Franklin "Frank" Mirando was a contestant on Season 3 of MasterChef. He ranked in 4th place.
Personality[]
Frank was best known for being a humble person who focused on cooking with passion, something he emphasized as a team captain when he delegated cooks to specific roles. He was a relatively level-headed contestant, almost never faltering under the pressure, which allowed him to succeed in almost every challenge in the season. Despite having a rocky start, seemingly always making pasta whenever he could've, he escaped his comfort zone, started cooking other foods, and became one of the strongest and most consistent chefs of the season. He at times, also showed a playful side to his personality, often laughing excitedly whenever he received an advantage or praise. He was also shown to be sympathetic and honest, always admitting his mistakes when he would put in a poor performance. He developed a strong friendship with Josh before he backstabbed the former and had a strong dislike towards Ryan due to the latter's narcissism. He also disliked Tali for his incompetence and developed other friendships with Helene, Monti, Christine, Felix, Becky, and David.
Season 3[]
Episode 1[]
Frank did not appear in this episode on the first day of auditions.
Episode 2[]
Frank auditioned on the second day of auditions, serving a guanciale ravioli. Gordon gave a no, for his usage of guanciale with cheese, which according to the latter, showed a lack of restraint when it came to the fat content of his dish, and Graham gave a yes. Afterwards, Joe gave him a yes, telling him to make to not make him look a chump while handing him his white apron.
Episode 3[]
Frank managed to prove himself in the ground beef challenge, gaining entry to the MasterChef kitchen.
Episode 4[]
For the first mystery box, his dish was not selected in the top 3. During the Risotto Invention Test however, he was able to excel and produced one of the best risottos of the night, which allowed him to become a Team Captain for the following Team Challenge.
Episode 5[]
Unfortunately for Frank, he was unable to captain his blue team to the win, and they were sent to the apple pie Pressure Test. When given the option of who to save, Frank wanted to initially save Felix, and insisted that he deserved to be down in the Pressure Test for failing to lead his team. As Felix turned it down and then Scott, he ended up saving Stacey. During the apple pie Pressure Test, Frank was able to produce one of the best two pies of the night, and was easily safe.
Episode 6[]
In the following Invention Test, he was assigned canned crabs by Ryan, and narrowly avoided being sent home after being criticized by the judges for only cooking Italian food.
Episode 7[]
While he was on the losing team for the following Team Challenge, the judges recognized that he worked hard, and opted to save him from the molten lava cake Pressure Test.
Episode 8[]
During the T-bone steak Mystery Box, Frank excelled again, and was in the top 3, although he did not win.
Episode 9[]
In the Venice Beach food truck Team Challenge, Frank was able to earn his first team win, and guarantee his spot in the Top 11.
Episode 10[]
In the following Mystery Box, Frank was able to perform well again, cementing himself as a front runner by placing in the Top 3 for a second time.
Episode 11[]
He was assigned by Felix to cook with catfish, in hopes that he would struggle. However, he was able to thrive, and produced one of the best two dishes of the night, winning his second Invention Test, and becoming a Team Captain again.
Episode 12[]
For his second time as a captain, Frank performed much better, and was able to lead his team to victory in the cowboy Team Challenge.
Episode 13[]
For Paula Dean's Mystery Box Frank placed in the top 3 for his third Mystery Box, Frank then won his first mystery box challenge. This time winning immunity and a huge advantage. For the first ever Tag Team Cook-Off, Frank got to select the pairings. Wanting to see Becky, Monti, and Felix struggle, he paired Becky with David, citing her to be his biggest threat, and Monti and Felix with each other, hoping that their conflict would affect their teamwork in the kitchen. Unfortunately, his plan backfired as Christine and Stacey wound up on the bottom with the latter going home.
Episode 14[]
Episode 15[]
After Josh returns to the competition, and the Top 6 become the Top 7 once again, Frank goes on to win the corn dessert Invention Test, becoming a Team Captain for a third time this season.
Episode 16[]
Unfortunately, his team lost in the Hatfield's Restaurant Takeover challenge, and he was sent into a Pressure Test with Josh and David. Despite promising to save Josh, Frank chooses to save himself, as he did not want to risk going home in a head to head cook-off.
Episode 17[]
In The elimination test, the contestants were told to replicate Grams Dish, Frank had one of the 2 best dishes, keeping him safe from elimination
Episode 18[]
Going into Top 4, Frank and Josh wound up losing the final Team Challenge and had to cook in a head-to-head soufflé Pressure Test. Unfortunately for Frank, his soufflés were inferior to Josh's, and he is eliminated.
Episode 19[]
Episode 20[]
Frank was one of the returning cooks who came to see Josh and Christine battling against each other in the finale.
Competition History[]
| Week 4 | In/Win |
|---|---|
| Week 5 | Pressure Test |
| Week 6 | In/Low |
| Week 7 | No Pressure Test |
| Week 8 | High/In |
| Week 9 | Win |
| Week 10 | High/In |
| Week 11 | In/Win |
| Week 12 | Win |
| Week 13 | Win/Immune |
| Week 14 | Immune |
| Week 15 | In/Win |
| Week 16 | No Pressure Test |
| Week 17 | In/High |
| Week 18 | Eliminated |
Post MasterChef[]
- After his appearance, Frank returned to a career in Wealth Management but still has an interest in cooking and has done a number of charity cookery events. He also shares recipes and food pics on his social media.
Trivia[]
- He is the first contestant in the show’s history to be saved from having to compete in the Tag Team Challenge.
- He is the second MasterChef contestant and the first male contestant to be team captain for three times following Stacey (Season 3).
- He is the first contestant ever to choose not to save himself after a loss in a team challenge.
Quotes[]
- (After being eliminated) "I'm disappointed that I lost. My arch nemesis, Josh, gets me in the end. I'm extremely proud that I got this far. MasterChef is definitely culinary boot camp. I've shown that I have the ability to take charge and lead people; I've learned so much from these judges. This is definitely a life-changing experience. It's just a matter of time when I get into this business. You can bet your ass you're going to be at one of my restaurants."
Gallery[]
Season 3[]
External links[]
Frank Mirando on Instagram: fmirando
References[]
| MasterChef U.S. Season 3 |
|---|
| Judges |
| Contestants |
|
Stacey Amagrande • Monti Carlo • Michael Chen • Tali Clavijo • Felix Fang • Christine Hà • Mike Hill • Helene Leeds • Scott Little • Dave Mack • Josh Marks • David Martinez • Frank Mirando • Tanya Noble • Anna Rossi • Becky Reams • Samantha De Silva • Ryan Umane |