‘MasterChef’ season 5 finale video: Leslie Gilliams looks back on his journey

For the next three days leading up to the “MasterChef” season 5 finale, we are going to hit you up with some videos featuring the final three home cooks, while also looking at their chances to ultimately win.

We have to start here with the man who is the ultimate underdog at this point in Leslie Gilliams. He is the oldest contestant to ever make it this far, and in many ways his journey here was stuffed full of doubt. There were at least two or three times in the first few weeks we thought he’d be a goner, and he never played particularly well with others in the team challenges. With that being said, he may be the greatest Pressure Test performer the show has ever seen, and has shown time and time again that he can do just enough to ensure that he beats another cook in the competition.

Leslie’s been a ton of fun. We’re sure that he knows he’s a little bit of a loudmouth and over-the-top, but even if you’re not a fan of his, it is still hard to argue that the show would be more exciting if he was eliminated early. He’s brought the drama, the humor, and at times the skill.

Could he bring all of this to the top two, or even to win the competition? He’s got a hard road ahead of him, and may have to rely on either Courtney or Elizabeth making big mistakes. When you consider past weeks, we feel like the judges will eliminate Leslie if the race is too close to call based on the next round of dishes alone. Given the competition these two ladies have had most of the year, there’s a general sentiment that they would be the clash of the titans.

Even if he goes out third, though, that’s nothing to sneeze at. We say that as someone who has been through that third-place experience ourselves.

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Photo: Fox