "Four Star Flair" | Week 9 |
| Jyll Everman | 31 | Glendora, CA | Caterer | "Jyllicious Bites" | Week 8 |
| Penny Davidi | 39 | Los Angeles | Restaurant Owner | "Stilettos in the Kitchen"/"Middle Eastern Mama" | Week 7 |
| Chris Nirschel | 28 | Hoboken, NJ | Sous Chef | "On the Line" | Week 7 |
| Orchid Paulmeier | 38 | Bluffton, SC | Restaurant Owner | "Asian Persuasion" | Week 6 |
| Justin Davis | 31 | Minneapolis, MN | Food Blogger | "The Flavor Factory" | Week 5 |
| Justin Balmes | 32 | Marietta, GA | Fishmonger/ Butcher | "Kitchen Workshop" | Week 4 |
| Alicia Sanchez | 33 | New York, NY | Young Adult Culinary Teacher | "Alicia's Guilty Pleasures" | Week 3 |
| Katy Clark | 34 | Long Beach, CA | Food and Fitness Company Operator | "Simply Fabulous" | Week 2 |
| Juba Kali | 29 | New Orleans, LA | Research Chef | "Cuisine Made Simply" | Week 2 |
| Howie Drummond | 40 | Highlands Ranch, CO | Radio Host | "Basic and Delicious" | Week 1 |

## Season Eight
### Summary

Season 8 started May 13, 2012. For season 8, the format changed, with the contestants divided into three five-member teams, each coached by a Food Network host, either Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, or Giada De Laurentiis. Coaches worked with the teams as they prepared for and completed their tasks. The winner's coach would also be the producer of the winner's show.
Each week, a winning team was selected, and one member of the teams that did not win was up for elimination in a new feature called Producers' Challenge. Each challenge was hosted by current Food Network personalities.
The final winner was decided by an audience vote cast on foodnetwork.com between July 15–17, 2012 and the winner was announced on July 22, 2012. The winner was Justin Warner, who hosted a one-hour special on The Food Network, but did not have a series produced. He has become a blogger on foodnetwork.com, makes appearances at Food Network events, and is an active Twitter presence.

### Coaches

* Alton Brown – host of Good Eats, Iron Chef America, The Next Iron Chef, and Cutthroat Kitchen.
* Bobby Flay – host of Grill It! with Bobby Flay, Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. Co-host of season 3 of Worst Cooks in America and Iron Chef on Iron Chef America
* Giada De Laurentiis – host of Everyday Italian, Giada at Home and Giada in Italy.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Culinary P.O.V. | Team | Eliminated |
| Justin Warner | 27 | Brooklyn, NY | Chef and Restaurant Owner | "Rebel with a Culinary Cause" | Team Alton | Winner |
| Michele Ragussis | 42 | Brooklyn, NY | Executive Chef | "My New England" | Team Bobby | Runner-Up |
| Yvan Lemoine | 30 | New York City | Bartender and Cook for the French Consulate | "Family Style" | Team Giada | Runner-Up |
| Martie Duncan | 50 | Birmingham, AL | Blogger and Party Planner | "Martie with the Party" | Team Alton | Runner-Up |
| Philip "Ippy" Aiona | 23 | Kamuela, HI | Executive Chef | "Voyage to Paradise" | Team Giada | Week 10 |
| Nikki Martin | 31 | West Hollywood, CA | Private Chef, Food and Beverage Consultant | "The Grill Next Door" | Team Bobby | Week 10 |
| Martita Jara | 35 | San Diego, CA | Self-Taught Chef | "Martita's Mesa" | Team Giada | Week 9 |
| Malcolm Mitchell | 41 | Washington, DC | Private Chef | "Simple and Soulful" | Team Bobby | Week 8 |
| Emily Ellyn | 29 | Orlando, FL | College Student | "Cooking Retro Rad" | Team Alton | Week 7 |
| Linkie Marais | 28 | North Attleborough, MA | Cake Baker | "Dessert Queen" | Team Giada | Week 6 |
| Judson Allen | 30 | Chicago, IL | Catering Company Owner | "Weight Loss Journey" | Team Alton | Week 5 |
| Eric Lee | 44 | Petaluma, CA | Winery Executive Chef | "Handcrafted in Wine Country" | Team Bobby | Week 4 |
| Josh Lyons | 42 | Jupiter, FL | Restaurant Consultant and Sushi Chef | "Wok and Roll" | Team Giada | Week 3 |
| Kara Sigle | 31 | Chicago, IL | Catering Company Owner | "Nostalgic Cooking with a Twist" | Team Bobby | Week 2 |
| Cristie Schoen | 35 | New Orleans, LA | Caterer | "Healthy and Delicious" | Team Alton | Week 1 |

