by Gina Scarpa and Todd Betzold

 

On the season finale of MasterChef, Christian was up against some tough competition and fell at the hands of chicken and mushrooms. The guy can cook, but he was often portrayed as an arrogant and cocky competitor. However, many of his opponents came to his defense online about Christian having a softer side. Today, we got to dabble into that softer side when we caught up with Christian in an exclusive interview to hear more about his MasterChef experience.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you want to do MasterChef?
A. Christian: I've always wanted to be a chef, my wife was always telling me to try out for a cooking show, and MasterChef was looking for contestants.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you feel you were portrayed in a negative light on the show, because many of the other contestants have stated you are not as arrogant and cocky as it was shown during the season?
A. Christian: Somewhat, no one is that one dimensional. I'm a fighter and I was there to fight my way to a win. I was in competition mode. If I was more vocal about that and it offended people, I apologize.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Was there anyone who stood out to you in the competition?
A. Christian: Everyone there had their strengths and weaknesses. With so many different challenges, everyone is a standout at some point. Coming down to the end of it, I thought it was going to be Adrien. I think we all watched him grow throughout the competition. The finesse he was cooking with by the finale was amazing and inspiring.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What were you thinking when it was between you and Jennifer going to the semi- finals?
A. Christian: I was thinking, "This is going to make great TV."

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was it like working with all the time constraints of the challenges and food ingredients given to you?
A. Christian: To be able to work with truffles was really a dream come true. The MasterChef pantry was so amazing! The crew really does a phenomenal job. The time constraint is tough, conceptualizing, executing, and plating a dish from start to finish in an hour is very demanding.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What is the biggest thing you are taking away from this experience?
A. Christian: To follow your dreams and always believe in yourself and also the friendships - we are like a big a family and that's something that will last a lifetime.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did doing this show help inspire you to continue your dreams of cooking?
A. Christian: Absolutely, I wanted to do something great with my cooking and having that opportunity to show the world and make Top 3 is just the beginning. I just started up my own private chef service, chefchristiancollins.com, and I'm doing a lot of food related charity work.

 

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)

 

 

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