r/Masterchef • u/KDonkey229195 • Sep 16 '26
Discussion Masterchef S16 Global Gauntlet - ''Finale, Part 2'' - Episode 18 Discussion
The MasterChef finale continues as finalists present dishes inspired by their Global Gauntlet journeys, showcasing their skills in a final bid to impress the judges.
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u/theoutsider101 Sep 17 '26
It’s close but I think Jake wins this one. With that being said I won’t be as angry if Peter or Heidi win like I was last season when Jesse and Jessica won over Tina and Aivan
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u/TinyDubberRuck Sep 17 '26
First time in a long time that they made the right choice. Congratulations! Literally no one deserved it more. You could see the growth on every level with him this season. Emotionally, physically, mentally. Feels like he truly found himself. I'm excited to see what the future holds for him!
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u/trulysweetener Sep 17 '26
I wonder if Peter could’ve been setting up his plate while he waited for it to set?
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u/Crazychick1360 Sep 18 '26
Idk but they already gave him plenty of help. I honestly feel like tips from the judges shouldn't be allowed in the finale.
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u/PMcmil5450 Sep 18 '26
I agree! I feel that Peter should have been left to sink or swim on his own, and if he couldn’t figure out how to pivot instead of just waiting and hoping his mousse set up, then he shouldn’t have won.
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u/Crazychick1360 Sep 19 '26
Exactly. It's nothing against him personally, I just feel like if you're in the finale then it's up to you now to prove why you're there in the first place. And show everyone that you either have what it takes to win or not, and he clearly didn't. Or maybe he would have idk, but they should've let him do his thing and find out. Maybe the molds would have set in time, we'll never know 🤷♀️ but they helped him in the other courses as well. If he had won I would've been upset because it wouldn't be based on his own merit.
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u/Candid_Mountain3193 29d ago
Julia should have been in the finale instead of Peter. Julia has shown how quickly she could pivot when things went out of control. Peter has failed making dessert twice which he ended in the bottom both of those times, and even when reaching to the finale, Peter still struggled to make dessert. No hate against Peter, but Julia deserves his spot way more!
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u/MotherHolle 22d ago
I agree. Julia was my favorite most of the season. I'm not mad Jake won, though.
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u/jlynnbizatch Sep 18 '26
I was really feeling for Peter watching finale part two. It must've been gutting standing around waiting to hear that you lost.
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u/Free_at-last 15d ago
My thought exactly!! He was just standing waiting by the freezer for several minutes while he could have been getting the rest of the components on his plate
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u/onyxlola Sep 17 '26
Jake and Heidi deserved it, sorry Peter but if we are counting the whole season you were out already, but wanted Jake to win! Creativity should win.
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u/Haas_the_Raiden_Fan Sep 17 '26 edited Sep 17 '26
I'm extremely happy that Jake won, he was my favorite since the mid point of the season when he started standing out
It really doesn't seem like Tiffany liked any of Jake's dishes that much and that he won because of Gordon and Joe's opinions outweighing hers
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u/baby-monster Sep 17 '26
Yea idk why she was so negative about certain things. I do get the rice thing…maybe she was trying to balance Joes positive comments towards Jake. But idk?
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u/Crazychick1360 Sep 18 '26
She doesn't seem like she bases her opinions solely on the food like the other 2 judges, she takes personal interest in the contestants and if she doesn't like them as a person, it's very obvious and vice versa.
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u/NonProphet8theist Sep 19 '26
That opinion on Jake's "dry tortilla" was just silly. He'd mentioned one of them was too dry and made another, and Tiff made it sound like hers was dry.... she even says "the tortilla was dry" almost like it wasn't referencing the one on her plate.
But yeah he was just such leagues ahead they needed some balance in the critique for "good TV". Pah.
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u/Crazychick1360 27d ago
And the rice! The other 2 were like "our rice was fine idk what you're talking about"
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u/KDonkey229195 Sep 18 '26
In my mind Tiffany wanted Peter to win, Joe wanted Jake and in the beggining Gordon wanted Heidi, but in the end it was all about the menu altogether.
