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1!! The Show in General
2* Any contestant who helps out another contestant by giving them more of something after they run out.
3* The contestants being reunited with their families.
4* Any time any of the judges offers help in culinary world to an eliminated yet talented contestant, either through help in culinary school, job offer in one of their restaurants, or some other ways.
5* Any time the judges and safe contestants up on the balcony cheer on and encourage those doing the pressure challenges. While it is an intense competition, everyone wants to see everyone succeed.
6* Compared to Hells Kitchen, the contestants here are much more amicable/friendly, drama-free, caring, encouraging, and supportive of each other and are shown to be genuinely upset when an extremely talented and likable contestant gets eliminated.
7
8!! US Version
9!!! Season 1
10* Jake's audition. Gordon was offended by his dish and said no to him, but Graham was impressed by him and said yes. Just as Joe was seemingly also about to say no, Graham defended Jake, promising that he will help Jake reach his potential. This convinced Joe to say yes and give Jake an apron.
11* One mystery box challenge had the chefs make a dish using live crab. Sheetal, who was of Hindu faith, almost had a full blown panic attack over killing the crab. Ramsay, noticing this, offered to do kill the crab for her, but she managed to do so and was named top 3 of that challenge. Still, it really shows that Ramsay cares about the contestant's well-being, and would never force one to do something they aren't comfortable with.
12
13!!! Season 2
14* When Tracy was eliminated, the judges gave her a year's worth of ''[=MasterChef=]'' cooking lessons as a parting gift, and announced she could work in any of their restaurants when she was done.
15
16!!! Season 3
17* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A2dkOpJ-4o Christine's audition]], especially the complete 180 Joe makes after tasting her dish.
18--> "You have a great advantage. As you talk about your food, not only are you able to express it in words, but your face speaks volumes. Your eyes beam with happiness and pride and passion, and you have a lot to be proud of. Amazing, it's an amazing accomplishment."
19* Throughout the season, the other chefs are helpful towards the blind chef Christine. A good example is the tortellini pressure test described below, but it's only one of the many, many times that Christine was embraced by her competitors.
20* In the Auditions, David Martinez explains to the judges that he learned how to cook because he couldn't afford to take his wife out to the restaurants where they wanted to go, so he instead learned to cook her favorite dishes.
21* During the first episode's first audition, Gordon tried to make a conversation with a young contestant Michael by asking if he had a girlfriend. The man responded that he was gay. Gordon, without missing a beat, followed up with, “Boyfriend?"
22* On the third day of auditions, Stacey was first up and cooked them a steak with vegetables. Gordon and Joe were unimpressed and while the latter noted that she has the ambition to become a chef, he will not reward it. Like he did with Jake from Season 1, Graham (pissed at both of them) dragged them back to re-taste the dish while pointing out all of the highlights. While it's unknown if Gordon changed his mind, Joe did and rewarded Stacey with an apron. It's both a mixture of heartwarming, as Gordon and Joe very, very rarely go back on their decisions, and awesome.
23** As an added bonus to the heartwarming, when Stacey is eliminated later, Joe notes that his decision of changing his mind and giving her the apron is one of the best he has made.
24* Joel, a US army soldier, entered the competition to win the money to open a restaurant. He wanted to name the restaurant after his son, who drowned when coming home from Military School. Tearing up as he told his story to the three judges, noting that he must be destined to do this despite surviving being shot at and an exploding truck, he was awarded with an apron. In the commentary he notes that he hopes his son is proud.
25* Episode 5 had two:
26** The blue team were undergoing a pressure test because they lost to the red team. When team captain Frank is told he can pick any member of the team to escape the pressure test, Gordon adds the fact that he can pick himself. Frank immediately says no because he was responsible for the outcome and it was partly his fault they lost to begin with. Then when he tries to pick Felix, whose idea had been better than Frank's, she too refuses. This happens again with Scott, another contestant, and the opportunity is finally picked up by Stacey, but you can tell how she hates herself for doing it as she accepts while on the verge of tears. It might be HonourBeforeReason, but damn if it isn't incredible to watch.
