A Dundee mum-of-one has been knocked out of BBC Three’s new Young MasterChef show after the first episode aired earlier tonight.
Elysse Crichton cooked up a storm on the debut programme alongside four of the other 15 contestants, only to have her chance of winning cut short.
She and one other contestant named Xavier were both sent home from the London-based kitchen after failing to impress judges Poppy O’Toole and London chef Kerth Gumbs.
👩🏽🍳Tonight👩🏽🍳
Tune into @bbcthree at 8pm to watch the first ever episode of young @masterchefuk. Such a fun experience and I met the best bunch of people through it. Forever grateful🪐✨
P.s how insanely cute does my little man look I cannot cope🤍@MasterChefUK @bbcthree pic.twitter.com/lgOxUCnKtT
— ElysseCrichton (@Elysse18) January 2, 2023
The 24-year-old announced that she would be taking part in the cooking competition, which is a spin-off to BBC One’s popular MasterChef show, on social media less than two weeks ago.
However, the social media manager was let down by her dry chicken she used to make her Mexican pulled chicken tacos with.
Prepared “to bring a bit of Scottish flair” to the competition, Elysse was thankful for the opportunity and hopes to one day open her own boozy brunch bar, saying it would be ” like a party every day”.
The cooking challenge
The first challenge of the show saw the five contestants serve up their personality on a plate within a 30-minute window.
A lover or Mexican food, Elysse cooked up pulled chicken tacos with a sweetcorn and jalapeno dip, mango salsa and guacamole. She also made corn tacos from scratch although judge Poppy emphasised she felt Elysse had “a lot to do” in the timeframe.
When it came to judging Kerth was enthusiastic about the dish praising the corn salad with its “lots of flavour”. However he noted that the taco lacked texture and fellow judge Poppy thought the chicken was dry, but said the street food option was “a really nice dish”.
Elysse was delighted with her offering stating: “It is me. Fun and vibrant. It’s just a tasty dish.”
After all of the dishes were presented, Poppy and Kerth had the difficult decision of deciding which two contestants would not make it through to the next round.
Both Elysse and Xavier’s names were announced and their time in the competition came to a close.
“I’m such a crier,” she said, wiping tears from her face.
“I came for the experience so the fact they [the judges] ate my food and liked it, I’m happy.”
Vegan entrepreneur Jordan from Knebworth, Charlie, a DJ from Coventry and paediatric nurse Nazia from Birmingham are still in the running.
15 talented cooks go head to head to compete for the first ever Young MasterChef crown with hosts @poppy_cooks and @KerthGumbs. #YoungMasterChef heats up the kitchen 2 Jan 2023 only on @bbcthree and @bbciplayer.
Follow #BBCFood for some great Poppy content coming soon! pic.twitter.com/hAPwt5W3ie
— BBC Food (@BBCFood) December 29, 2022
The 10-part series will see contestants aged between 18 and 25 cook off against one another to bag themselves a spot in the finale. Each week special guests will join Poppy and Kerth in judging as the challenges begin to heat up.
No prior experience was necessary to enter, although “raw talent, enthusiasm and dedication to transform themselves into the next foodie sensation,” is what judges will be looking for.
The 30-minute show airs at 8pm every Monday night on BBC Three and the next two episodes are already available on BBC iPlayer.
Elysse recently launched her food Instagram page @messymealsec where she shares images of the meals she has been making.
Conversation