Another year, another series of Celebrity MasterChef, packed full of cooking calamities, stressed faces and maybe even the odd surprise from some household names. While it may be slightly lighter-hearted than both regular MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals, the format of Celebrity MasterChef is largely the same and equally addictive.
Spread over five weeks, the series sees 15 celebrity contestants taking part in a variety of challenges as they fight for the prestigious title, showcasing a mixture of cooking abilities. But that's the best part of the show, in our opinion, with everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, particularly in the earlier stages of the series.
Past winners include Greg Rutherford, Kimberley Wyatt and last year's winner Ginger Johnson, who beat Alun Wyn Jones and Dawn O’Porter in the final. Although you might assume that the celebrities are just taking part for fun, the show has been the start of something bigger for many of the past winners. Series five winner Lisa Faulkner has now written multiple cookbooks and has also gone on to host a variety of cookery shows.
SKIP TO THE BEST SECTION FOR YOU
Below, we've rounded up all the information you need to know about Celebrity MasterChef 2026, including where and when you can watch it, who the contestants are, and what challenges they'll be taking part in. We will be regularly updating this page, so keep checking back for the latest information about the series.
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When does Celebrity MasterChef 2026 start?
Celebrity MasterChef 2026 will start airing on Tuesday 18 August, with the first episode on BBC One at 9pm. There will be three episodes a week, with following episodes airing on Wednesday and Friday.
Where can I watch Celebrity MasterChef 2026?
All episodes of Celebrity MasterChef are aired on BBC One and will be available to catch up on BBC iPlayer.
Who are the judges on Celebrity MasterChef 2026?
The Celebrity MasterChef judges are mixing things up again for 2026. Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli has been announced as the new judge on Celebrity MasterChef, joining Grace Dent for the upcoming series. Known for his Michelin-starred restaurant Locanda Locatelli, which closed back in 2025, and his latest venture, Locatelli at the National Gallery, the chef currently appears as a judge on the Italian version of the cooking show.
Restaurant critic and author Grace Dent replaced former judge Gregg Wallace back in 2025, after he was fired from the role following allegations of misconduct. Grace was joined by John Torode for season 20, though it was announced that he would not be returning for future series, after being sacked for using 'extremely' racist language.
![Celebrity MasterChef Judges: Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli]()
Locatelli is stepping up to the challenge, stating that it is 'a real honour' to be joining the show. He commented: 'I can't wait for you to see what our celebrity contestants bring to the kitchen, as we are really putting their culinary skills to the test in this series.'
Who are the Celebrity MasterChef 2026 contestants?
This year's celebrities have just been announced, with 15 new contestants donning their aprons and putting their skills to the test. Read more about the Celebrity MasterChef 2026 contestants below.
Week One
![Celebrity MasterChef Contestants Week One: Emily, Jason, Shakira, Joe, Jay]()
Week one contestants (left to right): Emily, Jason, Shakira, Joe, Jay
Emily Campbell: Emily is a weightlifter who won Olympic silver at Tokyo 2020 and bronze at Paris 2024. She is the first British woman to win an Olympic medal for weightlifting.
Jason Mohammad: Jason is a Welsh TV and radio presenter, best known for hosting Final Score and his appearances on Match of the Day.
Shakira Khan: Shakira is a television personality, best known for appearing as a runner-up on series 12 of Love Island.
Joe Pasquale: Joe is a comedian and actor who rose to fame when he finished runner-up on the talent show New Faces. He is known for his varied TV appearances and for winning the fourth series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Jay McGuiness: Jay is a singer and actor, best known as a member of the boy band The Wanted. He also won Strictly Come Dancing back in 2015.
Week Two
![Celebrity MasterChef Contestants Week Two: Tom, Nitin, Emily, Donna, Eric]()
Week two contestants (left to right): Tom, Nitin, Emily, Donna, Eric
Tom Simons: Tom is a YouTuber and stand-up comedian, best known online as TommyInnit. He is one of the most-followed Minecraft creators in the world.
Nitin Ganatra: Nitin is an actor, best known for his roles in EastEnders and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Emily Steel: Emily is an elite CrossFit athlete and weightlifter. She is also the youngest star in the BBC's Gladiators reboot, where she appears as 'Dynamite'.
Donna Preston: Donna is an actress and comedian, best known for her role in The Sandman. She also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2025.
