After a long, hard season, last night's MasterChef finale came down to three formidable kitchen competitors: stay-at-home dad Leslie Gilliams, New York ad exec Elizabeth Cauvel and ex-stripper Courtney Lapresi.
Take note: All spoiler alerts are in effect from this point onward.
When the dust finally settled, the last chef standing was wearing heels.
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MasterChef Canada winner Eric Chong and runner-up Marida Mohammed both plan to open restaurants following their stint on the show. Chong says his victory feels 'really satisfying.' CP Video Video
A shocked Lapresi was handed the MasterChef trophy along with the $250,000 (U.S.) top prize and a deal to publish her own cookbook.
In a pre-taped segment, the Philadephia-born Lapresi admitted that she was forced to work as a dancer in a 'gentleman's club' in order to make ends meet. When named the winner, Lapresi said, 'I've never given up. I've been through the wringer. I've made so many sacrifices and this validates all of them.'
But Lapresi didn't come by her victory easily. In the first hour of last night's finale, the three finalists were tasked to prepare a gourmet meal for 50 chefs from all over the U.S. - one from each state.
To help them prepare their sumptuous repasts, Lapresi, Cauvel and Gilliams enlisted the assistance of previous MasterChef contestants already eliminated from the competition. The subsequent dinner service went smoothly and the judges voted Cauvel's dish the best of the three, which automatically put her into the finale. That left Lapresi and Gilliams to compete for the remaining final spot in a dreaded 'pressure test.'
In this instance, the two chefs were given a challenge in which they had to prepare perfect versions of three 'classic' desserts - namely, New York cheesecake, key lime pie and Boston cream pie.
When MasterChef judges Gordon Ramsay, Gordon Elliott and Joe Bastianich sampled the resulting desserts, they declared Lapresi had made the best cheesecake and Gilliams had prepared the better key lime pie. Which meant it came down to the Boston cream pie.
But in a surprising twist, Ramsay revealed that Gilliams had made a fatal error in preparing his pie: Instead of adding sugar to the recipe, he added salt. Gilliams was out, and Lapresi was on her way to the finale.
As per seasons past, the final hour involved a three-course meal challenge: appetizer, entrée and dessert.
Based on an informal poll of recently-ejected MasterChef contestants, the smart money was on Cauvel going into the finale.
For the appetizer course, Cauvel opted for grilled octopus with warm chorizo and a chickpea salad. Lapresi prepared a crispy pig's ear with fennel salad topped by an adorably tiny quail egg.
The judges raved over the presentation of both dishes, though Bastianich suggested that Cauvel's octopus, which she prepared by pressure cooker, was overcooked.
Give the appetizer edge to Lapresi.
For the entrée: Cauvel stepped up her game with a spice lamb and quinoa sauté served atop carrot purée and mint yogurt sauce; Lapresi kept things slightly simply simpler with her sumac duck breast served with spring vegetables and farro.
According to the judges, Cauvel's lamb was declared spot on (save for Joe's, which was again undercooked) while Lapresi's duck received strong, if not overwhelming, acceptance.
Give the entrée edge to Cauvel.
Which meant the entire shooting match came down to dessert. Cauvel appeared to be going for broke with her grapefruit and olive oil cake with a plum trio. Lapresi went slightly more traditional with meringues served with salted chocolate and spiced almonds.
Surprisingly, Lapresi made a flub during her dessert preparation: She taste-tested one of her meringues without realizing that it would make her one short for the final presentation.
In the view of the judges, Cauvel's dessert was classy and delicate, while Lapresi's was elegant and delicious (although Elliott didn't seem too pleased by his plate missing one meringue).
Who won the dessert round? It's anyone's guess.
Going into the final decision, the finale had one scary moment: While Elliott began talking about the competition, Cauvel's husband, who was standing nearby, fainted. Such pressure!
As usual, Gordon Ramsay saved the day by getting the man a drink of cold water and setting him back on his feet.
But Cauvel's relief was short-lived. Ramsay then named Lapresi the overall winner, which was accompanied by the usual confetti, followed by many tears and hugs all-round.
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