Favour Epiphany Bessan Is Nigeria’s First-Ever MasterChef Champion

Nigeria finally has its first-ever MasterChef champion, and her name is Favour Epiphany Bessan. The 26-year-old content strategist from Shomolu, Lagos, better known as Favy, was crowned the winner of MasterChef Nigeria Season 1 on 19 July 2026, walking away with the coveted MasterChef Nigeria trophy and a ₦73 million cash prize.

The historic finale saw Favy go head-to-head with runner-up Fads Segun, a renewable energy expert from Lagos, in a gruelling challenge judged by renowned culinary experts Chef Stone and Chef Eros. For their final assignment, both home cooks were tasked with creating a three-course menu that reflected their culinary identity. Before cooking began, Chef Stone gave them a simple but powerful instruction: “Cook from your heart.” Favy did exactly that, and it was enough.

MasterChef Nigeria premiered on 26 April 2026 and ran for 13 weeks, with ten home cooks competing for the title under the watchful eyes of judges Chef Stone and Chef Eros, who presided over every challenge, elimination, and pressure test across the season. The ten contestants were David Emmanuel, Demi Akingbe, Derry Nnonyelu, Fads Segun, Favy Bessan, Isabella Adediji, Loye Oyedotun, Margaret Akpan, Pearl Agbajem, and Preye Fadase, each bringing their own background, cooking style, and personal story into the kitchen. Over the course of the competition, they navigated mystery boxes, team cook-offs, and elimination rounds that tested not just their cooking skills but their composure and creativity under pressure.

Favy entered the competition described as someone whose cuisine reflects her fearless, imaginative, and deeply driven character, and she proved every bit of that across 13 weeks. A content strategist by profession with a flair for reimagining comfort food into fine dining experiences, she fought all the way to the end and never let the pressure show.

The production was put together by Primedia Africa. It is the first Nigerian franchise of the globally beloved MasterChef format, and if this season is anything to go by, Nigeria needs a Season 2, and soon.

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