Marcus Wareing stops nervous MasterChef: The Professionals contestant from serving RAW meringue to food critics including Tom Parker Bowles – as viewers call the moment ‘painful to watch’

Viewers of MasterChef The Professionals were left wincing at their screens last night after a contestant who had been tipped for the late stages of the show collapsed in front of a trio of high-profile critics.

Welsh chef Ieuan was the only chef of the four in the quarter-final, which aired on BBC One on Thursday, and tried to make a dessert for food critics Jay Rayner, Tom Parker Bowles and Jimi Famurewa – and quickly regretted it his decision.

The culinary pro was making a lemon tart with a sable biscuit base and Italian meringue, but he switched to a quickly whipped French meringue when his first attempt wouldn’t set.

After piping the French meringue with raw egg onto his cookie bases, a concerned-looking Marcus Wareing made an intervention, telling the nervous chef, “Ieuan, it’s raw. You cannot eat raw meringue. Do you understand what you have done?’

The chef looked dejected and said, “I have no dessert on my plate. I don’t know what to do’… before steeling his nerves, scooping out the lemon and meringue and conjuring up a new dessert with lemon and piped cream.

At home, viewers of the cooking show were hooked on the kitchen drama.

One wrote: ‘Oh, the poor man. This is physically painful to watch. Who knew meringue was such a fickle mistress?’

Another wrote: ‘What on earth was he thinking when he was piping raw meringue onto his dessert?’

Many had nothing but sympathy for the Welsh chef, who excelled in earlier rounds of the competition.

One wrote: ‘Stripped for Ieuan! Great chef.’

After his Italian meringue failed to inspire the Welsh pro to make a French meringue… but then tried serving it raw – before Marcus intervened

A terrified-looking Ieuan said, “I don’t have dessert on my plate. I don’t know what to do’

Another said: ‘I really felt for Ieuan. Good job getting something on the plate.”

He eventually made it to the table, and while the judges were sympathetic, it wasn’t enough to keep the chef in the competition.

The latest series of the show has been fraught with culinary disasters so far.

Earlier this week, an episode showed two chefs completely failing to present a dessert to go with their main courses after claiming they had run out of time.

One of them, Ola, 33, who works as a chef for a London sports venue, broke down when the pressure of the show hit.

The experienced chef, born in Nigeria, planned to make a frangipane with a Nigerian almond substitute and a dark chocolate cremeux, served with macerated strawberries and celery.

Viewers said they felt sorry for the chef, who starred in previous rounds

Wareing made an intervention… and agreed when the participant asked if he should scoop out the bottoms of sable cookies and conjure up another dessert

In the bin: But Ieaun rallied and served the lemon tart with just piped cream instead

After apologizing to judges Jay Rayner, Tom Parker Bowles and Jimi Famurewa, he managed to serve his lemon tart

Although celebrity food critics were sympathetic to Ieuan’s nightmare in the kitchen, it wasn’t enough to keep him in the competition (photo from left: Jay Rayner, Tom Parker Bowles and Jimi Famurewa)

However, he soon realized that his frangipane was undercooked and his dessert would have to be reconsidered – before abandoning it altogether.

Gregg told him, “We can clearly see that your timing got messed up because you didn’t prepare the dish the way you wanted and we don’t have any dessert at all, right?”

Ola was eliminated and told the program: “I’m sad and disappointed in myself because I know what I’m capable of,” he said. “I didn’t try my best.”

And Ieaun isn’t the only chef hesitant: earlier this week, Ola (pictured), 33, from London, wanted to show his love for Nigerian cuisine in his signature challenge, but didn’t leave enough time to make a dessert to present