Stephen Lee

 

“

I use every drop of energy in an organized fashion to do and get WHAT I WANT!

”

Hometown	Palm Springs, CA
Age	47 (Season 6) 54 (Season 12)
Occupation	Urban Gardener (Season 6) Private Chef and Food Truck Owner (Season 12)
Statistics
Mystery Box(es) Won	1 (Season 6) DNP (Season 12)
Elimination Test(s) Won	1 (Season 6) 0 (Season 12)
Team Challenge(s) Won	7 (Season 6) DNP (Season 12)
Pressure Test(s) Survived	1 (Season 6)
Top Entries	2 (Season 6) 0 (Season 12)
Bottom Entries	0 (Season 6) 1 (Season 12)
Placement	3rd (Season 6) 20th (Season 12)
Episode Eliminated	Team Gordon Ramsay (Top 3) (Season 6) Dish That Sent You Home (Season 12)

Stephen Lee was a contestant on Seasons 6 and 12 of MasterChef. On Season 6, he ranked in 3rd place, and on Season 12, he ranked in 20th place.

Personality

Stephen had one of the most memorable and outgoing personalities in MasterChef history. He was very well known for his quirky, energetic, and unpredictable attitude, often raising his voice in excitement and making everyone laugh with his loud and sarcastic humor.

In Season 6, he was extremely confident, passionate, and a force to be reckoned with. He is arguably considered to be the strongest cook of the season with his versatility and strong leadership skills. He was someone who was strong and commanding, but was not afraid to show emotion, especially when he openly cried during his first and only Pressure Test after breaking the crust for his fruit tart. He got along with nearly all the other home cooks, was seen working very well with Nick in several team challenges, but disliked Christopher for his talkative attitude and had a long feud with Derrick over being top competition.

In Season 12, he returned with the same personality and was expected to go far. But in the first elimination challenge of the season where the chefs had to reinvent the dish that sent them home in their previous seasons, Stephen accidentally put little to no gelatin in his panna cottas making them liquidity and tasting like inedible chocolate milk, leading to the shock of him being the season's first person eliminated.

Competition History

Week 3	In/In
Week 4	Win
Week 5	In/Win
Week 6	Win
Week 7	In/In
Week 8	No Pressure Test
Week 9	In/Immune
Week 10	In/In
Week 11	Pressure Test
Week 12	Win
Week 13	Win/Immune
Week 14	Win
Week 15	In/Win
Week 16	Win
Week 17	High/High
Week 18	Win
Week 19	Eliminated

Season 7

Episode 4

Stephen made an appearance as a guest at fellow Season 6 contestant, Nick Nappi's wedding.

Season 12

Episode 1

He was not part of this episode,

Episode 2

Stephen, along with Bowen, Brien, and Newton were the sixth group to battle to return in MasterChef, he was the fourth and final contestant of the group to have their dish judged, He served his Rabbit & Donuts with Sauteed Dandelion Greens, and Cactus Berry Salsa, he tells the judges that people has been eating Chicken & Waffles for long, he wanted to something different and went with Rabbit & Donuts.

The judges start to taste his dish, Joe tells Stephen the dish is psychedelic, and it's like a trip on his palate of deliciousness, and started getting goosebumps because he bever tasted anything like that before, Stephen then started to break down in tears of joy for the complements, Gordon then tells Stephen the first thing to do when taking a bite from his dish, is to take a second bite, Gordon gives Stephen and Bowen their aprons and are now reinstated, and is now scared to death after getting his apron back.

Episode 3

Stephen was seen cheering for the final groups.

Episode 4

After the judges showed the contestants a video memory lane for their elimination in their seasons, The judges tell the contestants they have to recreate the dish that sent them home, they all have 60 minutes to recreate their dish.

