What are the MasterChef 2026 finalists doing now? Catching up with Antos, Jhané, Kristen and Matt after Antigua
MasterChef's 22nd series wrapped on BBC One on 5 June 2026 after a finals week in Antigua and Barbuda — the first full series under new judges Grace Dent and Anna Haugh, and the first filmed at Digbeth Loc Studios in Birmingham. Two months on, here's where the final four have landed.
Jhané — the champion
Jhané Gibson, a 29-year-old tech programme manager from north London, took the title with a menu rooted in her British-Jamaican family: fried snapper with escabeche pickles, piri piri poussin with crispy potatoes, and a Jamaican ginger rum cake inspired by her grandmother Elithia.
"I still can't believe that I am a 'MasterChef UK' champion!" she told the Jamaica Gleaner in June 2026.
Her post-show plan is already in motion: pop-up events around the UK — with ambitions to take them abroad, Jamaica especially — plus recipes shared on her Instagram, @jhane_gibson. Longer term, she wants a cookbook of family recipes handed down from her grandmother and parents, and eventually her own pub — a permanent home for her food.
Kristen — the writer in waiting
Australian-born Kristen Dodd, a communications director living in Tooting, reached the final three on the strength of bold, travel-driven cooking — her Thai-cured sea bream with smoked coconut milk and cucumber granita was published as a make-at-home recipe after the final. She's steering towards food writing and broadcasting, with a personal mission to demystify pickling and fermentation for home cooks.
Matt — the supper club man
Matt Willett, a London-based PhD student, made the final three with indulgent, technique-heavy food — his beef tartare with peppercorn sauce and matchstick fries, a clever mash-up of steak frites and tartare, also got the published-recipe treatment. His plan is deliberately simple: supper clubs. As he put it before the final, "I'd love to do some supper clubs, watch this space."
Antos — the broadcaster in the making
Antoś Tytko, the 29-year-old British-Polish cook from Highgate, was the one eliminated during the Antigua leg — but arguably had the biggest arc, describing himself as the weakest of the four at the start and the most improved by the end. Citing Anthony Bourdain as his hero, he's chasing food broadcasting that combines cooking, travel, and storytelling — signing off with the ambition, "Hopefully one day that show wins a BAFTA."