| “ | Do I look like Superman, anybody?! | ” |
David Martinez was a contestant on Season 3 of MasterChef. He ranked in 6th place.
Personality
David was initially a reasonable, respectable, passionate, and logical cook at the beginning of the competition. He started off as one of the season's strongest cooks and proceeded to give out strong performances on the first half of his run on the show. However, in the second half, he quickly went on a downward spiral by being a consistently poor performer. His attitude also deteriorated along with his downward spiral, as he suddenly became extremely arrogant, self-absorbed, argumentative, and was shown to be selfish on numerous occasions. His consistency in team and individual challenges also plummeted, which included a string of careless mistakes, often followed by a stupid excuse, which he never bounced back from. Finally, he was constantly in denial about his poor performances, threw his teammates under the bus whenever he was at fault, and was desperate about proving to the top competitors his worth, all of which contributed to his downfall. He loathed Ryan over his disrespect toward the judges, had a huge dislike towards Tali, despite the two having no interaction to each other, and had a long-lived feud with Monti over conflicting personalities. He was disliked by most of the contestants, especially Ryan, Tali, Anna, Tanya, Monti, Becky (despite teaming up with her in episode 13 and receiving rice from her after forgetting it two episodes later) and Josh. However, he developed strong friendships with Frank and Dave.
Season 3
Episode 1
David was not seen in this episode.
Episode 2
David was not seen in this episode.
Episode 3
David was the final home cook to audition in this episode. While cooking his dish, he explained his inspiration to be a chef and the hardships he faced when growing up in the south side of Chicago. He then served his Chaoite de Pescado with poblano atole. He further explains that not everyone gets to enjoy the luxury of eating high quality meals where he comes from; nearly breaking down to tears in the process. The judges unanimously voted yes, earning him an apron.
In the Top 36 Boot Camp, David felt confident about the challenge as he loved cooking with ground beef. When Joe asked him on who he thinks is his biggest competition, he responded with Josh and Tali. David then served his Faux bone marrow made from beef and potatoes with roasted vegetables. Gordon praised the dish for its smart idea and it being savory, but criticized the vegetables for being undercooked. Graham praised the beef and potato for working well together. He advanced to the next stage.
Episode 4
In the Mystery Box Challenge, David was not called down with his dish.
In the Intimidating Dishes Invention Test, David served his risotto with gooseberry, roasted poblano, and scallops. It was praised by Gordon and Graham for being spot on. David was announced as one of the two winners of this challenge and will become the team captain in the next challenge.
Episode 5
In the Marines Field Challenge, David picked Becky, Josh, Mike, Ryan, Helene, Anna, and Monti for the Red Team. He decided to serve Barbeque pork chops with coleslaw and potatoes. In the middle of the challenge, David went silent, resulting in a series of hiccups such as Josh & Becky falling behind on grilling the potatoes for the sides. This prompted Gordon to intervene and warn David about the dangers of being behind schedule. After Gordon discovered the pork chops to be raw, he had David send the pork chops back to the grill immediately. The Red Team eventually won the challenge.
Episode 6
In the Fresh vs Convenient Invention Test, David received a live crab. He was not seen presenting his dish. He survived elimination.
Episode 7
In the Hotel Field Challenge, David was selected by Josh to form the Blue Team and was assigned to oatmeal. After the challenge, he was selected by Joe as the first member of his team safe from the Pressure Test.
Episode 8
In the Preferred Desserts Invention Test, David was assigned to make the Tiramisu, which made him concerned. When Joe came to check on the status of the cream used for his Tiramisu, he stated that it should taste like mascarpone. However, after Joe tasted the cream, he claimed that it tasted more like cream cheese than mascarpone. David then presented his Tiramisu while explaining that he mixed his mascarpone with brandy and marsala wine and topped it with hazelnut. His Tiramisu was criticized by Gordon and Joe for being a letdown, with Joe even stating that he wished he could send him and Felix home. Despite this, his dish was not selected for the worst Tiramisu of the four and, as such, is safe from elimination.
Episode 9
In the Venice Beach Field Challenge, David was part of the Yellow Team. He suggested chips instead of fries for the team's menu as they can prepare them ahead of time and have them in the bucket. His idea contradicted Monti's idea of french fries. As the Yellow Team struggled on prep, the team had David 86 "the Calypso Burger". During cooking, after Gordon spotted a raw burger, he called out David for cooking raw burgers, while David claimed that he was cooking the burgers faster than the team could serve them. The Yellow Team eventually lost the challenge to the Red and Blue teams, which meant David had to face the Pressure Test. After the results are announced, David and Monti blamed each other for the team's loss before Anna stepped in and claimed responsibility.
In the Tortellini Pressure Test, David was pinned as the main reason for the Yellow Team's loss, while he blamed everyone else. When Gordon came by to David to check on his tortellini, David admitted that he's nervous and that he had never made tortellini before. Despite this, he states he is going to try to find a solution to work around his sausage fingers. After he served his tortellini dish to the judges, it was praised by Ramsay and Joe for tasting great and looking beautiful. He survived elimination.
Episode 10
In the Tools of the Trade Invention Test, David was assigned to use the pizza stone. He served smoked lobster with oven roasted potatoes and bacon. It was heavily criticized by Graham and Joe for its bad presentation and tasting, with the latter throwing the dish into the trash bin after tasting it. Gordon later commented on his downfall in the competition. His dish was considered for the bottom 3 alongside Mike's and Tanya's. He survived elimination.
Episode 11
In the Fish Invention Test, David was assigned to use the Yellowtail fish by Felix. When Gordon visited him and tried out his sauce, he found it incredibly spicy. Afterwards, he served deviled yellowtail with aioli potatoes and red cabbage slaw. Joe found the fish to be completely raw and criticized the dish for being overcomplicated. Graham also didn't understand the ingredients used for his dish. His dish was considered for the bottom three alongside Tali's and Christine's. He survived elimination.