## Season Nine
### Summary

Season 9 started on June 2, 2013. For season 9, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay, and Giada De Laurentiis mentored and judged twelve Food Network Star competitors, although the contestants were not divided into teams as in season 8. Many of this season's contestants had previously appeared on other Food Network shows. The winner was Damaris Phillips, decided by an audience vote cast on foodnetwork.com and announced live on August 11, 2013. Phillips hosted the Food Network show Southern at Heart for five seasons from 2013 to 2016. In 2018, she began co-hosting The Bobby and Damaris Show on Food Network with Bobby Flay. Phillips also cohosted "Southern and Hungry" with auto racing analyst Rutledge Wood in 2017.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Culinary P.O.V. | Eliminated |
| Damaris Phillips | 30 | Louisville, KY | Culinary Teacher | "Modern Southern Food" | Winner |
| Rodney Henry | 47 | Baltimore, MD | Pie Shop Owner | "Pie Style" | Runner-up |
| Russell Jackson | 49 | San Francisco, CA | Underground Chef | "Seven Culinary Sins" | Runner-up |
| Stacey Poon-Kinney | 34 | San Diego, CA | Restaurant Owner | "Vintage with a Modern Twist" | Week 10 |
| Nikki Dinki | 29 | New York, NY | Food Blogger/Online Host | "Semi-Vegetarian" / "Meat on the Side" | Week 9 |
| Connie "Lovely" Jackson | 27 | Los Angeles | Caterer | "Party on a Plate" | Week 4 & Week 8 (Winner of Star Salvation) |
| Chad Rosenthal | 37 | Ambler, PA | Restaurant Owner | "Jewish BBQ Guy" | Week 7 |
| Chris Hodgson | 26 | Cleveland, OH | Chef/Restaurateur | "Compassion for Food" | Week 6 |
| Viet Pham | 33 | Salt Lake City, UT | Chef/Restaurant Owner | "The American Dream" | Week 5 |
| Danushka Lysek | 37 | New York, NY | Private Chef/Model | "Your Private Chef" | Week 3 |
| Andres Guillama | 26 | Waynesville, NC | Childhood Obesity Prevention Coach | "Teaching Men to Cook" | Week 2 |
| Daniela Perez-Reyes | 28 | Haleiwa, HI | Bartender/Caterer | "Peruvian Princess" | Week 1 |

## Season Ten

The winner was Lenny McNab, decided by an audience vote cast on foodnetwork.com and announced live on August 10, 2014. It is the last season to date where the finale aired live—all subsequent season finales would be filmed months in advance prior to airing.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Culinary P.O.V. | Eliminated |
| Lenny McNab | 42 | De Beque, CO | Executive Chef | Gourmet Cowboy | Winner |
| Luca Della Casa | 38 | San Antonio, TX (Originally from Turin, Italy) | Restaurateur | Luca's Feast | Episode 2 (Winner of Star Salvation) Runner-up |
| Nicole Gaffney | 29 | Atlantic City, New Jersey | Private Chef | Coastal Cuisine | Runner-up |
| Sarah Penrod | 30 | League City, TX | Private Chef | Devoted to Date Night/Texas Cuisine | Episode 10 |
| Loreal Gavin | 26 | Indianapolis, IN | Butcher | Butcher Babe | Episode 9 |
| Emma Frisch | 30 | Ithaca, NY | Farmer | Farm-to-Table | Episode 8 |
| Chris Kyler | 32 | Stafford, VA | Caterer | elevating classics | Episode 7 |
| Reuben Ruiz | 27 | Miami, FL | Restaurant Owner | Flavors of Miami | Episode 6 |
| Christopher Lynch | 39 | New Orleans, LA | Executive Chef | New Orleans Inspired | Episode 5 |
| Aryen Moore-Alston | 31 | Memphis, TN | Home Cook | International Cuisine Made Easy | Episode 4 |
| Kenny Lao | 36 | New York, NY | Food Truck Chef | Fast-Casual | Episode 3 |
| Donna Sonkin Shaw | 42 | New York, NY | Nutritionist | Healthy Comfort Food | Episode 1 |

## Season Eleven

Beginning with this season, Alton Brown no longer appeared as a judge. The winner was Eddie Jackson, an ex NFL player and MasterChef (American season 4) contestant.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Culinary P.O.V. | Eliminated |
| Eddie Jackson | 34 | Houston, TX | Food Truck Owner | Caribbean | Winner |
| Jay Ducote | 33 | Baton Rouge, LA | Radio Host | Louisiana | Runner up |
| Dominick "Dom" Tesoriero | 31 | Staten Island, NY | Food Truck Owner | Italian | Week 8 (Winner of Star Salvation; returned for semi-final) Runner up |
| Arnold Myint | 38 | Nashville, TN | Restaurant Owner | Effortless Home Entertainment | Week 10 |
| Alex McCoy | 31 | Washington, D.C. | Chef, Restaurant Owner | Fusion Sandwiches | Week 9 |
| Michelle Karam | 39 | Santa Barbara, CA | Food Blogger | Mediterranean | Week 7 (withdrew) |
| Emilia Cirker | 36 | Reston, VA | Culinary Instructor | Spice Class | Week 6 |
| Rue Rusike | 26 | Brooklyn, NY | Private Chef | South African | Week 5 |
| Rosa Graziano | 38 | Los Angeles | Food Truck Owner | Southern Italian | Week 4 |
| Sita Lewis | 47 | New York, NY | Culinary Instructor | Italian Soul | Week 3 |
| Matthew Grunwald | 22 | Scottsdale, AZ | Restaurant Chef | Hashtag | Week 2 |
| Christina Fitzgerald | 29 | St. Louis, MO | Executive Chef | Around The World | Week 1 |