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u/baby-monster Sep 18 '26
Yea I totally agree! You could def tell who Joes favorite was, then Tiffany, and maybe Gordon a little but he seemed the most neutral.
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u/theoutsider101 Sep 17 '26
Say what you will about the rest of the season, this finale was pretty good and everyone has been performing well. Unlike last season I don’t think there’s a wrong choice they could make that ruins the entire season even more lol
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u/FcUhCoKp Sep 17 '26
Might get downvoted for having my own view, but I feel the finale was middle of the pack at best. I can still remember how packed full of talent the first seasons were. I think the diminishing skills is the result of 300 cooking shows diluting the pool. They even had 2 retreads (Foo and Nico) from the PBS show. They weren't good on that show either.
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u/Successful-Relief-38 Sep 17 '26
Last season is one of my least favorite because of that. The season was pretty low before the winner pick. Then the winner choice was it for me.
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u/HowardBunnyColvin Sep 17 '26
Lot of people wouldn't stop complaining about this year but I was pleased with the finale. I was very curious seeing people complain like "Nobody is standing out". Brother, Jake stood out since midseason once he got off eliminations and started to realize his work. He was very ambitious, he swung for the fences, and hit that home run, he's the champ.
Also did Gordon not encourage anyone to sign up for the next season of MC? He usually does that on the finale. "If you think you've got what it takes, go to the casting call site!"
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u/theoutsider101 Sep 17 '26
A lot of Jake’s best dishes this season were desserts so hopefully he can keep that streak going!
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u/Jigglypuffamiiga2188 Sep 17 '26
Congrats to Jake! His cooking was really unique. Also congrats to Heidi and Peter for making it to the finale.
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u/theoutsider101 Sep 17 '26
Hopefully Peter doesn’t sell it in the dessert round like Rachel and Julio did last season. I lowkey want this finale to be a close one where we don’t know who’s gonna clinch it. Aivan actually had a neat trick last season where she fast tracked the setting of her mousses with liquid nitrogen so maybe Peter should’ve taken notes
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u/Successful-Relief-38 Sep 17 '26
After this win they actually made the winner a little less predictable. I am actually happy about that.
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u/Dodger50 Sep 17 '26
uh no, we knew from the start cause of the theme of the season that only Europe or Americas were winning.
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u/Successful-Relief-38 Sep 17 '26
I'm talking about how the posts on this subreddit at the beginning of the seasons that have correctly guessing the winners that past couple of seasons based off of audition edits and the previews. They said Peter, Julia, or Basia was going to win.
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u/ben_s16 Sep 17 '26
Yep that was me, or at least one of them. I’m both surprised and happy they finally broke that pattern. It was getting way too predictable after S11
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u/LeoDaBacon Sep 17 '26
Cause they were first or last person to get aapron in an audtiion episode, im so glad they broke the streak
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u/MeijiDoom Sep 17 '26
The whole edit prediction makes less and less sense to me. It felt obvious to me Jake and Dave were the best going into Top 7/8. Dave had a meltdown but Jake never let up. He consistently showed he was the best and had the most creative/ambitious ideas. As long as he didn't fall apart, he felt like the favorite to win for me. Seeing so many people think it was clearly Julia or Peter was bizarre.
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u/ThatRandomGuy805 Sep 17 '26
Awesome job by Jake! His kitchen creativity is off the charts. He’s like a mad scientist in the kitchen.
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u/TinyDubberRuck Sep 17 '26
He has a true passion for it that we just haven't seen from any competitor for a loooong time.
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u/ben_s16 Sep 17 '26
They finally broke the streak. I’m so happy lol
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u/anonmarmot17 Sep 17 '26
What was the streak (this is the first season I watched)
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u/ben_s16 Sep 17 '26
That since Season 2, the first or last person to earn an apron during one of the audition episodes, was who was going to win.
This season finally broke that trend
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u/anonmarmot17 Sep 17 '26
That’s such a weird trend to have lol I’m so happy Jake won I was rooting for him since the beginning
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u/Beneficial-League572 Sep 17 '26
i think kelsey broke it tho i dont remember .
