Ouch! Getting cut from “MasterChef” has to hurt, especially when a guest judge shows up and slams the food you’ve prepared under pressure.

Alabama’s Hallie Clark was on the chopping block Wednesday night on the FOX reality series, as YouTube star Sean Evans tasted (and then trashed) her spicy fried chicken. Evans, host of the popular food-and-interview series “Hot Ones,” made a special appearance on “MasterChef” this week, evaluating dishes made with peppers, chilis, hot sauces and other fiery ingredients.

The social media star never broke a sweat when presented with 10 entrees that promised to blister his taste buds, created by talented home cooks on an episode called “Feel the Burn: Mystery Box.” But Clark definitely got singed, facing blunt criticism from Evans and the other judges.

If you didn’t watch this week’s episode — or simply want a refresher on the “MasterChef” action — here’s what happened.

Repping Alabama: Hallie Clark of Berry, a small town in Fayette County, is among the contestants on “MasterChef” this season. Clark, 24, is a cornhole player in the American Cornhole Organization, competing in tournaments around the country. She’s also an avid home cook and gardener.

How it works: Three chefs act as judges on “MasterChef” throughout the season, making decisions on who stays and who goes. Along with head honcho Gordon Ramsay, the judging panel features Aaron Sanchez and Joe Bastianich. Weekly cooking challenges and eliminations trim the list of contestants until a single cook remains.

Good to know: The theme for Season 14 of “MasterChef” is “Generations.” The home cooks were initially divided into four teams based on their ages: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. Clark earned a spot on the Gen Z team.

What’s at stake: The winner receives a $250,000 prize, bragging rights and a “MasterChef” trophy. Twenty contestants were chosen via cooking auditions at the start of the season. On the most recent episode, 10 cooks remained on the show. Another contestant from Alabama, Chris Musgrove of Mobile, was eliminated on a previous episode.

READ: Gordon Ramsay’s temper blazes when Alabama cook serves burned steaks: ‘That’s gross!’

This week’s challenge: Prepare a restaurant-quality dish using at least three hot and spicy ingredients. The contestants had just 45 minutes to grab ingredients from the pantry, cook a main protein and side dishes, and plate everything in classy style. Two cooks would be sent home at the end of the episode, and Evans’ opinion mattered as a “hot food connoisseur.”

What Evans said about the challenge: “It’s very important that your dishes are balanced. The other components of that meal have to rise to the occasion, because the spice is going to make it intense. … I think the key to any spicy dish is one that always invites the next bite. You go back in because you just want another dopamine hit.”

What Clark said about the guest judge: “I absolutely love Sean Evans. I am a huge fan. I’ve watched so many of his videos. … This is mind-blowing. This couldn’t be any cooler.”

What Clark cooked: Spicy fried chicken with lemon and wasabi rice, seared and spicy bok choy (or Chinese cabbage) and honey mustard sauce.

Warning signs: Ramsay emphasized that serving a correctly cooked protein was extremely important, along with a skillful incorporation of spicy ingredients. The judges seemed concerned that Clark’s timing was off with the chicken, and Bastianich frowned when he tasted her honey mustard sauce in the pan. Sure enough, Clark’s dish ended up in the bottom three.

What Bastianich said: “I think the dish appears to be off-putting in color and the overall sensation I’m getting is dryness. … Hallie, you have an overcooked dry chicken, bland overcooked rice and the sauce is nonexistent.”

What Sanchez said: “I agree with Joe. I think you’re asking a lot for those little dollops of sauce to carry you through all that rice, all of that breading.”

What Evans said: “Yeah, you know, it’s pretty hot, you know, and that’s coming from me. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but like it’s dry and hot. But it could be like you’re eating spicy sand.”

What Ramsay said: “It needs more sauce. This is a chicken that screams a hot honey drizzle, something to really lift this dish up.”

Eliminated: Clark and Kimberly Karver, a high school teacher from Auburn, California, were sent home. “Hallie, sadly tonight you were caught short on the cook of that chicken,” Ramsay said. “But we love your competitive edge. That’s what you’re going to be remembered for.”

Final words: “It’s been awesome,” Clark said. “I’m so proud of myself, coming in here, playing semi-pro cornhole, to getting a top 10 on ‘MasterChef’ finish. Never thought it would be on my bingo card, so yeah, I’m very proud of myself. This genuinely has been the best experience of my life.”

Double trouble: Two episodes of “MasterChef” aired back-to-back on Wednesday night. On the second episode, which featured a notorious challenge known as “The Wall,” two more contestants were eliminated. Warren Coleman and Horacio Tucunduva bid their farewell to the show, and just six cooks remained.

On social media: “I want to say a huge thank you to every person who has supported me throughout this entire journey,” Clark said in a Facebook post after the show aired. “Every like, share, comment, post, etc hasn’t been gone unnoticed. If I haven’t replied to it, I’m sorry, the support has truly been so overwhelming. So an overall, THANK YOU. There at the end I was simply out of gas, out of ideas. I didn’t expect to get a call back on my application, definitely didn’t expect to get an apron, let alone finish in the top 10. Like I said at the end, I am so proud of what I was able to accomplish and all that I did.”

Who’s left: Adam Hart, Becca Gibb, Kamay Lafalaise, Michael Leonard, Christopher “Murt” Murton and Rebecka Evans will move on to the next challenge.

Coming up: Two episodes are set to air on Sept. 11. First up is “Ramsay’s Rooftop Restaurant Takeover,” with the top six cooks splitting into two teams for an intense dinner service. After that, the remaining cooks will compete in the Season 14 semifinal.

If you watch: “MasterChef: Generations” airs on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. CT on FOX, and streams the following day on Hulu. Episodes are filmed in advance.