Flashback to fall 2021. I receive a call from MasterChef casting. They tell me they are putting season 12 together as an all star season, titled Back to Win. They are calling to see if I’d be interested and tell me that they are considering me as a candidate to come back and battle for […]
As the top 11, we are making a back entrance onto the MasterChef patio. The doors are locked, and we stand around wondering why we are outside. When the judges pull up on mopeds with GrubHub bags, it’s painstakingly obvious that we will be cooking take out. Gordon begins to ask what our favorite dishes […]
Top 12. We started with 40, and now we are down to only 12. Each challenge has increased in pressure and expectations. I often wonder if the judges were thrown into these crazy situational challenges, would they sink or swim? But that’s neither here nor there. We contestants signed up for this madness, which means […]
We’re walking into the MasterChef kitchen today as the top 13. Our last challenge was the cowboy team challenge, which left me feeling pretty deflated. However, that was due to my voice not being heard (completely ignored) and lack of cooperation on our team. So, I’m coming into the cook today with the mindset of […]
3 AM comes early for anyone, but it’s coming extremely early for us contestants. We’ve been playing these games and filming this show for weeks and weeks now. We are exhausted, mentally and physically. We’ve been under constant stress, anxiety, and pressure to name a few. We miss our families, our spouses, our children, […]
We are walking into the MasterChef kitchen as the top 15. That means, since apron battles concluded, that we are down contestants by 25%, which means….less and less room for error. As the numbers dwindle, you can’t just hope to skate by in the middle, all flaws are shown the smaller the numbers get. Every […]
We are the top 16 walking into the kitchen today, and honey, it gets scarier, stressful and more intense each day. The challenges get harder and harder, and the pressure builds day by day. I tell people all the time: cooking is only one element of this competition. Of course, it’s the focus and the […]
The numbers are starting to dwindle, we are down to the top 17, which means challenge by challenge, there is less and less room for error. As I see the set up in the front of the kitchen, I realize we are going to get a demo. Sounds exciting right?!?! Well, we never know what […]
Heading into the top 18, we all realize that 18 is an even number. There is always the risk of a team challenge when the numbers are even (we can be split evenly into two teams). Let me tell you about team challenges. They….are…..rough. There are A LOT of personalities in this competition. Yes, we […]
We’re down to top 19, and the pressure continues to build. I’m starting to notice the other competitors’ styles and trying to note any strengths or weaknesses. It’s obvious that Fred, Dara, and Amanda are dessert focused. Willie and Christian are definitely more homestyle, and Derrick is strictly fine dining. Noting these strengths and weaknesses […]
