MasterChef Season 4 Contestants: Where Are They Now? (USA)

Wondering who was the MasterChef Season 4 winner and what happened to the rest of the contestants from Season 4?

MasterChef Season 4 aired from May 2013 until September 2013, which means all of the contestants have had almost a decade to use their newfound MasterChef fame.

In our MasterChef US Season 4 where are they now update, we’ll share updates for all of the contestants from Season 4 of MasterChef, including the winner, Luca Manfè, and other crowd favorites like Natasha Crnjac, Jessie Lysiak, Krissi Biasello, James Nelson, and more.

If they appeared as one of the MasterChef Season 4 contestants, we have an update for what they’re doing in 2024 and beyond!

In total, there are 19 MasterChef Season 4 contestants to cover, so let’s get right into the list starting with the Season 4 winner, Luca Manfè.


Luca Manfé

Luca Manfé was the MasterChef Season 4 winner.

He worked as a Restaurant Manager from Astoria, New York when he appeared on Season 4 as a 31 year old.

Judges heaped praises of this three-course meal and Gordon particularly liked his short ribs.

Luca Manfe MasterChef Season 4 Winner

After the show, Luca published his cookbook My Italian Kitchen: Favorite Family Recipes. It has good reviews, with a 4.5 star rating on the Amazon page.

In addition to that, he also has his own catering service called Dinner with Luca.

Manfé also tried launching his own food truck named The Lucky Fig. However, it closed after just a year and Luca called it a disaster.

The food truck aimed to serve high-end Italian food, but it was tough to do that from a food truck.

He has also hosted online cooking classes alongside other Masterchef winners.

Finally, he is also a brand ambassador for Donna Italia.

You can learn more about what he’s up to at the official Dinner With Luca website.

Here are some other social media channels where you can connect with Luca:


Natasha Crnjac

Natasha was a 26 year old housewife from San Diego, California when she appeared MasterChef Season 4.

She was the runner-up of the 4th season of the cooking reality show.

Since her stint on the reality show, she opened her catering and meal prep services in California called Meal Prep Boutique.

Natasha Crnjac MasterChef Season 4

As of 2022, she seems to be working as the Catering Manager for ASU Athletics after having moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

She’s also quite active on Instagram – you can connect on the Natasha Crnjac Instagram page.


Jessie Lysiak

Jessie was working as a Yacht Stewardess in Georgia before she participated in Masterchef as a 27 year old.

She was eliminated in the 24th episode after her kobe beef dish was thrashed by the judges.

Jessie Lysiak MasterChef Season 4

Since her elimination in MasterChef Season 4, she worked as a private chef for a bit.

She also appeared in the reunion episode of Masterchef Season 10.

In terms of her personal life, Jessie married NHL defenseman Justin Braun and the couple of have two kids together.

Justin had been with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2019-2022, but was recently traded to the New York Rangers before eventually going back to the Flyers on a one-year contract.

Jessie seems to now be a stay at home mom to the couple’s kids.

If you want to see what she’s up to, you can follow her on the Jessie Lysiak Instagram page (she now goes by Jessie Braun after her marriage).


Krissi Biasiello

Krissi Biasiello (full name Kristie) worked as a paralegal in Pennsylvania before appearing on MasterChef Season 4 as a 34 year old.

Krissi was eliminated in the 23rd episode when she failed a pressure test of making chocolate desserts.

Krissi Biasiello

After the show, she landed in controversy after posting racially insensitive tweets.

Biasiello later deleted the tweets and apologized for her remarks.

She then offered private chef services and started her own food blog.

In February 2021, Krissi told fans that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing treatment.

She seems to have done as well as can be with treatment – in September 2022, she posted that she would be taking some time off for her breast reconstruction surgery after her bout with breast cancer.

If you want to connect with Krissi and see what she’s up to, you can follow the Rotund Chef Facebook page.

Note – her name is spelled Krissi Biasiello and not Crissi Biasiello or Chrissy.


James Nelson

James was a retail salesman from Victoria, Texas when he appeared on MasterChef Season 4 as a 26 year old.

He went quite far in the show but then got eliminated in the 22nd episode of season 4, when the judges didn’t like his Panna cotta.

James Nelson

Since being eliminated from the show, James Nelson has established his own award-winning hot sauce company named Bravado Spice. Bravado Spice has also expanded into offering Margarita seasonings.

You can learn more and buy a bottle at the official Bravado Spice website.

If you want to connect with James personally, you can follow the James Nelson Instagram page.


Bime Cruz

Bime worked as a boxing coach in Taunton, Massachusetts.

He got eliminated in the 10th episode because of serving judges with runny lemon meringue pie.

After the show, Cruz worked at Stoneforge Tavern and then later he moved to The Foundry an American Table and Bar.

In 2018, he became Head Chef at Cibo Matto Caffe.

As of 2022, he’s also hosting the Blind Kitchen Boston cooking competition show.

This show has local chefs try to recreate other chefs dishes, but without being able to see the dish.

If you want to connect with him, check out the Bime Cruz Instagram page.


Lynn Chyi

Lynn Chyi worked as a Systems Administrator in San Diego, California.

