Overview of 'MasterChef' Season 11

Episode 1 - Episode 1

Release Date: 2015-03-10

MasterChef is back for its eleventh year with more fantastically talented amateur cooks who want to take a shot at the coveted MasterChef Champion title. Out of the hundreds that auditioned, forty amateur cooks are through to battle it out over four weeks of heats, producing some of the most inspiring, exceptional, unusual and disastrous food ever seen on the series. Tonight, the first five amateur cooks try to prove to Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2015 MasterChef Champion.

Episode 2 - Episode 2

Release Date: 2015-03-11

Five amateur cooks try to prove to Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the 2015 MasterChef Champion. Firstly, the contestants are given just one hour and fifteen minutes to dazzle the judges when they are asked to cook their calling card, a practised dish that represents just who they are as a cook and showcases their talent. After tasting all five dishes, John and Gregg, without telling each other, each pick their favourite dish.

Episode 3 - Episode 3

Release Date: 2015-03-12

It's the first quarter-final of the series and the four talented heat winners have no time to rest on their laurels as they continue to fight for their place in the competition. The week's best amateurs are put through the mill with a seriously daunting test - the critic's brief. The home cooks have to impress just one food critic with two dishes. They are given the critic's brief and must create a main and a pudding based on it.

Episode 4 - Episode 4

Release Date: 2015-03-18

As the second week of heats begins, five more amateur cooks try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be MasterChef Champion 2015. Firstly, the contestants are given just one hour and fifteen minutes to dazzle the judges when they are asked to cook their calling card, a practised dish that represents just who they are as a cook and showcases their talent. The two lucky cooks who do best will be safe - for now - and sail straight through to the third test.

Episode 5 - Episode 5

Release Date: 2015-03-19

As the second week of heats begins, five more amateur cooks try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be MasterChef Champion 2015. Firstly, the contestants are given just one hour and fifteen minutes to dazzle the judges when they are asked to cook their calling card, a practised dish that represents just who they are as a cook and showcases their talent. The two lucky cooks who do best will be safe - for now - and sail straight through to the third test.

Episode 6 - Episode 6

Release Date: 2015-03-20

It's the second quarter-final of the series and the four talented heat winners have no time to rest on their laurels as they continue to fight for their place in the competition. The week's best amateurs are put through the mill with a seriously daunting test - the critic's brief. The home cooks have to impress just one food critic with two dishes. They are given the critic's brief and must create a main and a pudding based on it.

Episode 7 - Episode 7

Release Date: 2015-03-25

As the third week of heats begins, five more amateur cooks try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be MasterChef Champion 2015. Firstly, the contestants are given just one hour and fifteen minutes to dazzle the judges when they are asked to cook their calling card, a practised dish that represents just who they are as a cook and showcases their talent. The two lucky cooks who do best will be safe - for now - and sail straight through to the third test.

Episode 8 - Episode 8

Release Date: 2015-03-26

Five more amateur cooks try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be MasterChef Champion 2015. Firstly, the contestants are given just one hour and fifteen minutes to dazzle the judges when they are asked to cook their calling card, a practised dish that represents just who they are as a cook and showcases their talent. The two lucky cooks who do best will be safe - for now - and sail straight through to the third test.

Episode 9 - Episode 9

Release Date: 2015-03-27

The week's best amateurs are put through the mill with a seriously daunting test - the critic's brief. The home cooks have to impress just one food critic with two dishes. They are given the critic's brief and must create a main and a pudding based on it. The brief has been set by the candid food critic and ex-chef Charles Campion, who asks them to cook a main based on the following instructions: 'I am looking for a cook who can successfully make either a classic British dish or a genuine Indian one. Someone who can do simple dishes well, without over-elaborate presentation

Episode 10 - Episode 10

Release Date: 2015-04-01

As the final week of heats begins, five more amateur cooks try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be MasterChef Champion 2015. Firstly, the contestants are given just one hour and fifteen minutes to dazzle the judges when they are asked to cook their calling card, a practised dish that represents just who they are as a cook and showcases their talent. The two lucky cooks who do best will be safe - for now - and sail straight through to the third test.

Episode 11 - Episode 11

Release Date: 2015-04-02

In the final heat, five more amateur cooks try to prove to judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be MasterChef Champion 2015. Firstly, the contestants are given just one hour and fifteen minutes to dazzle the judges when they are asked to cook their calling card, a practised dish that represents just who they are as a cook and showcases their talent. The two lucky cooks who do best will be safe - for now - and sail straight through to the third test.

Episode 12 - Episode 12

Release Date: 2015-04-03

The week's best amateurs are put through the mill with a seriously daunting test - the critic's brief. The home cooks have to impress just one food critic with two dishes. They are given the critic's brief and must create a main and a pudding based on it. The brief has been set by eagle-eyed and astute food critic William Sitwell, who asks them to cook a main based on the following instructions: 'I enjoy spicy dishes and I am looking for a cook who understands how to get the best out of ingredients. I want to see a light touch - a cook who is being guided by the ingredient and what the ingredient calls out for, not what he or she thinks is trendy or will impress.'

Episode 13 - Episode 13

Release Date: 2015-04-06

The competition is about to get serious as Knockout Week begins. At the end of this week only the best eight cooks will become semi-finalists. After four weeks of fierce competition only the 12 best cooks remain, and the battle is on as they come together for the first time.

