What actually happens after a MasterChef elimination

Reality TV eliminations can be tough, not only for the contestant who’s been booted off, but also for their legion of dedicated fans.

Now MasterChef’s latest contestant to be sent home packing, Derek Lau, has revealed exactly what happens when aspiring chefs are told their time on the Channel Ten cooking show has come to an end.

Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle, the 26-year-old reveals that the filming of the farewell is final once the contestant walks out the door after hanging up their apron.

“It’s pretty much straight away,” the financial analyst explains. “When you walk out those doors, that’s the last time you get to see your mates.

“That’s why you pack the night before. It’s hard for you but it’s kind of good for them,” he continues, referring to the remaining contestants.

“They’ve still got to concentrate on the rest of their cooking. At the end of the day, it is a competition, right? So those guys have got a job to do.”

On Thursday night Derek hoped to make tortellini stuffed with ricotta and with a quail yolk inside, however luck was not on his side as he was ultimately eliminated from the popular show.

After having made it to the top eight, he says he got some good advice from judge Matt Preston before he officially left the filming premises.

Describing it as the “best advice” he received during the season, Derek tells us: “They [the judges] know I want to open a restaurant, but Matt pretty much said to me, ‘Just take your time, don’t rush into anything and when you know it’s right, you know it’s right’.

It’s been two months since filming wrapped up for MasterChef, and Derek hopes to continue balancing his finance work with his passion for food with some culinary pop-up projects, and eventually a restaurant of his own.

MasterChef continues on Sunday at 7:30pm on Channel Ten.

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