He was eliminated in the 18th episode.

Since then, Lynn has worked as a photographer and UX designer at Illumin and then a Design System Engineering Manager at Workday.

As of 2022, he’s working as an Engineering Manager at Robinhood, the popular stock/crypto investing app.

You can learn more on Lynn’s LinkedIn page.


Bethy Rossos

Bethy Rossos was working as a PE Teacher in Oregon.

Rosso got out in the 15th episode of season 4 when her mushroom dish failed to impress the judges.

After MasterChef, Bethy gave cooking classes and opened her own private catering service business.

In 2011, she also hosted the TV show, Adrenaline Hunter.

Beyond that, she has her own food truck named the Waffle Wagon.

You can learn more at Bethy’s official website or follow her on Instagram.


Eddie Jackson

Eddie was a Former Pro Football Player and Personal Trainer who came from Georgia after brief stints at a few NFL teams.

Jackson was eliminated in the 17th episode when he failed to perform well in the sushi challenge.

After Masterchef, he participated in another cooking reality show called Food Network Star and won its Season 11.

He now regularly features in various cooking competitions as a judge.

He also got his own food TV show named BBQ Blitz, in which contestants had to create the best BBQ dish.

However, the show only had a six episode run.

He was also a team captain in the 2021 BBQ Brawl show and competed against Bobby Flay and Michael Symon.

You can see what he’s up to on the Eddie Jackson Instagram page.


Bri Kozior

Before Masterchef, Bri was a Theater Assistant in Pennsylvania.

She first got voted out of the show in the 16th episode but then came back in the 18th episode.

In episode 20 her calamari dish got her in the bottom two and eventually, she was eliminated again.

After her stint on the show, Bri worked as a private chef and a gym instructor.

She has since switched her career and worked as a  Business Development Manager at AmerisourceBergen for a time.

Since 2022, she’s working as a Business Sales Executive at Google in Dublin Ireland.

You can connect with her on Bri’s LinkedIn page.


Adriana Guillen

Before Adriana got on the cooking reality show she was a college admissions manager in NYC.

Guillen was eliminated in the 5th episode of season 4 because judges didn’t like her cheesecake.

Since then she has opened her own YouTube channel and also established her own private chef company named Mexican | Deliciously Vegetarian.

You can check out Adriana’s YouTube channel here and her Instagram page here.


Beth Kirby

Beth was a professional writer and photographer from Tennessee.

Kirby was eliminated in the 11th episode of season 4, judges had called her crabs completely inedible.

After the show, Beth started her food blog and taught cookery workshops.

She has now shifted her career and currently, she gives business advice to entrepreneurs.


Sasha Foxx

Sasha was a singer from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

In the 4th episode of the show, she struggled to cook a  langoustine dish and got eliminated.

After Masterchef Season 4, she also went on America’s Got Talent to show her singing talent.

Since then she has occasionally appeared on cooking segments of local shows.


Jonny Blanchard

Jonny worked as a carpenter in Marlboro, Massachusetts.

Blanchard was eliminated in the 12th episode of season 4 because his macarons weren’t up to the standards.

After the show, Jonny didn’t pursue cooking professionally but he still sometimes post cooking videos on his social media platforms.


Howard Simpson

Howard came from Tennessee and he was a barback.

He was eliminated from Masterchef in the 9th episode of the reality series.

The reason behind it was his not-so-well-cooked pasta dish.

After the show, he first worked as a bar manager and then became a chef at Hillstone Restaurants and R+D Kitchen Newport.

In 2019, he also opened his car dealing business.


Jordan Roots

Jordan worked as a delivery driver in Minnesota.

He was eliminated in the 19th episode of the show after failing to make a good quail dish.

After the show, Jordan tried to raise funds for his food cart business but failed to collect $50,000. Today, he works as a head chef at Wooden Hill Brewing.


Kathy Prieto

Kathy Prieto worked as an office assistant in the Bronx.

She was eliminated from the 8th episode after she lost the lobster cook-off challenge to Luca, the eventual MasterChef Season 4 winner.

Then Gordon offered her an internship at one of his restaurants.

But things didn’t go well and after only two days she was asked to not come back.

Currently, she has her own catering company called Raad Kitchen.


Malcolm Green

Malcolm Green was from Massachusetts and he was unemployed.

He got eliminated in the 6th episode.

Since then, Malcolm has opened his own catering company called Malia’s Catering and has done several pop-up events.


Savannah Sturges

Savannah Sturges was a teacher in San Diego, the same city where Natasha Crnjac hailed from.

She was eliminated in the 14th episode of the series after failing a chicken pressure test.

After the show, Sturges became a private chef and created a website to share her recipes.

She also went back to teaching and is currently assistant principal at a school.


That wraps up our MasterChef Season 4 where are they now post.

We hope you enjoyed seeing what your favorite MasterChef contestants have been up to since the show ended.

If you want to see what all of the winners are up to, you can read our full MasterChef US winners where are they now post.

We also have updates on the contestants from other MasterChef seasons:

And if you want to share your thoughts on the contestants from MasterChef Season 4, please leave a comment below!

It only takes a few seconds and we love hearing from other MasterChef fans.

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