Jennifer Behm has won the second season of MasterChef.
The real estate agent from Wilmington in Delaware claimed the $250,000 prize and the title of 'America's Next MasterChef', beating Californian server Adrien Nieto in the final cook-off.
She said: "This is a thousand dreams come true. My family taught me to never give up on your dreams and if you want it and work hard then anything is possible.
"It doesn't matter what the naysayers say - I am proof of that."
Christian Collins, a stay-at-home father from Gloucester in Massachusetts, finished in third place on the Fox cooking competition.
The three finalists were first given an hour to create a chicken dish as part of a Mystery Box challenge.
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Collins served bacon-wrapped chicken with french onion sauce; Nieto opted for braised chicken thigh with acorn squash and asparagus on rice; and Behm also served bacon-wrapped chicken stuffed with apples and jalapeno peppers.
> 'MasterChef' season finale: International judges arrive, Top 3 announced
Gordon Ramsay then announced that Behm's dish was the weakest because although the bacon and apple worked together "beautifully", her chicken thigh was slightly undercooked. Nieto was named the winner and his advantage was picking his ingredients for the elimination challenge first.
Collins was then eliminated following an elimination challenge using some of judge Joe Bastianich's favourite ingredients - octopus, veal and mushrooms. Nieto chose the octopus, while Collins picked veal, leaving mushrooms for Behm. The contestants were cheered on in the MasterChef kitchen by some of this season's eliminees.
Behm and Nieto then went head-to-head in a three-course challenge, cheered on by their families. Behm's menu consisted of a starter of scallops and pea puree, a main of stuffed quail with potato mash and a poached pear dessert.
Nieto offered a starter of seafood taquitos, followed by a main of beer-braised short ribs with a cauliflower and parsnip puree and a flourless chocolate cake infused with blood oranges for dessert.
Local Delaware daily The News Journal reports that Behm watched the pre-recorded finale at a viewing party with friends and family.
She has set up a catering company called Pink Martini since recording the finale of MasterChef.
> 'MasterChef' season finale: Top 4 share favourite moments
Kate (they/she) is a freelance writer, editor, digital editorial trainer and data technician who first joined Digital Spy as an overnight freelance sub-editor in January 2011, after studying a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Salford University while working part-time as a social researcher.
In July 2013, Kate joined the DS staff team as chief sub-editor and following six years as the site's managing editor, their role expanded to incorporate Hearst UK's entertainment portfolio (including Digital Spy and its sibling titles Best and Inside Soap) between late 2024 and early 2026.
Kate has worked as a writer and editor since 2006, with bylines syndicated across the Hearst network and at organisations including Metro. They started their career as a TV production runner for the BBC and contributed to various music websites, blogs and zines while based in Manchester.
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