Celebrity MasterChef 2026's Eric Underwood sent home after declaring he 'isn't a team player'
The ballet dancer also had a gravy disasterCelebrity MasterChef 2026 has lost another contestant – this time it was Eric Underwood’s time to leave.
The retired ballet dancer just missed out on a place in the semi-finals after failing to impress judges Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli.
Eric’s gravy did not go according to plan and half his churros ended up in the bin.
Eyebrows were also raised when the American-English dancer admitted that he isn’t a team player. Oops!
Here’s where it all went wrong…
Celebrity MasterChef 2026: Eric’s quarterfinal disasters
Tonight, four chefs remained in Heat 2 following Tom Simons’ exit. Eric, Emily Steel, Donna Preston and Nitin Ganatra were left to battle it out for their spot in the semi-final.
They were split into two teams for their first challenge. Giorgio explained the importance of team work when working in a professional kitchen.
But Eric admitted: “I have to be honest, I don’t work well in teams. I don’t!”
Eric was paired with Donna, while Emily and Nitin worked together. They had a total of 90 minutes to produce a set three course menu.
Eric and Donna certainly had a laugh while doing it, but this only seemed to irk Giorgio and fellow judge Grace Dent. Half of their churros dessert also ended up in the bin.
Grace exclaimed: “She’s put them in the bin!” Giorgio remarked how the team had felt they were “too thin”. Grace replied: “It’s better to be too thin than non existent!”
Unsurprisingly, Emily and Nitin won the challenge.
Next, famous chef Tom Kerridge entered the kitchen. Each contestant was given one of his comfort food recipes to cook.
Eric was given Bangers and Mash, which he described as “intimidating”. He had to make his sausages from scratch and whip up a delicious red onion gravy.
Eric wowed Tom and the judges with his mash. But he struggled with his sausages. His gravy, meanwhile, was a disaster.
“It needed at least 20 minutes more cooking,” Giorgio told him. “It’s really winey and that is a bit of a problem.”
Giorgio later told Grace: “The problem for me was that gravy. It was supposed to be the soul of that dish. Not in this case.”
Eric Underwood leaves Celebrity MasterChef 2026
Grace and Giorgio put Emily and Nitin straight through to the semi-final. With Donna and Eric left standing, they chose to send Eric home.
Eric smiled but still looked crestfallen as he hung up his apron.
He admitted: “I’ve had an absolute blast. I think just being able to make it this far and display my soul food is a win. I came in pretty loud and am leaving feeling pretty proud.”
Next week, Celebrity MasterChef 2026 returns for Heat 3. The contestants entering the kitchen are:
- Paralympian Lauren Steadman
- Saturdays singer Una Healy
- DJ and presenter Melvin Odoom
- Corrie star Sue Cleaver
- YouTuber Max Fosh