Episode 14 - Episode 14

Release Date: 2015-04-08

Knockout Week continues as the remaining 11 contestants are split into two groups and get their first taste of professional cooking when they have to run an entire lunchtime service on their own. In this episode, the first group head to Typing Room, a London restaurant over seen by Lee Westcott, a protégé of Jason Atherton and Rene Redzepi's Noma. During a busy service, the five amateurs are responsible for serving up every dish on the menu to paying customers. Who will falter as they cook in a completely unfamiliar and demanding environment?

Episode 15 - Episode 15

Release Date: 2015-04-09

As Knockout Week continues, the second group of amateurs get their first taste of professional cooking. They head to Theo Randall at the Intercontinental, a London restaurant awarded Best Italian in Britain in 2013, where they will be responsible for serving up every dish on the menu for a busy lunch service. As the competition hots up, who will sink and who will swim?

Episode 16 - Episode 16

Release Date: 2015-04-10

At the end of Knockout Week, the competition has been whittled down to nine extremely talented amateur cooks - all of whom are desperate to reach the MasterChef semi-finals. At MasterChef HQ, they have only one challenge: to cook one superb show-stopper dish to completely wow the judges and secure their semi-final place. The nine have one-and-a-half hours to create their masterpiece. Failure now is not an option. Only the eight best amateurs will become semi-finalists, inching closer to being crowned MasterChef Champion 2015.

Episode 17 - Episode 17

Release Date: 2015-04-13

It's the first of the semi-finals, and tonight the eight best cooks come together to battle in a team challenge, the relay invention test. Split into two teams of four, both groups must create one dish between them, using the humble chicken, as well as a range of vegetables, herbs and spices. Each team member has just 20 minutes to make their contribution to the dish, and they must do so without communicating with one another.

Episode 18 - Episode 18

Release Date: 2015-04-14

The MasterChef semi-finals continue with a spectacular challenge as the eight remaining cooks head to Lincolnshire for an event they will never forget. They must cook a 50th anniversary celebration lunch for some of the most well-loved members of the British armed forces - 90 pilots and the support crew of the Red Arrows.

Episode 19 - Episode 19

Release Date: 2015-04-16

The MasterChef semi-finals continue, and the pressure is on as tonight one more chef leaves the competition. First, the seven remaining amateurs face a challenge that will really put their skills to the test. They must cook the judges just one dish... but this time using scraps, trimmings and leftovers. Their choice of ingredients for the challenging scraps test includes chicken giblets and skin, bones, a pig's ear, fish heads and bones, roes, potato peelings, vegetable offcuts, stale bread and cheese rind.

Episode 20 - Episode 20

Release Date: 2015-04-17

It's the last of the semi-finals, and it's do or die for the best six amateurs as they cook off to win a coveted place in the prestigious MasterChef final week. The contestants have just one challenge to win a place in the final five - to cook an outstanding dish to win over three of the country's most feared restaurant critics - Charles Campion, Tracey MacLeod and William Sitwell. Serving food to these masters of the dining room is a daunting task for the most adept chefs and these talented home cooks now have to put their skills and palates on the line. At the end, judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace face a difficult decision - who to take through to next week's MasterChef finals week?

Episode 21 - Episode 21

Release Date: 2015-04-21

It's the final week of MasterChef 2015. Over the past six weeks, the country's most promising amateur cooks have been whittled down to the best five. All of them have just one goal: to lift the coveted MasterChef Champion trophy. Tonight, the final five become the final four. The final five travel to Cambridge University's Churchill College, where they have the immense task of cooking a five-course dinner in honour of the man regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century - Sir Winston Churchill. It is 50 years since he passed away, and historians, biographers and members of his family are gathering to remember him.

Episode 22 - Episode 22

Release Date: 2015-04-22

Finals Week continues on MasterChef 2015. Over the past six weeks, the country's most promising amateur cooks have been whittled down to the best four. All of them have just one goal: to lift the coveted MasterChef Champion trophy. Tonight the final four become three. First, the four talented amateur cooks embark on a culinary odyssey to Sweden, where they will face a series of challenges they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Episode 23 - Episode 23

Release Date: 2015-04-23

In tonight's penultimate show, the final three amateur cooks face the most iconic and terrifying challenge yet - the Chef's Table. This year's Chef's Table is mentored by one of the century's most influential culinary talents - the brilliant and eccentric Italian maestro Massimo Bottura. From humble beginnings, he rose to become the driving force behind Osteria Francescana in northern Italy, which holds three Michelin stars and has been awarded third-best restaurant in the world. His revolutionary modern food has its roots firmly in the traditional heart of Italian cuisine and is based on the philosophy that every dish should tell a story.

Episode 24 - Episode 24

Release Date: 2015-04-24

It's the MasterChef final. After a formidable seven-week competition, the search for the country's best amateur cook reaches its climax. The finalists have to push themselves to the limit for one last time before Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace crown one of the three highly talented amateur cooks the champion. This is their final chance to pull out all the stops, show everything they have learned, and in three hours demonstrate what sort of cook they have become. They must produce three exceptional courses, push their culinary boundaries and give the judges an awe-inspiring tasting like never before. It's a night packed with culinary highlights, as one of these three exceptional amateur cooks lifts the trophy and becomes the 11th MasterChef Champion.