## Season Twelve

Martita Jara originally competed in the eighth season of the series; she returned after winning the pre-season competition Comeback Kitchen.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Eliminated |
| Tregaye Fraser | 31 | Atlanta, Georgia | Caterer | Winner |
| Jernard Wells | 37 | Atlanta, Georgia | Executive chef | Runner-up |
| Damiano Carrara | 30 | Moorpark, California | Pastry chef | Runner-up |
| Yaku Moton-Spruill | 33 | San Francisco, California | Basketball player, sous chef | Week 4 / Week 10 |
| Ana Quincoces | 49 | Coral Gables, Florida | Cookbook writer, attorney | Week 9 |
| Erin Campbell | 24 | Woodbury, Minnesota | Baker | Week 8 |
| Joy Thompson | 40 | Thomasville, North Carolina | Baker, restaurateur | Week 7 |
| Rob Burmeister | 45 | Staten Island, New York | School lunch administrator | Week 6 |
| Monterey Salka | 26 | Nashville, Tennessee | Caterer | Week 5 |
| Martita Jara | 39 | San Diego, California | Home cook | Week 3 |
| Aaron Crumbaugh | 36 | Spokane, Washington | Caterer | Week 2 |
| Melissa Pfeister | 34 | Los Angeles, California | Basketball player | Week 2 |
| Havird Usry | 28 | Augusta, Georgia | Restaurateur | Week 1 |

## Season Thirteen

Matthew Grunwald originally competed in season 11. He returned for a second chance after winning the Comeback Kitchen competition.

### Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Eliminated |
| Jason Smith | 39 | Grayson, Kentucky | Cafeteria manager | Winner |
| Rusty Hamlin | 42 | Atlanta, Georgia | Executive chef | Runner-up |
| Cory Bahr | 40 | Monroe, Louisiana | Chef | Runner-up |
| Matthew Grunwald | 24 | Scottsdale, Arizona | Restaurant chef | Week 10 |
| Amy Pottinger | 32 | Honolulu, Hawaii | Food blogger | Week 9 |
| David Rose | 35 | Atlanta, Georgia | Caterer | Week 7 |
| Addie Gundry | 30 | Lake Forest, Illinois | Cookbook author; chef | Week 6 |
| Caodan Tran | 29 | Dallas, Texas | Personal chef | Week 5 |
| Trace Barnett | 27 | Brilliant, Alabama | Food blogger | Week 4 |
| Suzanne Lossia | 32 | michigan , Detroit | Restaurant Owner &Personal chef | Week 3 |
| Toya Boudy | 34 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Restaurant Owner &Personal chef | Week 2 |
| Nancy Manlove | 65 | Texas City, Texas | Chef | Week 2 |
| Blake Baldwin | 30 | Flemington, New Jersey | Marketing manager; home cook | Week 1 |

## Season Fourteen
### Contestants

This season features Manny Washington and Katie Dixon from MasterChef (American season 7) and Palak Patel who beats Bobby Flay. Amy Pottinger originally competed in season 13. She returned for a second chance after winning the Comeback Kitchen competition, along with Adam Gertler, who originally competed in season four.
| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Eliminated |
| Christian Petroni | 34 | Port Chester, New York | Chef | Winner |
| Jess Tom | 34 | Princeton, New Jersey | Food Novelist | Winner |
| Manny Washington | 30 | Orlando, Florida | Firehouse cook | Runner-up |
| Amy Pottinger | 33 | Honolulu, Hawaii | Food Blogger | Week 8 |
| Palak Patel | 38 | New York, New York | Personal chef | Week 7 |
| Katie Dixon | 35 | Hattiesburg, Mississippi | Private chef | Week 6 |
| Harrison Bader | 26 | Los Angeles, California | Personal chef | Week 4 |
| Adam Gertler | 40 | Los Angeles, California | Chef, TV Personality, Actor, Podcaster | Week 4 |
| Rebekah Lingenfelser | 34 | Savannah, Georgia | Marketing and Public Relations director | Week 3 |
| Samone Lett | 46 | Sanford, Florida | Personal chef and caterer | Week 2 |
| Jason Goldstein | 40 | New York, New York | Chiropractor; culinary teacher | Week 1 |
| Chris Valdes | 26 | Miami, Florida | Caterer | Week 1 |