Tuesday August 9, 2016 at 12:11 am
FUN

Poker Pro David Williams advanced to the top 10 home cooks on the reality TV show MasterChef hosted by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. This past week, two episodes were aired back-to-back and David Williams survived the cut on both episodes. On the last episode, Williams cooked a Nutella breakfast Mystery Box Challenge and he barely survived the elimination challenge when he gambled with a near-disastrous bibimbap rice bowl. Despite the near miss, David Williams is still alive and among final nine home cooks competing for the title of Master Chef.

DW Final 10
David Williams advanced to the Top 10 on MasterChef

David Williams is still alive on MasterChef. The poker pro and bracelet winner dodged two bullets this past week, when FOX aired back-to-back episodes of their highly-popular cooking reality show MasterChef. In the first episode, David Williams advanced to the Final 10 when his team won a special team challenge cooking bone-in pork chops for 101 farmers. In the second episode, David Williams prepared a breakfast dish for a Nutella Mystery Box Challenge, then cooked bibimbap rice bowl for his elimination challenge. Williams gambled with a Ratatouille-inspired rice bowl and fell short of the mark. Luckily, two other chefs had worst bibimbap dishes than him, so Williams barely survived the cut. David Williams locked up the distinction as a Top 10 home cook. With nine remaining, he's looking to go all the way and win MasterChef.

This week on MasterChef featured two episodes: The Weakest Links and Sweet Surprise. So we technically started with 11 home cooks and ended with nine. Along the way, the top 10 were determined.

Episode 10: The Weakest Link

The Weakest Link began with 11 home cooks and they took a road trip to the Underwood Family Farms for a special team challenge. The final 11 split up into two squads to cook for 101 farmers. In this special farm-based challenge, each team member picked ingredients straight from the ground.

The MasterChef judges arrived on giant tractors including special guest judge Ed Lee (from Top Chef fame). The judges picked team captains this week and specifically chose contestants who had not been captains before. They made Diamond the beauty Queen from San Diego in charge of the Red Team and they made Dan the frat bro from North Carolina in charge of the Blue Team.

The teams had a choice between two pork proteins: pork tenderloin or a bone-in pork chop. For this challenge, there were an uneven number of players. The five-handed team with the fewest members were able to pick the protein first. So the team who drafted first got the first pick and an extra chef, but they did not get to pick their dish.

The ultimate decision was decided by a coinflip. The coin landed on tails and Dan won the option: draft first, or defer (thereby picking the protein). Dan did not want to get stuck with Nathan, who was going to be the last pick no matter what. The tuxedo salesman and son of a preacher was one of the youngest home cooks remaining and the immature Nathan was hands down the worst contestant still alive. Dan pulled off some advanced strategy and picked protein first, thereby forfeiting the first draft pick. His move guaranteed that the Blue Team would be five-handed yet not stuck with Nathan…plus he picked the dish he wanted to make... the pork chop. Call it the Nathan Gambit. Would being short-handed backfire for Dan and the Blue Team? Or was Nathan that much of a shitshow?

Diamond's first round draft pick was Shaun the Vegas DJ, clearly the frontrunner to win MasterChef based on what his peers thought of him. Diamond rounded out the Red Team with Andrea, Terry, Eric, and of course Nathan was last. Dan's first pick for the Blue Team was Brandi. He established a theme when he also picked Tanorria and Katie...since they were all southerners. Dan's last pick was David, and he reminded everyone that even though he was a Vegas-based poker pro, that he originally grew up in Texas, which is technically the south(west). The Blue Team was the Southern Team and despite being short-handed, Dan felt they had an edge being from the south and having to not deal with emotional vampire and weakest home chef Nathan.

Blue Team: Spice-Rubbed Pork Chop with Black Rice and Apple Coleslaw

The two teams scrambled to grab fresh ingredients from the ground and wheeled them to their prep stations. During prep, Dan's lack of leadership was exposed. The frat boy seemed flustered and unable to give proper directions while working on his part of the dish. He had zero control of the blue team so Chef Ramsasy delivered him an ass reaming about gaining control. He quickly re-organized his team and got back on track. The Blue Team nearly fumbled the ball at the goal line. They had burned porch chops and David Williams was in charge of the grill. They had to scramble to fix the burned chops. Williams sliced off the charred parts and tried to re-cook the chops. Despite the setback, the Blue Team plated their dishes on time.

