‘MasterChef: Generations’: My behind-the-scenes dining experience on ‘Ramsay’s Rooftop Restaurant Takeover’ episode

Denton Davidson
·5 min read

“MasterChef: Generations” will air its “Ramsay’s Rooftop Restaurant Takeover” episode on Wednesday, September 11, featuring the top six home chefs serving guests at an exclusive pop-up restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. As someone who has covered the FOX cooking competition for years and interviewed all three judges and many of their contestants, I was thrilled to be invited as a dinner guest to this special occasion. I was prepared to be wowed by the ambiance, get a first-hand glimpse of how the show is produced and, most importantly, scarf down whatever they were willing to throw at me.

When I arrived at the filming location downtown, I was guided to a check-in line where each guest was assigned a table. We waited for a couple hours, chatting amongst ourselves as Gordon Ramsay, Aarón Sánchez and Joe Bastianich prepared our menu with the contestants. The crowd was filled with other media outlets, “MasterChef” superfans and culinary experts. Eventually, we were ushered across the street to a rooftop restaurant created specifically for this occasion.

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Once seated, I was disappointed our table didn’t have a view of the kitchen. I was hoping to see Gordon lose it and launch someone’s undercooked protein against the wall. “Hopefully we can still hear him scream,” I uttered to another guest. Still, I was excited to be part of this exclusive dining experience and I was absolutely starving! As the wine began flowing, we were greeted by Aarón and Joe, who wanted to ensure everyone had a great experience. They were absolutely sincere and truly did want to make sure we enjoyed our dinner — this wasn’t just a TV show. They take their food seriously.

WATCH ‘MasterChef: Generations’ judge Joe Bastianich: It’s an ‘interesting social documentary that we brought to life’ 

Eventually, guests throughout the dining room were pointing and letting out small cheers as Gordon and the top six contestants entered the kitchen. I couldn’t see any of it, but what did I care at this point? I had just learned I’d be feasting on fresh scallops and an option of duck or steak. I opted for the duck, which isn’t something I typically eat. For this challenge, each table was assigned to either the Red Team or the Blue Team. We got the Blue Team, and wouldn’t be scoring them like you see in some of the other team competitions. The judges would handle this one, we were just there to eat as they observed the contestants’ abilities to serve up a restaurant-quality dish under pressure. I couldn’t see it at the time, but I now know Adam, Becca and Kamay were cooking my meal. Michael, Murt and Rebecka were serving the Red tables.

Things didn’t start well for our table. Our stomachs were growling as we watched every other table get their food. “What’s going on?” we asked, nervous if we’d be eating at all. Eventually Aarón approached us, apologizing and telling us the Blue Team was having some issues with the scallops. Uh-oh! Eventually our appetizers did arrive. The scallops were good — I wasn’t blown away. The guest next to me was missing a few of his, and Aarón apologized once more saying they “ran out.” We all assumed they’d mishandled them somehow, which wouldn’t be good for the Blue Team’s results. As all this happened, the film crew began zooming in on us, ready to capture all the drama of our disappointment. With microphones surrounding us, Aarón began asking how we liked our food so far. We were generally pleased, but the guest who was short on scallops had a few choice words for the cameras — and the crew enjoyed hearing his unfiltered opinion. They asked him to tell his story a couple times so they could decide what to do with it in the editing room.

Next it was time for the entrées. I got my duck, while others got steak. It was phenomenal. This is the “MasterChef” experience I had been waiting for. A culinary masterpiece and feast for the senses. “This is the bite of night!” I exclaimed. I was feelin’ this duck. And everyone’s spirits lifted as we dove into our delicious portions. Aarón was genuinely pleased to hear our experience was now up to par. He wasn’t shy about telling us the Blue Team was struggling back there, and we even heard that meat had indeed been tossed across the kitchen. Damn, I wanted see that. I’ll wait for the episode to air.

As dinner service came to an end, we all applauded as Gordon finally came to the center of the dining area. We could all see him now as he thanked us for being their guests and introduced the six chefs that had cooked our meals. Next, they told us they’d have to decide on which team won, but we wouldn’t get to watch that. We weren’t privy to a front row seat at this week’s elimination. Instead, we were filed out of the rooftop restaurant and sent on our way. It was an experience I’ll remember vividly for years to come. Seeing these pros in their element was exhilarating!

Months have passed since this was filmed, and I had no idea who any of these chefs were at the time. It took place on December 8, 2023 to be exact. It’s been fun to watch them evolve this season and eventually find out who was in that kitchen. Was my meal cooked by the eventual “MasterChef” champ? I guess I’ll have to wait and see with everyone else.

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