Wondering who was the MasterChef Season 6 winner and what happened to the rest of the contestants from Season 6?
MasterChef Season 6 aired from May 2015 until September 2015, which means all of the contestants have had over six years to enjoy their MasterChef fame.
In our MasterChef US Season 6 where are they now update, we’ll share updates for all of the contestants from Season 6 of MasterChef, including the winner, Claudia Sandoval, and other crowd favorites like Derrick Peltz, Stephen Lee, Tommy Walton, and Hetal Vasavada.
If they appeared on MasterChef Season 6, we have an update for what they’re doing in 2024 and beyond!
In total, there are 22 MasterChef Season 6 contestants to cover, so let’s get right into the list starting with the Season 6 winner, Claudia Sandoval.
Claudia Sandoval
Claudia worked as an Events Manager in La Mesa, California. She won the 6th season of Masterchef, her three-course meal got great appreciation from the judges.
After winning, she released her own cookbook titled “Claudia’s Cocina: A Taste of Mexico”. The book was published in October 2016, so just a month after she won MasterChef Season 6.
After her first cookbook, she launched her own catering business and also started giving cooking classes.
In June 2020, she opened a Mexican baker “El Cochi Dorado”.
Claudia also became a judge on MasterChef Latino and has done a lot of media appearances. For example, she made an appearance on the Drew Barrymore show to celebrate Cinco De Mayo.
She’s also raised a lot of money for charity, totaling over $450,000 as of 2022.
Currently, Claudia is living in San Diego with her daughter.
If you want to learn more, you can check out Claudia’s official website.
Derrick Peltz (Derrick Fox)
Derrick was the runner-up of the 6th season of MasterChef. Before taking part in the competition he was a drummer in Florida.
Since the show ended Derrick has been fairly busy, he did a huge number of pop dining events across the USA and also helped with a restaurant opening in LA.
He also got married to his longtime girlfriend and took her last name, now he goes by Derrick Fox as of 2017. You don’ see that very often.
He also launched his own podcast in 2022 – A Bunch of Losers with Derrick Fox. If you want to connect with him, he’s active on Instagram. Here’s the Derrick Fox Instagram profile.
Stephen Lee
Stephen worked as an urban gardener in Palm Springs. He lost a challenge against Claudia in the 19th episode.
He now works as a private chef and also appears on different cooking programs as a guest.
You can also book Stephen for private cooking/catering services.
He also has a “food experience” called the Food Department.
If you want to learn more, you can check out the official Stephen Lee website or follow him on Instagram.
Nick Nappi
Nick worked as a dishwasher sales rep in California. In the 18th episode, he made a chocolate cake which wasn’t up to the mark according to the judges.
Since MasterChef Season 6, he’s worked as a chef at some establishments such as Bar One in San Diego.
Nick also had his own catering business for a time.
As of 2022, Nick is a “cannabis chef” and the co-founder of Nappi Roots Culinary with his wife. Nappi Roots Culinary creates “great cannabis inspired food” and Nick and his wife opened it in 2019.
If you want to connect with Nick, you can follow him on Instagram.
Katrina Kozar
Katrina worked as an Administrative Assistant in Wisconsin. She failed the ingredient basket challenge and had to leave the show.
After the show, Kozar started offering private chef services and also started selling a special homemade gourmet mustard.
She also has her own spice brand named Mustard Queens, which has an eCommerce store where you can purchase spices online.
Hetal Vasavada
Hetal came from New Jersey and worked as a startup developer.
She got out in the 16th episode of the show after failing a pressure test in which she had to make pasta dishes.
In 2020, Hetal launched her own online bakery. She is also a freelance recipe developer, digital marketer, and food blogger at Milk and Cardamom.
In 2019, she also published her own cookbook – Milk & Cardamom: Spectacular Cakes, Custards and More, Inspired by the Flavors of India.
As of 2022, she’s living in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband and daughter.
Ailsa von Dobeneck
Ailsa worked as an assistant railroad manager in Norfolk, Virginia. She got eliminated in the 6th episode of the show. The reason behind it was her serving cold steak to the judges.
