Celebrity MasterChef 2025 has officially locked in its finalists – but one hopeful fell at the final hurdle tonight.
In a tense episode, the remaining celebs faced two major challenges designed to push their skills to the limit. While several rose to the occasion, one contestant just couldn’t win over John Torode and Grace Dent, narrowly missing out on a coveted spot in Finals Week.
Only five stars could progress, leaving one apron on the chopping block. Here’s the contestant who left Celebrity MasterChef tonight – and what ultimately cost them their place in the competition.
Celebrity MasterChef 2025: Invention relay
Tonight’s episode was the last of the Celebrity MasterChef semi-finals. The cooks were Jamie Lomas, Dawn O’Porter, Katie McGlynn, Ginger Johnson, Alun Wyn Jones and Alfie Boe.
Hollyoaks actor Jamie was already riding high, having been declared as Cook of the Day in Wednesday’s semi-final.
For their first challenge, they were given the famous Invention Test. But this time, it had to be done in relay.
Dawn, Alfie and Jamie were put on the blue team, while Ginger, Katie and Alun Wyn were the red team. Each contestant had 25 minutes in the kitchen and they had to come up with a main course and a dessert.
One person had to start, someone else had to do the middle and the last person had to finish. And to make things really tough, whoever started the relay could only leave “clues” to their other team members about what the dishes were going to be. They couldn’t talk!
‘Worst nightmare’
Alun Wyn kicked things off for the reds in a chicken wrapped in pancetta. He halved some plums and nectarines and poached them in sugar. Ginger then came in and made some sweet pastry.
Dawn started the challenge for the blue team with the beginnings of a chicken and mushroom pie. But she didn’t even come up with a dessert. Alfie attempted to make a sponge cake – which he said was his “worst nightmare”.
Katie finished off the red team’s main and dessert. She served up the chicken with butternut squash. The puff pastry was plated with poached nectarines, roasted almonds and vanilla cream. Both dishes got the thumbs up from John and Grace.
Jamie, meanwhile, dished up chicken and mushroom pie. One the side was spinach and an onion and mushroom sauce. The sponge cake soaked in syrup and plated with custard and stewed nectarines. The judges were pleased with this, too.
Who went home?
For the second challenge, the celebs had to cook one “outstanding dish” for restaurant critics William Sitwell, Jimi Famurewa and Leyla Kazim. They had to make four portions of their dish.
Alun Wyn cooked bone marrow croquet with ox cheeks, while Dawn whipped up chicken and waffle. Ginger went for pork fillet stuffed with black pudding.
Katie cooked fillet of beef with “fairground onions”. Her side was potatoes and croutons fried in beef fat. Jamie opted for short-rib and basmati rice, and Alfie made spring vegetable risotto and scallops.
Everyone’s dishes all received fairly positive reviews, but Katie made a huge clanger. She failed to season her beef – and served up a big burned onion. The restaurant critics were not impressed.
Grace: “I would not have put this burned onion on the plate. It just draws your eye to it immediately and makes you think there are problems here.”
Unsurprisingly, John and Grace chose to send Katie home at the end of Thursday night’s episode. She joins Chris Hughes, Antony Costa and Ashley Cain who all left in the 2025 semi-finals week.
Katie said: “It is a little bit frustrating to go home this close to the finals. But I’m really proud of myself. I’ve genuinely had such a good time.”
When is the Celebrity MasterChef 2025 final?
Finals Week kicks off at 8pm on Monday December 15, 2025 – but don’t get too comfy, because the schedule is a bit of a whirlwind.
After Monday’s opener, Celebrity MasterChef returns on Tuesday December 16, then takes a brief break mid-week before coming back on Friday for the big one: The Celebrity MasterChef 2025 Final.
By the time we reach Friday, only three celebs will remain. John Torode and Grace Dent will put them through one final, high-pressure cook-off before crowning this year’s champion.
The grand final airs at 8pm on Friday December 19 and runs for an hour, wrapping up at 9pm. The winner will join an impressive roll call of past champions – including last year’s victor, Strictly favourite Vito Coppola.
So who’ll be next to claim the coveted trophy? The countdown is officially on.
Read more: Noreen Khan is sent home on Celebrity MasterChef as her soggy falafel fails to impress
Celebrity MasterChef: Finals Week starts at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Monday December 15, 2025.
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