The Quarry Team Challenge

This morning came early; our call was at 5 a.m. We drove in the dark for a few hours without knowing where our challenge would be or who we'd be cooking for. As we arrived, we discovered our destination was a rock Quarry.

This field challenge - is a test beyond mere cooking against another team. The elements were also our opponents: biting cold, relentless wind, and swirling sand that threatened to sweep away anything not tethered down. Blowing sand found its way into everything from our nostrils and eyes to serving trays and utensils. Fearing to sweep us away, our mission remained: to feed the hard-working quarry workers and their families no matter the conditions. Quite an adventure lay ahead.

Picking Teams

Gordon announces that he will pick the teams. Boomers are paired with GenZ, and Millennials are paired with GenX. Once the teams were picked, the teams gathered together to choose a captain. Horacio and I both said we wanted to be captain. We argued fiercely as I pleaded with my teammates to be their driving force today; after missing the chance in the first team challenge, I wouldn't let this opportunity slip through my fingers again.

Thankfully, after some discussion, my team felt more confident with me as their leader. I was unanimously voted Team Captain: the Blue Team: Warren, Horacio, Murt, Hailey, Adam, and Becca—the Red Team: Captain Arthur, Michael, Kimberly, Daniella, Jeet, and Kamay.

Immunity Advantage

My advantage after winning the last challenge and immunity pin for making my snapper puttanesca in the Blue Moon Beer Challenge is the first pick for the protein. Our choices are skin-on chicken thighs and burgers.

Years of watching MasterChef helped me decide: I chose the chicken thighs, knowing that in MC history, undercooked beef is a death sentence, especially in field challenges when dealing with the elements. My philosophy is that if my team can nail the flavors and cook the chicken right, the odds of winning are in our favor.

My Goal

Before coming to MasterChef, I dreamed about being the first person to have a service where diners sent back NO protein. I set my sights on that prize, and as the Team Captain today, I aim not to have any protein sent back—not one piece. Would that be possible?

The Menu

We have a few minutes to create our menu. After discussing ideas, the team agreed to make a Southwestern-style dry-rubbed grilled chicken sandwich with spicy mayonnaise, corn salsa, and a creamy macaroni salad.

Assigning Stations

It's time to assign everyone their tasks for the challenge. I ask Horacio to man the grill, and he confidently claims he's a master. Horacio is a loose cannon, but I hope to wrangle him if things start going south. Warren preps the chicken and will assist Horacio with the grill. Murt and Hailey begin prepping the corn salsa. Becca and Adam are responsible for toasting the buns and making the macaroni salad. It's important to know that boiling water for pasta in the driving wind is challenging, so they had their work cut out for them! The Judges give us thirty minutes to prepare a tasting plate, so we get to work.

Train Wreck On The Grill

We start prepping our food when Horacio says we must add sauce to the chicken thighs before cooking them. Fearing that a sugary sauce will burn on the scorching hot grills if not tended correctly, I don't see it this way and say we can add the sauce after cooking.

Joe and Aaron arrive to chat with Horacio about the chicken, and he takes full responsibility, saying the chicken is his idea, while Joe says, "Now you have to execute." I'm starting to doubt Horacio's ability to complete his tasks on the grill, and we are butting heads!

Chaos of the Unknown

Judges Taste

The judges arrive to taste our chicken sandwich and sides. They say the chicken is too dry and overcooked. Joe says he's missing the crunchy skin part. Is our chicken failing because it is overcooked, missing the skins, or needs a sauce? Probably all of the above! Aaron suggests we rethink the corn salsa on the sandwich and add it to the mac salad, then add a fresh element of slaw. Yes!

I told You So

Gordon states, "It would be best to have a rhythm on these hot grills and think about adding a sauce." I take the judge's suggestions and news back to my team. When I walk away, Horacio says, "I told you we need a sauce." Flashback to when I was a kid; I feel I'm on the playground when that other kid says, "I told you so," so I'm trying to keep my cool. I decided that two stubborn boomers fighting it out over sauce was not in our best interest, so I pivoted.

