Celebrity MasterChef: From not celebrating Holi in her brother's memory to recalling her grandfather's last wish; Nikki Tamboli's heart-wrenching revelations

Nikki Tamboli has reached the finale week and is one of the most loved contestants of Celebrity MasterChef. The actress is fondly known as the Thecha Queen on the show. Apart from elevating her authentic thecha with multi-cuisines, Nikki also unveiled her emotional side and shared some heartbreaking moments from her personal life.

Recently, Nikki was given crabs in the pressure tests and looking at it she broke down in tears as it reminded her of her grandfather. In a heartwrenching anecdote, she said, "We don’t make crab in our household. My nanaji was an army officer. He had sugar. In our house in Aurangabad, we have many pets. He got scratched on his thigh by one of the pets. If you are diabetic, any kind of injury gets septic very quickly. He got a pus there, and by not getting treated timely, his thigh had to get amputated. Since he was in the Army, we had to inform him that he was not going to live longer. My nani asked him his last wish, and his last wish was to eat crab. He ate the crab, and within one hour, he was no more. Since then, we have never cooked crab."

Nikki's father revealed that she hadn't celebrated Holi after her brother's demise. Her father said, "It has been four years. Jatin passed away, tabse humne holi nahi manayi. Tabse usko yeh hai ki Jatin dada nahi raha. Since then, Nikki hasn't celebrated Holi."

When the celebrity chefs were challenged to recreate Farah Khan's iconic roast chicken, Nikki Tamboli chose to take a deeply personal route. She decided to put her own spin on her father's beloved ghee roast chicken—a dish filled with memories and emotion. As she cooked, her voice trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes. She opened up about the strained relationship with her father, revealing that they hadn’t spoken in a long time. Seeing her pain, Chef Ranveer gently encouraged her to call him. In a heartwarming moment, the aroma of Nikki’s heartfelt cooking became the bridge that helped mend the silence between father and daughter.

Nikki has always brought more than just food to the table, she brings stories, love, and nostalgia. Whether it’s her deep-rooted love for Maharashtrian cuisine or the warmth of her father’s ghee roast chicken, her plates tell tales of home. “We used to open that jar of ghee only on special days, holidays, or when I scored good grades,” she smiled softly. “And we’d make chicken together. It felt like a celebration.”

But the most emotional moment came during the “fond memories” episode, when Nikki saw a picture of her late brother. Overcome with grief, she broke down. “I lost my brother during COVID, multiple organ failure,” she said through tears. “Honestly, we haven’t been able to move on, and maybe we never will. I miss him every single day. I just… I don’t cry in front of my parents.” In that kitchen, surrounded by spices and memories, Nikki didn’t just cook—she poured her heart onto the plate.