Top four Home Cooks Named on FOX's MASTERCHEF

Last night, judges Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Graham Elliot announced the Top Four contestants on MASTERCHEF: Krissi Biasiello, a paralegal from Philadelphia, PA; Natasha Crnjac, a stay-at-home mom from San Diego, CA; Jessie Lysiak, a yacht stewardess from Social Circle, GA; and Luca Manfe, a restaurant manager from Astoria, NY. James Nelson, a retail salesman from Victoria, TX, was eliminated.

In the first part of tonight's two-hour episode, the judges got some help from their sons, who stopped by the MASTERCHEF kitchen to judge the mystery box challenge. In the second part of the episode, the remaining five home cooks visited a ranch where they prepared one dish as part of a special summer luncheon for local charity volunteers. James Nelson's panna cotta dish was determined the worst dish, and he was eliminated from the competition.

In next week's all-new two-hour episode airing Wednesday, Sept. 4 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, the final four cooks will split into two teams in the mystery box challenge, and they will each prepare a three-course meal using notable ingredients from all over the United States. The winning team will be safe from elimination, while the home cooks from the losing team will go head-to-head in a chocolate desserts pressure test that will end the competition for one contestant. Later, the judges will challenge the remaining three contestants to cook with the same ingredients they used in their initial auditions, while creating an elevated and sophisticated version of the same dish. The home cooks must demonstrate how far they've come in the competition to earn a spot in the finale and move one step closer to winning a life-changing grand prize: $250,000, a cookbook deal and the MASTERCHEF title.

The Top Four home cooks share their cooking inspiration:

Krissi Biasiello Age: 34
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA Occupation: Paralegal

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MC4Krissi
Twitter: @MC4Krissi

Krissi's Cooking Inspiration: "My son and my grandfather (Bampi) are my cooking inspirations. I am who I am today because of the two of them."

Natasha Crnjac Age: 26
Hometown: San Diego, CA Occupation: Stay-at-Home Mom

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MC4Natasha
Twitter: @MC4Natasha

Natasha's Cooking Inspiration: "My father. Everything that comes from my cooking has been from watching and learning from him."

Jessie Lysiak Age: 27
Hometown: Social Circle, GA Occupation: Yacht Stewardess

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MC4Jessie
Twitter: @MC4Jessie

Jessie's Cooking Inspiration: "I get inspired by traveling and eating at restaurants that have foods I've never tried, and I also get inspired by farmers markets."

Luca Manfe Age: 31
Hometown: Astoria, NY Occupation: Restaurant Manager

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MC4Luca
Twitter: @MC4Luca

Luca's Cooking Inspiration: "My primary cooking inspiration is my mother. I have memories of being in the kitchen with her since I was eight years old."

MASTERCHEF is produced by Shine America and One Potato Two Potato, and is based on a format created by Franc Roddam and Shine. Shine International handles distribution for the MASTERCHEF format. Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Paul Franklin, Robin Ashbrook, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Patricia Llewellyn and Ben Adler serve as executive producers.

About One Potato Two Potato:
One Potato Two Potato (OPTP) was co-founded by Gordon Ramsay and Optomen Television in 2008 to exclusively create and produce worldwide content for Ramsay ventures across all media, including television, digital and publishing. Renowned for award-winning original programming, the company produces high-quality TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic, including the smash-hit HOTEL HELL, which was the highest-rated new network show of summer 2012 (OPTP is now in production on Season Two); and four seasons of MASTERCHEF, all for FOX; "Food Court Wars" for Food Network; massive U.K. hit "Gordon Ramsay Behind Bars" and "Gordon's Great Escape" for Channel 4; and "My Kitchen" for UKTV's Good Food Channel. Ramsay's groundbreaking Channel 4 series, "Cookalong Live," aired as a special on FOX and has since become a successful format around the world. OPTP is also currently in development on several exciting unscripted and scripted projects, within and beyond the food genre, for network, cable and digital platforms in the U.S., U.K. and around the world. OPTP distributes its hugely popular TV programming and formats to more than 200 territories via Optomen International. The company became part of the All3Media group in 2010. Find out more about One Potato Two Potato at www.onepotatotwopotato.tv.

About Shine America:
Shine America is a world leader in producing and distributing compelling scripted and unscripted television and digital content. Shine America is known for popular and award-winning original series including "The Biggest Loser" and "The Face," as well as adaptations of Shine Group formats such as MASTERCHEF and "Minute to Win It," and scripted series including new drama "The Bridge." Shine America incorporates several divisions including unscripted format label Ardaban and Shine Latino, which develops and distributes original Spanish-language content to the U.S. and Latin American marketplaces. The company also has a joint-venture with award-winning producer Nigel Lythgoe (Nigel Lythgoe Productions).

The global Shine 360? division builds brands through the leveraging of its intellectual property and creating integrated marketing opportunities for advertisers. The company has also developed over 20 ground-breaking original online series on MSN, Yahoo!, Youtube premium channels and other platforms, many produced in partnership with global brands. Through Shine Group's distribution arm, Shine International, Shine America distributes its extensive library of programming and formats to more than 150 countries. Visit www.shineamerica.com for further information.

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