Where Are the “MasterChef” Winners Now? See What the Past 14 Champions Have Done Since the Show

NEED TO KNOW

• The MasterChef season 15 finale aired Sept. 17

• Season 15, titled MasterChef: Dynamic Duos, paired up contestants to compete together

• Multiple winners from previous seasons have continued their culinary careers, like season 1’s Whitney Miller, who runs her own cookie business

Since MasterChef first premiered in 2010, the cooking competition show has crowned over a dozen winners.

Whitney Miller was named the inaugural champion at only 22. Two years later, Christine Hà was the first blind contestant to walk away with the grand title. Meanwhile, season 5’s Courtney Lapresi and season 7’s Shaun O’Neale have released several books.

In the same vein, season 6 winner Claudia Sandoval, season 10 champion Dorian Hunter and season 11 victor Kelsey Murphy have been back on TV. Additionally, season 9’s Gerron Hurt is currently on tour with the show that helped encourage his culinary passion.

Overall, the past MasterChef winners have remained in the food world in one way or another.

So, in honor of the MasterChef season 15 finale, here’s a look at where all 14 of the MasterChef winners are now.

01 of 14

Season 1: Whitney Miller

Whitney Miller was only 22 when she was named the first winner of MasterChef in 2010.

Though she was young when she won MasterChef, Miller told Digital Spy that “age is just a number and if you have the talent then you have what it takes.”

She added, “That’s the same for anything and I want to inspire everyone to go for their dream no matter how old they are.”

The Mississippi native wrote two cookbooks: Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm in 2011 and Whitney Miller’s New Southern Table in 2015.

Miller also runs her own cookie company, Whitney’s Cookies. After making them available online, she opened her brick-and-mortar store in 2023 in Franklin, Tenn., where she lives with her husband and kids.

02 of 14

Season 2: Jennifer Behm

Jennifer Behm won MasterChef season 2 and kicked off her entrepreneurial journey by starting several of her own businesses.

According to LinkedIn, since her MasterChef days, she launched Pink Martini Catering, and she and her husband started Red Fin Crudo + Kitchen, which closed in 2020.

Behm now helps lead Lazzarini Private Chef Events.

03 of 14

Season 3: Christine Hà

Christine Hà made MasterChef history as the show’s first blind contestant and winner.

Since her time on MasterChef, Há has opened several restaurants in Houston. In 2020, her first, The Blind Goat, was recognized as a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant Award, per her website.

Two years later, in 2022, Há was named one of the finalists for the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Texas region. The following year, she was also a semi-finalist for the Outstanding Chef in America award.

She is the author of 2013’s My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food, and in April 2025, she announced she is working on another cookbook, Cooking From Memory.

04 of 14

Season 4: Luca Manfè

For season 4, Italian chef Luca Manfè was the first male and non-American to win MasterChef.

According to Manfè’s Instagram, he owns Mangia Carne, a sandwich and butcher shop in Easton, Penn. Since 2013, he has run his own catering business, Dinner with Luca, per his LinkedIn.

05 of 14

Season 5: Courtney Lapresi

Philadelphia native Courtney Lapresi walked away the winner on MasterChef season 5.

Following her time on the competition series, Lapresi released a cookbook, Everyday Fancy: 65 Easy, Elegant Recipes for Meals, Snacks, Sweets, and Drinks, in 2015.

Using her previous experience as an exotic and aerial dancer, Lapresi wrote the book, My Best Stripper Self, The Power of Patterns: Identifying and Utilizing What Works.

According to Instagram, she is the creator of the Feature Factory, a digital dance studio.

06 of 14

Season 6: Claudia Sandoval

Claudia Sandoval was the champion of MasterChef season 6.

Sandoval’s television cooking career continued after MasterChef, with appearances on Chopped, Worst Cooks in America and more, per IMDb.

She has also been a judge on MasterChef Latino and hosted the Discovery+ docuseries Taste of the Border, which premiered in 2022.

Outside of TV, Sandoval authored the cookbook Claudia’s Cocina: A Taste of Mexico. Claudia’s Cocina is also the name of her culinary consulting and catering company.

07 of 14

Season 7: Shaun O’Neale

Before competing on season 7 of MasterChef in 2016, Shaun O’Neale was a DJ based in Las Vegas. He spun some tasty mixes in the MasterChef kitchen and ultimately won the season.

After his win, O’Neale wrote the cookbook, My Modern American Table: Recipes for Inspired Home Cooks. Today, he appears to still be involved with music, per his DJ website.

08 of 14

Season 8: Dino Angelo Luciano

Dino Angelo Luciano, the “self-professed androgynous dancer,” per the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, took home the trophy on MasterChef season 8.

After earning the grand title, Luciano opened Le Mariachi, a vegan California-Mexican restaurant in Montreal in 2020. The establishment closed a little less than a year later, per the restaurant’s Instagram.

In 2023, Luciano released a line of seasonings called Babydoll Season. Outside of cooking, Luciano has recently been focusing on debuting original music, like the single, “oui2dois,” released in May 2025.

09 of 14

Season 9: Gerron Hurt

English teacher Gerron Hurt was the first Black winner of MasterChef when he finished as the champion of season 9.

Following his time on the competition series, Hurt opened a food truck, Southern Ego, in Dubuque, Iowa, serving his popular fried chicken sandwiches. The food truck has since closed, but in September 2025, Hurt hit the road, serving up dishes on the MasterChef All-Stars Live tour.

10 of 14

Season 10: Dorian Hunter

In 2019, Dorian Hunter won season 10 of MasterChef.

Hunter has continued her culinary journey in the years since her win. She released her own cookbook, Not Your Average Southern Sides Chick, and she also caters weddings and private events, her website.

Aside from MasterChef, Hunter also competed on The Great Soul Food Cook-Off.

11 of 14

Season 11: Kelsey Murphy

Kelsey Murphy, a physical therapist from Indianapolis, won season 11 of MasterChef, titled MasterChef: Legends.

Today, she continues to work in the food world. In April 2025, Murphy competed on season 2 of Food Network’s 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing. She’s active on social media as well, documenting her life in different kitchens and spending time with her family.

12 of 14

Season 12: Dara Yu

Dara Yu won season 12, but she was no stranger to the MasterChef stage; she had previously competed on MasterChef Junior at age 12.

Yu has been busy collaborating with companies such as Coca-Cola and Uniqlo, per her website.

13 of 14

Season 13: Grant Gillon

Grant Gillon was crowned the winner of season 13, MasterChef: United Tastes of America.

According to his website, Gillon offers private and pop-up dinners, as well as pasta classes.

14 of 14

Season 14: Michael Leonard

Michael Leonard won season 14, going up against Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Z on MasterChef: Generations.

Leonard was crowned the winner in September 2024, and since then, he has launched his own brand, Flavor Perfection, which aims to be “a modern expression of fine food made personal” through digital content, private dinners and future product releases.

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