Two home cooks from Morocco are moving forward to the main stage of season 16 of MasterChef USA after passing the Africa auditions.
Nora and Dave impressed judges Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Tiffany Derry during the televised selection round broadcast on FOX. The new format, Global Gauntlet, brings together cooking talent from different continents. Morocco is the only North African country represented at this stage and secured two of the five African spots, alongside contestants from Nigeria and South Africa.
Nora, who lives in Las Vegas, presented a lamb tagine with couscous. The judges praised the balance of sweet and savoury flavours, including spices, caramelised onions and raisins.
Dave, based in Chicago, cooked traditional tagra inspired by northern Moroccan cuisine and flavours from Tetouan. He served it with a tangy tomato sauce linked to his family roots.
Both contestants will now compete in the main MasterChef USA 2026 series, where amateur cooks from around the world will face multiple challenges. The winner will receive a $250,000 prize.
