All three of the chefs were deserving of their spots in the final (Picture: BBC)
The competition sure heated up in the kitchen during the penultimate episode of MasterChef: The Professionals 2022, as the final four contestants battled it out to reach the grand finale.
In the end, only three could make it through to the last stage of the series, after six weeks of gruelling culinary tasks.
The four chefs that were left in the running – Charlie Jeffreys, Sagar Massey, Nikita Pathakji and James Checkley – were tasked in the semi-final of first creating a dish that was inspired by a place close to their heart.
They then had to put on their thinking hats to create a dish in two and a half hours that was worthy of impressing some of the UK’s leading food critics, including Jay Rayner, April Jackson, Jimi Famurewa, Leyla Kazim and William Sitwell.
The critics had the power to help decide who would reach the final three… and in the end, James fell just short of a place in the final.
Nikita, who is a junior sous chef at Kitchen W8, expressed her excitement over reaching the final, revealing how her parents would share in her joy and ambition to go the whole way.
James just missed out on a final spot (Picture: BBC)
‘My parents are going to be, are so proud of me. Because they were managing my expectations, and now they’re like, “Win the damn thing!”’ she said.
Sagar, who is the senior sous chef at the Marine & Lawn hotel in Troon, was overwhelming with emotion at the result, stating: ‘I can’t express what I’m feeling just now. It’s just amazing.’
Nikita imagined how her parents would react (Picture: BBC)
Sagar was understandably overjoyed (Picture: BBC)
Could Charlie rise to the top? (Picture: BBC)
Meanwhile, Charlie, who is the senior chef De Partie at the Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, imagined being crowned the winner.
‘It would mean the world to lift that trophy. So yeah, I’d better start practising, ‘cause it’s going to be a big, big challenge,’ he stated.
Well, he was right on the money with that prediction… because the final sounds like it’s going to be one hell of a tough final hurdle.
The final challenge might be simple, but they all have to pull out all of the stops to ensure they rise above the competition.
The three finalists will have to cook a three course meal for the MasterChef judges, putting together a starter, a main and a dessert within the space of three hours.
Who’s going to take the trophy this year? There isn’t long to find out!
The MasterChef: The Professionals 2022 final airs on Sunday at 6.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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There isn’t long to wait until the final!
