LOS ANGELES — Award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot return for season three of the culinary smash hit MasterChef with a two-night season premiere event on Monday, June 4 (8:00-9:00 p.m.) and Tuesday, June 5 (8:00-9:00 p.m.) on FOX.

Nearly 30,000 hopefuls auditioned at MasterChef’s open casting calls in Atlanta, Ga.; Austin, Tex.; Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Miami, Fla.; New York City, N.Y.; San Francisco, Calif.; Savannah, Ga.; Seattle, Wash.; and Washington, D.C. MasterChef also hit the road for the first-ever food truck casting tour and made stops in cities throughout Arizona, Colorado and Utah. Only the best amateur cooks were flown to Los Angeles for a chance to compete for the coveted title of MasterChef and the $250,000.00 grand prize. This season will feature contestants from all walks of life representing 23 states – including a stock broker, a professional opera singer, an emergency physician, a food photographer, a plastic surgeon, as well as the first blind cook to enter the competition – all with the hopes of turning their culinary dream into a reality.

In the premiere episode, the hopefuls will prepare their signature dish and present them to the distinguished MasterChef judging panel: Gordon Ramsay (Gordon Ramsay Steak, maze), Joe Bastianich (Del Posto, Eataly) and Graham Elliot (Graham Elliot, Grahamwich). The judges will taste for flavor, originality, creativity and presentation. But most importantly, the amateur cooks must demonstrate a genuine passion for food and a drive to win in order to earn a coveted white apron and move on to the next round.

The auditions continue on Tuesday, June 5 (8:00-9:00 p.m.) as the judges critique the good and the bad and continue to winnow down the competition. On Monday, June 11 (8:00-9:00 p.m.), the stakes are raised as the 36 remaining hopefuls will be put to the ultimate test in an intense ground beef challenge. By the end of the episode, those who impress the judges will earn a spot in the Top 18 and join the nation’s best crop of amateur cooks in the MasterChef kitchen. Only those who put their best dish forward will move one step closer to becoming a culinary master.

MasterChef Top Amateur Cooks:
Below are the hometowns, names and professions of the top amateur cooks who were flown to Los Angeles to compete on MasterChef:

MasterChef is produced by Shine America and One Potato Two Potato and is based on a format created by Franc Roddam and Shine. Shine International handles distribution for the MasterChef format. Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Robin Ashbrook, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Pat Llewellyn and Ben Adler serve as executive producers.

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