After the premiere of Season 11 of MasterChef, there were nine white aprons remaining to be given out. With the number cut from the usual 20 to just 15 for this Legends edition of MasterChef, that meant the standards were sky high to make the cut and get an apron.
And to be sure, Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez and Joe Bastianich weren’t holding anything back. Along with guest judge Emeril Lagasse, dishes that normally would have been rewarded instead left home cooks with empty hands and dashed dreams.
Would that change with the addition of Chef Curtis Stone for Episode 2? Not likely. In fact, it seemed like it was becoming harder to get your hands on a white apron as the number of available aprons continued to shrink.
By the time Episode 2 had wrapped, only four white aprons had been handed out. However, the four home cooks who earned them really impressed the judges and deserved to move on to the main part of the series.
Dishes featuring red snapper were a big hit in Episode 2 of MasterChef Legends.
The first apron of the night went at Anne for her roasted duck a la cherry with smashed potatoes. While the bok choy was undercooked, the duck was perfect and it was enough to send her through with an apron. The next apron went to Abe who wowed with his crispy skinned red snapper with avocado puree and pico de gallo.
In keeping with the red snapper theme, that was followed by Joseph, who wowed the judges with his steamed red snapper with Southeast Asian herb salad. While it was a simple dish, the preparation was flawless and in particular impressed Bastianich.
The final apron went to Annai, who wants to prove that Mexican cuisine can be more then just comfort food. Her flank steak chili relleno with rice and beans and Oaxaca cheese was a hit even though she missed on her tomato sauce.
Now, normally I don’t mention cooks who didn’t make the cut but we have to talk about Brit. After watching the episode you may have been thinking to yourself that you have seen her somewhere before, especially if you are a fan of food television. It turns out you would be correct.
Brit was featured on, of all things, Season 15 of Worst Cooks in America. She worked with Tyler Florence as part of the Blue Team and came in second to winner Allison Wolfe. Apparently she continued to cook once Worst Cooks ended and has gotten good enough to audition for MasterChef. Not too bad for someone who was pretty clueless in the kitchen.
See kids? Dedicate yourself and practice and you too could end up on MasterChef.
There are now just five white aprons remaining and next week sees food royalty Paula Dean arrive to help the judges hand them out. Once that’s done, the real competition begins.
What did you think of Episode 2 of MasterChef Legends fellow Guilty Eaters? Did you think anyone got robbed of an apron? Leave a comment below and let us know or join the conversation on our Twitter and Facebook pages.