27** The contestants had to make an apple pie. Christine, who is blind, was plagued with doubt on how her pie turned out and was convinced it was a mess. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIGXboHpge0 In probably the most heartwarming moment in the show's history]], Gordon proceeded to describe to her how beautiful her pie was, scraping the top so she could hear how good the crust turned out, and confirmed her pie tasted delicious. He told Christine to stop doubting herself and be bold, and congratulated her on a job well done as the other chefs applauded her.
28** [[spoiler: Adding to the heartwarming, she ended up winning the whole damn competition.]]
29** While he had to go, [[spoiler: Michael is given a pep talk by Gordon to keep his head up high. He is disappointed to lose, but he is proud of his accomplishments.]]
30* In episode 6, Joe asks Monti why she lacks confidence despite producing great dishes, to the point he can even feel a subtle sadness in her cooking. When Monti says it's due to her recent divorce, Joe remarked: "Well, he's missing out on some great cooking then."
31* Ryan and Tali are both strong contenders for the show's biggest Jerkass, but episode 7 really demonstrated their bond. Both ended up in the bottom two after the Pressure Test, and Gordon asked the one who knew he did worse to be honorable and remove his apron. Ryan quickly sacrifices himself to keep Tali in the competition.
32* Episode 9 the pressure test was to make tortellini. While Joe demonstrates the process of making and folding tortellini to the contestants, Josh is shown up in the gallery with the other safe contestants moving Christine's hands through the motions and thereby teaching her how to fold tortellini.
33* Episode 13: the contestant's reactions to Paula Deen. The sheer excitement and joy on their faces is truly a sight to behold.
34* Another moment from Episode 13, crossing over with TearJerker. The remaining contestants were told to look in their drawers, where they found pictures of their family (whom they hadn't seen in a long time) along with a letter.
35** Christine's husband sent their wedding photo. Since Christine is blind, she has of course never ''seen'' her wedding photo. Gordon took it upon himself to describe the photo to her in great detail, noting how beautiful she was and how happy they looked. Her reaction suggested that no one had ever thought to do this for her.
36* Speaking of David, his biggest fear was going back to Chicago without having achieved anything. He made it to the final six, and Graham was so impressed by his progress throughout the competition that he offered him a job in one of his restaurants in Chicago.
37** David's fellow competitors even applaud him and encourage him to take the job, which he of course does.
38* Chef Ramsay informed the third place finisher Becky, upon her elimination and tearful statement that she would "sneak into a restaurant" to try to find some work in the food business, that she was welcome to work at any restaurant he owned, whenever she wanted. "The door's always open."
39
40!!! Season 4
41* Jordan telling the judges that his deceased mother taught him how to cook, and revealing that the apron he's wearing belonged to her. The judges tell him that his dish is [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome one of the best opening dishes they've ever eaten]], and after he gets his apron and leaves, they can be seen sharing the rest of his food -- it's just ''that'' good.
42** The capper has to be the shot of Jordan stopping before he gets to the door and dropping to his haunches and crying.
43* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYyk3eop6T0 The marriage proposal in Episode 1]]. Said contestant ends up not getting an apron anyway, but Gordon, Graham, and Joe are kind enough to give him an opportunity to propose after he said he had been carrying the wedding ring in his back pocket for six months. Joe can be seen wiping away a [[ManlyTears tear]] in the background.
44** What makes this even more sweet is that other auditionees cheer on them anyway after seeing the wedding ring, making it one of the rare, if not the only, occasions when people are happy for those who failed during audition.
45* [[RuleOfThree Another one from Episode 1]]: the final contestant, Krissi, being surprised by her son. The judges have Krissi bring her son into the chamber so he can meet Gordon (Gordon is his hero). When Krissi gets her apron and leaves, Joe starts crying.
46** Gordon's face when Krissi and her son enter the chamber. He's a huge mama's boy and he loves kids, and the sheer ''joy'' on his face when he sees the pair is just adorable.