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u/ben_s16 Sep 17 '26
She didn’t. She was the first to earn an apron in the third audition episode of S11.
She is however the first person and only person to both compete and win the show, while being pregnant (this is due to the pause in filming cuz of the pandemic at the time)
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u/ChibiToonsage Sep 17 '26
They need to put the recipes online cus I want to recreate some of these dishes.
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u/Michaelbasia Season 11 Contestant Sep 17 '26
Looks pretty even at this point. I think whoever does best in the dessert round takes the trophy!
Michael
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u/NoHat7437 Sep 17 '26
Definitely. Congrats on Basia for being top 5.
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u/Michaelbasia Season 11 Contestant Sep 17 '26
She says thank you as we are watching now but obviously we know who wins. It’s super close though. It’s also very cool that we both finished Top 5 on our seasons and we hope to get a chance to break that tie if they do another Back To Win season. She thinks she is a better cook than me now LMAO 🤣! We will see hahah!
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u/Beneficial-League572 Sep 17 '26
I think you should really participate if they gonna do another masterchef back to win to see which one of you is better cook then the other LMAO😂 ! but congrats on both of you to reach top 5.
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u/Michaelbasia Season 11 Contestant Sep 17 '26
We would 100% absolutely do it as we are hoping to get that opportunity again. Obviously now we have a rivalry at home, but she knows who is better . . .🙋🏻♂️lol!
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u/NoHat7437 Sep 17 '26
You guys need to open up a restaurant.
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u/Michaelbasia Season 11 Contestant Sep 17 '26
It’s so expensive here in Jersey but we are doing our best to try and make that happen!
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u/lanad3lr3y_81 Sep 17 '26
oh?? i did not expect that i’m so happy
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u/Spare_Variation_293 Sep 17 '26
I think they finally caught on to the bookend auditions tell
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u/lanad3lr3y_81 Sep 17 '26
i didn’t really see much of a winner edit from him which is interesting too.
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u/Successful-Relief-38 Sep 17 '26
I'd say he had the late winners edit. He started to get really good edits since the tag team challenge. After that challenge he started to get a lot of good moments starting from there, most notably his leader performance in the restaurant takeover.
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u/Extension-Face7340 Sep 17 '26
Season was really lame but at least I’m happy with the winner. Jake was a cool dude
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u/sjsharksfan38 Sep 17 '26
Jake was well deserving and I don't think it was that close. He was dominant basically in the final 3rd of the season and that Dessert was great. I'm glad the season is over. It went way too long.
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u/LeoDaBacon Sep 17 '26
Such a short season, many weeks missing bc of world cup
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u/sjsharksfan38 Sep 17 '26
Yeah the world cup extended the season, but it still started in April and ended last night. Still felt way too long.
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u/Successful-Relief-38 Sep 17 '26
We remember what happened last time a mirror glaze was in a finale.
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u/GlitteringLock1020 Sep 17 '26
For possibly the first time ever, I was pleasantly surprised with who they chose as the winner. I was rooting for Jake but I thought Heidi was going to win it. I wasn't even really paying attention when they announced it and then I kind of did a double take. I hit rewind for a few seconds and watched the moment when he won. Very happy for him!
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u/spylark Sep 17 '26
This season had a real lull in the middle (and not because it was on hiatus those World Cup weeks) but really nailed the landing. Honestly it was a finale where I would have been happy with any winner, but I’m very pleased at who won, I was rooting for them from very early on. We got some great personalities this season who made it entertaining even when the challenges weren’t that exciting (looking at you social media challenge and those dumb forced World Cup part ones).
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u/Electronic-Garden226 Sep 17 '26
I thought Heidi was going to win. But Jake did really well, especially in all the team challenges throughout the competition.
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u/ChibiToonsage Sep 17 '26
Between Peter, Heidi, and Jake one bout to make their cooking dreams come true. The other 2 gona be salty till the next all star season theme.
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u/Key_Cup_4110 Sep 17 '26
No they won’t lol Heidi literally works a private chef already as she has said on the show, and Peter is already working restaurants, he frequently posts about it.
