by Michael J. Lamp

One of the peppiest parts of Top Chef: Just Desserts was sufficiently de-pepped this week when Rebecca got the boot. She caught up with Reality Wanted to chat about meeting rock stars, season highlights and the pains of cooking sweets with savory ingredients.

Q. You got knocked around pretty good at Judges' Table for the garlic in your ice cream. Were you surprised by the lack of sympathy, especially in the wake of such a tough challenge? Gail seemed especially uninterested in feeling sorry for you.
A. Rebecca: It sucked. I'd only been on the bottom one other time, [and] I didn't get beat down as much as the other folks. It's an uncomfortable moment. In the end, it's ultimately their decision. I made the mistake of saying, ‘I can't cook.' That didn't help anybody. I still haven't tried to make a falafel, but I will. It's a tough moment. I agree with a lot of what they said. I felt like the beer ice cream tasted like beer. I usually reduce beer to a syrup to put it in ice cream. Maybe this time I shouldn't have.

Q. It was so cute watching you geek out when you met Ad-Rock. What was that like, and were you bummed that he saw you during the episode that featured your elimination?
A. Rebecca: It was incredibly awesome to meet him. I was the first person to go, ‘Holy crap.' I was just floored. I told him, ‘I don't suck this bad.' When I shook his hand, I said, "If I'm gonna go down, I'm gonna go down shaking your hand.' I immediately reverted back to when I was fifteen, and it was the first concert I'd ever been to.

Q. Is there anything you wish America had seen you make that you didn't get a chance to show while on Top Chef?
A. Rebecca: I brought some ingredients with me that are signature. I make a dish using candy-capped mushrooms, and I actually beat nine savory chefs at their own game [making that dish once]. I think it would've made me look better, if I'd been able to use [them]. I was disappointed [that] the first individual challenge was with these ingredients.

Q. What was the highlight of your Top Chef experience?
A. Rebecca: [Ad-Rock] was a good one. The challenge at the water park; it was the best team I worked on, and we worked really well together. It was all a collaboration.That was a really great challenge to be working on.

Top Chef: Just Desserts airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

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