MasterChef season 8 finale video: The stakes for Dino, Eboni, and Jason

One of the things that MasterChef season 8 has done a really good job at this season is create big stakes for the home cooks — and also come up with surprises! We wouldn’t have predicted even a month ago that Dino, Eboni, and Jason would be in the finale. We were convinced for a while that Yachecia and Cate were two of the favorites to win, and neither one of them even made it to the end.

Now, we’ve got three home cooks fighting for the grand prize who are all very different from each other in terms of style, upbringing, and even culinary dream. If Dino wins, for example, he may be one of the first home-cook champions whose interest lies mostly in the pastry world. Meanwhile, Eboni would be one of the most inspirational winners in terms of her story to get there, and Jason’s enthusiasm would probably blow the roof off of the kitchen.

In order to win the show, what the final three have to do is ultimately simple in theory and difficult to execute: Please the three judges plus the returning Joe Bastianich. He’s long been one of the show’s most notorious judges, and it’s great to have him back to challenge the home cooks one last time. One other thing that will make this finale even more notable is the presence of most of the other notable contestants from the past week or two. In the preview you see Daniel, Yachecia, and Jeff all cheering the remaining contestants. One of the things that does always make the finale so interesting is how it feels almost like a gigantic party, given that you’ve got family, friends, contestants, special judges, and pretty much every person notable to the competition possible in the same room. Unfortunately, only one of them can end up winning, and we’re super-psyched to finally learn who that will be. The winner of this show not only gets the prize and the money, but often a chance to build a brand based on the show. We think that of the three remaining, Dino probably has the best chance to be a star just in terms of his personality and his look. He’s going to stand out in virtually any room that you throw him in.

What do you think is coming on the MasterChef season 8 finale, and do you think that Dino, Eboni, or Jason will emerge as the champion? Share in the comments!

Meanwhile, head over here in the event you do want to read some other news on the show, including some of our most-recent episode reviews for how we got to this point in the season. (Photo: Fox.)