Little Master

Last night was, according to me one of the most epic battles in Masterchef history – on the one hand you had the cocky, sharp, uber confident David Miller…a stark contrast to the simple, Southern pastry princess Whitney Miller, often shaky, sometimes all over the place, but mostly with a firm head on her petite shoulders.  The Miller Vs Miller was a battle of true grit, one of dogged determination, of styles and presentations that were diametrically opposite from each other, truly  paisa vasool!

It was a classic battle of good versus evil here. And I’m chalking that up to the creative editing that the producers have been using all season on this show. Sweet Whitney versus pasty full-of-himself David. Everyone was pulling for her by the end of the challenge. I must admit, I thought she was dead in the water when she dropped her chicken. But as in all classic stories, she pulled it out and emerged triumphant. It was rather like a Disney movie. With cooking and stuff.

For the final challenge, Whitney won the judges over with a delicious and technically savvy gourmet three-course meal: an appetizer of Sweet Shrimp on a Crispy Corncake with Turnip Green Pesto, a main course of Buttermilk Chicken with Creamed Collard Greens and a dessert of Bread Pudding with Raspberry Coulis with White Chocolate Sauce.

During the final cook-off, Whitney remained focused, keeping her eye on the prize, while her opponent David Miller showboated and played to the crowd of onlookers, which included the previous MasterChef contestants and the finalists’ families. With a warning from Ramsay about turning his attention where it mattered–his food–David tuned in to the kitchen, but it was too little, too late.

I’m not sure what it is about these competitive reality shows, but there’s always a master ego in the finale. Much like Top Chef finalist Ed Cotton, David Miller was sure he had the winnings in the bag, and that over-confidence interfered with his ability to pull off the winning maneuvers.

Becoming the first U.S. Masterchef was a huge accomplishment for young Whitney. Not only will she get her very own cookbook, but that sweet check for $250,000 will definitely send her on her way into the culinary world. And as David Miller rightfully said, young Whitney is quite ready to ‘Bring It.’