47* After having lost his shot to compete in the previous season, Luca ''finally'' winning his white apron to compete in this season is definitely this. Made all the greater when he went on to ''win'' the whole season.
48* When Bri is eliminated, Gordon asks her if she has any parting words for Krissi, who had made no secret of her hatred of Bri for being a vegetarian, among other things. Bri's comment: a sincere "Good luck, dude!"
49* Down to just 3 people in an elimination, Jessie realizes she didn't have any butter left and needed just one spoon. Natasha, who had three whole sticks that she hasn't even touched, refuses to give her any. Without missing a beat, Luca tosses Jessie a stick of butter. Luca had just lost the mystery box challenge and Jessie made no attempt at hiding the fact that she tried to team up with Natasha to screw over Luca for the elimination, yet when she was in trouble he still didn't hesitate. Jessie later notes that Luca is just that nice of a guy.
50** Even three episodes earlier during pho dish elimination challenge, Luca, despite showing hesitation in camera (but not so much in ConfessionCam), was willing to give Natasha garlic. He later stated that not giving her garlic was not the way he was and when Joe asked why, in his own words, Luca answered that he didn't want to be the reason Natasha was eliminated.
51** The awesome thing about this? Judges commented that Luca might regret lending other contestants ingredients, but he ended up winning the whole thing anyway.
52
53!!! Season 5
54* All of the contestants coming down to hug Elise after she gains the final white apron.
55* There's a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3FlbAye-WY deleted scene]] involving Jaimee's blueberry pie tattoo on her left side of the neck. In the video, Gordon went to Jaimee's station and engaged a small talk with her about the tattoo and her boyfriend which manages to combine heartwarming (How Gordon was able to converse casually with a contestant) and funny (the conversation itself and Elizabeth at the end).
56** In fact, a lot of deleted scenes can be seen as heartwarming and funny. They explore more about contestants' background while showing a good relationship between the judges and contestants despite what ends up on television.
57* In Episode 5, most of the contestants are rooting for Francis B. to beat Leslie at the Pressure Test, with even Courtney and Christine coaching him from the gallery, and cutting to the ConfessionCam where everybody is badmouthing Leslie. Despite [[BrokenBase what the audience feels]] about Leslie's {{jerkass}} behaviour in the episode, the only exception is [[NiceGuy Big Willy]], who defends Leslie a little in his confessional and is the only person cheering for Leslie from the balcony, which Leslie truly appreciates.
58* One of the previews showed contestants Leslie and Ahran getting into a screaming match, and Ahran ending up in tears. Ahran posted a message on her Facebook wall saying: "Hi everyone — I’d like to take the time to say that I know the next episode is coming up in a few days, and for those of you who have seen the trailer may have noticed that I have a huge fight with a fellow contestant, Leslie. Though it will suck to watch us arguing on television, I need to say that he is an extremely genuine, kind and wonderful person (and I would hope to say the same about myself). So please don’t get mad at what happens in Monday’s episode and PLEASE, bash either of us. We actually are really close now and it was just a case of me being immature and cranky!! I wholeheartedly respect all of my cast and I believe they are all extremely talented. There is nothing personal that goes on and I am lucky to have been able to compete in a competition with such passionate, wonderful people. Remember, we’re all characters and just normal, average people trying to live out our lives. Please no hate, it really hurts us. Have a great day!" Unfortunately, she ended up receiving so much hate from Leslie's fans that she wound up having to close all her social media accounts temporarily, although she has since reopened them.
59* In episode 6, Tyler brings up his panna cotta dish...which wasn't actually cooked by him. He (apparently) mistakenly took one of Jaimee's ramekins, and this resulted in him being disqualified. Gordon makes it perfectly clear that he believes him when he says it was an accident (Tyler's reaction to the news seemed to be [[OhCrap quite genuine]]), but the judges were bound by the rules and sent him home. Tyler accepted and understood the judges' decision, and apologized not only to them, but also to Jaimee for stealing her dish (she forgave him); even Courtney, who won the challenge, admitted that her victory wasn't quite as sweet due to the sudden turn of events. As Tyler left the room, most of the contestants seemed devastated. Considering how fiercely this group has gone at each other in the past, seeing them sympathetic towards Tyler's situation was actually rather refreshing.
