The MasterChef 2026 grand finale was one for the books, with Petro and Vinnie facing off in two massive back-to-back challenges — a 75-minute cook followed by a 5-hour pressure test.
While both home cooks put in a solid effort, Vinnie was crowned this year’s winner, taking home the $250,000 cash prize.
However, while most fans are congratulating Vinnie on his win, some have pointed out a moment from the gantry that viewers are calling “not fair”.
Speaking to WHO after winning the crown, Vinnie responded to these complaints about his family being there and helping him.
“I wanted to show them how far I’d come in the competition,” he said, speaking of his family watching from the gantry above.
“But at the same time it added a lot of pressure because you wanted to do them proud, so yeah, it stressed me out. I thought it would calm me down, but it kind of stressed me out.”
What moment from the gantry are fans unhappy about?
During the chaos of the pressure test, Vinnie forgot to add a bowl of coconut he had prepared into his dessert mixture. This was noticed by his girlfriend, Bridget, up on the gantry, which prompted her to call out and remind him.
It was this moment that fans weren’t pleased about.
“I don’t think the people on the gantry should be helping during a grand finale,” one fan wrote online.
“Congrats to Vinnie, but I just thought it was unfair that a comment from a family member reminded him he had forgotten an ingredient,” another agreed. “In previous years, if someone forgot something, nobody was allowed to remind them about it.”
‘They tell us that we can encourage but not really give advice’
While Vinnie was thankful that “Bridget yelled out to [him]”, he also revealed that it was a risky move.
“They tell us that we can encourage but not really give advice,” he said, explaining these are the instructions that the producers give to those standing on the gantry. “You could give the wrong advice… Then it’s going to be your fault, you know what I mean?”
With so much going on in the kitchen, advice and comments from those standing above can be distracting and run the risk of being wrong.
Vinnie admitted he felt overwhelmed having all the extra people in the kitchen during the grand finale, since he’d grown accustomed to a quieter kitchen as contestants were eliminated.
“I love the chat from the gantry,” he said. “I always really appreciate it, but at the same time you got used to the kitchen being very quiet, and when everyone came back, and the noise, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I need to get used to this again because it’s so loud’.”
Luckily for Vinnie, Bridget’s advice saved him in that moment, but it could easily have done the other way.
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