Episode 12
In the Norco Horsetown Field Challenge, David was chosen by Monti to form the Blue Team. When a fire erupted in his team's grill, he stepped in to put the fire out. Eventually, the Blue Team won the challenge, which meant David is safe from the Pressure Test.
Episode 13
In the Mystery Box Challenge, David served his pan-roasted chicken with red pepper grits and shoestring onions. It was praised by Gordon and Paula Deen for being delicious. David's dish was chosen for the top 3, but lost to Frank in the end.
In the Elimination Test, David paired with Becky to make a Japanese Sampler. The pair's dish was in the bottom 2, but the pair was the first to be saved from elimination, which meant David survived elimination.
Episode 14
David did not compete in this episode as he is still in the competition.
Episode 15
In the Mystery Box Challenge, David served his spot prawn ceviche. Joe and Gordon praised the dish for its acidity and balance. His dish was chosen for the top 3, and he eventually won the challenge.
In the Savory to Sweet Hybrids Invention Test, David chose Corn out of the 3 ingredients as an ingredient to be incorporated in a dessert. When he is given examples of desserts with corn, he decided on doing a corn-based rice pudding as a homage to his mother. He then spent 5 minutes in the MasterChef Pantry to get all the ingredients for the rice pudding, but after leaving the pantry, he discovered that he forgot the rice. When he informed the judges about the mishap, he was told that he cannot come back to the pantry as per competition rules.
As the challenge begins, David immediately started asking if anyone had rice, to which Becky said yes and handed him a tiny amount. much to the disapproval of the judges. Gordon visited David, and asked if he realized how lucky he was to be given rice; to which David said yes. Gordon then tells David to make the best rice pudding he can possibly make. David then served his corn and rice pudding with salted caramel sauce. Joe criticized the dish for tasting disgusting, and Graham remarked that this is one of the worst things David had served. Gordon struggled on tasting the corn and expected a better dish from David especially with the advantage he had. His dish was chosen for the bottom 3. David survived elimination.
Episode 16
In the Hatfield's Restaurant Field Challenge, Frank chose him to be part of the Blue Team and was assigned to the meat station. After Gordon noticed the beurre blanc starting to burn, he tried to fix the issue only to discover that he accidentally left a plastic bottle of olive oil on the stove, causing it to leak all over the place. The Blue Team eventually lost the challenge, meaning David had to face the Pressure Test.
During the filet mignon steak Pressure Test, David competed against Josh. While David did better on the medium rare steak, Josh did better on the rare and well-done steak, At the end, David was eliminated for not nailing the temperatures of his three steaks and having too much garlic. However, Graham took the opportunity to offer a mentorship in one of his Michelin Star restaurants in Chicago, to which David happily accepted.
Episode 19
Episode 20
Competition History
| Week 4 | In/Win |
|---|---|
| Week 5 | Win |
| Week 6 | In/In |
| Week 7 | No Pressure Test |
| Week 8 | In/In |
| Week 9 | Pressure Test |
| Week 10 | In/Low |
| Week 11 | In/Low |
| Week 12 | Win |
| Week 13 | High/In |
| Week 14 | Immune |
| Week 15 | Win/Low |
| Week 16 | Eliminated |
Post MasterChef
- After his appearance, he launched a private dining company before returning to college to study for a doctorate at Arizona State in Educational finance.
- He quit cooking and is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina.
Trivia
- He is the only contestant to be in the bottom of three elimination tests in a row.
- He is the fourth contestant, first male, who had his dish thrown away in the trash by Joe Bastianich, following Slim (Season 1), Jennifer (Season 2), and Helene (from the same season).
Quotes
- (About Ryan) "I don't mean to be a hater, but man, come on. Ryan, for him to throw Samantha under the bus like that, was a fucking bitch move."
- (About Ryan and Tali following the Risotto Elimination Challenge) "Ryan and Tali are the two people that I wanna see go home. They're just total idiots and if they don't stay on their toes, I'm gonna be the one to take them out."
- (During the first team challenge after raw pork was taken back) "I was so invested in serving these Marines two-inch thick pork chops, and it's completely my fault that we're going down in flames right now."
- (About his team finding out that he was serving raw burgers) "Yeah, I had a couple of raw burgers, but I'm cooking burgers faster than they can serve them. Give me a freaking break! Do I look like Superman, anybody?!"
- (To Monti) "You're such a child."
- (To Anna, Monti, and Tanya) "You guys are absolutely insane."
- (To Ramsay after failing to cook yellowtail) "It's just a lack of understanding of the ingredient."
- (After being eliminated) "I just spring-boarded myself to a position at a Graham Elliot restaurant. It's huge. It's something that professionals in the culinary industry beg for on a daily basis, and so I feel absolutely absolutely overjoyed by that. Leaving the MasterChef kitchen, I feel absolutely more confident than ever and look at me you know; with great risk comes great reward and if you love something, you should fight for it, tooth and nail. Life is a journey and you can't worry about your mistakes and so I'm never gonna give up on those. I'm gonna take this opportunity and I think people will see big things of me in the near future."
Gallery
Season 3
External links
David Martinez on Twitter
References
| MasterChef U.S. Season 3 |
|---|
| Judges |
| Gordon Ramsay • Graham Elliot • Joe Bastianich |
| Contestants |
| Stacey Amagrande • Monti Carlo • Michael Chen • Tali Clavijo • Felix Fang • Christine Hà • Mike Hill • Helene Leeds • Scott Little • Dave Mack • Josh Marks • David Martinez • Frank Mirando • Tanya Noble • Anna Rossi • Becky Reams • Samantha De Silva • Ryan Umane |