During Stephen's Confessional, he reminds everyone his elimination dish was Panna Cotta, and made it to the Top 3 in Season 6 and almost made it to the finale, after a flashback of his time during Season 6, it was a tough time for him being eliminated, but is now taking advantage of this opportunity, after his Vanilla Raspberry Panna Cotta, he will recreate it to a Cacao Panna Cotta, along with some blackberry and gin sauce, and some hazelnuts, he wants to show the judges his Panna Cotta will be on top, and hopes he can get this win, he knows he will get through the other challenges, On the final five minutes left on the challenge, Stephen went to go check his Panna Cotta's on the fridge, he sees that his Panna Cotta's didn't use the proper amount of gelatin and his Panna Cotta's looks like Chocolate Milk, there isn't enough time for Stephen to write the wrong and hopes there is something else out there that is just a little bit worse than his, Shelly asks Stephen if his dish is Chocolate Milk, Cate corrects her telling her that is Panna Cotta, Stephen tells them that he didn't use enough gelatin for his Panna Cotta, they ask Stephen if he is okay, but tells them no, and hasn't say nothing yet, and there is nothing he can do to fix and starts to shed a tear, The judges checks on Stephen, they ask him how he is feeling and replies by saying "Not Good", they check his Panna Cotta and see it wobbly.

The judges then start to announcing the bottom 3, Stephen was the second person to be in the bottom, He says its really tough to be in the bottom 3, and he was never in the bottom 3 in Season 6, it will be a tragedy for him to be the first one be eliminated, he presented his Cacao Panna Cotta with Blackberry & Gin Sauce and Spicy Hazelnuts, Aaron tells him that the consistency's is off and hopes there is something that redeeming enough to overlook the obvious, the judges start to taste his dish, Gordon tells him that the chocolate is rich and delicious, but can't taste an ounce of gelatin in it and doesn't taste of any setting agent in it whatsoever and just liquid, Joe then tells Stephen he is going to give straight and showing him its Chocolate Milk and pours it out of the cup, calling it terrible, all wrong, and inedible.

Stephen was in the bottom 3, along with Gabriel, and Tommy, the judges eliminated Stephen for his Panna Cotta lacking gelatin and had no chance of ever setting, they hoped he was going to go far in Season 12, they ask him to place his apron on his bench and say goodbye to everyone, During his exit interview, it was hard for him to leave the MasterChef kitchen and the first time he ever failed tremendously, but was happy to get the apron again was awesome, it was short lived, but walked out happy.

Competition History

Week 4	Eliminated

Post MasterChef

• After his first appearance, Stephen is an Urban Farmer, Private Chef and has done a number of guest chef appearances and dining events.

Trivia

Season 6

• With 9 challenge wins, Stephen had the most wins out of anyone in his season.
• Stephen is the last person to win an apron in his season.
• He is the second contestant to rank in 3rd place after auditioning more than once, following Leslie (Season 5).

Season 12

• He is the first contestant and first male contestant who received more bottom entries during their second run on the show.
• Stephen holds the greatest drop in placement out of any returning contestants, dropping 17 ranks from 3rd place in Season 6, to 20th place in Season 12.

