Season pulse
Episodes
21 episodes
Episode 1
It’s the first heat of this year’s competition, and six talented cooks are braced for culinary battle. Their first goal is to secure one of four gleaming MasterChef aprons.
Episode 2
Six more amateurs work to secure a place in this week’s quarter-final as they are put through their paces by Grace and Anna in the second heat of the week.
Episode 3
It's the first quarter-final, where this week’s six most talented amateurs gather to face off against each other for the first time.
Episode 4
A new set of incredible amateur cooks take on the MasterChef heats hoping to secure a quarter-final place. Their first task is to serve up an impressive signature dish.
Episode 5
A fresh set of hopeful home cooks serve up their signature dishes and precision cooking in a bid to impress the MasterChef judges and get through to the quarter-finals.
Episode 6
The second quarter-final is here, and the six best cooks of the week return to prove they have more culinary skill in the tank, starting with an invention test.
Episode 7
Heat three is upon us, which means one thing: six exciting new amateur cooks have left their home kitchens ready to compete for one of four coveted MasterChef aprons.
Episode 8
It’s time for the second heat of the week, with six more home cooks putting themselves in the culinary spotlight, ready to show the judges that they have what it takes.
Episode 9
The week closes with the third quarter-final as the six best cooks of the week return, taking on two more challenges to prove they have the nerve and skill to go even further.
Episode 10
It’s the last round of heats. A new batch of amateur cooks enter the MasterChef kitchen ready to show off their culinary skills, hoping to get through to the next round.
Episode 11
A brand new batch of amateur cooks enter the MasterChef kitchen, ready to compete in the first round and take their shot at culinary stardom.
Episode 12
It’s time for the week’s six best cooks to dig deep and deliver in the last quarter-final of the competition.
Episode 13
It’s knockout week, and there are just 14 amateur cooks left in the competition. The judges are increasing the pressure to see which contestants can hold their nerve.
Episode 14
Knockout week continues, and the chefs must prove themselves enough to make it into their first professional kitchen.
Episode 15
Knockout week is coming to an end, but not before a few more cooks have to say goodbye. Ten contestants remain, and there is only room in the semi-finals for eight.
Episode 16
It’s semi-finals time, and the eight remaining cooks are ready to battle it out for a chance at victory. Anna and Grace ramp things up with their biggest challenges yet.
Episode 17
The semi-finals continue, and just seven extraordinary home cooks remain in the competition. It’s time for them to dig even deeper into their culinary books of tricks.
Episode 18
The semi-finals reach their end, and this is the most crucial stage of all. Which four of the five remaining cooks have what it takes to get that coveted place in Finals Week?
Episode 19
Six weeks of fraught competition have produced four exceptional amateur cooks, who all stand a chance of being enlisted into the MasterChef hall of fame.
Episode 20
The finals continue with the four finalists back in the UK, where they will be taking on their biggest task to date.
The Final
MasterChef 2026 has seen seven weeks of competition, all leading to this one moment: it’s the final, and one of the three exceptional cooks remaining will be taking home the trophy.