Since then Ailsa has gone back to her old career, currently, she is an Assistant Vice President at Watco Companies LLC.
As a hobby, she has also turned food blogger and writes for The Curious Taste Bud.
Amanda Saab
Amanda was from Seattle, she was a social worker. Her unimpressive triple layer birthday cake got her out in the 8th episode of the show.
After MasterChef, Amanda made cooking her full-time career. She opened a bakery, became a food blogger, and even started hosting an event called “Dinner With Your Muslim Neighbor”.
Brianna Watson
Brianna was a hairstylist in Worcester before she joined the cooking reality show. In the 3rd episode, she made apple pie which wasn’t liked by the judges at all.
Now, she works at the Seven Hills Foundation and also hopes to open a food truck soon.
Charlie Chapman
Charlie worked as an HVAC Technician in New Orleans, Louisiana. In the 8th episode of the MasterChef, he got voted out by the judges after his three-tier birthday cake failed to create an impression.
After this, he went back to his old job as an HVAC technician.
Dan Collado
Dan was working as a model and engineer in Kentucky. In the sixth episode, he bid farewell to the show, citing personal differences as the reason behind this decision.
Since then he is still pursuing all of his old careers, he is represented by Select Models, and also works as a sales engineer.
Through DRC Private Dining Dan offers private chef services too.
Christopher Lu
Christopher managed a restaurant in Los Angeles. In the 12th episode, he didn’t perform well in the gnocchi pressure test and had to leave the reality series.
For a time, he worked at Freddy Small’s Bar and Kitchen in LA. He also offers his services as a private chef and consultant.
Shelly Flash
Shelly worked as a Kitchen Assistant in Brooklyn. Undercooked chicken and waffle made her eliminated in the 13th episode.
She is now a co-owner of Two Girls & a Cookshop.
Olivia Crouppen
Olivia was a Fashion Stylist in California. She failed the cows head challenge in the 14th episode and got out.
She has now become a private chef and also hosts a live-stream cooking show on nom.com.
Sara Zacek
Sara worked as a Mobile Home Park Manager in Wisconsin. In the 10th episode, her strawberry and peanut butter tart didn’t impress the judges and she got eliminated.
Currently, she works in a pie company.
Justin Banister
Justin was a high school student in Texas. He got voted out in the 5th episode of the show after judges criticized him heavily for his corn dish.
He still decided to pursue his dream and currently cooks at Jasper’s The Woodlands.
Darah Carattini
Darah lived in Irvine and worked at an Amusement Park as a guide. In the 4th episode, her cinnamon roll wasn’t liked by judges and they decided to let her go.
After this, she modeled for a while and then started selling clothes on Poshmark.
Jesse Romero
Jesse worked as a petroleum landman in Louisiana. He got eliminated in the 7th episode of the MasterChef.
After that, he opened a food booth at White Star Market and then joined The Gulf Restaurant as the executive chef.
Veronica Cili
Veronica worked as a beauty consultant in Florida. She got voted out in the 7th episode of the sixth season.
After the show, she completely went out of the limelight and I’m not sure what she’s up to. If you know anything, let me know in the comments section!
Kerry Prince
Kerry worked as a Human Resources Rep in North Carolina. A badly cooked Beef Wellington made him get eliminated in the 9th episode of the MasterChef.
Since then, he has released his own book titled Kerry In The Kitchen Presents: Agrimony to Yucca: Intro To Medicinal Herbs and he also offers catering services.
Tommy Walton
Tommy, a Fashion Designer from Chicago got eliminated in episode 15 after losing a challenge against Katrina.
He now appears on local TV stations and also works as a fashion designer.
Mateo McConnell
Mateo came from Georgia and worked as a high school teacher. In the 3rd episode, his salted caramel apple pie made him lose the show.
Since then he has gone back to teaching again.
That wraps up our MasterChef US Season 6 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:
- MasterChef Season 10 contestants updates
- MasterChef Season 6 contestants updates
- MasterChef Season 4 contestants updates
And if you want to share your thoughts on the contestants from MasterChef Season 6, please leave a comment below!
It only takes a few seconds and we love hearing from other MasterChef fans.