By Deanna Barnert
Special to MSN TV

MSN TV hit the "MasterChef" studio kitchen for the Season 3 dish, only to have judges Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot and Joe Bastianich turn the tables on us. The press was subjected to a Mystery Box Challenge! As we sweated over what could possibly be made with scallops, chocolate and corn, however, we also managed to get the scoop on what to expect when the real competition returns to FOX on Monday, June 4, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Bing: More about Gordon Ramsay | 'MasterChef'

As fans know, "MasterChef" has tried to play nice with the contestants in the past, especially when compared to, say, Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen," which deals with aspiring restaurateurs. This year's amateur contestants, however, are on another level.

"We have some extraordinary cooks. Some amazing palates! I thought last year was good, but this one is quite amazing," Gordon Ramsay told MSN TV. "These guys are obviously invested in the program. They've watched it and outsmarted everything we've done."

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Faced with contenders who can handle the heat in the kitchen and know the tricks of "MasterChef," the judges have been forced to add fuel to the fire and shake up the challenges. "After each competition, we have to discuss how we're going to tweak the next day's challenge," Graham Elliot revealed. "Things change every day because they're literally at such a level you almost forget they're amateur home cooks."

"There is not really the 80-year-old grandma baking a pie for the challenge. This season it's, 'Here's a goat's head. Go make something,'" Ramsay added. "We've become more intense. Not just on backs of the challenges, [which range] from a box of awful to Michelin 3-star chefs turning up, from Alain Ducasse to Daniel Boulud to Guy Savoy to Paula Deen. We are putting them under the spotlight like there is no tomorrow, and they can handle it. You see them come up with amazing dishes and when you taste it, you can totally call them out. 'You know that's wrong! You totally overcooked it,' or 'You know you didn't season that correctly.' It's just like your kids getting older: They know right from wrong." In other words, the guys are not holding back this season. "We don't tolerate crap and we don't suffer fools," Joe Bastianich warned. "In every show, we'll call it like we see it. It's our job to protect bad food from happening to good people."

The contestants

So what's so great about this year's contestants? "MasterChef" upped the ante by widening the pool of contenders to almost 30,000 amateur chefs from across the country. That resulted in both a higher level of talent and a real variety of backgrounds.

"You have everyone from a very privileged New Yorker who's been to all the great restaurants to a single mom that's doing delicious food with carrots and rustic ingredients," Elliot previewed.

That single mom has made cooking on a budget an art form. "She has a 2-year-old son and literally puts herself on $10 a day," Ramsay marvels. "She bakes bread every morning. That's the crux of the attitude of the competitors this year: so much more serious."

Another standout who had the judges talking was Christine, a blind contestant who started losing her eyesight at 19. "She has been producing food that could equally match any of our restaurants -- and that's not because anyone's playing the sympathy card," Ramsay insisted. "This woman cooks like an angel. Extraordinary. There's no disability. She feels her way around ingredients."

Other contestants include a stock broker, a professional opera singer, an emergency physician, a food photographer and a plastic surgeon.

And this year's "serious" players aren't content with staying at the same level. They're ready to work hard to improve their kitchen skills, and the judges are happy to oblige.

"We've had more chances this year to actually mentor them behind the scenes," Ramsay previewed. "We have a digital kitchen, they go to classes every day and we're open with demos, which is completely different."

"It almost becomes equal parts competition and a learning center environment," Elliot said.

With the press Mystery Box Challenge still looming, the "MasterChef" mentors went on to share their best competition tips. After teasing that we should run, Ramsay told us to have fun and stay loose. "Don't lock down your idea in the first 30 seconds. Let it travel a bit."

Bastianich reminded us that this was a competition, so we'd be wise to keep an eye on what the other chefs are doing.

Elliot begged we not forget to season, season, season and use all of our senses. "Listen. Is the pan hot enough when you put something in?"

MSN TV jumped into the studio kitchen and listened well. Sadly, the "MasterChef" pan sizzled far too hot for this reporter. The ticking clock, paralyzing indecision and probing questions from the roaming judges proved to be very unnerving. Though my pasta was ruled perfectly al dente and well-seasoned, my scallops weren't cooked through. Ramsay, Elliot and Bastianich were very supportive during my review. They teased, cajoled and gave me a few tips for next time, which was appreciated. Most cooking show fanatics would kill to be caught in a chef blowup, especially one of Ramsay's. This fan, however, would rather enjoy Ramsay's incredibly charming smile. Let the real "MasterChef" contestants take the heat!

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"MasterChef" airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX, with the two-night premiere airing Monday, June 4, and Tuesday, June 5.

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