Fox's MasterChef Season 12 returned with an all-new mouth-watering episode on Wednesday night. This week, the Top 12 contestants were divided into six teams and had to battle it out in their very first tag team challenge. If this wasn't stressful enough, the chefs also had to present the judges with not just one dish but three signature dishes from the menu of Gordon Ramsay's Michelin 3-star restaurant.
The chefs had to prepare risotto, beef wellington, and tarte tartin. Episode 12 of MasterChef, titled The Grubhub challenge, not only tested the culinary skills of the contestants but their teamwork and creativity as well. At the end of the challenge, one contestant from the team with the worst dish would get eliminated.
Despite being great cooks, Gabriel and Emily found themselves in the bottom two with the least impressive dishes. After much deliberation, the judges decided to save Emily and eliminate Gabriel. This didn't sit well with fans who claimed that the former should've been eliminated.
Gabriel's journey came to a shocking end on MasterChef Season 12
The chefs got to choose their teammates for the challenge, and Gabriel and Emily decided to pair up. During his confessional, Gabriel shared that Emily had always been a very headstrong cook and very vocal. However, he wasn't that type of person and didn't like yelling. He added that his main goal for the day was to just focus on himself and communicate.
When judges Joe and Aaron asked Gabriel what it was like to cook a Gordon Ramsay dish, he shared that it was very intimidating but mentioned that they were ready for the challenge. Unfortunately, things didn't go all well for the team, and they found themselves struggling during the challenge.
Gordon Ramsay shared that Emily and Gabriel didn't work like a team. He added that the team was behind on wrapping up their beef wellington. The MasterChef judge also mentioned that his biggest worry was that Emily was a headstrong cook and wasn't the best at communicating. Meanwhile, he shared that Gabriel was too quiet and didn't always listen to instructions.
The MasterChef judge shared that he didn't know if they were cohesive enough to become a great team. His suspicions were proven correct later on, and the team found themselves stuck in a rut when it came to preparing the lattice for the beef wellington. Gabriel didn't know how to place it and was stressed because he didn't know what to do.
While the team was able to present all three dishes to the judges, they weren't as impressive as the competition. Joe shared that the risotto didn't have quite the elegance it required. Apart from that, it was also missing salt and the right amount of vinegar to make it a perfect dish. Gordon Ramsay shared that there was no depth of flavor to the dish.
When it came to the beef wellington, Joe found it on the medium side, but Emily contradicted the judge and shared that, according to her, it was medium rare. The MasterChef judge stated that the beef wellington was under-seasoned and the pastry wasn't pressed down evenly, causing the dish to be cooked unevenly.
The tarte tartin was undercooked as well. Although the caramel was delicious, the pears were hard. Due to several issues with their dish, Emily and Gabriel found themselves in the bottom four, along with Dara and Fred. The judges decided to save Dara and Fred, leaving Emily and Gabriel in the bottom two. Ultimately, after much deliberation, they decided that it was time to send Gabriel home.
Fans criticize the judge's decision to eliminate Gabriel instead of Emily in Episode 12 of MasterChef
Taking to Twitter, fans shared that Emily should've been the one to be eliminated. Some also added that she was arrogant. A few fans felt that Gabriel was robbed.
MasterChef airs every Wednesday night at 8:00 pm ET only on Fox. Readers can check their local listings for more information.