'GraspChef Junior' featured some emotional actual tales through the years, however what happened to Ben Watkins and his parents had enthusiasts sobbing.
Sometimes, the "tearjerker" private stories on truth TV displays can be roughly worrying. You can inform from a mile away that the manufacturers are making an attempt to hit an emotional observe, and in some instances, you'll be able to feel the individual collaborating in said festival loading up with their tears to try and curry desire with the target audience. It's a cynical outlook, I do know, but there are unquestionably exceptions to the guideline. There are some moments you'll be able to really feel a particular person's battle in opposition to adversity, like what came about with former GraspChef Junior contestant Ben Watkins and his parents.
MasterChef Junior is a kid-centric cooking display where kids with gastronomical dispositions are pitted against one any other in an enriching pageant that no longer only checks their talents however helps reveal them to a high-stakes, extremely pressurized cooking situation with probably the most trade's most accomplished culinary execs.
Ben Watkins appeared on Season 6 of the display.
What happened to Ben Watkins? He died in November of 2020.
The young man used to be diagnosed with most cancers at the age of 13. Doctors told his family he was once handiest considered one of six people in the whole international who have been found to have Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma. He died from cancer at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago on Nov. 16, 2020, at only 14 years outdated.
Ben's family released a remark on his passing on a GoFundMe page to assist quilt the costs of his funeral. He was raised by way of his grandmother and uncle, who stated Ben was "the strongest person we've ever known."
The young man always had desires of turning into a chef and would cook at Big Ben's Bodacious BBQ and Delicatessen in Gary, Ind. with his parents previous to their deaths.
When Chef Gordon Ramsay and Ben's fellow Season 6 competitors heard concerning the young guy's cancer diagnosis, they despatched him a special video wishing him a speedy recovery. Ben had competed on the show when he was 11 and had turn out to be a fan favorite because of his enthusiasm in the face of personal adversity, and how he infrequently felt sorry for himself. Gordon even went on to quietly donate $50,000 toward Ben's treatment.
Sadly, Ben's existence had been touched via some other tragedy apart from his cancer diagnosis. In September of 2017, both of his parents died in a tragic murder-suicide.
What came about to Ben Watkins' parents?
Ben's grandmother and uncle, Donna and Anthony Edwards, have no idea what led to Ben's father to kill his wife after which himself. Anthony did say that the couple had been discussing a possible divorce, and Ben's father had most cancers himself. The Times of Northwest Indiana reported that police have been simplest made conscious about the murder-suicide once they visited Ben's family house for a welfare evaluation. Ben used to be reportedly present in the home when his father killed his mother then himself.
Ben's parents owned two businesses in Gary, Ind. and Big Ben's BBQ was named after the young guy. His mother, Leila Edwards, "taught mosaic, stained glass and industrial sewing at a learning center for steelworkers" as per The Chicago Tribune.
Following Ben's parents' deaths, his uncle Anthony was his felony mum or dad. At the time, participants of Ben's neighborhood raised nearly $30,000 to ascertain a consider fund for him.
Ben used to be known for having a character that would "just light up a room," a trait his mother reportedly shared as smartly. Our ideas are with Ben's members of the family, pals, and lovers.
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