60* After all of Ahran's and Leslie's drama, in and out of the show, in episode 7 they were paired together by Courtney and created a delicious surf-and-turf dish, without bickering or even disagreeing with each other once, resulting in them hugging each other and Ahran saying that she'd love to work with Leslie again as they went up to the balcony, safe from elimination. Two episodes later, when Ahran wins an elimination test and becomes a team captain, Leslie is seen applauding her with a huge smile on his face.
61** The fact that Leslie publicly supports Ahran, and leaves nice comments on her Facebook page.
62* [[https://twitter.com/MC5Kira/status/489071544392765440/photo/1 Kira]], [[https://twitter.com/MC5Ahran/status/488916310202404864/photo/1 Ahran]] and [[https://twitter.com/MC5Christine/status/488918682345549824/photo/1 Christine]] have all exchanged friendship bracelets.
63** After Christine was eliminated, the judges asked her who she thought would be the winner. Without missing a beat, Christine looked up at the balcony and said "Ahran." Ahran later posted a farewell message to Christine on her Facebook page: "It's always hard seeing people you love leave the ''[=MasterChef=]'' kitchen. Christine was not only a friend, she was family to me. When the show was filming and I would have meltdowns or cried because I missed my parents or just had to rant, she was ALWAYS there for me. She's my best friend, sister, & other half. Send lots of love her way."
64* Episode 8: Willie was captain of the blue team during the diner challenge, and his team lost. The judges told him that he had a choice: to either save three of his teammates and compete in the pressure test, or save himself and make his teammates all compete in the pressure test. [[HonorBeforeReason He chose the former]]. As if being rewarded, the pressure test was to make red velvet cake, which Willie has made many times before, and (along with Leslie) had the top cake of the day. Joe even commended Willie on his honorable move.
65* Episode 9: Elise (who has had noticeable problems with pressure) finally can't take it anymore, calling for a medic while pale and shaking. Gordon immediately rushes over and helps her, including holding her bottle of water when her tremors threaten to spill it. She leaves the kitchen and then comes back, saying she wants to finish. During the Elimination Round, Gordon helps her with her pasta (something he's not supposed to do - but at this point many viewers realized it didn't matter anymore), and even Christian calls down encouragement from the balcony. Sadly, Elise's dish was horrible, and she wound up being eliminated that night.
66* Episode 10: The challenge consisted of serving the restaurant filled with all kinds of couples, which include a senior couple celebrating 65 years of marriage, and ''even a proposal in progress''.
67** Then Gordon interrupts the work in the kitchen to announce the arrival of "the single most important person in the world". Who is this celebrated individual? His wife Tana, all the way from England, to whom he has been happily married for 18 years. Not only do all the contestants cheer and compliment her, the way Gordon gives her a look full of love when she enters the room is heartwarming.
68** As soon as Gordon and Tana sit at their table, Gordon greets all the other couples, and then excuses himself from continuing to do something important: kiss his wife.
69--->'''Gordon''': You can all follow suit, by the way.
70** Inthe Pressure Test, it's nice to finally see Cutter getting some recognition from the judges after landing in the bottom for many of the previous challenges. Not only Joe and Graham give him well deserved compliments for his truffles, but even Gordon messes with him a bit before joyfully praising his work as well, which doubles as a {{SugarWiki/Funny Moment|s}}.
