Iowa's own Grant Gillon dishes on making the Top 3 and the finales of 'MasterChef'
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An Iowa contestant won his way into the top three on “MasterChef” the Fox reality show with chef Gordon Ramsay deciding which home cooks will earn the title and the $250,000 grand prize.
Grant Gillon went from one of 40 hopefuls down to three finalists as the show aired from late spring to summer. On Wednesday night, he competes for the title of “MasterChef” at 7 p.m. CDT on Fox with chefs Aarón Sánchez and Joe Bastianich judging alongside Ramsay.
“I say my goal is obviously to make it to the top three,” Gillon told the Des Moines Register ahead of the final episode. “All these challenges against all these other chefs. My goal, what I’m striving for, was to crack the top three.”
Who is Grant Gillon?
Gillon, 32, grew up in Altoona, graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in leisure studies, with a focus on recreation and sport business, and still lives in Altoona with his wife, Emily, and son, Grady. Gillon posts a lot of videos of himself cooking with his 4-year-old son on social media.
On Wednesday, Gillon competes against Jennifer Maune, a 42-year-old lifestyle blogger from Little Rock, Arkansas, and Kennedy Grace, a 26-year-old festival vendor from Denver.
Over the course of the show, Gillon, the director of sales at Kinship Brewing Co. in Waukee, demonstrated his home-cooking chops, leaning into Italian food and specifically pastas while trying to stay true to his Midwestern roots.
“MasterChef: United Tastes of America” divided the contestants up by region, with five each competing in the Northeast, South, West and Midwest. Gillon won his first competition and a ticket onto the show and the top 20 with a roasted sweet corn agnolotti.
“I learned so much throughout the season,” Gillon said, who learned how to cook by watching cooking videos that featured Ramsay.
“That’s what really gave me the confidence to get in the kitchen and do some things that I would have never imagined that I can do,” Gillon said in an interview on Fox.
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What were some of Grant Gillon's biggest triumphs on 'MasterChef'?
The toughest challenge so far? Cooking on the line in Hell’s Kitchen, Ramsay's restaurant in Las Vegas. Granted, the episode filmed on a soundstage in Sin City and not the actual restaurant, but the dishes, the customers, and the experience were real. “It’s such a blur. I’m a home cook working on a line now and I have to fill all of these orders for Gordon Ramsay in his own kitchen.”
The Wall Challenge he did with Wayne Lewis, a 51-year-old media company owner from Columbus, Ohio, proved difficult as well. The two had about two minutes to decide what to cook and three minutes to shop for ingredients before attempting to make identical dishes without seeing what each was doing. The two shouted over a wall to synchronize their cooking, even switching up the sauce after they forgot to grab eggs for a béarnaise.
Gillon does concede that he will never make a mackerel broth again. That pan-seared mackerel dish from the fish Mystery Box challenge landed him in the bottom three.
Gillon said the contestants did become close as they filmed for two months in Los Angeles. He became friends with many of his fellow home cooks, including Brynn Weaver, the 33-year-old bartender from Providence, Rhode Island, during the Tag Team challenge. “We may not win this thing, but we definitely had the most fun,” he said about the challenge where they had to make a three-course meal in 75 minutes as they took turns cooking and giving directions.
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How to watch the finale of 'MasterChef' with Grant Gillon
During the finale on Wednesday night, the three finalists cook a three-course meal — appetizers, entrees and dessert — to determine the title of Master Chef. The three cook in a circle. “It’s very cool, very intense,” Gillon said.
He’s throwing a watch party at Spectators Sports Bar & Grill at Adventureland Resort, 3200 Adventureland Drive,Altoona, on Wednesday starting at 5 p.m.
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Which MasterChef contestants will be at the viewing party?
Gillon and six other regional contestants will be on hand for the event — Kolby Chandler, the 30-year-old entrepreneur from Houston; Nina Interlandi Bell, the 44-year-old marketing manager from Woolwich, Maine; Sarah Fry, the 32-year-old social media manager from Springfield, Missouri; Lizzie Hartman, the 29-year-old preschool teacher’s aide from Fairbanks, Alaska; Kyle Hopkins, the 41-year-old cicerone from Kansas City, Missouri; and Weaver.
From 7 to 9 p.m., the sports bar airs the show. In addition to the regular menu, the restaurant will be offering special wing sauces inspired by each region represented by the "MasterChef" contestants.
How to follow Grant Gillon
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093299857568&mibextid=LQQJ4d
Instagram: instagram.com/grant_gillon/
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. You can reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Grant Gillon from Altoona, Iowa, competes in the finale of 'MasterChef'
