7 Worst Dishes to Come out of the MasterChef Kitchen

Source: MasterChef Wiki

As audiences, we might be wholly invested in the home cooks in their journey to fulfill their dreams but I cannot disagree that the drama brings a lot more eyes to the screen than any other wholesome moment. You and I might not remember every compliment the judges gave for a dish but it’s sure easy to remember a dish that was chucked in the bin.

In season 5, Episode 2 of MasterChef US, Courtney Lapresi chose Whitney Bray to compete in the elimination test. Whitney Bray served a Caribbean meatloaf with lemongrass and soy sauce on a bed of mashed sweet potato and a side of green beans. But sadly Whitney’s Caribbean meatloaf was way off the mark. Gordon Ramsey called it a “TV dinner that’s unfortunately turned into a TV disaster.” Whitney Bray received some harsh judgment from the underwhelmed judges and was eliminated.  

Artisan pizza by Cutter

Source: Parade

In the 9th Episode of Season 5 of MasterChef’s mystery box challenge, the contestants were presented with Alaskan wild king salmon. Each contestant had to filet the beautiful fish before cooking up a delicious salmon dish. Unfortunately, Cutter Brewer’s salmon dish came up short and he had to face the elimination test.

In the elimination test, the contestants were tasked with preparing a dish with a basket of Italian ingredients chosen by judge Joe Bastianich himself. Cutter presented the judges with an “artisan” pizza. But the judges were not very happy with what was presented. Where Gordon Ramsey compared it to a kid’s party food, Joe spit the pizza out. Joe Bastianich was offended by Cutter’s artisan pizza as he believed Cutter failed to appreciate the cultural significance of the ingredients presented to him.

Japanese fried chicken by Adam and Caitlin

Source: New Chapter In Life

In the Season 8, 13th Episode’s pair challenge, Caitlin Meade and Adam Wong paired up. But they failed to represent themselves through their dish. They served the judges a Japanese fried chicken with miso-potato purèe and a sake slaw. Chef Christina Tosi questioned the pair's decision of serving the dish before even tasting all the elements together. But Gordon Ramsey was not as kind with his remarks calling their dish a “soggy disgusting nugget sat on a bed of unwanted slaw”. 

Both Adam and Caitlin went up against each other in the elimination challenge. Things turned worse for Adam in the elimination challenge where he served the judges raw chicken. And with that Adam went on to be the fifth contestant in the history of MasterChef to eliminate themselves. 

Black cod with shiitake mushrooms by Howard

Source: Showbiz Cheat Sheet

The one thing that no MasterChef contestant should ever do is serve the judges raw protein. You might think it is only about the taste but it's more than that. Raw protein can be very dangerous. There are some delicacies like the Blowfish which if not handled properly can be lethal. 

The 6th episode of the 4th season is notable for something like that. In a mystery box challenge, the contestants had to prepare a black cod but after it was all set and done the judges made an announcement. No, it was not the best dish but rather one particularly disgusting dish. Howard Simpson was then called to the judge’s table. And he saw no one touching his black cod. The judges knew his cod fish was raw. Joe picked up Howard’s dish and dumped it into the trash.

Seared Venison loin and tuna by Dan Wu and Cutter

Source: Fatherly

In season 5 MasterChef contestants went toe-toe in a surf and turf challenge but this time they competed in pairs. The pairs rushed as they only had five minutes to grab all they wanted to make a dish that compliments both seafood and red meat. In a pair, both the home cooks must be on the same page but unfortunately, Dan Wu and Cutter Brewer failed to align their goals.

Dan and Cutter ended up serving two separate dishes missing the whole point of the challenge. One dish was seared venison loin on a bed of cauliflower and parsnips, and another was seared ahi tuna on a three-radish salad. Gordon Ramsey raked this seafood and red meat combination as one of the worst dishes to be served in MasterChef. And Joe Bastianich fetched the bin and made the contestants toss the dish into the garbage themselves.

Mexican platter by Eboni and Yachecia

Source: Max's MasterChef Recap

In a pairing challenge, the right partner can be key to being victorious. But pairing up duos you know will crumble under pressure. Jason did exactly that in Season 8 when he paired Yachecia and Eboni together. The pair had to create a Mexican food platter. But after 90 minutes of dismissing and arguing with each other, the pair had a messy platter that had some missing elements.

The pair even started to argue with each other at the judge’s table. They went back and forth but lucky for them the judges somewhat enjoyed the churros and the chicken lollipops.

Squash and apple caramelle by Willie

Source: Entertainment Weekly

After winning a mystery box challenge in Season 5, Leslie Gilliams got the opportunity to choose which stuffed pasta the other contestants had to prepare in the pressure test. And he chose caramelle! For those who don’t know, caramelle is a stuffed pasta that is shaped like a candy wrapper.

Willie Mike confessed he did not have any idea what caramelle was, but the judges were horrified when he served his squash and apple caramelle. And Gordon Ramsey colorfully described the dish. Saying it looked like “regurgitated dog vomit”. Yikes!

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q. Who eats the leftover food on MasterChef?

You must be curious to know where those delicious dishes go after MasterChef filming is over. As it turns out the team gets first dibs on Marketplace reported. All leftovers and unused pantry items and dishes are then donated to MEND which is a support service charity based in LA. 

Q. Where do the master chefs stay?

After reading some sources it appears that all the MasterChef contestants stay in a hotel together, in separate rooms, of course. This makes setting accommodations easier for a show like MasterChef is that for the most part, contestants are visiting the same location at the same time for the duration of filming.

Q. Is MasterChef real or scripted?

MasterChef is a reality show,  and its main goal is to entertain the audience. While the cooking and judging might be real, many things in the show are edited or over-dramatized or done in a certain manner to keep the series fun. 

Q. How much is Gordon Ramsay paid for MasterChef?

According to sources, with each episode he graces, Gordon Ramsay commands a staggering salary of $225,000 (£177.6k).

Q. Who is the most successful after MasterChef?

Thomasina Miers is considered to be the most successful after MasterChef.  She has owned a restaurant and sits in first place. After her win in the MasterChef kitchen back in 2005, she opened her first Wahaca restaurant in 2007 in London.