Drama! Tension! Flying food!
As any “MasterChef” fan will tell you, emotions run high during team challenges on the FOX reality series, especially when the contestants are feeding large groups of people.
This week’s episode was no exception, as 18 home cooks — including two from Alabama — struggled to prepare meals for 101 professional soccer players and executives from the Los Angeles Football Club at at BMO Stadium in California.
TV viewers were likely holding their breaths as they watched the Season 14 contestants split into two teams, the Red Team and Blue Team, for an episode called “LAFC Field Challenge.” That’s because Gordon Ramsay, the series’ fiery head honcho, always gets agitated during major dinner services. It’s pretty much a given that he’ll fling food into the air — or in this case, kick it like a soccer ball — to express his anger when the cooks present a dish that’s not up to par.
On Wednesday, the offending item was steak, specifically a bunch of charred filet mignons. And a contestant from Alabama experienced the wrath of Ramsay.
If you didn’t watch this week’s episode — or simply want a refresher on the “MasterChef” action — here’s what happened.
Repping Alabama: Chris Musgrove of Mobile and Hallie Clark of Berry (a small town in Fayette County) are among the contestants on “MasterChef” this season. Musgrove, 45, is a real estate investor at Making Dreams Reality and the owner-operator of Valor Home Improvements. Clark, 24, is a cornhole player in the American Cornhole Organization, competing in tournaments around the country.
How it works: Three chefs act as judges on “MasterChef” throughout the season, making decisions on who stays and who goes. Along with Ramsay, the judging panel features Aaron Sanchez and Joe Bastianich. Weekly cooking challenges and eliminations trim the list of contestants until a single cook remains.
Good to know: The theme for Season 14 of “MasterChef” is “Generations.” The home cooks have been divided into four teams based on their ages: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. Musgrove earned a spot on the team for Gen X; Clark is on the team for Gen Z.
What’s at stake: The winner earns a $250,000 prize, bragging rights and the “MasterChef” title. Twenty contestants were chosen via cooking auditions at the start of the season. On the most recent episode, 18 of them remained on the show.
Teaming up: Gen X and Gen Z joined forces for the challenge, which meant Clark and Musgrove were on the nine-member Blue Team. The Millennials and Baby Boomers united for the nine-member Red Team. Both teams were asked to prepare restaurant-quality meals featuring a protein, a starch, a vegetable and a sauce.
What the Blue Team cooked: Filet mignon on a bed of creamy herb polenta, with red wine sauce, Brussels sprouts and pancetta (or cured pork). The team worked in a makeshift kitchen at the stadium, and the meal proved difficult to prepare correctly. Adam Hart, a Gen Z cook, initially was in charge of the steaks, but Musgrove jumped in to help when Hart became overwhelmed at the meat station.
What Musgrove said: “Gen Z is really laid-back, but right now, this is not a time to be easy-going and relaxed. We’ve got to get the steaks in the pan now. Back home, I cook steak at least once a week, so I’m ready to get my hands dirty and get cooking.”
Big trouble: Undercooked steaks were an issue from the get-go, prompting Ramsay to issue a severe warning and call it a “massive problem.” (Medium rare is the “MasterChef” standard, and the judges hold strictly to that.) Musgrove and Hart did their best at the grill, but the challenge quickly got the better of them. The Blue Team stumbled and fumbled, serving up steaks that were red and bloody.
What the judges said: “Here’s my concern for the Blue Team. Chris has probably the most important job, along with Adam, to nail those steaks,” Sanchez said. “The Achilles heel of the Blue Team is Chris’ and Adam’s ability to cook 101 12-ounce filets, and how much pressure is relying on those two guys,” Bastianich said. Ramsay pointed to Musgrove as the more experienced cook, relying on him to get the team back on track. “Chris, I need you to be a leader here,” Ramsay said. “I need you to own it.”
Flying filet: A crisis erupted mid-episode when the Blue Team presented Ramsay with some steaks that were clearly burned. “We’ve got charcoal filet mignons,” the chef said in disgust. “That’s what were serving LAFC. Would you eat that?” Ramsay proceeded to kick one of the offending steaks like a soccer ball, grimacing as it flew through the air. “That’s gross! Get a grip, all of you,” the chef said.
Double trouble: Two undercooked steaks were returned to the kitchen by dissatisfied diners, prompting Ramsay to boil over again. “Blue Team! It’s not even remotely near!” the chef yelled. “We’re destroying ourselves! It all comes on the bloody meat! I don’t understand why.”
Hallie helps: Ramsay then enlisted Clark to pitch in at the meat station. “Hallie, can you cook filet mignon?’ he shouted. “Let’s go!” Clark had been in the background for most of the episode, evidently preparing vegetables. When Ramsay called her to the forefront, however, she moved quickly to assist her teammates. “Gordon asked if I can do a steak. I’m from the South. I can cook a steak,” Clark said. “But at this point, we’re f—king on fire. The place is burning. We’re going to try our best to save it, and get back into a good system.”
Time’s up: The Blue Team never solved its problems during the hourlong dinner service, and ended the challenge on a low note. Twelve steak dinners never made it to the tables, which is a cardinal sin on “MasterChef.” A few people complained about the polenta, saying it was bland, but the steaks were a glaring issue.
On the Red Team: The Millennials and Boomers had problems during the dinner service, as well. But their halibut dish was popular, and the majority of dinner guests voted for it as the winner. This meant one cook on the Blue Team would be going home.
Judges deliberated: “So many people didn’t get fed. It all boils down to the steaks,” Bastianich said. “That’s what hindered the whole progression of the meal,” Sanchez added. “The whole performance on that meat station was an embarrassment,” Ramsay said.
Eliminated: Musgrove was the weakest link, the judges said, and they told him to turn in his apron. “Ultimately tonight, the steaks were your responsibility,” Ramsay said. “If you step up and you’re going to run the meat station, make sure you’ve got the right team beside you to nail it.”
Final words: “It’s kind of tough being eliminated,” Musgrove said. “I feel like a lot went wrong with the steaks. I should have let my intuition guide me a little more. The reality is, it comes down on me. … Through this competition, I think I’ve fought hard. I’ve learned a lot, and it’ll be amazing when I get home to show my family what I can do.”
Next up: On the July 24 episode, the top 17 contestants will be tasked with making stellar birthday cakes. Although Musgrove is gone, Clark is still in the running, representing Alabama on the Gen Z team.
If you watch: “MasterChef: Generations” airs on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. CT on FOX, and streams the following day on Hulu. Episodes are filmed in advance.