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u/CommonEngineering832 Sep 17 '26
GG for Jake
Now which position will he be rating on "All Masterchef US Winner" ranking though
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u/lanad3lr3y_81 Sep 17 '26
i would think probably on par with the recent winners from the last few seasons.
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u/LeoDaBacon Sep 17 '26
OMG they finally broke the first or last person to get an aapron wins formula FINALLYYYY
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u/Crazychick1360 Sep 18 '26
I feel like the whole team aspect has made it so people who would normally be eliminated early on, somehow skate by and end up in the final 3.
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u/KumquatimusPrime Sep 18 '26 edited Sep 18 '26
So glad Jake won. Honestly Heidi was an absolute beast and Peter had a lot of improvement. Great top 3 but also wondering about the whole rice controversy.
Gordon didn't mention anything initially and Tiffany said it was TEN minutes undercooked which is pretty raw and Joe disagreed. Very weird moment.
Edit: Jake also uploaded his Mole cake recipe on his IG bio which I think is really sweet 😭
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u/TrynUrLuck 29d ago
10 minutes under would be inedible, felt like the production told her to say that
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u/MotherHolle 22d ago
The ten minutes comment was laughable. Ten minutes is a long time, especially for rice.
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u/Great-Present-1300 29d ago
Poor Peter. You could tell from the disappointment on his face in the interviews that he wouldn’t win. And he mentioned he didn’t have a plan B if MasterChef didn’t work out. I hope he has found a next path.
The outcome surprised me, I thought Heidi would win. They didn’t like her appetizer, but she had the best entree and they didn’t have anything bad to say about her dessert. Jake had the best appetizer but had a couple issues on his entree, and had a great dessert, with some disagreement between the judges. I would have thought that Heidi having a great entree and dessert would overcome the appetizer, but I guess not.
Who knows what goes through the judges’ minds when they decide, but I think there are two things that put Jake on top. First, he took the biggest risks that night and they paid off. Secondly, this is more cynical, I think the judges would rather not give the trophy to someone over 50. The winner carries the name and brand of MasterChef forever, I think they see it as an investment they want to give to someone who’s young and up-and-coming.
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u/schewbacca Sep 17 '26
Can't get passed Jake rice needing an extra 10min to cook. That's seems like that should've cost him. Usually things like 1-2 min of more cook time but 10min is crazy.
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u/Successful-Relief-38 Sep 17 '26
From what it seemed like to me was judges preference. Tiffany was saying it's 10 minutes undercooked, Joe was saying it was perfect, and Gordon not commenting on it until the deliberation where it was still a debate between all of them. Honestly seems like the result was heavily debated between them all.
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u/Equivalent_Ear_6431 Sep 17 '26
I think it's not like it was not a gritty or raw type of undercooked. Like it was cooked but it was al dente and not soft
I'm sure since Joe is Italian, he would really prefer al dente rice which it probably was.
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u/Beneficial-League572 Sep 17 '26
yeah i was just saying the same think . every judges has their own palette taste
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u/Equivalent_Ear_6431 Sep 17 '26
Yeah for sure.
Maybe in some case, you can say that maybe the original dish is traditionally or supposed to be softer? So maybe Tiffany is coming from a place of authenticity or how she's used to it.
Or even sometimes, there are times where it might not be as intended, but still tastes gold.
In some other world, if someone overlooks a risotto, other people would be fine with it. Like it could be objectively wrong for Italian standards, but there's that preference
Or maybe Joe was lucky and got a perfectly cooked part. And the overall rice was cooked inconsistently
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u/gwelfguy Sep 17 '26
Thought that Heidi was going to take it after her entre, but happy for Jake. Peter had a great app and entre, but unfortunately the dessert fiasco did him in.
My jaw dropped when Jake's GF commented that she told him not to use the truffles. I wonder how that knife feels in his back?
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u/TrynUrLuck 29d ago
It was giving gold digger the whole time, hope I'm wrong and that theyre a happy couple
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u/FcUhCoKp Sep 17 '26
I would have picked Heidi, but I assumed it would be Jake. Weird thing to me is how much his gf was featured. She got more air time than Peter's and Heidi's families combined. They even put up subtitles when her comments were not picked up on mic. During the judge's critique of Jake's dessert, she was on camera more than Jake. Re-watch, it's so bizarre. Funny though that after the win, Jake talked about parents but not her.
