World Series of Poker bracelet winner David Williams made the overall three of season seven of “MasterChef,” but he missed out at the $250,000 grand prize and a cookbook deal within the finale that aired Wednesday night.

Williams was facing off against Kentucky school teacher Brandi Mudd and Las Vegas DJ Shaun O’Neale. The show began this spring with 20 contestants.

For his appetizer within the finale, Williams went with cured salmon, and it worked out well. However, his main course with guinea hen because the meat didn’t determine so well.

The dish was considered risky in comparison to his competitors’ choices of duck and venison.

For Williams, his guinea hen was undercooked and received criticism from the judges, and it put him behind within the final cooking challenge going into the dessert round.

The Texas native decided to compliment stuffed cherries, and though it received praise, it wasn’t enough to conquer his short stack at that stage of the cooking tournament. O’Neale, who went with a tart for his dessert, was selected because the winner.

“They got it right,” Williams said on Twitter. “He was the most efficient on day 1.The best within the show and the most efficient within the finale. Congrats.”

“Thank you Gordon Ramsay,” he added. “It was an honor to cook for you and Christina Tosi and all of the guest judges.”

Williams, the winner of $8.5 million in poker tournaments, was cheered on by many of the poker community during his run. “The poker community was amazing,” Williams told Card Player this summer. “Most people need to question me how I did, but they don’t realize I’m not allowed to mention. So I haven’t told anyone obviously. LOTS OF PEOPLE watch and speak about it, that is cool.”

Williams said “the pressure of poker dwarfs the pressure of MasterChef.”

His finish at the reality TV show follows poker pro Vanessa Rousso’s third-place finish on CBS’ “Big Brother” last fall. Rousso received nothing for her deep run.

Read More... [Source: CardPlayer Poker News]