'MasterChef US' Season 6 Updates: Meet The Top 5 Remaining Contestants

Season 6 of “MasterChef” is now down to the five remaining contestants. Thousands of home cooks from all over America auditioned for the competition and we are now down to the top 5. In no particular order, here is a closer look at the remaining contestants, one of whom will become the next “MasterChef” America.

1. Derrick Peltz, Fort Meyers, FL.

Derick is a professional drummer who found a passion for making good food. He lists “MasterChef” judge Gordon Ramsay as one of his major inspirations. His dream to impress Ramsay with his cooking skills was fulfilled when he ended up in a steak challenge in episode 6. He landed in a pressure test where contestants prepared steaks in Gordon’s own restaurant.

Derrick excelled and was immediately saved. He has since landed in several other pressure tests due mostly to bad luck in the team challenges. However, he always manages to pull through, and is considered to be one of the top contenders. He has also formed a big rivalry with fellow contestant, Stephen.

2. Stephen Lee, Palm Springs, CA.

Stephen has a very flamboyant personality and has provided a lot of fireworks this season. He is perhaps the only person in the show, who screams more than Gordon Ramsay. Stephen has a very strong personality and he has used it well during team challenges. However, he nearly broke down during a pressure test in episode 11.

Stephen has put a target on the back of Derrick, who he sees as his top competitor. The pair has been engaged in a friendly competition but they also showed their massive respect for one another when they produced a fabulous party platter in the tag team challenge.

3. Katrina Kozar, Milwaukee, WI.

Katrina has steadily been one of the front runners in the competition from the moment it started. She had some major clashes with fellow contestant Tommy Walton earlier in the season and their tag team pairing resulted in Tommy’s elimination.

Last week, Katrina found herself in trouble again when she failed to re-create Graham Elliot’s favorite farfalle pasts dish. Luckily for her, Hetal did a lot worse and she gets to live another day.

4. Nick Nappi, San Mateo, CA.

Nick has stayed mostly in the sidelines in the earlier part of the season when the more flamboyant personalities grabbed attention. He shined when he and Derrick decided to form some kind of Italian alliance. Both of them have dug deep into their Italian roots to come up with some great dishes this season.

Nick also showed off his dessert skills in episode 15. He managed to win the coffee challenge and saved himself from joining this year’s tag team challenge.

5. Claudia Sandoval, La Mesa, CA.

Claudia is a single mom who takes inspiration from her own mother whenever she is in the kitchen. She is the resident Latina in the competition and she always tries to look back at her Mexican roots to personalize her cooking. She has also made use of one or two family heirloom recipes to give herself an edge in the competition.

Claudia has been a good team player and she has become one of the sought-after members in group challenges. Despite not winning all of them, she has managed to successfully shine in every elimination challenge that she found herself in.

The five remaining contestants are very close to the finish line as only a few weeks remain before the next “MasterChef” is crowned. This season, the competition is judged by Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Christina Tosi, who replaced Joe Bastianich.

“MasterChef” U.S. airs every Wednesday at 8:00 pm EDT on FOX.