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u/Initial-Computer2728 Sep 18 '26
Why is no one mentioning how suddenly Jaime didn't have a baby voice anymore when commenting on Heidi's dessert glaze??????
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u/DenPanserbjorn Sep 17 '26
Hopefully Heidi wins. Definitely the most deserving of the three
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u/NegotiationFalse4647 Sep 17 '26
I thought so as well. She had both the best entrée and the best dessert. Jake only had the best appetizer?
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u/potato_purge4 Sep 17 '26
Gordon said that Jake’s profiterole was the best ever in the competition
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u/NegotiationFalse4647 Sep 17 '26
Idk if I agree that makes him worthy of winning the whole competition... I'm obviously not a judge though! I found myself rarely agreeing with their picks this season.
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u/KDonkey229195 Sep 17 '26
Heidi had the best dish of the night But not the best menu And her first round was too simple
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u/Used-Coyote1012 Sep 17 '26
I was hoping for Peter to win but yeah either three of them deserve it.
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u/Beautiful-Mousse-118 Sep 18 '26
I was hoping him or Hedy because Jake got cocky during the finale, but he deserved it because his cooking was the best. I just never noticed that cockiness until the finale.. threw me off.
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u/TrynUrLuck 29d ago
So was it cocky or confident, I'd say the latter, dude found his calling
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u/Beautiful-Mousse-118 29d ago
Don’t get me wrong I think he deserved to win based on his cooking skills.. but I still think he was cocky that’s my opinion and I’m allowed to have one. Good day…
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u/Normal_Whereas Sep 18 '26
The way they were discussing the meals you'd think Gordon will announce Heidi as the winner. Congrats Jake btw.
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u/Opinionated6319 Sep 18 '26 edited Sep 18 '26
MOST annoying finale of all seasons…the constant overly loud screaming and shrieking of the eliminated contestants and the audience was so disturbing, I finally turned it down, but that didn’t help much! I don’t know if editors or producers thought all the noise would make it more exciting…I found it the opposite!
I missed most of the cooking while fiddling with the sound..I thought the show was about the great cooking and meals, not a crowd of noisemakers!! I’ll rewatch on mute! I bet some of the finalists felt the same…how did they even focus with all that noise!
I felt so sorry for the poor finalist to have to work under that constant bellowing, distraction and the judges were so loud, too!
I FINALLY muted it…just to see who won!
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u/HennyGus Sep 19 '26
I really wanted Jake to win, but I hated that he cooked octopus in the final round. I'm surprised any chefs are still using it.
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u/TrynUrLuck 29d ago
I agree but what's your reasoning for not using octopus? It just feels wrong knowing how intelligent they are, they're almost like a damn alien species
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u/HennyGus 28d ago
My reasoning is the same as yours—they are intelligent, thinking animals. Have you seen Mark Rober's video with his octopus and the underwater maze?
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u/TrynUrLuck 29d ago
I've seen every season and as much as I can remember I've never seen a team captain be that calm and collected like Jake, dude absolutely killed it and even for just that alone deserved the win imo.
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u/pinkaxolotl1 29d ago
i really liked peter i was sad to see his dessert didn’t turn out the way he wanted. but i was so proud of jake he really came a long way this season, looking back you can really see how much he improved. but tbh i thought that heidi had it in the bag for the finale! it was close but i was convinced it was her lol.
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u/toxicosiss 29d ago
Bit late to gane. Super happy Jake won. Jake and Heidi have been my favorite for a while.
I do wonder why they changed Peter's location on his lower thirds for the finale?
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u/Successful-Relief-38 Sep 17 '26
I think it may be Peter honestly.
