Buffalo Grove native sent home on 'MasterChef'
Buffalo Grove native Suzy Singh could go no further than the final four on the hit FOX show "MasterChef" as she was sent home on Monday's episode - a day before the season finale.
"MasterChef" is a reality cooking competition that gives home chefs from around the nation the chance to compete for $250,000. Singh, a neural engineer, outlasted an initial selection of 100 chefs to make it to the final four.
Singh started Monday's episode with an advantage over the other three remaining chefs as she had the ability to chose her partner for the food challenge that would be judged by three international critics. But the advantage quickly backfired as her partner, Christian Collins, proved difficult to work with.
The two butted heads throughout the entire episode and could not make their Thanksgiving themed dish of duck and sweet potatoes mesh to the judges liking. Judge Joe Bastianich said he could "taste the animosity" in the dish. The other two chefs won the challenge, securing two of the three spots in tonight's finale. In a battle for the last finalist spot, Singh and Collins went against each other in a lemon meringue pie contest. Singh was considered the favorite going in as she had been dubbed the "pastry girl" by competitors and judges.
But when it came to the tasting, the judges agreed while Singh's offering tasted better, it lacked too much in appearance and did not have enough meringue to justify the victory. Bastianich was once again the harshest critic, picking up a piece of Singh's pie to show how easily it crumbles.
Show host and world-famous chef Gordon Ramsay sent Singh home, but only after a few words of encouragement.
"Amazing, tenacious, talented cook you are," Ramsay said. "Get that food truck, and I will be one of your customers."
Singh, though disappointed to leave, said participating in the competition revealed her true calling.
"Thank you for validating what I am supposed to do with my life," she said.
The finale airs at 7 p.m. today on Fox.