Yahoo News Celebrity MasterChef 2023 airs first elimination of the series
Celebrity MasterChef spoilers follow.
Celebrity MasterChef has revealed the first star to be eliminated from the 2023 season.
Donning the white aprons for tonight's (August 2) premiere episode were reality star Dani Dyer, The Inbetweeners actor James Buckley, comedian Marcus Brigstocke, former Gogglebox star Mica Ven and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Richie Anderson.
The celebrities faced two rounds and a wide variety of ingredients, but after a fierce competition, Richie was the first contestant eliminated following a mishap with his chicken.
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Marcus and Misha started off strong in the 'under the cloche' round, where each celebrity picked a special ingredient to showcase in their dish.
Dani also managed to impress with her venison, despite revealing it was the one food she'd never eat, while both Richie and James struggled with cooking rice.
The second round saw the five celebrities tasked with cooking two dishes — a main and dessert — which they would serve at a dinner party.
Marcus went all out with his pan-fried salmon, followed by cardamom pears with yuzu cream. Meanwhile, James kept it simple with marinated steak and a chocolate and peanut butter dessert.
Despite the minimal menu, James received praise from the chefs, who encouraged him to be even more ambitious with his cooking.
"You can do more — go for it!" John urged.
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However, Richie failed to hit the mark after Gregg noticed his jerk chicken was still pink and his poached pears were inconsistent.
"I served Gregg Wallace pink chicken. I'm absolutely mortified," Richie said afterwards.
After impressing with their skills, Mica and Marcus went straight through to the next round, leaving the final elimination decision between Richie, Dani and James. "They all have potential," John acknowledged.
However, Richie's mistakes ultimately cost him his place in the competition.
"I'm so gutted because I've had such an amazing time," he said, vowing to continue building his confidence and skills in the kitchen.
Celebrity MasterChef airs on BBC One.
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