Celebrity MasterChef 2026 contestant Eric Underwood saw his hopes of reaching the semi finals disappear after a gravy disaster and a dessert that ended up in the bin.
The retired ballet dancer struggled during a tense quarterfinal as his red onion gravy failed to impress judges Grace Dent and Giorgio Locatelli.
Earlier in the show, half of his team’s churros had already been thrown away.
Those kitchen setbacks proved too much to overcome, with Eric becoming the latest celebrity to leave the BBC competition.
Eric also surprised the judges when he admitted he was not naturally suited to working in a team.
Here is where it all went wrong.
Celebrity MasterChef 2026: Eric’s quarterfinal disasters
Four celebrities returned for the Heat 2 quarterfinal after Tom Simons’ exit. Eric, Emily Steel, Donna Preston and Nitin Ganatra were all competing for a place in the semi finals.
The first challenge split the celebrities into two teams. Giorgio reminded them that teamwork is a vital part of a professional kitchen.
Eric admitted: “I have to be honest, I don’t work well in teams. I don’t!”
Eric teamed up with Donna, while Emily cooked alongside Nitin. Each pair had 90 minutes to prepare a three course menu.
Eric and Donna enjoyed plenty of laughs in the kitchen, but the judges were less amused. Their dessert also hit trouble when half of their churros ended up in the bin.
Grace exclaimed: “She’s put them in the bin!” Giorgio pointed out that the team thought they were “too thin”. Grace replied: “It’s better to be too thin than non existent!”
Emily and Nitin won the challenge.
The second test saw guest chef Tom Kerridge challenge each celebrity with one of his comfort food recipes.
Eric was handed bangers and mash, which he admitted was “intimidating”. He had to make his own sausages and prepare a rich red onion gravy from scratch.
While his mashed potato impressed both Tom and the judges, the sausages fell short and the gravy proved to be his undoing.
“It needed at least 20 minutes more cooking,” Giorgio told him. “It’s really winey and that is a bit of a problem.”
Later, Giorgio summed up the biggest issue for 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
After judging the dishes, Grace and Giorgio sent Emily and Nitin safely through to the semi finals.
That left Donna and Eric facing elimination, with the judges deciding Eric’s MasterChef journey had come to an end.
Eric smiled as he hung up his apron, although he admitted he was disappointed to leave.
He said: “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 with Heat 3 as another five famous faces enter the kitchen hoping to impress Grace and Giorgio.
- Paralympian Lauren Steadman
- Saturdays singer Una Healy
- DJ and presenter Melvin Odoom
- Corrie star Sue Cleaver
- YouTuber Max Fosh
– Celebrity MasterChef 2026 continues at 9pm on BBC One on Tuesday September 1, 2026
What do you think of this story? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page