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I love desserts. I am very sweet, I must say.

William "Willie" Mike, also known as Big Willie, was a contestant on Seasons 5 and 12 of MasterChef. On Season 5, he ranked in 7th place, and on Season 12, he ranked in 6th place.

Personality[]

Willie was easily among one of the nicest contestants of the show's history, and got along with everybody else due to his fun personality and big heart. He was often encouraging toward all of his competitors and wanted to always have a good time during the competition, usually staying out of most of the arguments of the season. With his nickname "Big Willie", he had a funny personality and was always there to crack jokes. Not only was he genuine and kind-hearted, but also the most honest, especially when he put himself up for elimination knowing he did a bad job and even volunteered himself to compete in the Pressure Test after taking full responsibility for his mistakes. Although his cooking was mostly consistent, during the middle of the competition, he started to slack off, which was significantly shown by his dishes that end up setting himself in the bottom entries. However, even though he is able to handle pressure, he didn't like to work with others who were very aggressive, to which he struggled to work with Cutter, and had a huge meltdown working with Christian in a tag team challenge that unfortunately led to his elimination. Due to his fun-loving and cheery attitude, he got along with most of the home cooks and was one of the few people who ever got along with Leslie from the beginning, and believed in him from the start.

Season 5[]

Episode 1[]

Episode 2[]

In the Mystery Box Challenge, Willie was in the Top 4 along with Courtney, Cutter, and Astrid, But he was in the Top 2 with Courtney, He made a Gingerbread Cake with Mascarpone and Berry Compote, the judges like the dish, but he lost it to Courtney.

In The Meatloaf Elimination Challenge, Willie made a Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts, Gordon liked the dish and said it was good.

Episode 3[]

Episode 4[]

Episode 5[]

The contestants were brought to a beach in southern California for a wedding party of 120 guests. Willie joins the blue team chosen by Francis L. The teams had to cook a scallop starter and a sea bass entrée, which they had two hours to cook. The Blue Team were named the winners, and are safe from elimination.

Episode 6[]

Episode 7[]

Episode 8[]

Episode 9[]

Episode 10[]

Episode 11[]

Episode 12[]

Episode 13[]

Episode 14[]

Episode 18[]

Episode 19[]

Competition History[]

Week 2 High/In
Week 3 Win
Week 4 In/In
Week 5 Win
Week 6 In/In
Week 7 In/Immune
Week 8 Pressure Test
Week 9 In/In
Week 10 Pressure Test
Week 11 In/Low
Week 12 Win
Week 13 Low/Pressure Test
Week 14 In/Eliminated

Season 12[]

Episode 2[]

Episode 4[]

Episode 5[]

Episode 6[]

Episode 7[]

Episode 8[]

Episode 9[]

Episode 10[]

Episode 11[]

Episode 12[]

Episode 13[]

Episode 14[]

Episode 15[]

Episode 16[]

Episode 17[]

Competition History[]

Week 4 High
Week 5 In
Week 6 Win
Week 7 In
Week 8 In
Week 9 In
Week 10 Lose
Week 11 In
Week 12 In
Week 13 Low
Week 14 Low
Week 15 In
Week 16 Win
Week 17 Eliminated

Post MasterChef[]

  • After his first appearance, Willie is an Events Chef, does pop up dinners and currently has a pop up lunch service, Willie's Lunchroom.

Trivia[]

  • He was in the top group of the first Mystery Box Challenge in both his seasons.

Season 5[]

  • He had the first confession of the season.
  • Willie, alongside Christine, were the first two contestants to ever be assigned the role of team captain by the judges for a team challenge.
    • Prior to this, team captains would usually be assigned to the winners of the previous challenge.

Season 12[]

  • He is the fifth contestant, and the second male contestant to make it further in the competition during his second run, ranking 7th in Season 5, and ranking 6th in Season 12, following Michael, Amanda (from 13th to 7th), Emily and Shanika (all from season 12)
  • He is the highest ranking contestant of the season to never win the Immunity Pin.

Quotes[]

Season 5[]

  • "My confidence level in baking is like 2000."
  • "This is the secret. The secret is sing 'Amazing Grace' 3 times, you have the perfect poached egg."
  • (After being eliminated) "America, yes y'all are gonna miss all of this, yes it's not gonna be as bright in the kitchen, but I was able to do some amazing things. I've always been passionate about food, as far as eating it and cooking it. But this experience has really taken my passion for food to another level. Oh! And in the words of my fantabulous grandmother, 'Your attitude will always determine your altitude'."

Season 12[]

  • "I was a director of music at my church, and I was just, you know, barely getting my feet wet into this culinary industry, but it's been 7 years since I've been in the MasterChef Kitchen. Now I'm a full service catering company owner, I'm the executive chef, and so I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I don't think the judges are expecting."
  • "When it comes to cooking vegan food, look at me. I'm a meat guy."
  • (After being eliminated) "I’m emotional right now, because I didn’t lead my team the way that I needed to, I just feel like I let them down. So, I’m the one going home. But hell, I even went further this time around than I did the first time. I know I’ve shown the judges that bringing me back was not a waste of time. I played with integrity. MasterChef has truly allowed me to be myself. This is not the last of Willie. I love y’all, and until next time, keep it real and keep it true."

Gallery[]

Season 5[]

Season 12[]

External links[]

References[]

MasterChef U.S. Season 5
Judges
Gordon RamsayGraham ElliotJoe Bastianich
Contestants
Francis BiondiWhitney BrayCutter BrewerElizabeth CauvelAhran ChoLeslie GilliamsChristian GreenGordon HoustonJordan KaminskiCourtney LapresiAstrid LaveniaFrancis LeggeElise MayfieldDaniel McGuffeyWillie MikeKira NovakVictoria ScrogginsStephani Syfax-ShepherdChristine SilversteinTyler ViarsJaimee VitoloDan Wu
MasterChef U.S. Season 12: Back to Win
Judges
Gordon RamsayAarón SánchezJoe Bastianich
Contestants
Bri BakerFred ChangSamantha DailyShelly FlashDerrick FoxChristian GreenEmily HallockStephen LeeGabriel LewisBowen LiCate MeadeWillie MikeBrandi MuddShanika PattersonAmanda SaabMichael SilversteinAlejandro ValdiviaTommy WaltonShayne WellsDara Yu
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