71* Episode 12: Leslie, Ahran, and Victoria were in the three-way replication pressure test in a fight for survival, and were told that TWO of them would be going home in a shocking double-elimination. Victoria was the first to go, for serving raw stuffed prawns, leaving rivals-turned-borderline-[=BFF=]s Leslie and Ahran in huge jeapordy. When the judges asked Leslie what his experience has been like, he said that it has been better than he could've ever imagined, that he has immense respect for all of the other contestants, and that he thinks Ahran is so amazing for someone so young and even makes sure to refer to her as a young lady, not just a little girl. Ahran is ultimately the second person eliminated, and Leslie [[TearJerker is heartbroken to see her go]]. To call Leslie a BaseBreakingCharacter would probably be a gross {{understatement}}, but seeing him bare his soul like he did showed that he's [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold not a total douchebag]].
72* Episode 16 had all the loved ones pay a visit to the contestants and many of their personal stories are very sweet.
73** Cutter's father is actually his stepfather, of whom Cutter is very fond. His mother married the man when Cutter was just five years old, and they have been very close ever since.
74** Courtney couldn't see her little brother Cooper often after he was born, since she had to move to Philadelphia some time after, and missed most of his first moments. It's adorable to see how Cooper and she have a very close relationship despite the distance.
75** Leslie married his wife Paula, who already had five children. When Paula went to work full-time again, he took over the house chores and raising their seven children at home.
76** Elizabeth and her husband Ross were still a newlywed couple, only five months married.
77** Christian and his fianceé already have a kid and she is very supportive of his dream to have a food truck.
78
79!!! Season 6
80* In episode 15, Nick won the challenge and chose to pair together cooks who hated each other for the subsequent elimination challenge. Derrick and Stephen, who won, ended up bonding and becoming friends.
81
82!!! Season 7
83* In the first challenge of the season, Nathan was ripped to shreds by guest judge Wolfgang Puck and barely avoided elimination, with Puck stating that he "had a lot to learn". Gordon also signaled that he was perhaps too immature to compete in the competition, which Nathan took to heart, having been bullied as a child for being so. In the second challenge, Nathan completely redeems himself and begins crying over having the best dish of the challenge, leading Christina to say, "If Wolfgang Puck was here now, he'd be as proud of you as we are."
84* The first team challenge of the season involved Season 6's Nick's wedding, so already it's heartwarming on its own. In addition, Nick said that he went from a salesman to a chef since ''[=MasterChef=]'', meaning that he realized his goal since last season. For the guest, most of Nick's former competitors such as Claudia, Tommy, Steven, Amanda, and Katrina were present for the service, making it very clear that Nick has kept in contact with some of them since Season 6 ended.
85* Like with Tyler in Season 5, the group are unanimously heartbroken when Andrea is disqualified in episode 10 for serving her dish three seconds too late (even Nathan, with whom Andrea had a fight after losing the preceding team challenge, [[{{Irony}} and the latter saying "I can't wait to see you go home!"]]), especially considering she had been a strong contender to win the competition. What makes things worse? She had the best dish in the Pressure Test. Gordon's parting words to her were, "You shouldn't be this good at 21."
86* In episode 14, after Nathan breaks down and collapses during the team challenge, Gordon rushes over to help him and calm him down.
87** Nathan ended up being eliminated that episode, but he proclaims he has learned not to be ashamed of who he is. Gordon tells him he'll "never have to take any crap from anyone ever again" and all of the other competitors are incredibly proud of him, in tears because of just how damn likable the kid is. Nobody has a bad thing to say about him.
88
89!!! Season 8
90* Reba's elimination is both this and tearjerking. She took it well, and Ramsay said there is so much respect for her with her {{Determinator}} attitude (she started working at the age of 15), and Reba herself thanked the judges and her fellow home cooks for this experience. When Christina asked her what she thought of the "new family," she said she loved every single one of them while giving them encouraging words. Many people in the kitchen are saddened by this. Cate, who assigned her to cook savory coconut dish which resulted in her elimination, felt guilty and didn't take it well as she tearfully apologized while they both hugged it out.