Red Team: Chipotle Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Potatoes and Sauteed Kale

For the Red Team… Diamond did her best to handle the dead weight with Nathan. The captain gave the son of a preacherman a simple task, so Nathan stayed out of everyone's way while prepping the kale.

During prep, Andrea had a problem with the special chipotle sauce (and she used way to much bourbon) and needed Shaun's help. Despite the extra person, the Red Team had a problem during plating. They also did not have enough kale. All fingers pointed toward whipping boy Nathan. Andrea explained that the Red Team was a disaster because of Diamond's lack of leadership and Nathan's ineptitude.

VOTING RESULTS: PORK CHOPS VS. PORK TENDERLOIN

DW cuts chops
David Williams slicing and dicing

Some of the farmers complained about the kale, and overall the Blue Team crushed their pork chops despite the minor setback. The 101 farmers determined the winning team and they all voted for the Blue Team in a landslide by the score of 81-20. David Williams and all of his teammates on the Blue Team were safe from elimination. They all advanced to the next week and locked up positions in the Top 10.

Meanwhile, the six members on the losing Red Team were up for an elimination during a Pressure Test. In an interesting twist, The Blue Team got to save one member of the losing Red Team. They huddled up and decided to save the worst player: Nathan. The Blue Team opted to pick the weakest player remaining in order to force the strongest cooks to slug it out. Wise choice because one of the better chefs busted during this Pressure Test.

For the Pressure Challenge, the final five from the Red Team had to cook a simple American past time... sausage in a bun. They each had to whip up sausage from scratch including grinding it down and casing it.

It appeared that the Vegas boys didn't like each other. Shaun threw some shade David Williams' way and quipped that Williams was the weakest cook in the Top 10 not named Nathan. They talked trash for a bit. Williams might have tilted Shaun, because his venison sausage burned and one of them burst open during prep.

Shaun made a venison sausage from scratch topped with a white cheddar jalapeno sauce. The judges appreciated the risk, but they didn't like the grainy and dried out venison. Lucky for Shaun, his sandwoch wasn't among the worst. Despite the lackluster sausage, Shaun managed to survive.

The judges liked sausages from Andrea, Eric, and Terry the most. Eric the fireman made classic sausage and peppers sandwich. It was good enough to make the cut, although it was rather ordinary and they told him he needed to step it up if he wanted to win the overall competition. Terry the handyman also made classic sausage and peppers with a homemade marinara sauce. Chef Ed Lee really liked Terry's sausage, especially the sauce. Andrea whipped up an amazing bratwurst sausage on a pretzel bun. The sausage was incredibly moist and Chef Ramsay thought it achieved perfection considering she was a Miami girl whipping up a traditional German dish. However, Andrea missed the deadline and she arrived at the judge's table three seconds past the deadline. Would her awesome sausage save her, or would the judges be a stickler for the rules?

The elimination came down to Andrea and Diamond and the worst dish vs. a technicality. Diamond made a chicken and Asiago sausage sandwich. Although her presentation looked amazingly bright and visually stunning, the insides were not fully cooked. Chef Ramsay sliced Diamond's sandwich open to reveal raw pieces of her chicken sausage. The uncooked meat doomed Diamond. She had the worst dish however, she managed to plate it in time. Andrea had the best dish but missed the deadline. Chef Ramsay emphatically explained that Andrea had the best sausage, but the rules dictated she had to be DQ'd. He didn't want to send her home. The judges had to confer (with producers) and after a commercial break, they made the ultimate decision. They judges made a controversial decision and Andrea was eliminated. She lost on a technicality. The teary-eyed Andrea was reassured by Chef Ramsay that he felt she was an excellent chef especially for her young age and she had far advanced skills for someone who was only 21-years old. Alas, Andrea cooked the tastiest sausage and served the best dish, but she failed to comply with the rules and plated her dish three seconds too late. As a result, the best dish lost. Diamond's uncooked sausage squeaked in on a technicality.

The final ten home cooks were set and David Williams advanced. In this controversial ending, one of the frontrunners busted and whipping boy Nathan advanced.

Episode 11: Sweet Surprise

DW Ratatat
David Williams gambled with a Ratatouille bibimbap

In the second episode, MasterChef trimmed the field from 10 to nine home cooks. David Williams got significantly more face time in the back end of this episode. In the end, the poker pro cooked one of the worst dishes among the final ten, but not the worst overall so he advanced to the final nine. Barely.

