The eminently popular reality TV cooking show MasterChef has now entered its 13th season in the United States, and one contestant is representing the Midwest. The best part? He's also an Iowa native!

Grant Gillon of Altoona, IA is one of several chefs competing for the $250,000 grand prize. Season 13 of Gordon Ramsay's show has a new twist on it: chefs are divided into teams that represent four regions of the United States — Northeast, Midwest, West, and South — and work as individuals and a collective to whip up a dish that will dazzle the judges.

The season is cleverly dubbed United Tastes of America, with Chef Aarón Sánchez, restaurateur Joe Bastianich, and the globally recognizable Ramsay serving as the three primary judges. Other guest chefs include Daphne Oz, Graham Elliot, and Season 11 MasterChef winner Kelsey Murphy just to name a few.

Altoona's Grant Gillon works as the director of sales at Kinship Brewing Company in Waukee, and although he was in the background for most of the season premiere, he will have a larger role on next Wednesday's (May 31st) episode when he squares off against other chefs representing the Midwest, per The Des Moines Register.

I'm not a huge fan of reality TV in general, but I do love the concept of this season. Throughout MasterChef: United Tastes of America, there will be cooking challenges featuring a meal prepared at Dodger Stadium, state fair food, mystery boxes featuring a barrage of random ingredients, and the popular fan-favorite tag team event where chefs must prepare a three-course meal up to the standards of Michelin.

Scrolling through Grant Gillon's Instagram, it's clear he couldn't be more excited for the honor of competing alongside such renowned chefs. After all, he flew all the way out to Los Angeles, so the confidence in his skills is high. He'll hopefully be a fun watch over the course of the season, and maybe even take home the grand prize of $250,000.

MasterChef: United Tastes of America airs every Wednesday at at 7pm (CST) on FOX.

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