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Poker players are inclined to take to any form of competitive games like fish to water, so it was little surprise to look Vanessa Rousso advance to a third-place finish at the popular reality TV show Big Brother, narrowly missing out at the top prize when many felt she deserved it.

Now, another big-name poker player is at the cusp of reality TV immortality. David Williams has advanced to the season finale of Season 7 of MasterChef, with the overall episode set to air on FOX at 8 p.m. EST.

This summer, Williams told PokerNews that competing on MasterChef was probably the most difficult thing he had ever done, but he was understandably coy about revealing any details of the effects. Now, we all know he's a minimum of matched Rousso, advancing to the overall three after starting the contest with 39 other aspiring cooks within the first episode.

Over the following two hours, we can discover whether Williams, school teacher Brandi Mudd, or DJ Shaun O'Neale becomes the following MasterChef. In honor of Williams' effort, we'll be posting live updates here as Williams tries to not repeat history and be the bridesmaid as he was when he first burst onto the poker scene together with his runner-up finish on the planet Series of Poker Main Event.

A couple of caveats before we start. The author's only exposure to MasterChef has come idly keeping tabs on it while his girlfriend watches, so don't expect knowledgeable dissection of each culinary zig and zag. Also, this could go without saying but... here there be spoilers.

8:05 Gordon Ramsay and his Christina Tosi welcome us. There is a clip of Williams storming off within the montage that opens the episode. Presumably, he walked back in the future. The hosts let us know this is able to be probably the most talented crew ever at the show. All the final three has been sent home in the meanwhile and the hosts will visit them one by one.

8:07 It's off to Irvington, Ky. We meet Mudd, a tender teacher with curly blond hair and an overly thick southern accent. She says she's sticking along with her Southern roots but a little bit upscale.

8:09 Williams is chilling in Las Vegas along with his daughter. He tells the hosts he has doubts, but he's been practicing hard and can be going with a seafood appetizer and either beef or poultry for his main course. He doubts his abilities, but Ramsay assures him he's ready for this.

8:10 O'Neale, a fellow Las Vegas resident, gets choked up when talking about his parents. He says he is going with "bold Asian flavors" which might mean... a large number of different things?

8:17 The finalists are introduced within the studio, in conjunction with the judges... culinary "gods" whom we will be able to meet after a tense commercial break. They change into... Wolfgang Puck and Daniel Boulud. Undecided who Boulud is, but he says through a thick French accent that every dish had damn well better tell a story.

8:20 Williams' mom, who got numerous air time in his WSOP run, is in attendance. Former contestants eliminated earlier within the season stump for every of the 3 as they grab ingredients for 10 minutes for his or her appetizer. Williams goes with cured salmon. Mudd goes with bourbon-braised pork belly with... a host of alternative stuff, including apricot. O'Neal goes miso halibut with what looks as if a sea urchin. They have got an hour, and they are off.

8:24 Apparently, the judges are allowed to grill the chefs while they're making their time-crunched meals. Ouch. Williams is evidently exempt from this treatment. They judges seem most skeptical of Mudd's pork belly, as apparently that's a troublesome thing to get cooked properly very quickly frame. Off to a different commercial.

8:31 Williams finally get grilled, and he expresses confidence his appetizer would be the best, as it is the most enjoyable"." He's struggling just a little to peel his hard-boiled eggs, and the judges leave him be. Oh no! Williams' eggs are falling apart. Ramsay breathlessly notes not one egg is done, and he needs four. We see a shattered egg within the drink, but Williams soldiers on. Everyone furiously finishes their dishes, and it is time to present to the judges.

8:42 Mudd goes first. Apricot is outwardly pronounced with a troublesome "A" within the South. Ramsay and Boulud converse in French, debating concerning the combination of butternut squash and parsnips. Ramsay loves the pork belly but dumps all around the apricot puree. Williams says the egg need to be absolutely perfect, or his goose is cooked. Ramsay agrees, as he says if the yolks aren't running once they cut in, it's "game over."

8:48 The judges cut in, they usually look suitably gooey from here. Ramsay gives it nearly a rave review, with the one weakness being the filo dough. Everyone seems to agree Williams gambled hard with a risky dish, fitting for a poker player.

8:50 O'Neale's halibut cheek has a wide variety of wacky ingredients, like special carrots and pickled morel mushrooms. Ramsay says pickling morels is something you "never, ever" do. Boulud agrees. Tosi gives it the most productive review. Overall, the reception for O'Neale's appears to be the weakest.

8:53 The judges discuss the appetizers. Best guess is the present pecking order is Mudd a hair prior to Williams, with O'Neale lagging behind.

9:03 It's entree time. The cooks rattle off their dishes, which can be way too complicated to snap off on here. O'Neale is making some type of venison, while Mudd drops what seem like green chunks right into a fryer — hush puppies. She's making duck. Williams is making...guinea hen? Feels like all three meats are difficult to get right. Williams is falling behind! A few of his cabbage-wrapped meat is falling apart. He nearly drops his plate, and cabbage rolls all over.

9:11 Williams shakes his head after barely plating in time. O'Neale's spice-rubbed venison with smoked plums is first. Ramsay loves it, he's "blown away." Rave reviews all around, pretty much, with great presentation on what seems like cross-sections of tree trunks.

Cast-iron seared duck breast from Mudd with hush puppies. Tosi isn't keen on the plating. Overall, the consensus seems solid but a cut below O'Neale's.

Williams says he's disappointed and thinks his hen is probably not properly cooked. Uh oh. He admits to the judges it is not his best work. Ramsay is able to rake Williams over the coals, demanding he have a look at a particular a part of his dish, and we cut to commercial.

9:19 Williams diplomatically offers that the beef is "pinker than intended." An irritated Ramsay corrects him, saying "it's rare." The seasoning and the sauce get great reviews, but Williams dropped the ball with the beef. Appears like Williams goes to wish the best dessert in human history to have a prayer here.

The judges discuss the primary courses. O'Neale might need pulled ahead together with his knockout dish.

9:21 For dessert, Mudd is firing something with ton of bourbon. Glazed and stuffed fresh cherries from Williams with a number of toppings. O'Neale can be going salted caramel chocolate tart.

9:30 O'Neale appears to be playing it slightly conservative with a dish that is not too tough to execute, possibly feeling he has a lead. Whatever a madeleine is, that is what Mudd is making. It'll include carmelized peaches. Williams' sounds probably the most complex, with pitted cherries and a ton of alternative ingredients. Reigning in my hunger is getting tougher by the minute taking a look at these desserts.

9:43 The cornmeal madeleines appear to have backfired a little bit on Mudd. They were purported to be light, but they're too heavy, consistent with Ramsay.

Williams says he put his heart and soul into his plate, focusing like never before. One among his ingredients was...gold popping candy? Is that like pop rocks? In any case, he seems to get overall strong reviews.

9:50 O'Neale's tart is "f****** delicious" in keeping with Ramsay. I'd tab him because the favorite needless to say at this point.

9:55 The judges agree nobody nailed all three dishes. So, it will come all the way down to who had the most productive two dishes... after these messages.

The $250,000 and a cookbook deal is ready to be handed out. It goes to... O'Neale. Similar to in 2004, Williams had an excellent run but fell on the very end. He just couldn't overcome his poor execution at the guinea hen.

"I gave it everything I had, it just wasn't enough to win," Williams says. "I'm happy for my Vegas brother."

That's a wrap. Time to head eat.

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