by Gina Scarpa and Todd Betzold

This week on MasterChef, the competitors were brought back to their childhoods when asked to prepare grilled cheese and tomato soup for the Elimination Test. The gourmet version of this childhood classic proved to be a test for Christine, Derrick, and Ben, as they all landed in the bottom three. In the end, the judges sent Christine and Derrick home for their less-than-stellar dishes. Today, we caught up with Derrick in an exclusive interview to learn more about his MasterChef experience.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When did you start cooking?
A. Derrick: I've never been a stranger in the kitchen, but it was always just helping my wife or my mother out for prep, not much more. It wasn't until about three years ago that I really started getting into the whole process of cooking from start to finish.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you want to try out for MasterChef?
A. Derrick: My wife actually found the audition online. She handed me her laptop and said, "You need to do this."

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Was there anyone who stood out to you in the competition?
A. Derrick: Once you get into the top 12 or so, everyone stands out. None of us would have been there if that wasn't the case. At the point when I left, it' a very tough call as to who stands out the most. Tracy has some amazing finesse. It seems like there is nothing Christian can't do. Adrien has such a passion and instinct for all things food and Ben is just full of surprises that he keeps pulling out of those hats.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Have you hit up Joe for that espresso and talk with him about your future in the culinary world since the show aired?
A. Derrick: I have been in touch with him but haven't had that espresso yet. That is in the works. I was in touch with Chef Elliot and as a result, I spent a week an half at his restaurant in Chicago. I learned so much there. They even offered me a job, which I would have loved to take, but it just wasn't in the cards for me at the time. I've also been in touch with Chef Ramsay and am looking to go spend some time at his new restaurant in Vegas this winter.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was it like working with all the time constraints of the challenges and food ingredients given to you, especially the last elimination test?
A. Derrick: If you give me an hour to cook something, generally I'm okay; I can deal with that. Once they saw how well we were doing and knocked it down to 45 minutes, it really made it much harder. The mystery boxes were a lot of fun. You just had to kind of think on you feet, pick a direction, and cook. I loved the freedom of that, almost like being in a band and just jamming for a while. The themed challenges I was markedly better at, as chaotic as I like to think I am, I really do work better when I have a plan. So coming up with a plan, even in a few seconds and being able to use the pantry to shop for what I needed was an awesome thing. The last elimination test was really just me missing the mark and, as I think Joe said, "being out classed" by everyone else. I actually really liked that soup but it was VERY intense. As far as the plating, well, I really wanted to make it look like something that was familiar to everyone, a bowl of tomato soup and some crusty greasy grilled cheese sandwiches. I wanted them to look at the place, see one thing and then taste much more sophisticated flavors. In the end, I completely lost the essence of the challenge and understand why I was sent home.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What were you thinking when it was you, Christine and Ben in the bottom three?
A. Derrick: You would think I had some kind of feeling about who was going home when I was in the bottom three with Ben and Christine, but to be honest, I had no idea what to expect. We all messed up and without tasting anyone else's food, you never know whose was the worst.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What is the biggest thing you are taking away from this experience?
A. Derrick: I've taken away a huge sense of confidence after the show. I never thought I would make it very far, let alone last as long as I did. It's a great feeling. In addition, I ended up with a great base of fans online and have gotten a huge outpouring of support from them on Facebook, Twitter, and my own site after I was sent home. It was overwhelming and that made it hard to be very upset at all.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did doing this show help inspire you to continue your dreams of cooking?
A. Derrick: The show has definitely helped me direct my life down a path that will involve food. I don't know to what capacity yet, but I know I'm not long for this web design stuff. Please stay in touch online. I can be found at my website borntobraisehell.com and from there, you can find my Facebook and Twitter pages.

MasterChef airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 9/8c on Fox.

(Image courtesy of Fox)

Follow Gina @ginascarpa and "Like" her on Facebook. Follow Todd @tbetzold.