Ever wondered what happens if a contestant trips and drops their dish on the way to a MasterChef tasting? After Casper’s cooking injury on Tuesday night, caused after he dropped a glass bowl and cut his hand on the shattered glass, this question emerged for many fans.
During Tuesday night’s challenge, the contestants were paired and tasked with creating their best spin on the infamous Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Amidst the chaos of the kitchen, bowls were dropped, hands were injured, and teammates had to step up.
While Casper was lucky to have Petro by his side to pick up the slack, many fans started speculating about what really happens if contestants drop their plated dish during a normal challenge, and what measures are in place when injuries occur.
“I really want to see someone stack it and drop their food on the floor on the way to the judges,” one fan joked online, curious about what the consequences would be.
Speaking to WHO, former MasterChef stars Laura Sharrad, Jamie Fleming, and Juan de la Cruz reveal how “real” the fear of tripping over on MasterChef was for contestants, and what the outcome would be for the hopeful cook if they were so unlucky.
What happens if contestants trip over and drop their dish on the way to judging?
MasterChef fans have been very vocal this year, speculating about everything from “missing” contestants and all the “hugging” between contestants to what happens if you’re sick during an elimination or if your dish isn’t tasted.
Now they are also actively – if somewhat jokingly – hoping to see mishaps on their screens, such as contestants dropping dishes before they have a chance to present them!
“That duck is placed very precariously on the bench!” one fan on X joked.
“Drop! Drop! Drop! Drop!” another replied.
“I always always watch them bring the plates VERY closely because it makes me super nervous to see people carry important things,” another fan wrote on Reddit. “Like I KNOW I’d do this as a contestant.”
“I remember in Season 9 during a mystery box challenge one of the contestants dropped his plate he was taking out of the fridge,” one fan commented in reply, referring to Rashedul Hasan who was eliminated after the plate shattered. “The fridge door hit his elbow while closing and he dropped the plate.”
“If you trip on your way up, then that’s it,” Fleming tells WHO. “See ya later.”
“It was a legitimate concern every now and then,” he adds. “I think there were one or two close calls from memory. Fortunately not mine.”
Sharrad, meanwhile, was just thankful that it never took place during her competition.
“I am so unsure if this has ever happened before, and how stressful it would be!!!” she told WHO. “There’s always the expectation to cook more food so the judges can try your food straight after the cook, but you only serve one dish, so I’m unsure how that would unfold, actually!”
No matter how prepared a contestant may be for every possible mishap and emergency, if a plate is dropped, it’s the end of their time in the kitchen.
Luckily for Casper, the bowl he dropped wasn’t his and Petro’s final plated dish, but his cut during the cook did raise the question of what protocols and leniencies are in place if an injury takes place.
What happens when a MasterChef contestant is injured in the kitchen?
From Casper cutting himself during the cook to Vinnie watching on from the Gantry due to his illness, sickness and illnesses are an inevitable part of the competition, and one MasterChef doesn’t take lightly.
“From my experience, contestant wellbeing was taken very seriously,” Del La Cruz told WHO. “We were briefed on kitchen safety, and there were clear procedures in place for injuries and accidents.”
In his personal experience, he suffered a “burn” that took place “outside the kitchen during a practice run.”
“It was a pretty serious burn, and the response from production was immediate,” he told us. “They took me straight to the hospital and stayed with me until late on a Sunday night to make sure I was looked after.
“The next day, we had to be back in the kitchen. I was asked whether I felt capable of cooking because if I couldn’t compete, I was facing elimination. I decided to push through and cook, even though I ended up wearing a cast on my right hand.”
However, Del La Cruz stressed how much “support” he received from production throughout the whole experience.
“What really stood out to me throughout the whole experience was the level of support I received,” he said. “The medical team was incredible. I had nurses assisting me constantly, helping with pain management, changing bandages, monitoring the injury and making sure I had everything I needed to continue safely. Every detail was taken care of.”
“While no one wants to get hurt, I felt very supported from the moment the injury happened through to my recovery.”
He added: “Looking back, it was definitely a tough moment emotionally and physically, but the care I received from both production and the medical team was amazing and made a huge difference.”
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