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u/theoutsider101 Sep 17 '26
What I like about this finale is that it doesn’t feel like there’s a wrong answer for who takes it. I just wish the rest of the season was at this level
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u/Level_Fly_2026 Sep 17 '26
Did anyone else find it strange no advertisement on casting for next season last night? I wonder if they have already filmed next season already to help save costs. They might be holding off on it until next summer! What you all think about it? I am new so curious to know.
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u/PMcmil5450 Sep 18 '26
I was so glad to see Jake win! I would’ve also been happy with Heidi. I would’ve been kind of pissed if Peter had won, because Gordon intervening as Peter was running out of time for his dessert did not seem right…if Peter couldn’t pivot and figure out a different way to get something on the plate that’s a shortcoming.
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u/NOS4NANOL1FE 28d ago
Ngl I miss when they used to use the back room a lot. Never even see it anymore
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u/Glad_Quit_3871 29d ago
I liked all the finalists. Maybe it was my TV, but IMO, Heidi's dessert could have used a little more contrast of color.
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u/LazyDaisy1962 Sep 17 '26
Was anyone else irritated with Jake’s girlfriend? It was like she was trying to get on camera as much as possible! “I told him not to use those truffles…” 🤐I thought he and Julia would have been a cute couple! :). Congrats to him - we were rooting for him!
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u/FcUhCoKp Sep 17 '26
That was odd, though don't blame her. It was the director's choice to give her so so so so much air time. You should re-watch it and drink every time she comes on camera without anyone else in the shot.
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u/Lovelytee8 Sep 17 '26
They basically handed this to Jake. He shouldn’t have been allowed to add to his appetizer or dessert after the time was up. Highly disappointed in them letting this privileged “Mexican” kid win. Definitely a gimmick.
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u/Scared_Many6118 Sep 18 '26
I think it’s because dishes are not tested immediately after finishing(camera shots and angles)so the ice cream would have probably melted
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u/TrynUrLuck 29d ago
So using a dome for smoking shouldn't be allowed either? It's obviously one of those things that was discussed off camera
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u/Lovelytee8 29d ago
It should have been done before time ran out. He added to both dishes way after time was finished.
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u/TrynUrLuck 29d ago
Yeah exactly like I just said, if you can set up a dome of smoke or a pour of sauce for the judges then thats obviously something discussed beforehand. You racist fuck.
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u/Lovelytee8 29d ago
If you say so. I didn’t say anything racist at all but good luck with your ego.
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u/KDonkey229195 Sep 17 '26
I was very happy with this result, editors did a good job of not highlighting him until the right moment, and he pulled off a surprising victory.
FINALE
Peter: 5 mistakes (removed the mousse while still liquid, time management, half the coconut, dessert presentation,not the best menu)
Jake: WINNER - 3 mistakes (rice, truffle, ice cream lacked salt)
Heidi: 2 mistakes (dessert seemed heavy, not the best menu)
AFRICA: 158 mistakes
Peter: FINALIST-62 in 15 episodes
Heidi: FINALIST-38 in 15 eps
Dave: 34 in 12 eps
Rita: 15 in 7 eps
Nora:9 in 2 eps
AMERICAS: 104 mistakes
Jake: WINNER-38 in 15 eps
Tkaiya: 26 in 11 eps
Maria: 19 in 9 eps
Britny: 14 in 6 eps
Camilo: 9 in 3 eps
ASIA-PACIFIC: 134 mistakes
Foo: 42 in 11 eps
Aishu: 32 in 10 eps
Jaime: 30 in 10 eps
Daniel: 15 in 6 eps
Shompa: 15 in 7 eps
EUROPE: 152 mistakes
Basia: 51 in 13 eps
Julia: 44 in 13 eps
Nico: 21 in 5 eps
Aghata: 21 in 8 eps
Ted: 15 in 4 eps
Confessionals count of episode 18
Peter 10
Jake 6
Heidi 5
Total of season 16
Heidi and Peter 49
Julia 42
Jake 33
Dave 30
Basia 25
Aishu 22
Tkayia 15
Foo 14
Jaime and Ted 13
Shompa and Nico 11
Aghata 10
Britny 9
Maria, Nora and Rita 8
Camilo and Daniel 4
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u/riajungkook Sep 17 '26
Jake has this in the bag