‘MasterChef: Legends’: Kelsey Murphy on winning Season 11 and judge she feared most [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW]
The Season 11 finale of “MasterChef” concluded on Wednesday, September 15 with Kelsey Murphy claiming the title and the $250,000 cash prize in the historic three-woman finale. The 32-year old physical therapist from Indiana defeated Autumn Moretti and Suu Khin by winning over host Gordon Ramsay and judges Joe Bastianich and Aaron Sanchez with her modern four-course menu and technical prowess. Watch Kelsey’s exclusive video interview above.
“My heart was just beating so fast,” Kelsey recalls about the moments leading up to Gordon crowning her the winner. “Hearing my name called, I felt the weight of the world lifted off of me. It’s such a culmination of hard work, sacrifice, risk, leaving my family and just all of those things. To come out on top is icing on the cake for this whole experience.”
SEE ‘MasterChef’ winners list: All seasons [PHOTOS]
Kelsey impressed the judges with her appetizer course of lobster & crab ravioli, but it was her dessert plate of blueberry & lavender panna cotta that likely put her over the edge. “It’s definitely a dish that speaks to the flavors my family likes,” she reveals. “I conceptualized it based off my kids and the dishes that they like and the desserts that my husband really likes. Then I just tried to elevate it and focus on techniques and the plating. When I completed that dish and it was successful, I felt elated. It didn’t matter if I won or not, I completed that dish and I knew that it was perfect.”
Midway through the season Kelsey suffered a setback when she sliced her thumb with a knife during one of the challenges. “It ended up being a lot worse than we knew at the time,” she reveals. “On set we just had to get it taken care of so I could get back out and cook the next day. After I got home it continued to get worse and worse and it ended up that I had actually cut through the bone. I ended up having to have surgery on it to repair it. It’s functioning great now, my surgeon did a great job.”
This “legendary” season had all-stars from the culinary world as guest judges and mentors each week. Kelsey gives some insight on who was her favorite “Legend” and who made her the most nervous. “I really took a liking to Roy Choi,” she says. “I’ve been a fan of his for a very long time, not only with all of his work with Netflix, but he’s doing so many good things within the food world. And we also had the likes of Dominique Crenn and Niki Nakayama come in. These strong, independent, go-getter women who have really paved their way in the culinary world which is so heavily male-dominated.”
As for who she feared the most? “It’s not what he says, it’s the looks that he gives you,” Kelsey explains about Joe judging from across the table each week. “You know something’s coming and you don’t know what it is. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, but it’s that look. He definitely is the most intimidating. The other two, Gordon and Aaron, are very sweet and they’re very helpful and encouraging. They’re great mentors and educators at heart.” For Kelsey’s next step she will team up with Grubhub and other “MasterChef” alums bringing fan-favorite recipes directly to diners’ homes exclusively on Grubhub.