MasterChef - Season 13

Out of the hundreds that auditioned, 64 amateur cooks are through to battle it out over four weeks of heats, producing some of the most inspiring, exceptional and unusual food ever seen on the series. The first eight hopefuls try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2017 MasterChef Champion. This year sees the introduction of the all new MasterChef market, which is stocked full of amazing produce. The first challenge is to invent and cook one dish using what's available in the market. They have an hour and twenty minutes to dazzle the judges and prove they are good enough to stay in the competition. After tasting all eight dishes, John and Gregg decide which five cooks are good enough to stay. The five remaining contestants must then cook two courses that will excite not just John and Gregg but also last year's MasterChef finalists. John and Gregg then decide which three contestants deserve to go through to the quarter-final.

Eight more amateurs try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2017 MasterChef Champion.

It is the first quarter-final of the series, and the six cooks face a seriously daunting test set by one of the country's toughest food critics. This episode's brief has been set by journalist and broadcaster Amol Rajan, and the contestants must cook either a savoury dish using Indian spices or a chocolate dessert with a playful twist. After cooking their dish, the contestants must stand before Amol Rajan, John and Gregg to hear what they think of their dish and how well they have kept to the brief. At the end of the quarter-final, the best cooks are put through to Knockout Week, taking another step closer to being crowned MasterChef Champion 2017.

In the second week of the heats, eight more hopefuls hope to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. The first challenge for the eight contestants is to invent and cook one dish using what is available to them in the MasterChef market, after which John and Gregg decide which five of the eight cooks are good enough to stay. With the aim of reaching the quarter-final, the five remaining cooks then prepare two courses for John, Gregg and three special guests, 2010 MasterChef finalists Alex Rushmer and Tim Kinnaird, and champion Dhruv Baker.

Eight more amateurs hope to impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace and book a place in the quarter-finals. Their first challenge is to invent and cook a dish using ingredients from the MasterChef market, after which John and Gregg decide which five cooks are good enough to stay. The remaining cooks then prepare two courses for not only John and Gregg, but also 2006 finalist Dean Edwards, 2014 champion Ping Coombes and 2005 champion Thomasina Miers.

In the second quarter-final of the series, the six cooks face a daunting test set by one of the country's toughest food critics. The brief has been set by food critic William Sitwell, and the contestants must cook either a savoury dish that has no meat or fish, or a tart dessert. After cooking their dish, the contestants must stand before William, John and Gregg to hear what they think of their dish and how well they have kept to the brief. At the end of the quarter-final, the best cooks are put through to Knockout Week, taking them another step closer to being crowned MasterChef Champion 2017.

Eight more hopefuls try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2017 MasterChef Champion. On offer in this episode's MasterChef market are chicken legs, quail and lamb rump, as well as prawns, salmon and mackerel. The cooks have one hour and twenty minutes to dazzle the judges and prove they are good enough to stay in the competition. Three cooks are sent home, and the five remaining ones now have one challenge standing between them and a quarter-final place. They have to cook two courses for John and Gregg, as well as 2011 MasterChef finalists Sara Danesin and Jackie Kearney and champion Tim Anderson. After the five hopefuls have cooked, John and Gregg decide which three will go through to the quarter-final.

Eight more hopefuls try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2017 MasterChef Champion. On offer in this episode's MasterChef market are chicken wings, quail, pancetta, brown shrimp, salmon and haddock. The cooks have one hour and twenty minutes to dazzle the judges and prove they are good enough to stay in the competition. Three cooks are sent home, and the five remaining ones now have one challenge standing between them and a quarter-final place. They have to cook two courses for John and Gregg, as well as 2013 finalists Saira Hamilton and Larkin Cen and champion Natalie Coleman. After the five hopefuls have cooked, John and Gregg decide which three will go through to the quarter-final.

