Who Will Win Celebrity MasterChef Christmas Cook Off?
Celebrity MasterChef crowned Ginger Johnson as its winner just days ago, but four new celebrities are to battle it out in the kitchen and on betting sites in this year's star-studded festive episode.
Celebrity MasterChef: Christmas Cook Off will see Ted Lasso actor Kola Bokinni, Love Island narrator Iain Stirling, podcaster GK Barry and broadcaster and documentary-maker Nikki Fox compete for the coveted Golden Whisk in the one-off special.
The quartet will face off in two challenges on Monday night's episode. First up is the Secret Santa Mystery Box, where they will be gifted a present in the shape of a recipe and ingredients, and they are tasked with whipping up a masterpiece.
Afterwards, they will have to make a two-course Christmas dinner, and judges John Torode and Grace Dent will pick their Golden Whisk winner.
Frontrunner GK
Loose Women panellist GK is the 6/4 favourite on betting apps to win this year's Christmas MasterChef.
The content creator regularly shows off her cooking skills to her 4.1 million TikTok followers, but she didn't say much about her culinary abilities when quizzed ahead of the festive special.
She said: "The only similarities between what I do for a living and cooking is I usually do both drunk."
However, GK appears to have a repertoire of regular recipes she can call upon, be that for dinner parties or whether she needs something quickly on the go.
When asked what she would cook to impress guests, she told Closer magazine last year: "My go-to dish when I want to impress is chicken and chorizo pasta. It’s hearty, delicious and always gets rave reviews."
"The combination of smoky chorizo, tender chicken and a rich tomato-based sauce is a crowd-pleaser, and I like to top it off with a generous amount of Parmesan."
GK, who rose to fame in last year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! series, told how she rustles up chicken tacos when she is "in a hurry", and she also likes to cook spaghetti bolognese.
The jungle-based show was won by a fellow content creator, Angry Ginge, this year, which could be a good omen for GK heading into Christmas Cook Off.
Coy Kola
Kola - who is best known for playing Ted Lasso's Isaac McAdoo - appeared in last year's Celebrity Race Across the World, but there wasn't much insight into his cooking ability on the series.
He also wasn't giving anything away about his culinary skills in the Celebrity MasterChef: Christmas Cook Off episode's trailer, simply saying: "I love Christmas. I'm like a big kid."
He heads into the festive special as 13/8 second favourite, followed by 15/8 chance Nikki, who "hadn't cooked anything since 1998" prior to appearing in the programme.
She said: "I don't think anyone can actually believe that I'm here to be honest. I did cook a banging fry up in 1998 though. It was beautiful."
Nikki - who was born with muscular dystrophy and has used a wheelchair for most of her adult life - will also appear on the show alongside her "superstar" PA Libby Quinn, who helps the broadcaster perform some of the physical tasks in the kitchen.
She wrote on Instagram: "I LOVE food but hadn't cooked anything since 1998. I wore a red bow headband in the hope that was Christmassy enough and I got to show off my superstar PA Libby Quinn.
"Me and Lib have worked together for nearly 12 years, longer than I've been hitched, and I couldn't do what I do without her and that's why I wanted to take part in Celebrity MasterChef.
"For anyone who needs a PA to help with the physical stuff, it can be scary know, but you can meet a Libby and it can be joyful. Lib enables me to do the things I can't, and now we can do this together and I get to show her off. (sic)"
Celebrity MasterChef Outright Odds:
Celebrity | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
GK Barry | 6/4 | 40% |
Kola Bokinni | 13/8 | 38.1% |
Nikki Fox | 15/8 | 34.8% |
Iain Stirling | 2/1 | 33.3% |
'Idiot' Iain Underplaying Ability?
Iain is propping up the market as the 2/1 outsider after insisting he doesn't have the "temperament" or "ability" to be a success in the Christmas Cook Off kitchen.
He said: "My family and friends think I'm mad doing this. Because they know I haven't got the temperament or the ability to be here today.
"Yet here I am. What an idiot."
Iain told his Instagram followers he will be "trying [his] hardest", but will his efforts be enough to lift the Golden Whisk come the end of the episode?
There is a chance he is underplaying his kitchen abilities somewhat.
Iain has appeared in several food-related productions in the past, including TV shows Mary Berry's Highland Christmas and Saturday Kitchen, as well as the Off Menu podcast, so he may have picked up some helpful tips along the way.
It wouldn't be a surprise if Iain overcame his odds, and even won the Golden Whisk.
* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.
Who will win this year's Celebrity MasterChef and who is going home next? Tell us your thoughts in the comment box below or vote in the poll above!
