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MasterChef S12 Power Rankings (Top 19)

Oct 6, 2022 by PowerRankings101

I am finally catching up on this past season of MasterChef (I’m SO behind and I apologize) but I’m excited to binge this season and give you the rankings as I go. It sucked seeing Stephen go, especially since he went SO far on his original season. But, this just shows that anyone can go home at any time, and that will make for one of the most competitive seasons ever.

19. Alejandro Valdivia- I’m keeping Alejandro at the bottom spot for two reasons. 1) His dish here, while not a bottom 3 dish, still had some issues, particularly in the way he skinned the fishes. 2) I just don’t have faith in him competing at the same level as everyone else given last season. He had a rough start and got better, but this season, a rough start will send you home.

18. Bowen Li- Gordon thought it was weird to put cucumber in a surf and turf. I’m not reading too far into it, but I also think this could be an indicator of Bowen not performing at his best. With zero screen time in his audition in comparison to others (along with Stephen, who as we saw went home tonight), I have to keep Bowen this low. If he were our winner, he would’ve gotten a bigger audition edit.

17. Tommy Walton- Tommy was an absolute mess this first challenge. His burgers were awful, and he just seemed frazzled his entire cook. That being said, I’m still struggling to imagine Tommy going home THIS early since he is such a character and great television. I do think he’ll stick around a few more weeks at least, but I also think he’s not nearly in the top half of the pack like I originally expected him to be.

16. Gabriel Lewis- Gabriel was #2 on my initial ranking, and was one step away from elimination this week. It was tough to see, and that has to land him this low, but I still think he’s got some fight left in him. I hope he doesn’t let me down.

15. Samantha Daily- The judges didn’t seem too impressed with her toffee dish. She got very minimal screen time, so it’s hard to tell, but I am definitely not looking at her as one of the bigger threats just yet.

14. Amanda Saab- Amanda’s dish wasn’t highlighted, but her story was (particularly her elimination clip). I do think she’ll have a bigger impact this season than she did last season, I just need to see a little more from her.

13. Shelly Flash- Similarly to Amanda, she was shown a lot in the video package of everyone’s eliminations, but her food wasn’t really highlighted, so she’s in the middle of the pack for me as well.

12. Bri Baker- Bri and Fred barely got any screen time, but seeing as how they really highlighted the Emily-Shanika relationship, I think we’ll see more of them down the line.

11. Fred Chang- Same as Bri. Minimal screen time thus far, but I think they’ve got much more story to tell.

10. Dara Yu- Dara clearly has grown already in her years removed from the MasterChef kitchen. The judges seemed a bit tough on her when they came around and tasted the dishes. I still have faith in her, but maybe not as much as I did in the previous ranking.

9. Shayne Wells- Side by side with the other junior MasterChef, Shayne had a solid dish, and the judges seemed impressed. Didn’t stand out amongst some of the bigger, better dishes, but still seemed solid enough to show some promise.

8. Michael Silverstein- Michael made a great dish. It didn’t hit the top 3, but I definitely think he’s showing himself to be that underestimated dark horse that I thought he would be.

7. Cate Meade- Cate was able to make three identical cheese souflees. That’s pretty damn impressive, and very bold. She isn’t playing it safe, and I think that’s the determining attitude you need to win a competition like this.

6. Brandi Mudd- Brandi was in the zone, and being a runner-up, I expected nothing less. She wasn’t heavily featured here, but her reputation will be enough to take her far into the competition on its own, and high on this ranking.

5. Derrick Fox- Like Brandi, he wasn’t a huge highlight of the episode, but his poise and expertise is enough to keep him high on the ranking. He is smooth sailing as one of the best to never win.

4. Shanika Patterson- Shanika really impressed me this episode, making her own homemade pasta AND ricotta. I underestimated her based on her audition, and the fact that she and Emily have such a story AND landed in the top 3 of this challenge, I think it’s a good indicator that they’ll both be around for quite some time.

3. Christian Green- Christian, my winner pick, was cool, calm, collected, and cooked a great dish. It didn’t place in the top 3, but it’s enough for me to keep him in MY top 3.

2. Willie Mike- Willie is not messing AROUND. He came back with a powerfully seasoned dish, and a great confidence. I think Willie will be around for the long haul, already placing in the top 3 and showing his strengths off the bat.

1. Emily Hallock- Emily won the immunity pin, so she’s obviously #1 because she’s the safest headed into next week. But I do think Emily’s confidence is really showing and she’s got a great redemption story, especially in relation to Shanika. I’m excited to see them both excel this season.

Aside from Emily, who got the immunity pin, everyone is vulnerable. But I definitely think people like Christian, Willie, Shanika, Derrick, Brandi, and Cate stood out amongst the pack. I put Michael and the MasterChef Juniors right behind them because they’re still too early to tell since the Juniors haven’t competed at the levels of the older contestants and Michael went home SO early in his season. Everyone else is vulnerable in some way shape or form based on edit and/or their dishes in this challenge. Based on this challenge, I’d say Tommy is toast, but the edits for Alejandro and Bowen are more glaring to me.

PREDICTIONS:

Going Home- Alejandro Valdivia

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MasterChef S12 Power Rankings (Top 19)

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