MasterChef: Contestant Serves Uncooked Bird, Faces Immediate Elimination

MasterChef is undoubtedly one of the most popular reality cooking shows worldwide, including in Greece. However, a young contestant from the Spanish version of MasterChef made headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2020. Saray Carrillo, then 27 years old, entered the Spanish edition of the beloved reality show, which premiered on La 1 channel on April 10, 2013. The judging panel consisted of renowned chefs Pepe Rodríguez, Jordi Cruz, and Samantha Vallejo-Nágera. Contestants were tasked with preparing a game dish using partridge, presenting a hearty meal to the judges. Naturally, the partridge was not ‘clean,’ retaining its head, wings, and internal organs. This meant that Saray had to pluck and prepare the bird before cooking it to meet high-end restaurant standards. While other contestants struggled but managed to rise to the challenge, Saray took an unconventional and self-destructive approach. Instead of serving a cooked dish, she presented the bird with its head and wings intact, accompanied by tomatoes and onions, having only washed it without bothering to clean or cook it properly. Upon seeing her dish, the judges were left speechless. Renowned chef Jordi Cruz erupted in anger, stating that her move showed disrespect not only to the judges and fellow contestants but also to the 28,000 people who had applied to join the MasterChef kitchen. Throughout the ensuing chaos, Saray remained calm, and as expected, the judges asked her to leave immediately. Despite her elimination, she faced the decision with absolute composure, leaving her fellow contestants speechless.