Emily Hallock is back among the top 10 finalists in the “MasterChef” cooking competition.
Though for the second time in as many weeks, the native Neenah could have been eliminated. Last week, she felt the heat of possibly being eliminated as one of the bottom three during an individual challenge. This week, she came even closer to going home.
In the first of back-to-back episodes, cooks worked as tag teams to make three signature dishes from Gordon Ramsay restaurants: mushroom risotto, beef Wellington, and caramelized pear tarte tatin. Each team had 75 minutes to complete all three dishes.
Hallock teamed with Gabriel Lewis, who finished eighth during season seven.
“Emily is a headstrong cook and she’s very vocal. I don’t like yelling, so my main goal is to focus on myself and communicating,” Lewis said.
If Hallock did any yelling, it didn’t make the cut. During her time on the side while Lewis cooked, she gave suggestions and instructions in a reasonably mild-mannered Midwestern tone. At one stressful moment, Hallock encourages Lewis to take a breath.
The only “yelling” came during the final seconds when Lewis asked Hallock to taste the potatoes for seasoning. She snapped back that they were fine.
From early on, judges spotted problems with the Hallock and Lewis pairing.
“My big issue between those two tonight,” Ramsay said, “Emily is quite headstrong but doesn’t always communicate well, and Gabriel is quiet and sometimes doesn’t listen.”
Throughout the cook Hallock and Lewis appeared to be somewhere in the middle as far as their dishes went.
Still, Hallock had a sense they might be in trouble before judges called them up to taste their food.
“I think Gabe and I made some mistakes. I’m nervous because last week I was on the bottom, and at this point, the level of competition is so much higher and if you mess up you’re probably the one going home,” Hallock said.
Saying “some” mistakes was an understatement.
Before taking a bite, judge Joe Bastianich said the risotto didn’t “have the eloquence I’m looking for in a plate of risotto.”
After that judges criticized the risotto’s lack of flavor, the uneven pastry of the beef Wellington and tarte tatin’s undercooked pears.
More:Neenah native Emily Hallock makes a top 3 dish on ‘MasterChef’
The cook on the beef led to another beef between Hallock and Bastianich.
During season nine they had a dust up when Bastianich criticized Hallock for using garlic and onion powder as she prepared a filet mignon over fondant potato with duxelles and a red wine pan sauce. Hallock fired back in defense of the seasoning choice.
On this episode, Bastianich looked at the color of beef Wellington and asked, “It looks like its medium, is that what you wanted?”
“I would call that on the rare side,” Hallock said.
“I’m saying medium,” Bastianich retorted.
“OK, let’s meet in the middle, medium rare,” Hallock said.
“No, medium,” Bastianich ended the conversation.
Ultimately, Lewis took the brunt of the blame for the biggest criticisms and was eliminated.
That moved Hallock into the final 11 contestants.
Airing immediately afterwards, cooks in the next episode had 45 minutes to create a gourmet version of a Grubhub-delivered meal.
Each contestant grabbed a bag at random. Hallock got a burger and fries.
When Gordon Ramsay checked on Hallock as she was preparing her dish he asked: “How are you feeling?”
“My first goal is to make it to the top 10, then past the top 10,” Hallock said.
More:Emily Hallock deconstructs the cake that eliminated her from ‘MasterChef’ to win the first challenge of season 12
A flashback to her “MasterChef” elimination reminded viewers of her unexpected departure during season nine.
“I still play it back in my mind, in terms of that dreadful night,” Ramsay said.
From there Hallock continued her preparation of a burger and fries-inspired steak tartare.
During the judges’ final walk through before choosing the top and bottom dishes, Bastianich picked up the hamburger and said: “So this (hamburger), makes you think of that (steak tartare).”
Hallock kept her response short, “It’s a different experience.”
He put down the burger with a disappearing look on his face. Though, honestly, Bastianich was tough on everyone during this segment.
Show editors added a couple of moments to build some suspense that Hallock might be selected as the final cook for elimination, but she remained at her station when another contestant got called up.
With that Hallock accomplished her first goal of making the top 10. Next up, making the top nine.
“MasterChef” airs at 7 p.m. Wednesdays on Fox. Past episodes streaming on Hulu.
Contact Daniel Higgins dphiggin@gannett.com. Follow @HigginsEats on Twitter and Instagram and like on Facebook.
