Everything You're Curious About the MasterChef 2020 Contestants

MasterChef Turkey has seen fierce competition for 1 month now, with the field narrowed down from thousands of applicants to just 16 people. Competing first in 2 teams and later as individuals, the contestants are putting in tremendous effort to become the champion of the MasterChef 2020 season. Here are the MasterChef 2020 contestants and their life stories...

The names who made it into the main cast in the first group of the MasterChef 2020 final round were: Serhat Doğramacı, Duygu Acarsoy, Özgül Coşar, Emir Elidemir, Ayyüce Kamit, Sedat Tuncer, Esra Tokelli, and Furkan Yalçın.

The contestants selected for the MasterChef Turkey main cast in Group B of the final round were: Barbaros Yoloğlu, Tanya Kilitkaya, Berk İlter, Eray Aksungur, Uğur Yılmaz Deniz, and Celal Sarıgül.

Winners from the first group of the Final Round

Emir Elidemir 

Emir Elidemir was born in 1994 in İzmir. MasterChef contestant Emir is 26 years old. He graduated from Bornova Anatolian High School and completed his university education in the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts department at Özyeğin University. Having completed internships in Florida and Amsterdam, Emir Elidemir carried out one of these internships at a world-famous Michelin-starred restaurant.

Esra Tokelli

Esra Tokelli, one of the cooking contestants on MasterChef 2020, is 41 years old and is joining the competition from Istanbul. She previously competed on the cooking show Yemekteyiz, hosted by Seda Sayan, and came in first place. Describing herself as very competitive, Esra Tokelli had said she wanted to earn an apron with her name on it. She mentioned that she loves cooking very much, which means she spends most of her time in the kitchen, and that is why she decided to join MasterChef.

Serhat Doğramacı

He is 23 years old and works as a professional chef. He is joining the competition from Istanbul. He said he has been in the profession for about 9–10 years. His fiancée pushed him to join MasterChef the previous year, but he didn't want to — however, he decided to join this season himself because he wasn't impressed by last season's contestants. Serhat said he knows Cemre Uyanık, the winner of MasterChef's 2019 season. He mentioned they worked together in Utah, USA, but that he didn't like her working style, and that he supported Alican and Batuhan. Serhat Doğramacı was the first name to earn a spot in the top 16 during the final round.

Duygu Acarsoy

Duygu Acarsoy, 35 years old, is a graduate of Ankara University's Faculty of Agriculture. She works as an instructor chef at a private university. She is joining the competition from Ankara. She has received professional pastry and breadmaking training (sourdough breads in Spain and Germany). She also has training in ice cream and sorbet. She has been working as an instructor in the industry for 3.5 years. Duygu, who applied the best presentation and technique with eggs, was the second name to make it into the top 16.

Ayyüce Kamit

Ayyüce Kamit is 24 years old and originally from Sakarya. Kamit, who is joining the competition from Istanbul, has been cooking for four years. She mentioned that she loves working and learning from people. She decided to join MasterChef because she believed it could take her to a better and more advanced place. MasterChef contestant Ayyüce Kamit, who earned her place in the final round by surpassing her rivals, received "yes" votes from Chef Danilo, Chef Mehmet, and Chef Somer in the first round. 

Furkan Yalçın 

Furkan Yalçın is 20 years old and a pastry chef. He had said he has been working in this profession and studying it for 6 years. Furkan Yalçın, who described himself as someone open to self-improvement and learning new things, also participated in MasterChef Turkey the previous year.

Özgül Coşar

Özgül Coşar, who is joining the competition from Istanbul, is 36 years old and a food engineer. Encouraged to compete by her daughter, Özgül Coşar is married with two children. The contestant, who said she discovered her passion for cooking while preparing a birthday meal for her children, mentioned that her speed and ability to work in a coordinated manner in the kitchen could give her an advantage. She has also completed a program in pastry and breadmaking.

Winners from the second group of the Final Round

Uğur Yılmaz Deniz

Uğur Yılmaz Deniz is 26 years old and a chef. He is joining MasterChef Turkey from Antalya. Uğur, who said he had the opportunity to work in Doha, Qatar before applying to the competition, prepared his own signature beef tenderloin wrap dish for the judges in the first round. The contestant, who was praised for his flavors but told he needed to improve his plating presentation, received "yes" votes and advanced to the next round.

Barbaros Yoloğlu

Barbaros Yoloğlu, joining the competition from Bodrum, is 26 years old. The experienced contestant, who works as a chef at a restaurant in Bodrum Bitez, said he was especially confident in meat dishes, while also emphasizing that he could excel in every area of the kitchen.

Tanya Kilitkayalı

Tanya Kilitkayalı, 26 years old, is a lecturer. She is joining the competition from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Kilitkayalı is a graduate of the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department of the Faculty of Tourism at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU). Since childhood, Tanya Kilitkayalı has been preparing local flavors alongside her mother in the kitchen of Garavolli Cafe and Bar, a family business in Kilitkaya Village.

Eray Aksungur

The 23-year-old contestant graduated from the Culinary Arts Department of Mengen Vocational School. Eray Aksungur has worked as a chef at various hotels in Istanbul and Bodrum, and most recently began working at a hotel in Bolu. Aksungur, who made it to the final two in the first match of the final round, also competed on the cooking competition show Lezzet Akademisi, broadcast on Show TV, which also featured Danilo Zanna as a judge.

Celal Sarıgül

Celal Sarıgül is 26 years old and a chef. Celal, who studied Culinary Arts in Cyprus, is also joining the competition from Cyprus. He said he has been working as a chef in hotels and restaurants for six years. He also said that MasterChef had been his dream and that he came to stay for good. In his MasterChef 2020 first-round appearance, where he prepared a Beef Tenderloin with Café de Paris Sauce, Celal Sarıgül managed to receive "yes" votes from all three judges and advanced to the second round.

Ebru Has

Ebru Has, originally from Bolu, is 28 years old. Ebru, who has a volleyball background and currently works as a chef, also continues to work as a Pilates instructor. She joined the competition from Balıkesir. MasterChef contestant Ebru underwent cancer treatment and successfully overcame it.

Sources: 
haberturk.com
hurriyet.com.tr