Crazysauce

I instruct Horacio, and not too nicely, that if he wants to make a sauce, go and do it! So he heads back to the prep station, where he dumps ALL of our dry rubs and some canned chipotle peppers into some mayonnaise to make his chicken marinade sauce. I am unaware this is happening as I'm helping others with their tasks. When Horacio asks me to taste the sauce, I go back for a closer look...

Gordon's Spidey Senses

Gordon seems to arrive at the most challenging times as he shows up and tastes the sauce while I'm hollering at Horaciao. How does he know we are falling apart right when we are falling apart? He has honed his spidey senses so keenly after years on MasterChef that he can sense when teams are about to burn. And now, he's hollering at Horacio, saying, "This is inedible; what are you trying to do, Horacio? Kill us!" Gordon tells me I better take control and soon!

Another F-Bomb

Another F-bomb leaves my lips; this overcooked chicken drama and Horacio's crazy sauce are causing us to fall behind and may prevent us from serving the guests on schedule. On a mission to craft a quick sauce for the chicken, I look around for ingredients only to find that all our dry spices have been used in Horace’s sauce, and the pantry is empty. I only see a jar of chipotle peppers, brown sugar, and butter. So, I fashion a simple sauce that tastes good and is perfect for our chicken thighs. I hope it’s enough.

You're Fired!

I must stop this train wreck and fire Horacio from the grill.

I ask Murt to replace him. Hailey joins him, and they start working on the fiery hot grill and cooking the chicken thighs like pros. Another side note: The grill is about a million degrees, so hot it melts the tops of Hailey's rubber shoes! ACK! Horacio steps in to help Warren make the slaw, and we finally find our groove.

Service Begins

Our guests arrive to pick up their plates, which we hope hold only a fraction of the sand blowing around us. Despite the hot-as-hell grill, Murt and Haily are masterful together, churning out perfectly cooked chicken thighs. Warren and Horacio are helping Becca with the sides and buns as Adam transitions to the front to help me expedite. We hit our stride and press onward. We might feed everyone today!

Gordon Punts Another Piece of Meat

Both teams are cranking out plate after plate to feed the quarry workers and their families when Gordon's booming voice cuts through the chaos. He tosses what looks like a burger into the side of a sand mover, shouting, "It's RAW! Get it together!" Oh no, the Red Team scrambles to get their ground meat to cook correctly.

As I mentioned, cooking beef or pork in the elements on scorching grills is challenging. With our heads down, cranking out plate after plate, my team is on fire like champs; I thank God for chicken thighs and my teammate's stellar performance! We'd finally hit our stride, and success seemed within reach. It's judgment time.

Times Up Judging Begins

The teams walk down a sandy road, meeting the judges, guests, and diners. We learn that colored explosions in the gravel near us will announce the winners. How exciting!

And The Winner Is...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Blue smoke billows out from the loud explosions, indicating that the BLUE TEAM WINS! Our Chicken sandwich wins the challenge.

I couldn't be more proud at this moment! Our team had a rough start, but with some pivots, we persevered and brought home another victory!

Sand In My Ears

Whew! Another crazy day in my MasterChef journey. It is time for a much-needed shower and sleep. I found sand in my ears for days following the challenge. I can only imagine what tomorrow will bring.

Cutting Room Floor Edits

Sadly, one tidbit from this week's episode ended up on the cutting room floor. The episode shows Gordon finding an undercooked piece of chicken as we prepare for service. What it needs to show is what happened after.

Gordon addresses the crowd and says, Rebecka, you've made MasterChef history, "This is the first Field Challenge in MasterChef history where not one piece of protein has returned. Congratulations, Rebecka!

Oh, how I wish they had added this tidbit to the episode. I know; if you didn't see it, it didn't happen! All I can say is I have witnesses!!

I am gobsmacked and proud to have achieved what I set out to do by being the first person to have a service where diners sent back NO protein. The victory is even sweeter knowing that we all came together as a team after such a rough start. I'm so very proud of my teammates!