Ben Starr

“

This is Ben Starr. This is what I want to do with the rest of my life.

”

 

Hometown	Dallas, TX
Age	33
Occupation	Travel Writer
Statistics
Mystery Box(es) Won	1
Elimination Test(s) Won	1
Team Challenge(s) Won	3
Pressure Test(s) Survived	3
Top Entries	2
Bottom Entries	3
Placement	5th
Episode Eliminated	Top 5 Compete

Benjamin "Ben" Starr was a contestant on Season 2 of MasterChef. He ranked in 5th place.

Personality

Ben was undoubtedly one of the friendliest, kindest, and nicest cooks in the history of the show, as he was easily remembered for his flamboyance, charm, humility, and for his hilariously outspoken nature during his audition and the confessionals. He got along with virtually everyone else in his season, including Christian, who he apparently tolerated. While he had a weak start after being called out for having the worst dish in the first challenge, he quickly bounced back and became one of the strongest cooks of the bunch. Unfortunately, he failed to replicate Gordon's venison dish, despite having the advantage of selecting the dish for everyone to cook, and being able to ask Gordon questions on how to execute the dish, making him the first contestant to be eliminated after winning a mystery box challenge. Because of his likable personality, humility, and positive energy, he is widely regarded as a fan favorite in the entire series.

Competition History

Week 5	Low/In
Week 6	Win
Week 7	In/In
Week 8	No Pressure Test
Week 9	In/Win
Week 10	Pressure Test
Week 11	In/In
Week 12	Pressure Test
Week 13	High/In
Week 14	Win
Week 15	In/Low
Week 16	Win
Week 17	Win/Eliminated

Post MasterChef

• After his appearance, an article was published claiming that Ben had called the show fake, when his intention was to remind people not to judge contestants based on edited footage. He is an avid food blogger and owns restaurant Frank Underground alongside fellow season 2 contestant Jennie Kelley, Frank is closing/going on hiatus in July 2019.

Trivia

• He is the first contestant to be in a bottom entry in a Mystery Box Challenge.
• He is the first contestant to be eliminated after winning a Mystery Box Challenge.

Quotes

• (Before his pork dish was judged) "Before you taste... (Joe: Tell me.) instead of waiting patiently to add the apple cider vinegar at the end of the cooking process like I always do, I added it beforehand. And the acid in the apple cider vinegar affected the beans' ability to cook thoroughly, so I had to remove the beans at the last minute."
• (After being eliminated) "This has like been a life-changing experience for me and ultimately, I go home with happiness and incredible friendship and so much intense education because cooking is my life and I'm walking away from this whole experience much richer for having spent the last few weeks of my life here on MasterChef."

Gallery

• Contestant
• Dishes

Ben's Confessional

Ben receiving his Apron

Ben in the Red Team

Ben in the Blue Team

Ben in a Black Apron

Christian, Adrien, and Ben in the Scallop Mystery Box Top 3

Ben as a Child

Christine, Derrick, and Ben in the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup Bottom 3

Jennifer, Adrien, and Ben in the Ground Meat Mystery Box Top 3

Adrien and Ben in the Venison Replication Bottom 2

Ben Eliminated

Ben's Audition Dish

Ben's Boot Camp Dish

Ben’s Failed Salmon Mystery Box Dish

Ben's Catfish Replication Dish

Ben's Pressure Test Cake

Ben's Pressure Test Eggs Benedict

Ben's Scallop Mystery Box Dish

Ben's Pork Dish

Ben's Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup Dish

Ben's Ground Meat Mystery Box Dish

Ben's Venison Replication Dish

External links

• Ben Starr on Instagram