He was eliminated on July 18.
Dr. Matthew Houck was “filleted by a seafood challenge” on the popular cooking show “MasterChef,” the American Optometric Association reports.
The optometrist practicing in Iowa City, IA, made it through several episodes and was among the top 17 contenders before reaching the end of the line. But he was eliminated on July 18.
“It was so much fun but, in the end, I came up a little bit short,” Houck said, according to AOA. “The ingredients in the mystery box were not ingredients I was familiar or comfortable with. I tried to make a bunch of individual elements pair together and it just didn’t work. I’m proud of the dish I made, but I probably wouldn’t ever make it given different circumstances.”
He said being on the show, which airs Wednesdays on Fox, was “not difficult in the sense of optometry boards knowledge, but difficult in the acute stress and adrenaline that you’re constantly battling while in the kitchen.”
He said he hopes his run on the program “showed that despite your career you can pursue other interests and hobbies too.”
“Flexibility is one of the best benefits of being an optometrist,” Houck said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Read more at AOA