One MasterChef contestant was moved to tears when they were eliminated from the BBC cooking competition after narrowly missing out on a place in the quarterfinal.
High Tensions in the Kitchen
Tensions ran exceptionally high on BBC's MasterChef as one contestant was forced to exit the competition immediately. On Tuesday evening (April 28), six amateur cooks were initially tasked with preparing a signature dish for judges Grace Dent and Anna Haugh within 90 minutes.
While one contestant named Tony was preparing a dish featuring pork done six ways, Leia was aiming to transport the judges to Puerto Rico with a plantain lasagne accompanied by a short rib ragu, which garnered mixed feedback from the judges.
A Bumpy Start
Progressing to the subsequent round, matters took an unexpected turn when she began preparing the second challenge, a fish finger open-sandwich, accompanied by tartare sauce and a pickle slaw. As Grace informed Leia she appeared 'a little bit terrified' before commencing her dish, the contestant acknowledged fish finger sandwiches aren't consumed in Puerto Rico, prompting Grace to respond: "Ok, we're off to a bumpy start."
Diving into the task, Anna confided to the camera: "What I'm worried about, is her fish fingers. I can actually see smoke billowing off the pan." She continued: "So I think she's going to have to make some more fish fingers, because they look pretty burnt."
While Leia did restart her fish, her dish ultimately received considerable acclaim from Anna and Grace as they praised the 'perfectly cooked fish'.
Final Round Pressure
The contestant successfully progressed to the final round, where she was competing for a place in the quarterfinal alongside Matt, Tony and Rebecca. Joined by special guests - 2023's champion Chariya Khattiyot, finalist Omar Foster and 2007 winner Steven Wallis, who joined Anna and Grace to help determine who would progress, the four cooks faced an intense challenge.
Tasked with preparing two courses, four dishes of each, within an hour and 15 minutes, it was evident that Leia felt the strain as she ran out of time, requiring an additional 10 minutes from Anna to complete her dishes. Upon seeing one of her dishes presented to the guests, Chariya remarked: "Oh, bless her, she definitely ran out of time."
Emotional Exit
Speaking candidly backstage, Leia admitted: "Oh, I'm a bit borderline embarrassed. I know this dish could have been so much better." Ultimately, it signalled the end of Leia's journey in the competition as she narrowly fell short of securing a quarterfinal spot. Tearfully reflecting on her departure, she said: "I'm a bit disappointed. It's emotional, but I'm happy." She added: "Like, these are honestly happy tears. If anyone is interested in Puerto Rican food, now they can know a bit more about it."
MasterChef is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