It is the quarter-final, and the six cooks continue to fight for their place in the competition as they face a test set by restaurant critic Tracey Macleod. Her challenge is to make an exceptional dish, choosing from one of two briefs she has given them. The contestants must either cook a savoury dish that showcases rice or a dessert with almonds. After cooking their dish, they hear what the judges think of their food and how well they have kept to the brief.

A new set of contestants face the MasterChef challenges and must impress previous champions Peter Bayless, James Nathan and Mat Follas.

Eight more hopefuls try to prove themselves. On offer in the MasterChef market are venison, lamb mince, kidneys, scallops and langoustines.

It is the last quarter-final, and the six cooks continue to fight for their place in the competition as they face a test set by restaurant critic Jay Rayner.

There are now 14 cooks remaining, and they come together for the first time to cook off against each other across two shows. The contestants are split into two groups - the red group and the blue group - with seven cooks in each. Each set faces a daunting cook-off based on a brief given by John and Gregg. Their challenge is to create one dish inspired by a family favourite or food from their childhood. Once both groups have finished cooking, John and Gregg decide who is good enough to continue in the competition. The blue group are the first to cook. In one hour and thirty minutes, they must deliver one dish that stands out from the crowd and proves to the judges that they have a future in the competition. However, they won't find out their fate just yet, as they have to wait until the other group have cooked before John and Gregg choose who stays and who goes.

The 14 remaining cooks continue to compete against one another. With the blue group having finished cooking, it is now the turn of the red group to face the same daunting challenge set by John and Gregg. Their brief is to create one dish inspired by a family favourite or food from their childhood. In one hour and thirty minutes they must deliver one dish that stands out from the crowd and proves to the judges that they have a future in the competition. John and Gregg must then make a difficult decision as they choose who has what it takes to continue in the competition and whose MasterChef journey is about to end.

The remaining 12 contestants are split into two groups and get their first taste of professional cooking when they have to run an entire lunchtime service on their own. In this episode the first group head to Ormer Mayfair, a London restaurant headed up by award-winning chef Shaun Rankin. During a busy service, the six amateurs are responsible for serving up every dish on the menu to paying customers. It is then back to MasterChef HQ for an invention test to show John and Gregg what they have learnt. Each contestant has to show they can invent an exceptional dish that is worthy of gracing the table of a professional restaurant. As well as presenting their food to John and Gregg, the contestants must also impress a guest judge, renowned Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin. After this, one of the cooks is sent home.

The second group of contestants get their first taste of professional cooking. They are heading to Roux at Parliament Square, Michel Roux Jr's second restaurant, run by 2009 MasterChef: The Professionals champion Steve Groves. The contestants are responsible for serving up every dish on the menu for a busy lunch service. It is then back to the MasterChef kitchen for an invention test to show John and Gregg what they have learnt. Each contestant must demonstrate they can invent a dish from scratch that looks and tastes exceptional and is worthy of gracing the table of a restaurant. Michelin-starred chef Tom Kitchin returns to help John and Gregg assess the six cooks. After this, one of them is sent home.

The ten remaining amateur cooks only face one challenge in this episode. They must cook one dish to completely wow the judges and secure their semi-final place. They have one and a half hours to create their masterpiece, and nine of them will make it through.

It is the first semi-final, and the nine remaining contestants must cook a dish which showcases their favourite ingredient. Afterwards, one will be going home.

The semi-finals continue as the eight remaining cooks head to the BBC studios at Elstree, home to TV drama Holby City. The contestants are split into two teams of four and face the challenge of running their own kitchens in two specially constructed catering tents. Each team must create two main courses and a dessert to feed 120 members of the cast and crew. With less than four hours to deliver the food, organisation and teamwork is essential for success. It is vital the two teams perform at their absolute best and produce a lunch worthy of the occasion, because after judging their food, John and Gregg pick the weakest team to return to the MasterChef kitchen, where they must cook off against each other in a special invention test. The contestants must create a stunning dish from the leftover produce from the previous challenge, which includes duck carcasses, halibut scraps, vegetables, fruit, and cheeses. One more contestant is then sent home.