91* Gabriel's elimination is both this and tearjerking. When it was announced that he was eliminated from the competition and would be sent home, everyone was utter disbelief. However, Ramsay turned it around by telling Gabriel that for a 19-year-old, he has proven to be one of the best students and performers in this competition. Because of it, he told Gabriel that not only is he sending him to culinary school, but he will pay the tuition out of his own pockets! And then Aaron made it even better by telling Gabriel that there is a good chance he will hire him if he ever comes to New Orleans. To say that Gabriel was crying tears of joy is a huge understatement.
92** Even better? It's revealed a season later that he's top of his class!
93
94!!!Season 9
95* In Episode 1, contestant Bowen Li told the audience about his emotional connection to ''[=MasterChef=]'' in his intro confessional. He compares Gordon to his own father, also a renowned professional chef in China, he got in a serious, near-fatal car accident, and the only TV show he saw while he was recovering in the hospital was ''[=MasterChef=]'', which he attributes to inspire him to recover. He gets selected by receiving Gordon's first apron.
96** Right before his audition battle, Bowen is getting some words of encouragement (in Mandarin with English subtitles) from his husband, promising to get the apron for the both of them.
97* In Episode 6, Chelsea chooses to save three people, including Alecia. While Shanika is being very vocal about her anger at Chelsea, Alecia is constantly defending her from the balcony during the whole Pressure Test.
98* In Episode 7, Samantha lands in the Bottom Two. She then tells the judges that she can't afford to lose because the anniversary of her father's passing was close and she's away competing, while her sister needed her. You can see Ralph tearing out up from the balcony.
99* In Episode 8, the wedding team challenge featured Season 7's Shaun's wedding, with Ramsay officiating the ceremony. Bonus points for Shaun calling Ramsay the closest thing to a father figure since his own father died.
100** A few returning contestants are invited to the wedding, and it's nice to see that Lisa-Ann, Dan, D'Andre and Eric are still good friends with Shaun, with Eric even being one of the groomsmen.
101* In Episode 11, there's a little moment when Mark and Gerron are in the Bottom Two. When Mark is predictably eliminated and sent home because of his arrogance and cockiness, Gerron turns and hugs him.
102** Even despite his reputation, his fellow competitors up on the balcony were sad to see him go. Before Mark placed his apron on his station and exited the kitchen to depart for home, Joe told him that being headstrong can also be an attribute if used properly, advising Mark to open his mind up when it comes to seasoned chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Aaron Sanchez, and then wishing him the best of luck.
103* Shanika and Bowen's friendship in general. Since Shanika already has a rough relationship with most of her fellow competitors because of her BrutalHonesty, most expected her to be picked last in the pairs challenge, but it turns out that Bowen first approached her. He later tells in the confessional cam that he likes her because she has a lot of knowledge on food (which most of the team captains have been ignoring), and she is very honest with her opinions. When asked how they will complement each other’s cooking, Shanika responds, “He’s sweet and I’m spicy.”
104* In Episode 19, the Top 5 are reunited with one of their loved ones/family members in a heartwarming family-reunion episode. When Gordon asks Bowen how he and David (Bowen's husband) got engaged, Bowen recounts that they proposed to each other at one of Gordon's restaurants in Las Vegas. Gordon's response? If Bowen had told him about this, he would have moved them to the front of the queue.
105* Like Gabriel from Season 8, after Samantha is eliminated in the semifinals, Gordon was so impressed by how far she made it at such a young age of 20 that he offered to give her a scholarship to Culinary School.
106* Just the heartwarming relationship between the final 3 finalists (Cesar, Ashley, and Gerron) all throughout/during the 2-part grand finale in Episodes 22 and 23. They were all shown to be as nice as pie, very friendly, encouraging, caring and supportive of each other, with group hugs at the end of each round. After Gerron was announced as the winner, Cesar and Ashley were so happy for him, and all three of them hugged it out on the podium while confetti rained down on them.
107** Although not officially announced and revealed on-camera, Gerron personally invited Cesar and Ashley to his future wedding, having bonded and formed such lifelong, close friendships with them. You can practically see Cesar and Ashley as VIP wedding guests in the background during Gerron's wedding episode in Season 10. Additionally, Gerron promised to stay in touch with both Cesar and Ashley to discuss future collaborations on some exciting culinary projects. The best news? All three of them were invited to partake at [=Camp MasterChef=] in July 2019.
