"MasterChef (US)" - Season 13 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Coast

This season's 'United Tastes of America' theme set up the contestants in groupings begetting their hometowns, and this meant four equal teams hailing from the Northeast, the South, the Midwest, and the West. When all was said and done in the auditions, each region of which featured separate smaller competitions and guest judges, five contestants were brought in from each part of the States. Little did they know, these teams would carry more weight as they entered the MasterChef Kitchen in the formal proceedings.

These groupings were eliminated halfway through the competition.

Answer: A pin

Although the idea of immunity has been seen often in past seasons, allowing front-running contestants to play tactically from the balcony of the MasterChef Kitchen, this season saw the introduction of a powerful Immunity Pin. Early on in the season, the home cooks were warned that the winner of the Immunity Pin wouldn't only head to the balcony, but they would bring every other contestant from their region with them, meaning that one strong dish could save the person who would otherwise go home (as we the case on several occasions).

The Immunity Pin would be retired when only eight contestants were left in the running.

Answer: Eggs

There were four Mystery Box Challenges this season, and most of them focused on a single star ingredient.

The first of these, involving apples, had the immune player (Kyle) choosing which teams would create sweet or savoury offerings for the judges. The second, involving a single whole chicken, had one person from each region breaking down the bird for their teammates to use. The final one involved fish dishes provided at random.

The missing Mystery Box involved cooking with military rations.

Answer: Two

One of these happened early in the season as the home cooks struggled to make dishes from the chicken Mystery Box. The judges sent home Purvi for her below-standard butter chicken and naan while Sarah's pan-fried chicken roulade came in overcooked.

The second was a suitable challenge to see two go home-- The Wall. For this challenge, the home cooks work in pairs to make identical dishes communicating through a high wall. Brynn and Kolby, paired together, went home together.

Answer: Cakes

Heading into the MasterChef Kitchen for the 250th episode of the series, the top fifteen remaining home cooks were tasked with baking cakes, replicating a multitude of regional examples provided.
Kennedy, who was immune and won the previous episode, got to select who received the fourteen provided cakes which they had to completely recreate in appearance and taste in ninety minutes. While Kolby's apple stack cake saved the team from the South, Kyle, of the Midwest group, went home for a poorly-made Meyer lemon cake, leaving fourteen.

Answer: A three-course meal

Though Grant was immune this week, he had the chance to choose the pairings and join in to compete in the Tag Team Challenge, a battle that had the six pairs making a three-course meal, flipping in and out in seventy-five minutes. The couples had to make fresh tagliatelle, a pepper-crusted filet mignon, and a dessert of sticky toffee pudding. MD and Sav won this episode (and Immunity Pins, sending them into the top ten) while Charles was sent home.

Answer: Kelsey Murphy

The top ten headed to the MasterChef Kitchen to find the room decked out in football-themed props late in the competition, and it was because their challenge, this time, was inspired by "MasterChef" Season 11 winner Kelsey Murphy, who found success after the show cooking at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The challenge, as they found, was to make the ideal food for stadium-goers. Brynn won with her Boston-inspired lobster roll, taking the season's final Immunity Pin. Lizzie, from Alaska, went home for her raw Alaskan king crab hush puppies.

Answer: False

Although the contestants had to make food for children in an earlier Field Challenge, the Restaurant Takeover, this time, took them to Harrah's Resort Southern California to work on the line at Gordon's own Hell's Kitchen. Here, the judges selected the teams with the previous episode's winners (Grant and Wayne, who won The Wall) acting as captains while leading the team on scallops, lobster risotto, salmon, and filet.

At the end of the dinner service, it was Sav who was sent home in sixth place.

Answer: Venison

The final five home cooks had to face two challenges in the semifinals, both of which would send one of the contenders home. The first of these involved making a stuffed pasta with different types of dough (spinach, red beet, squid ink, saffron, and plain). In forty-five minutes, it was Wayne's unseasoned lobster ravioli that was sent home.

The second challenge on this date involved keeping up with a complex recipe made by Gordon Ramsey, specifically a coffee-crusted loin of smoked venison with truffle gnocchi. This time it was Reagan who was eliminated, messing up the plate after getting frazzled in the rapid-fire cooking session.

Answer: Grant

With three contestants in the finale and three courses for each of them to wow the judges, this season saw Grant, Jennifer, and Kennedy battling it out for the grand prize including a full Viking Kitchen, tools and baking gear from OXO, the title of "MasterChef: United Tastes of America" winner, the trophy, and a $250,000 USD cash prize.

The judges tasted the meals in front of the live studio audience this year and decided to award Grant the win by mixing his Midwestern roots with his Italian heritage, making him the thirteenth winner of the show.