Nathan Barnhouse

A young man formerly of Slippery Rock continues to battle for a book deal and prize money on Fox’s popular show MasterChef, after a tumultuous episode Wednesday in which he butted heads with his team leader.

Nathan Barnhouse, a 20-year-old former missionary who plans to attend school this fall and major in theater, called this week’s challenge — based on recipes that might appear at a teenager’s “Sweet 16” birthday party — frustrating.

Barnhouse was paired up with the “blue” team this week, and repeatedly butted heads with team leader Katie Dixon over the team’s culinary lineup. Dixon demanded that Barnhouse made a corn and tomato salsa, while he maintained that ginger sautéed snap peas would mesh better with the group’s Asian and Indian-themed shrimp entree. Ultimately Barnhouse won the argument, but endured sharp criticism from Katie during and after the challenge.

“In the end, I was tired of being a pushover,” Barnhouse said.

After the challenge the team got to speak with about 30 teenagers tasting the meals — something Barnhouse said was his favorite part of the episode because it gave him a chance to speak about bullying. “I remember thinking: this is why I’m doing what I’m doing,” he said.

Ultimately Alejandro Toro, a 26-year-old voice-over artist from Miami, Fla., was sent home after failing a cake-themed redemption challenge.