108* Gerron chose to do a menu inspired by his southern roots, with Joe repeatedly telling him to move away from them and do more foreign techniques and dishes, but Gerron stood by his principles every single time. By the time they presented the desserts, Gordon and Aarón gave him praises, and Joe's comment? He stood up and gave Gerron a hug, admitting that he was completely wrong. [[spoiler:It becomes even sweeter when Gerron is named the winner of ''[=MasterChef=]'' with dishes inspired by his state, his late mother and his grandmother.]]
109** He plans to use the prize money to become a culinary instructor and open a culinary school program for his students. [[spoiler:And now he gets to realize that dream.]]
110
111!!Season 10
112* To show the 36 aspiring applicants how ''[=MasterChef=]'' could potentially change their lives, the judges bring back three previous/past season winners. Season 2's Jennifer, Season 3's Christine, and Season 7's Shaun are held up as examples and share what they've been doing (Jennifer owns three restaurants, Christine recently opened a gastropub called the Blind Goat, and Shaun has a residency for ''[=MasterChef=] Dubai'').
113* Micah's audition: He showed up all alone despite a total lack of support, and even threats of being disowned by his cruelly unsupportive parents. He presented churros with chocolate sauce, a simple fare which didn't impress Joe and Aaron. But it was well-executed just good enough to score him a battle pass card from Gordon. Given the second chance, he stepped up his game--just enough to push into the competition proper.
114* In Episode 21, when no one shows up for Micah in the family reunion episode, Dorian warmly consoles him, and Gordon assures Micah that Micah's fellow competitors and the judges are now his newfound family. When he breaks down in tears in the midst of the immunity challenge, Gordon rushes over to help motivate him and try to calm him down.
115** Micah ended up being eliminated that episode, but he tearfully admits that he has learned a lot about himself and not to be ashamed of who he is just by making it this far. What's more, Gordon vows to help him secure his future once this season's competition is over (after crowning the future winner in the grand finale showdown) by any means; this includes promises to help educate him further in culinary school, and the offer of an executive position at one of his restaurants afterwards. As Micah takes his leave, all of the other competitors are incredibly proud of him, in tears because of just how damn admirable this kid is.
116
117!!Season 11 - Legends
118* Suu's audition is Burmese coconut soup which got ''all four judges'' in praise. Emeril called it "food of love" and everyone agreed that her passion and love for her roots really showed. To make it all more meaningful, Myanmar is going through a military coup since February 2021 and she explains to the judges that food is important to Burmese people who are even grateful for a bowl of ''rice'' to eat. In fact, her dish was so good, and also a funny moment, after she left all four of the judges were having a fight over second helpings!
119* Episode 3 (the last part) of the auditions has 20-year-old Alan Verdugo who immigrated from Mexico when he was around 8 along with his single mother and twin brother. He made a Sonoran savory protein dish officially known as sincronizada (quesadilla with carne asada, salsa and avocado) because that was often all his family could afford to make and eat, but unfortunately, while decent, it wasn't enough to win him an apron. All four judges unanimously said no because they felt that he was unprepared and needed more time to practice perfecting his skills. However, Aaron instead offers him a full-ride scholarship from his Scholarship Fund that allows Latino youth cooks to go to culinary school at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City because it would allow him to hone his skills and gain more culinary experience better than the [=MasterChef=] competition would. Alan in his exit interview says while he might not have gotten an apron, he believes he got something better.
120* Although Mary Jayne had to withdraw early on due to unspecified medical issues, in that short time she got teary eyed meeting two of her biggest idols, Paula Deen, the guest judge at her audition round who gave her dish a yes and personally put the apron on her, and pastry chef Sherry Yard in the Dessert Challenge, to which after hearing she was a fellow baker Sherry asks her to come up for a hug.
