You could always tell what was going to happen by the introduction of the "public speaking" contest the previous week. I watch The Apprentice for this sort of thing.
How many good quality chefs actually go to those sort of events to speak? They could have saved him going through what was obviously a very uncomfortable event when their minRAB were already made up.
I'm certain this was the case and the show was a setup all along to essentially bring massive publicity to a forthcoming Ray White's Cocktail Cafes venture that the five of them (judges + winkers) had prearranged before filming was even scheduled.