Ha!
Well, Jennifer is NOT a mom...she is single and looking. (Christine was the single mom.)
Regarding Derrick, he has spent some time "staging" (pronounced STAH-zhing) which basically means interning for free, in both Joe's restaurants and Graham's restaurant in Chicago. Of ANY of the contestants, he is working the hardest post-MasterChef to become an actual chef. On show nights in NY he does "restaurant takeovers" where he designs and prepares the menu himself, and he has sold out every single event. There is rumor that Max is opening up a restaurant in the Hudson Valley, and if so, Derrick will be a chef there.
Derrick and I didn't get to be very close until the end of MasterChef, but I've been to NY to visit him since the show ended, and we've become pretty close. He is one unique person. He took me on the cheapie-foodie tour of the city one afternoon...I think we ate small plates at probably 15 different places.
I keep in touch with virtually of the top 18 on a fairly regular basis. Some I'm closer to than others, but we are all connected and helping support each other in our various endeavors.
Question: "What happens to all the dishes the judges don't taste? Do you guys get to eat them? If so, do you taste and compare each other's dishes?"
There is one plate that we present to the judges, they each taste, then that plate and its contents go in the trash. Whatever food is left on our stations after judging is over gets devoured by the crew. (The crew says that MasterChef is a coveted show in LA, because of all the food the crew gets to eat!) We taste our dishes as we are cooking, but we're not allowed to sit and eat the remainder while judging takes place (Christian got in trouble for that in one episode) and as soon as judging is complete, we evacuate the studio for interviews. We generally don't get to taste each other's dishes, for a variety of reasons, and I'll leave it at that!
"Is there more dialog about the dishes we don't get to see?"
YES. We each spend anywhere from 5-15 minutes in front of the judges. Even sometimes when they edit Joe or one of the judges just giving a look and walking away, that never happens. Each judge gives us both positive and negative feedback about each dish. Only a fraction of the feedback gets on the air.
"when the judges are all walking around and you guys are preparing the Mystery Box challenge, do they give you hints and suggestions, and can you ask them technique questions?"
The judges sometimes give suggestions while we're cooking, but most often they ask US questions about our choices. They'll taste a sauce and ask, "Did you intend for it to taste this way?" which could be criticism or compliment, and it's up to you to decide. They basically want to see if you are committing to your choices, or if you are wishywashy and decide to backtrack in the middle.
You can ask technique questions and sometimes they'll answer. Generally they do this more often in the team challenges. In the very first challenge when I was baking the brick-oven pizzas, I brought in 10 pounds of baby spinach to saute with olive oil and spices, and I only had a small skillet over a small burner. Ramsay came over and said, "BenStahh it's going to take you an hour to saute all this spinach. You don't have to saute it. It's young and tender. Dress it with a vinaigrette and toss it right on top of the pizza. It will wilt in the oven and be perfect." DUH!
So, yes, the judges give us help, particular in moments of dire need. You learn a LOT from being on the show...I came back and on the first meal I cooked at home, everyone was like... WOAH, what happened to you out there?
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