by Todd Betzold

 

We don't see many desserts on MasterChef, but there have been two challenges this season based on desserts and Scott Little struggled through them both. He survived the Apple Pie, but Strawberry Shortcake was his downfall in the Elimination Test last week and he was sent home. Today, we got an exclusive interview with Scott as he talked about his experiences on MasterChef, his struggles with desserts and much more.

 

Q. Todd, RealityWanted: What made you want to try out for MasterChef?
A. Scott: I'm a huge fan of the show, cooking show in general, but I think I did what everyone else does. You have a glass of wine and you're sitting there going I can do that. I like the balance of this show where it's a little bit about the characters, but also about the food. I saw they had an audition in D.C. and Gordon Ramsay was going to be there. So, I thought hey, I'll go cook a dish and at least I'll be able to see the guy from across the room or maybe even say hi to him, so it started there. I, honestly, at that point thought in a million would I actually be on the show, but I think it was time for me and my personal cooking. I've always been not so public with it, so this is a good way for me to come out and show people what I can do.

 

Q. Todd, RealityWanted: You struggled with desserts this season with the apple pie and then the Strawberry Shortcake last episode. So, desserts aren't your specialty?
A. Scott: Desserts, what I found out later and the advice the judges gave me, is that every good chef has to be well-rounded and desserts are something I do not normally cook a lot of. I cook apple pies all the time. I just don't cook them in an hour. I failed on the crust with that one and with baking there is no recovery time in an hour. With cooking, you can adjust on the fly. With the strawberry shortcake, I've never baked it before. Desserts are definitely what brought me down because I really don't think I spent enough time trying to dial in on how to recover from errors. I'm cooking a lot more desserts these days trying to get better.

 

Q. Todd, RealityWanted: What was it like working with all the time constraints of the challenges and food ingredients given to you?
A. Scott: It's really tough for me. A lot of people have a mystery pantry at home, but I actually get very selective about how I cook and I plan my menus out on Sunday and I have everything out and prepped during the week, so for me it's a huge adjustment to think that quickly on the fly considering a lot of my style of cooking is slow, comfort foods. So, being able to dial in within an hour at the beginning was tough for me at first. You start getting used to it. It's all about simplifying. You get a little used to it, but it's daunting.

 

Q. Todd, RealityWanted: What were you thinking when it was you and Felix in the bottom two?
A. Scott: When I realized it was Felix and I there, I became to quickly know it was me going home. I really didn't need too much of a confirmation from Chef Ramsay at that point. I had already been down there very badly for apple pie and Felix, I think at that time, had already been Top 3 in at least one challenge and had done a little bit better through the competition than I had, so at that point I sort of knew it was time for me to say goodbye.

 

Q. Todd, RealityWanted: What was your favorite challenge or test this season?
A. Scott: My favorite dish would have to be my audition dish because it was very hard to pull off. It was a green chile and pork stew and I had to make homemade queso fresco cheese in an hour and when I pulled into the judges, I got three resounding yeses and for me that just blew my mind. To have these three guys all say it was amazing, that was probably my high point. Just to get the apron was validation that I can cook and you need to keep at it and get better.

 

Q. Todd, RealityWanted: Now that you're off the show, is there anyone you're rooting for?
A. Scott: I'm rooting for a few, but right now I'd have to say I am really rooting for Frank and for Christine. A lot of the others as well, but those are the two that I want to see what they can bring in the next weeks.

 

Q. Todd, RealityWanted: What's the biggest thing you are going to take away from this whole MasterChef experience?
A. Scott: I think I have confidence now and where I already had a passion for cooking, this thing just ignited it. So, I have the confidence now to start cooking on my own. I have a blog called The Comfortable Dish. I actually did my first private, catering-type event for ten people and I have a few more lined up. Just taking everything the judges said on being well-rounded and a few different tricks on cooking and hopefully that leads to a successful private cooking career.

 

Q. Todd, RealityWanted: Anything to add?
A. Scott: It was an amazing experience. When I left the show, it really was one of the best learning experiences that I've had. I encourage anyone else who wants to take that leap to do so. It's a little brutal, but it's also the most uplifting and positive experiences you can have as well. If you think you can cook, try out.

 

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

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)

 

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