Celebrity MasterChef has officially crowned its 20th victor on the BBC show, with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Ginger Johnson taking home the coveted gong.
The celebrity cooking competition finale also marked John Torode’s final episode on the show, after he was sacked alongside Gregg Wallace this summer.
Taking on the mantle from last year’s winner Vito Coppola, Ginger made history on the celebrity show as she became the first drag queen to win. She beat out stiff kitchen competition from 14 other celebrities across five mouth-watering weeks of cooking up a storm.
It came down to a three-legged race between Ginger, rugby legend Alun Wyn Jones and presenter Dawn O’Porter.
Torode and freshly minted MasterChef judge Grace Dent made the final decision, with the latter describing Ginger’s cooking as ‘intriguing, inventive, exciting, imaginative.’
Reacting to her win, Ginger said, ‘I cannot believe this, I’m so shocked. I really thought I was going to come here and have a laugh. I can’t believe this is the end result of the competition.
‘It’s absolutely crazy! I can’t wait to tell my mum and dad. I’ve actually learned a real-life skill!’
Torode – who filmed this series of the show before he was let go from the BBC – said of the winner: ‘With all the presentation, all the fun, the laughs, her food tastes delicious and she’s an extraordinary cook. For me, that’s why she is our champion.’
In Friday night’s final episode, the celebrities were tasked with delivering their very best food to date. They were given three hours to create a three-course meal, in the hopes of incorporating everything from their MasterChef experience to wow those picky judges.
Ginger described that final challenge as ‘showtime’, telling the BBC cameras: ‘The dinner table is a stage today and I’m going to try and make the most fun, exciting, humorous food that I can.
‘I’m cooking the ultimate, contemporary 1970s dinner party. Surprise, surprise, I love the art, the fashion, the music and the culture.’
Ginger’s winning menu kicked off with a Bloody Mary prawn cocktail, described by Torode as ‘absolute brilliance’, before a main course of duck a l’orange with hasselback potatoes, with flaming baked Alaska for dessert.
Ginger said she’s always been a foodie, after her parents inspired her to try different things in the kitchen.
On the MasterChef experience, she said: ‘Being part of this competition has pushed me to be adventurous – trying to bring the creativity that I find in the rest of my life into food. I’ve caught the bug for the food and the competition.’
Celebrity MasterChef is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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