121
122!!Season 12 - Back To Win
123* The returning chefs give an update on what's happened since their respective seasons. Micah has become a lot more self-confident and has since become a chef and worked two Michelin star restaurants, and the Junior contestants are now young adults starting their culinary careers.
124* The three Juniors agree that whoever earns the aprons in their challenge has to go on to win this season. [[spoiler:Dara went on to win it all.]]
125* Bri and Fred from Season 10 remained best friends after their season and worked together on pop-up dining events around the country. Then in their audition round where one of the three other competitors are each other, they both win the two aprons.
126* Season 3 winner Christine Ha returns to judge a Vietnamese-themed Mystery Box Challenge. Dara and Amanda start crying when they first see her because they see her as a pioneer in the culinary industry for Asian American female chefs. Similarly, Bowen and Fred also comment how she's an inspiration to them since seeing an Asian person who looks like them win the show then find culinary success gives them hope they belong in the industry too.
127* The fact that Graham Elliot, who hasn't appeared since Season 6, returns for the finale brings a smile to long time fans who missed him.
128
129!! [=MasterChef=] Junior
130* The show in general. People love watching it because the kids truly care about, love, and support each other, and you get to see the judges behaving in a super nice, friendly, comical, and light-hearted manner (knowing that the kids are here to learn).
131
132!!! Season 1
133* In episode 4's mystery box challenge, Gordon stopped by Dara's station to join her in offering up a prayer to the "god of souffle" that her souffle would set up properly. [[spoiler:It didn't, but the judges commended her for her ambition, commenting that they'd never seen anyone try to make a souffle for a challenge if they didn't ''have'' to.]]
134* In episode 4, Gordon helped Sofia and gave her a pep talk and guided her to a degree when she was having trouble with her cake batter. [[spoiler:Even though she got eliminated that episode, she did complete the challenge.]]
135* In the finale, the pressure gets to Dara and she starts freaking out. Alexander pauses cooking and immediately goes over to her and gives her a bottle of water and a CooldownHug, repeatedly telling her it's okay, she can do this.
136
137!!! Season 2
138* In the first elimination challenge, one of the contestants, Isabella, ends up with undercooked chicken that cannot be eaten. When returning to her station, she cannot help but cry because she knows she will be eliminated. At this point, every single one of the other contestants gather around her to show her their support.
139** Doubly so when Coco tells her, "[[MeaningfulEcho Show me a smile. I'm not leaving until you show me a smile]]", which was exactly what Gordon said to Coco earlier in the episode when she started crying because she thought her mashed potatoes were too salty. It cuts to Gordon smiling warmly at them.
140
141!!! Season 3
142* In Episode 5, Jenna starts panicking when her sauce breaks. Andrew stops what he's doing and helps her fix it. Gordon comments that they've never seen something like that before.
143
144!! Australian version
145[[Heartwarming/MasterchefAustralia Has its own page.]]
146
147!! Other versions
148* A particularly nice showcase of teamwork can arguably be seen in Matt and Justine from ''[=MasterChef=] Canada'' Season 4. During the season's tag team challenge, they are actually willing to share credits for all the praises ''and'' blame for all the mistakes on their dish, something that judges praises as they stayed together as a team. They were eliminated because of this though since they ended up having the worst dish and the TakingTheBullet attitude made the judges unable to decide who individually performed the worst, but it's nice and heartwarming nonetheless.
149* ''[=MasterChef=] Asia'', Season 1, Episode 9: Before the challenge, each of the contestants is given a dish at random which they must replicate. A problem arises when Jasbir and Priya, who are both Hindus, receive dishes with beef in them; hence, they cannot taste them as they cook. Sandrian and Blanche, who received dishes without any beef in them, are asked by the judges if they were willing to swap dishes with either Jasbir or Priya. Blanche obliges, swapping with a grateful Jasbir; it costs her later, [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished when she ends up in the bottom three]], but she survives elimination. (Incidentally, in a case of LaserGuidedKarma, Sandrian, who refused to swap dishes, makes the worst dish and is eliminated.)

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