Eric Underwood: Eric is a presenter and former Royal Ballet dancer who spent over a decade with the company before moving into modelling, acting and broadcasting.
Week Three
![Celebrity MasterChef Contestants Week Three: Max, Melvin, Una, Lauren, Sue]()
Week three contestants (left to right): Max, Melvin, Una, Lauren, Sue
Max Fosh: Max is a YouTuber and comedian, best known for viral pranks and video content.
Melvin Odoom: Melvin is a DJ and presenter, best known for co-hosting Kiss FM's breakfast show and for taking part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here in 2024.
Una Healy: Una is a singer, best known for appearing in the girl group The Saturdays.
Lauren Steadman MBE: Lauren is a Paralympic paratriathlete and swimmer, who won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. She is also known for competing on Strictly Come Dancing.
Sue Cleaver: Sue is an actor, best known for her role in Coronation Street and for being a panellist on Loose Women since 2024.
What happened on Celebrity MasterChef 2026?
Week One
The competition has officially begun, with the first five celebrities battling for a place in the semi-finals. Joe, Jay, Emily, Jason and Shakira were faced with a number of challenges throughout the week, from cooking a signature dish and taste-testing mysterious condiments to creating a dish using an ingredient from a mystery box.
They also faced a brand new challenge: watching chef Giorgio cook his signature gnocchi with goat’s cheese sauce, following along and attempting to recreate the dish. The final test was to make ‘the ultimate pie’, with special guest judge Paddy McGuinness. Unfortunately, it was Jay whose time in the competition came to an end. His shiitake, chestnut and oyster mushroom pie lacked seasoning, with an overly-crumbly pastry that had cracked whilst cooking.
Friday’s episode saw the remaining four celebrities compete for their place in the semi-final. The celebrities were split into teams to create a three-course extravaganza in just 90 minutes, before tackling a technically challenging recipe from chef and content creator Seema Pankhania. It was Jason who left the competition after his chicken-stuffed cabbage dumplings failed to impress the judges.
Who is in the Celebrity MasterChef 2026 semi-final?
Keep up to date with who’s through to the next stage of the competition and who went home:
![Celebrity MasterChef Semi Finalists]()
Celebrity MasterChef Semi-Finalists: Emily, Joe and Shakira
Week One:
- Emily Campbell
- Jason Mohammad (eliminated)
- Shakira Khan
- Joe Pasquale
- Jay McGuiness (eliminated)
Who won Celebrity MasterChef 2025?
The winner of Celebrity MasterChef 2025 was Ginger Johnson. After 15 amateur cooks battled it out over five weeks, the grand final saw three contestants go head-to-head to be crowned the winner, with Ginger up against Alun Wyn Jones and Dawn O’Porter.
![Celebrity MasterChef Winner: Ginger Johnson]()
Ginger Johnson was the 20th person to become a Celebrity MasterChef winner.
Ginger's Winning Menu:
Starter - Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail: Prawns in a tomato, chilli and vodka sauce, with diced cucumber and Worcestershire sauce jelly cubes. Garnished with roasted prawn heads, lettuce, celery and an olive, with celery-salted crisps and a lemon mayonnaise.
Main - Duck a l'Orange: Duck leg and vegetable pie with an orange and red wine gravy served with smoked garlic hasselback potatoes, purple carrot, charred baby romanesco and kale.
Dessert - Flaming Baked Alaska: Swiss meringue covering a sponge base, caramelised pineapple ring, glacé cherry and a vanilla and chilli ice cream, all soaked in rum.
Who was in the final of Celebrity MasterChef 2025?
The contestants who took part in the final of Celebrity MasterChef 2025 were Ginger Johnson, Alun Wyn Jones and Dawn O’Porter.
What are the Celebrity MasterChef challenges?
While the challenges change a bit every series of Celebrity MasterChef, you can always expect favourites such as the market challenge, where contestants have to devise a dish on the spot using only the provided produce, and the pairs challenge, where contestants attempt to cook identical dishes with a wall in between them. As well as these, there are mass-catering tasks, challenges involving cooking for former Celebrity MasterChef winners, and the opportunity to cook in a professional kitchen.
Where is Celebrity MasterChef filmed?
Celebrity MasterChef has been filmed at 3 Mills Studios in East London since 2014. The film and television studio has also been used as a recording space for several other popular television programmes, such as Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live, Million Pound Drop Live and Stand Up To Cancer.
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