The contestants are tasked with cooking a three-course fish lunch for some of the country's biggest fish experts. Starting at 4am at Billingsgate Fish Market, they must first source their ingredients before moving on to Fishmongers' Hall, the prestigious headquarters of the Fishmongers' Company, where they take full control of the kitchens. John Torode oversees the kitchen as the amateurs face a high-pressure lunchtime service. The contestants must each serve one dish of their own creation on the specially designed menu, and the two chefs who cook the most popular dishes will be exempt from the next cook-off. Back at the MasterChef kitchen, the MasterChef market reopens as the five chefs cook against each other in a bid to stay in the competition, and this time there is no meat or fish. They have one hour and fifteen minutes to create one dish to keep themselves in the competition.

It is the last of semi-finals, and the remaining six amateurs attempt to win a place in the MasterChef finals. To win their place in the final five they must cook an outstanding dish for four of the country's most feared restaurant critics - Amol Rajan, Tracey MacLeod, Jay Rayner and William Sitwell. At the end, John Torode and Gregg Wallace decide who to take through to finals week.

It is the final week of MasterChef 2017, and the remaining five amateur cooks travel to Winfield House, the official residence of the American ambassador to the United Kingdom. They have the immense task of cooking for him and his five guests, who include author and journalist Rachel Johnson, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Jeremy King, creator of iconic restaurants The Ivy and The Wolseley. The dinner is overseen by Paul Ainsworth. He has designed a five-course menu for the guests with an American theme, and with just four hours to replicate his complex dishes, the amateurs are challenged like never before. Back at the MasterChef kitchen, the finalists are then challenged to demonstrate everything they've learnt and create a dish inspired by something personal in their lives that shows imagination, flair and creativity. Who can make it through to the final four and keep their dream alive of winning MasterChef 2017?

The final four amateur cooks embark on a culinary adventure to South Africa, where they face three extraordinary challenges, guided by two of South Africa's acclaimed chefs. Their first task is to cook a traditional South African 'braai' using ingredients and cooking methods alien to them in the sizzling 40-degree heat. They are mentored by chef Reuben Riffel, who also devises with the menu. Next, the amateurs have the honour of working with British-born chef Luke Dale Roberts. The four contestants take over lunch service his restaurant, The Test Kitchen. There is no room for error as Luke';s expectations are sky high. Their third challenge sees the finalists creating an exceptional dinner at the Beau Constantia Winery, inspired by their South African culinary adventure and showcasing the skills they have developed. The dishes must be exceptional for them to stand out and prove they have what it takes to be crowned MasterChef Champion 2017.

In the penultimate show, the final three amateur cooks face the most terrifying challenge yet, The Chef's Table, mentored by chef Sat Bains. To fight for their place at The Chef's Table, John Torode and Gregg Wallace challenge the amateurs to cook a classic dish with their stamp on it. The final contestants then face the ultimate challenge. Sat has designed an exquisite three-course menu for lunch and each contestant will be responsible for one of his signature dishes. The dishes require complex techniques, precision cooking and an impeccable palate. To add to the pressure, the guests are a table of the country's finest chefs and the amateur's mentors throughout the competition. Emotions run high as no one wants to let Sat or the table of esteemed chefs down. For the final three, it's their last chance before the final to prove they have what it takes to lift the MasterChef trophy.

After a formidable seven-week competition, the search for the country's best amateur cook reaches its climax. The finalists have to push themselves to the limit for one last time before judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace crown one of the three highly-talented amateur cooks the champion. In three hours, they must produce three exceptional courses, push the culinary boundaries and give the judges an awe-inspiring tasting like never before. It is a night packed with culinary highlights as one of the three amateur cooks lifts the trophy and becomes the 13th MasterChef champion.