Josh Marks

“

Coming from an athletic background, we play to win, and I'm not settling for anything less than MasterChef.

”

  

Hometown	Jackson, MS
Age	24
Occupation	U.S. Army Contract Specialist
Statistics
Mystery Box(es) Won	1
Elimination Test(s) Won	2
Team Challenge(s) Won	2
Pressure Test(s) Survived	3
Top Entries	2
Bottom Entries	3
Placement	Runner-Up (Formerly 8th)

Joshua "Josh" Marks (April 28, 1987 - October 11, 2013) was a contestant on Season 3 of MasterChef. He was the runner-up of that season. On October 11, 2013, he committed suicide after struggling with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Personality

Josh was a tall man, but was a nice person and was always seen helping those in need whenever possible, one notable example was helping Christine fold tortellini despite not participating in the Pressure Test. He was kind and friendly to the other home cooks, while starting out as a strong cook. However, after returning back to the MasterChef kitchen, he was still nice, but became more competitive than before, as he would not provide help as much from before to prevent any of his competitors from benefiting from his advice (a notable instance when he would refuse to give David rice when the latter forgot it from the pantry), wanted to get rid of any potential competition by any possible means, and took the competition very seriously. Despite being inconsistent, he still established himself to be a strong cook, which allowed him to compete in the finals. He got along with the majority of the other cooks, developing friendships with Christine, Becky, Felix, Monti (despite some issues early on) and a strong one with Frank before the latter backstabbed him for his own personal reasons that were very similar to his tactics. He disliked Ryan for his disrespect toward the judges and his horrid personality, Tali for his incompetence and inability to cook anything properly, and David for his delusional attitude, refusal to admit his mistakes, and being the weakest cook in the second half of the competition.

Competition History

Week 4	In/In
Week 5	Win
Week 6	In/Win
Week 7	Pressure Test
Week 8	In/In
Week 9	In
Week 10	In/In
Week 11	High/In
Week 12	Eliminated
Week 14	Returned
Week 15	In/Low
Week 16	Low
Week 17	Win/Low
Week 18	Low
Week 19	High/Win
Week 20	Runner-Up

Post MasterChef

• After his appearance, Josh sadly committed suicide on October 11, 2013 after a battle with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He was 26 years old.

Trivia

• He is the first contestant to have a military background before coming to MasterChef.
• With 4 challenge wins, he is tied with David (season 1) for fewest wins out of any finalist.
  • By extension, him and David hold this record for all male finalists as well.
• He is the tallest contestant to ever compete in the show's history, as he was 7' 2'' (218 cm), the second being Noah from Season 10 who is recorded to be 6' 7'' (200 cm).
• He is the first U.S. contestant to be reported as deceased, preceding Ben from MasterChef Junior Season 6, Beth from Season 4, and Tony from Season 2.
• He was a 7-footer who played basketball and excelled academically at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, where he earned an economics degree cum laude in 2009.
  • As one of the tallest centers in the school’s history, Josh helped Tougaloo win its first conference championship in 2007.

Quotes

• "I think about food everyday, like all day, everyday. The opportunity to go into the MasterChef kitchen is the opportunity of a lifetime."
• (After being eliminated) "I'm proud of my performance, proud of everything I did so far in this competition and I have no reason to hang my head. I feel like my full knowledge and my skills and abilities have increased tremendously being here. It's a huge opportunity to be able to learn directly from amazing chefs and restauranteurs. Just because I'm leaving MasterChef today doesn't mean I'm not gonna pursue my dream and doesn't mean I'm not gonna stop cooking. I'm still gonna be myself and cook my ass off.
• (After being named Runner Up) "Christine is a tough competitor, I love her, I respect her; I'm just proud to be able to compete against her. I will never give up on my dream. It will come true, but whether MasterChef or not, it's definitely coming through."

Gallery

Season 3

Josh's Confessional

Josh's Audition Dish

Josh receiving his Apron

Josh in the Blue Team

Josh in the Red Team

Josh in a Black Apron

Josh's Canned Crab Dish

Ryan, Tali, Josh, and Anna in the Molten Lava Cake Pressure Test

Josh's Pressure Test Molten Lava Cake

Josh's Trifle

Josh's Sea Urchin Mystery Box Dish

Felix, Josh, and Stacey in the Sea Urchin Mystery Box Top 3

Josh's Pressure Test Eggs

Becky and Josh in the Eggs Pressure Test Bottom 2

Josh Eliminated

Josh Re-Entering the MasterChef Kitchen

Josh's Re-Entry Mystery Box Dish

Josh and Ryan in the Reinstated Final 2

Josh's Re-Entry Fruit Tart

Josh Reinstated

Josh's Corn Dessert

Josh, Felix, and David in the Corn Dessert Bottom 3

David and Josh in the Filet Mignon Pressure Test

Josh's Ingredient Swap Mystery Box Dish (Frank's Basket)

Josh, Monti, and Christine in the Ingredient Swap Mystery Box Top 3

Josh's Sashimi Replication Dish

Monti, Becky, and Josh in the Sashimi Replication Bottom 3

Frank and Josh's Vegetable Appetizer

Frank and Josh's Lamb Entrée

Frank and Josh's White Chocolate Dessert

Frank and Josh in the Soufflé Pressure Test

Josh's Pressure Test Cheese Soufflé

Josh's Pressure Test Chocolate Soufflé

Josh's Pressure Test Raspberry Soufflé

Josh's Signature Dish

Josh's Leg of Meat Dish

Josh in a Chef Smock

Josh's Smock Confessional

Christine and Josh in the Finale

Josh's Lobster Appetizer

Josh's Lamb Entrée

Josh's Pecan Dessert

Josh after being named Runner Up

External links

• Josh Marks on Instagram