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MasterChef: Back to Win Season 12 has come to an end, with one returning contestant being crowned the winner. This season, 20-year-old Dara Yu made history by becoming the youngest contestant to win the famed reality TV competition series.
Out of the 20 contestants who returned to MasterChef: Season 12 for redemption, only three chefs beat the odds to make it to the grand finale. These chefs were Michael Silverstein, Christian Green and Dara Yu. They were each unique in their own ways and presented the judges with some restaurant quality dishes.
Episode 20, titled Finale: Part 2 aired on Wednesday, September 14, 2022. This season, judges Gordan Ramsay, Aaron Sanchez and Joe Bastianich returned alongside special guests Christina Tosi and Graham Elliot. The two guest judges were former regulars on MasterChef and had once served as judges in the famed competition.
Read on to learn more about the winner of MasterChef: Back to Win Season 12.
Short-ribs and Vanilla Ile Flottante: How Dara Yu cooked herself a victory in Season 12 of MasterChef
Dara first made her appearance on MasterChef in the junior edition when she was just 12 years old. Eight years later, the young chef returned to reclaim the title she once lost. She competed against contestants who were way more experienced than her.
A culinary school graduate, Season 12 saw the contestant go head first into the challenges put forth by the judges. Although she faced issues with her appetizers, Dara returned with a bang and impressed the judges with her entree and dessert.
While cooking her entree, the finalist had only 5 minutes left on the clock, but her short ribs were still in the pressure cooker. This worried not only the judges but the former contestants cheering Dara from the sidelines.
However, she eventually pulled through and presented the judges with her Chinese-style short ribs with Japanese sweet potatoes, spiced carrots, caramelized onions and carrot top gremolata.
For her dessert, Dara prepared her Vanilla Ile Flottante with creme anglaise, tropical fruit, and caramelized forbidden rice. Both her dishes impressed the judges.
After much deliberation, Gordon Ramsay revealed that the winner of Season 12 was Dara.
Upon winning the title, the contestant was overwhelmed with joy and became emotional. She said:
"This has been the most incredible journey of my life, and all my hard work and determination paid off. I'm so grateful to be surrounded by my loved ones. My father isn't here, but I know that he's been looking over me this whole competition, and I know I made him proud tonight."
Dara then said that she came back to win and that's exactly what she did.
Michael, who was a finalist alongside Dara, shared that although he didn't win, he had a blast cooking next to the young chef and that he was proud of her.
Fans congratulate Dara Yu on her win in MasterChef Season 12
Taking to Twitter, fans congratulated the youngest chef on her much-deserved victory. Netizens claimed she did a wonderful job, adding that they were proud of her. Check out some of the congratulatory posts for Dara:
MasterChef has been renewed for Season 13. Stay tuned for more information.
