MasterChef contestant branded 'biggest mistake' in the show's history over controversial dish

A MasterChef contestant was branded the “biggest mistake” the show had made in its eight years on air after she served up an… unorthodox dish.

Saray Carrillo was 27 when she made it onto the Spanish version of the culinary show back in 2020, and has since gone down as one of the most controversial contestants to date.

Her infamy was sealed after she was presented with a partridge to cook for the judges.

The issue was that the game bird was handed to her fresh from the forest: complete with beak, feathers and all internal organs.

This meant that Carrillo was expected to clean and pluck the animal before transforming it into a mouth-watering meal in just 20 minutes.

Faced with the same challenge, other members of the group were understandably uncomfortable, but they had a good stab at it nonetheless.

Not so for the 27-year-old from Córdoba, who took a bold and, ultimately, self-destructive approach to the assignment.

Rather than present the panel of experts with some beautifully roasted meat, Carrillo strode over to them and brandished the untouched bird on a plate, gratuitously garnished with some halved cherry tomatoes and slivers of spring onion.

Carrillo refused to touch the bird, explaining that she found the thought of cleaning and gutting it too repulsive(MasterChef España)

Suffice it to say, the judges were not impressed, with top chef Jordi Cruz Mas subjecting the defiant contestant to a furious tirade.

He told her that she’d not only demonstrated a “lack of respect” for him, but also for her fellow participants and for the 28,000 people who had applied to enter the MasterChef kitchens.

He then told her to remove her apron and leave the show immediately.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Carrillo remained cool in the face of the criticism, explaining that she had wanted to leave the show anyway because she felt she'd had a “black mark” against her from day one.

Following her expulsion, she told the show’s producers: “I feel fine because I feel free," adding: “I don’t think I disrespected anyone at all.”

She then conceded: “It wasn’t how I’d imagined leaving MasterChef but hey, that’s what happened.”

Four years on, her Instagram bio suggests she has no regrets over the whole debacle. It reads: “Everything happens for a reason. Rejection is God's protection.”

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