‘MasterChef’ exclusive: Diana Bilow on elimination, future plans, and more

On this past episode of “MasterChef,” we had something that certainly no one wants to see in a double-elimination. It means two less people competing in the season, and two people you’re not going to get to know further (which is a bummer, since the show tends to get some pretty electric personalities).

Diana Bilow was one of the two home cooks sent home, and it came after a super-difficult challenge where she and some other contestants had to tackle insanely difficult proteins. Her protein, as handed to her by Shaun, was tripe – not exactly something that is easy to make in a super-short period of time.

We recently sent some email questions over to her, and you can take a look at her responses below.

CarterMatt – How tricky was it from the get-go to try to make something like tripe when you had no real introduction to it?

Diana Bilow – As soon as I got tripe for my protein I felt at a loss. I had no idea where to even start, the only thing I knew about it was that it takes at least two hours to prepare typically.

Was there any protein in this challenge that you could have had a better shot with?

I honestly wanted the testicles, I have made Rocky Mountain oysters before and knew how to handle the protein.

If you’d had more of a chance to plead your case to the judges to stick around, what would you have said?

If I had an opportunity to plead my case, I don’t know that there was anything I could have said to save myself. I simply just did not have enough time to prepare the protein I was given.

Going back to the rest of the competition, what was the dish you made that you were the most proud of?

I am most proud of the Red Team’s wedding challenge menu, I thought it was elegant and delicious we worked great together and we did it for 75 people.

Is there any dish you wish you had an opportunity to make but never got around to it?

I wish I had the opportunity to do layer cake; while I don’t consider myself a baker I do make a mean chocolate s’mores layer cake.

Finally, what have you been doing since the competition to take advantage of some of what you learned?

I recently launched my personal chef and catering business in Chicago, and am moving that business currently to Los Angeles. I learned more in the time I spent on the show about food than I have in my 10 years in the restaurant business, and definitely do not want that experience to go to waste.

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Thanks to Diana for her time!