# Gordon Ramsey's Masterchef **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gordon-ramseys-masterchef/548257 "2010-07-28T02:10:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gordon-ramseys-masterchef/548257/81 "2010-09-18T01:34:24Z")
That was horseshit. She gave them undercooked shrimp, fried chicken, and a failed souffle. Those were up against a scallops and chilled pea and mint soup (masterfully presented), beef wellington that was _just_ shy of perfect according to Ramsay, and crepe suzette (again perfect). I have no issue with southern style haute cuisine, one of my favorite restaurants does just that, but Whitney’s dishes were not it. Whitney’s face and personality are the better bet for selling cookbooks, and she won on that, not her food. In the only cook-off on this show with impartial judges, the food critics, David Miller trounced everyone, and Whitney came in second to last. Ramsay clearly felt Miller was calling him out in choosing beef wellington, and his ego couldn’t have an untrained chef crank one out on his own show. Miller is off-putting, but the show is Masterchef, not who’s the next Rachel Ray. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gordon-ramseys-masterchef/548257/82 "2010-09-18T02:26:09Z")
> [@ironbender](#): > > I’ve worked with several chefs that were just like Ramsey and Bastianich, dating back to the late '80s. I don’t think they are acting. On any line I have ever worked, if you made a mistake at the wrong time you would get abused. Chefs tend to be arrogant, most of the time it’s for good reason. It’s a given, nobody takes it personally, and we always wound up giong out to have a few drinks together at the end of the night. Of course, it might be different for anyone who ever thought to question the arrogance. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gordon-ramseys-masterchef/548257/83 "2010-09-18T10:51:47Z")
I was glad to see Whitney win. It was clear that she was Gordon’s favorite, and when he said the cheesecakes were soooooo close, I had no question whom he would pick. He was absolutely tickled pink that she won. I’m surprised at how disarming I found Gordon in this series, and I think his fondness for Whitney caused it. It was just so innocent and open, you know? David’s cook book would have been filled with the same old French classics I can learn form the Julia Child book I’ve already got. Whitney’s will certainly be far more creative, and I expect to learn a great deal about building and balancing flavors from it. I’m not sure David knows how to do that - he just executes well, he doesn’t create. He tried to execute something incredibly difficult, but he didn’t add anything. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gordon-ramseys-masterchef/548257/84 "2010-09-18T12:26:52Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > That was horseshit. She gave them undercooked shrimp, fried chicken, and a failed souffle. The shrimp were probably only barely undercooked; the color was appropriate for what I recall of cooking shrimp. (My best recollection is when they hit that orange-pink, they should be pulled off the heat pretty quickly.) They adored everything else on the plate. Meanwhile Ramsay hated the heat in the ceviche, and was annoyed by the “two courses, one plate, don’t mix” concept. And the souffle? She converted the idea of a souffle into that dessert by unmolding and covering with a sauce. It’s not failed. I literally just went through that whole part of the episode and rewatched. I think the comparison between the two chefs was yet another example of creative editing, courtesy of reality show style and what Fox does to all of Ramsay’s shows. Heck, even Bravo did it with Top Chef - people who care about what really happened go read Tom Colicchio’s blog after the episode airs to see what they actually saw during the tastings and so on, rather than what we get to see during the drama-building edit for the show. I’d love to see a blog from Bowles or Ramsay about why each episode was decided as it was. I checked the Fox Masterchef website - there was just one from some producer, and it skipped from Sept. 1 to a post-show “hey, I’m appearing with a couple losing contestants” appearance promo. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gordon-ramseys-masterchef/548257/85 "2010-09-18T17:46:45Z")
They didn’t like David’s use of chantrelles for his duxelle either. The only mistake they suggested Whitney had was (maybe) some slightly undercooked shrimp on her app course. They loved her country fried chicken (as “low country” as it was) and said it “sang on the plate” with her greens. She made an unorthodox use of a souffle, but she wasn’t serving it _as_ a souffle, she was using it as an ingredient for a pudding, and they all said it was delicious. Having said that, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if personality wasn’t taken into account since they’re looking to sell a cookbook, and I don’t think there’s any question that Whitney had a much more appealing and salable personality than David. ---
**Author:** ![BMada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@BMada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMada)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gordon-ramseys-masterchef/548257/86 "2010-09-18T21:34:49Z")
david’s mistake was trying to be ballsy. He shoulda just made stuff he was good at, stuff that he was used to like Whitney did. He might’ve won had he not made the beef wellington. ---
**Author:** ![Donny\_Wallace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bc79bd/32.png) [@Donny\_Wallace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donny_Wallace)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gordon-ramseys-masterchef/548257/87 "2011-08-10T02:16:46Z")
Zold: What do you mean Ramsey loves all the greasy stuff- the creamier the better. I was wondering how Chef was going to get to have another bird to shag with 2 chefs keeping him honest. And he didn’t let me down. They kick off Tracy so you don’t think it’s another rig like with that bird who burnt him and was losing every round and won over Petrosa. Then Ramsey announces she is going to school and work for him all on him or rather for the school to get mentioned on the show. I knew he fancied one of the birds- he just hid it so well this season. Wow this is a tough show- you really have to know your stuff and remember well for this end of the business. I’m impressed contestants make it through it. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gordon-ramseys-masterchef/548257/88 "2011-08-10T03:07:32Z")
> [@Donny\_Wallace](#): > > Zold: What do you mean Ramsey loves all the greasy stuff- the creamier the better. I was wondering how Chef was going to get to have another bird to shag with 2 chefs keeping him honest. And he didn’t let me down. They kick off Tracy so you don’t think it’s another rig like with that bird who burnt him and was losing every round and won over Petrosa. Then Ramsey announces she is going to school and work for him all on him or rather for the school to get mentioned on the show. I knew he fancied one of the birds- he just hid it so well this season. Wow this is a tough show- you really have to know your stuff and remember well for this end of the business. I’m impressed contestants make it through it. Just an FYI - this thread is about last year’s show. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gordon-ramseys-masterchef/548257.md?page=4)