Ana Schwarz. Photo / Supplied
Sixteen weeks of focus and preparation will boil down to just four high-intensity challenges when MasterChef finalists Ana Schwarz and Chelsea Winter face off in the show's season finale tonight.
The two contestants, who battled their way through the top 16, have a chance to take away more than $100,000
worth of prizes, including a cookbook deal, a Skoda Octavia car and $20,000 in groceries from Countdown.
Mrs Schwarz, a 40-year-old mother of three from Waiheke Island, and Ms Winter, a 28-year-old marketing executive from Auckland, saw off fellow semifinalist Tony Price last week.
Judges criticised Mr Price for serving an undercooked chicken dish. His vision for a cookbook also fell short of both Mrs Schwarz and Ms Winter's proposal. He had earlier controversially dobbed in both of tonight's finalists for sharing ingredients during a challenge in Singapore.
Season three of the cooking show has proved a hit with viewers. More than 560,000 New Zealanders have tuned in each week - up on last year, and a 7 per cent jump on the show's debut season.