The Top 10 kicked off with a Mystery Box episode. The final ten discovered a jar of Nutella, a chocolate hazelnut spread that originated in Italy. The home cooks were tasked to whip up a Nutella-themed breakfast dish in 60 minutes. Chef Christina also cooked alongside them. She magically prepared three stunning dishes including chocolate donuts, granola parfait, and a stuffed pretzel toast.

David Williams did not get any face time during the mystery box challenge. His dish wasn't in the top, but it wasn't mentioned as the worst either.

The top 3 dishes during the Mystery Box Challenge were Dan, Tanorria, and Terry. The judges, including special guest judge Ed Lee, dug Dan's Nutella Turnovers with Vanilla Sour Cream Maple Syrup. Chef Christina was particularly impressed with his baking skills and that he didn't go the easy way ut with French Toast. Tanorria made Stuffed French Toast with Strawberry Banana Sauce and Nutella-covered bacon. Terry hit a grand slam with four different Nutella dishes: french toast, Beignets, crepes, and truffles. He crushed the dish four-ways. In the end, the judges picked Terry as the winner of the Mystery Box Challenge.

The Nutella winner got a massive advantage and gained an automatic bid to the final nine. Terry was safe from elimination and spent the rest of the episode up on the balcony. Terry also determined the outcome of the rest of the episode because he picked the elimination dish, which had a rice theme. Would it be Italian, Korean, or Spainish? Terry was given the choice of selecting paella, bibimbap, or risotto. Terry picked the Korean rice bowl Bibimbap, which is traditionally rice that is fried by heating a stone bowl with a fried egg in the center along with four other ingredients. The diner completes the dish by mixing the ingredients together in the bowl.

Nathan seemed flustered and he admitted that he never cooked rice before. David Williams poked fun at Nathan and said his five-year old daughter knows how to cook rice! Even though David Williams knew how to cook rice, he made a risky decision for his menu. He went with an odd spin for his bibimbap and tried to make a Ratatouille rice bowl with eggplant, zucchini, sausage, and a red sauce.

David Williams on gambling with his bibimbap

This is the first time I stepped out of the box. I gambled with some flavors today. Sometimes you have to take big risks to make big rewards.

Bottom 3 DW
David Williams dodged an elimination

David Williams gambled a bit and Chef Ed Lee thought his bibimbap looked horrendous… so horrendous tha Lee's Korean mom would be angry. However, Chef Lee thought the rice was beautifully cooked, but the overall dish didn't exactly work together.

Brandi couldn't pronounce "bibimbap", but she had a knack for cooking with Asian flavors. The judges were impressed with her dish. Chef Rasmay dug Dan's curry duck bibimbap. Nathan opted for an African bibimbap and even though he didn't know how to cook rice, he pulled it off. Ed Lee appreciated his unorthodox approach and enjoyed the African flavors. Nathan avoided a bustout. Overall, Shaun crushed a Strip Steak Bibimbap with Pickled Radishes and Shishito Peppers. The judges loved his kimchee sauce. It wasn't even close and Shaun won the Pressure Challenge with his steak bibimbap.

The judges hated bibimbap dishes by Diamond, David and Katie. David's Ratatouille Bibimbap with Italian Sausage whiffed completely because he gambled with the wrong flavors. The red sauce was a disaster and his only hope was that someone else screwed up completely. Chef Lee said the rice saved David Williams. He liked how Williams fried the rice, which was good enough to get him into the next round.

Katie was inspired by a day at the beach with her kids and picked a Thai Bibimbap with Shrimp and Pineapple. But the pineapples didn't seem right visually and but the black forbidden rice was her downfall. The judges thought she had a clunky dish. Diamond was inspired by her grandma and went with a special theme: southern-fried Thanksgiving. Her Bibimbap contained Fried Chicken and Cornbread. Chef Ramsay thought it was one of the ugliest dishes he ever saw.

The elimination came down to Katie vs. Diamond. The judges deliberated and decided that Katie would get another chance. Diamond a.k.a Miss San Diego busted out with her southern-style rice bowl. She was eliminated in tenth place.

David Williams was in the bottom three this week, but he managed to survived the cut. Barely. He's among the final nine home cooks. With nine remaining, David Williams now only needs to fade eight more to win the title of Master Chef.

 

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