Quotes

Season 6

• (Introduction) "I'm an urban gardener, so I grow really good food, and then I cook it, so you can eat it, and be healthy, and healthy, and make babies."
• "AAAAH!!!"
• (To Ramsay) "HAHAHAHAHAHA! You're a fucking funny guy!"
• "I'M ON FIRE!!!"
• "If the judges don't like this, then they've gotta check their medication."
• "What?!"
• Ramsay: "Stephen, what do you think is in this box?"
  Stephen: "My fucking destiny."
• (To Jesse) "Listen. You're gonna give me the basket that I want, or you will become my mission in life. I want savory. Give it to me please."
• (To Graham) "Gracias, compadre."
• "I'm gonna play some mind game here. The smarter captain is gonna come out on top, and I'm going to out-think Shelly."
• "We're in Vegas, baby! You gotta gamble to win it all!"
• (About Shelly choosing to work with chicken for the Team Challenge) "Hook line and sinker, baby! She fell for it!"
• (To Ramsay) "It's the Jedi thing going on."
• "Listen to me, just for one second. I'm gonna piss you off today, alright? But if you believe in me, and if you have faith in me, I will keep you out of the Pressure Test, alright?"
• "I use every drop of energy in an organized fashion to do and get WHAT I WANT!"
• (To Ramsay) "If we had met, like, 35 years ago, we would be good friends right now."
• (To Ramsay while in the middle of tasting Stephen's beef Wellington) "HAHAAA!!! RIGHT?! Look at my eyes! Is that fucking good?!" IS IT?! Is it? Come on."
• Graham: "You guys had a Gordon Ramsay beef Wellington, but —"
  Stephen: "This is the Stephen Lee beef Wellington."
• (After replicating Gordon Ramsay's beef Wellington) "Hell to the yeah! I executed Chef Ramsay's beef Wellington to perfection. FIRE IS JUST FLAMING WITHIN ME! And it feels good."
• "I stand by who I am PERIOD! Do I still have to whisper? NO! Bollocks! No Mollocks here! I WILL LOSE EVERY FUCKING THING AS OPPOSED TO GOING AND TAKING A VICTORY WITH TOMMY! NO, IT WILL NOT HAPPEN!!!!!!!"
• (Selecting who to give the disadvantage) "Ah-buh-buh-buh-bah! I will take Derrick, the little drummer boy, for 500 please."
• (After being eliminated) "This has been an amazing journey; I've learned so much. I'm ever so thankful for everything I've gotten for sure. I came into MasterChef just wild and crazy, and then I started to tame the mustang and walk with authority and with decisiveness. I had 3 of the greatest chefs on the planet telling me that I gave them something of value. Even though I didn't win MasterChef, I'm leaving here today feeling like a winner."
• (Before leaving) "YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Season 12

• "I made it to the Top 3 on Season 6. I almost made it to the finale, but, you know, I failed. It was a tough time being eliminated, but I'm really gonna take advantage of this opportunity."
• "People have been eating chicken and waffles for so long. Let's do rabbit and doughnuts."
• (After receiving his apron) "I got the apron, and now I'm scared to death."
• (After being eliminated) "It's definitely hard to leave the MasterChef Kitchen. This is the first time I've ever failed tremendously like this, and, hey, just being able to get that apron for the second time, it was awesome. It was short lived, but I walk out happy."

Gallery

Season 6

Stephen's Confessional

Stephen's Audition Dish

Stephen failing to receiving an Apron

Stephen's Wild Card Dish

Stephen receiving his Apron

Stephen's Apple Pie

Stephen in the Red Team

Stephen in the Blue Team

Stephen in a Black Apron

Stephen's Corn Dish

Stephen's Beef Wellington Replication Dish

Stephen's Pressure Test Fruit Tart

Christopher and Stephen in the Fruit Tart Pressure Test Bottom 2

Stephen with his Son

Stephen's Flambé Mystery Box Dish

Tommy, Katrina, and Stephen in the Flambé Mystery Box Top 3

Derrick and Stephen's Tag-Team Summer Party Platter

Stephen's Single Ingredient Mystery Box Dish

Stephen, Derrick, and Claudia in the Single Ingredient Mystery Box Top 3

Stephen's Winners' Basket Dish (Christine's Basket)

Derrick and Stephen's Judges Mystery Box Appetizer

Derrick and Stephen's Judges Mystery Box Entrée

Stephen's Final 3 Dish

Claudia and Stephen in the 3-Course Meal Pressure Test

Stephen's Pressure Test Cheese Soufflé

Stephen's Pressure Test Steak Frites

Stephen's Pressure Test Panna Cotta

Stephen Eliminated

Season 7

Stephen as a Guest at Nick Nappi's Wedding

Season 12

Stephen's Confessional

Stephen's Audition Dish

Stephen Reinstated

Stephen’s Worst Dish Recreation

Gabriel, Tommy, and Stephen in the Worst Dish Recreation Bottom 3

Stephen Eliminated (2nd Time)

External links

• Stephen Lee on Instagram