The celebrity chef got playful with competitors — all past contestants who returned for a second chance to win — while explaining what their upcoming task would be. In the exclusive clip above, Ramsay details the show’s first-ever vegan challenge, while also opening up about this “culinary secret.”

“It’s a secret that’s so big, I’m almost afraid to say it on national television,” he says.

“Don’t worry, Gordon. This is a safe space. We’ll support you,” judge Aarón Sánchez quips as the competitors laugh.

FOX

L-R: Contestants with Gordon Ramsay in the “Back to Win: Gordon Ramsay Loves Vegans!” episode airing Wednesday, July 13

The chefs react with “Wow!” and “That can’t be true.”

Before Ramsay demonstrates his beet wellington — a vegan twist on the classic meat dish — he drives home his admission one more time. “It’s taken me 20 years to get to this point,” he says.

“Thanks to the kids, I’ve realized it’s ok to be vegan…SOMETIMES!!!” Ramsay adds in a statement to PEOPLE.

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MASTERCHEF: L-R: Joe Bastianich, Aarón Sánchez and Gordon Ramsay in the “Back to Win: Gordon Ramsay Loves Vegans!” episode airing Wednesday, July 13

During the latest episode, called “Gordon Ramsay Loves Vegans!”, contestants are challenged to create a vegan dish to meet Ramsay’s tough standards.

Ramsay’s distaste for vegetarian food has long been documented. In 2018, theMasterChefstar poked fun at a vegan lifestyle while dishing out a batch of his usual harsh reviews on social media. “I’m a member of PETA ! People eating tasty animals……” he wrote in response to a Twitter user’s photo of their vegan lasagna.

However, just three months after mocking the vegan lifestyle, he revealed on Twitter that he was “going to give this #vegan thing a try,” adding, “Yes guys you heard that right.”

It’s unclear how long Ramsay kept up with the diet, but it appears he enjoyed it after all.

source: people.com