Christine Ha is the first ever blind contestant and season 3 winner of the competitive amateur cooking television show, MasterChef USA on FOX, with Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot, and Joe Bastianich. She defeated over 30,000 home cooks across America to secure the coveted MasterChef title, a $250,000 cash prize, and a cookbook deal.

“The lady has an extraordinary palate, a palate of incredible finesse. She picks up hot ingredients, touches them, and she thinks about this image on the plate. She has the most disciplined execution on a plate that we’ve ever seen. But the palate is where it’s just extraordinary. And honestly, I know chefs with Michelin stars that don’t have palates like hers.” –Chef Gordon Ramsay, MasterChef judge

Christine also has a Master of Fine Arts from University of Houston’s nationally acclaimed Creative Writing Program. During her time there, she served as Fiction Editor for Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts. She is currently working on a memoir.

Christine’s first cookbook, Recipes From My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food (Rodale, 2013), was a New York Times best-seller. She has been featured on NPR and the BBC; made guest appearances on “MasterChef” Vietnam; and travels around the globe to give inspiring keynote addresses and cooking demonstrations, including a TEDx talk at University of California, San Diego, in May 2015. Her latest foray into television is a Canadian cooking show on AMI called Four Senses (Varner Productions), on which she is a co-host with Carl Heinrich, season 2 winner of “Top Chef” Canada. “Four Senses aims to encourage visually impaired individuals to get cooking in the kitchen and will begin production of its third season this fall.

Christine received the 2014 Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the Blind, a recognition formerly bestowed upon Ray Charles, Patty Duke, and Stevie Wonder among others. Christine resides with her husband and two dogs in Houston, Texas.

Dr. Harriet Lerner is an author, speaker and psychologist. Dr. Lerner is one of the world's most respected voices in the psychology of women and family relationships. She is the author of 11 books published in 35 languages including The Dance of Anger, a New York Times bestseller that has helped rescue men and women from the swamps and quicksands of difficult relationships. The Dance of Anger can be found on Amazon at this link:

Dr. Lerner is a sought-after speaker for both professional and popular audiences. She is a dynamic presenter who has made numerous media appearances including Oprah, CNN, and NPR. 

Belle Dessa represents Great Plains Earth Institute in Wichita, Kansas. GPEI is an environmental education program that seeks spiritually integrated solutions to ecological challenges through transformational experiences.



As a community catalyst and change agent, Great Plains Earth Institute provides innovative programs that empower individuals and groups to take care of Earth. Programs emphasize individual responsibility as well as the importance of a supportive community, offer action-oriented educational, spiritual and creative forums for rediscovering our interconnectedness to all living things, and provide access tools and resources for individual and cultural change.

KAYLEE AND THE J’S

Kaylee Robin, Lead Singer of Kaylee and the J’s is a Singer, Songwriter, Model, Artist, Actress, and so much more.

Art has been an enormous part of my entire life. From the moment I could pick up a pencil I was drawing. I’m what you would call a natural artist. Self taught in all forms, and still learning. If I’m not working on a custom ordered piece, I still enjoy playing around in the paint.

Modeling has always been an interest of mine. I got my first camera in elementary school and all that I wanted to do was have photo shoots with my friends. ​I am actually not bad behind the camera as well, but never pursued photography. It was in 2004 when I began to take modeling seriously. I signed up with John Robert Powers school of acting and modeling. That was when I realized I had a great love for acting as well.​ My move to Phoenix , AZ in 2006 is where my real modeling and acting career developed. ​It was here where I ran my first run way and shot my first film. It was a start. My next big move to Los Angeles is where things started heating up. I was able to find representation fairly quickly and after trying out a few I eventually settled with Across the Board Talent Agency (ATB).

I have been a part of a great deal of projects since I began this journey. Not all of them were finished, But here’s to the ones that were and to many more! I intend on expanding and updating my resume more and more. If you feel as though I may be a good asset to an upcoming or current project please contact me.

GUEST MICHAEL ALIG

Michael Alig (born April 29, 1966) is an American former club promoter, musician and writer who served almost 17 years in prison for manslaughter. Alig first became a prominent member of the Club Kids, a group of young New York City club goers that became a cultural phenomenon during the late 1980s and early 1990s.[1]

In October 1997, Alig pleaded guilty to manslaughter, after killing and dismembering fellow Club Kid Andre “Angel” Melendez in a confrontation over a drug debt in March 1996. He was sentenced to ten to twenty years in prison and was released on parole in May 2014.

Early yearsBorn in South Bend, Indiana, Alig is the second of two sons born to John and Elke Alig. His mother Elke, a native of Bremerhaven, Germany, moved to the United States after marrying John Alig, a computer programmer. Alig’s parents divorced when he was four years old.

Alig attended Grissom Middle School and Penn High School where he was a straight A student. He graduated in the top 8% of his class. During his teenage years, Alig was often the subject of bullying on account of his homosexuality. Seeking a less conservative social environment after graduating in 1984, he attended Fordham University in New York City. He studied architecture there before transferring to the Fashion Institute of Technology. There he met the boyfriend of artist Keith Haring who introduced Alig to New York City nightlife. Alig soon dropped out of school and began working at Danceteria as a bus boy.

Alig’s Club Kids

While working at Danceteria, Alig studied the club business and soon became a party promoter. His ability for throwing parties with few or no resources helped him rise in New York’s party scene. During this time, Alig and other regular club goers began creating flamboyant personas and later became known as “Club Kids”. The Club Kids wore outrageous costumes that former Club Kid and socialite James St. James later described as “part drag, part clown, part infantilism”. They were also known for the frequent use of ketamine (known as Special K), ecstasy, Rohypnol, heroin and cocaine. Alig’s Club Kids included Gitsie, Jennytalia, Robert “Freeze” Riggs, Richie Rich, Charlie “Dash” Prestano, Superstar DJ Keoki, and Amanda Lepore. The Club Kids’ outrageousness became a source of interest for the media and articles about them appeared in People, Newsweek and Time. They also appeared on Geraldo and The Joan Rivers Show.

In 1988, Alig was hired by the owner of The Limelight, Peter Gatien. Alig’s parties at The Limelight were such a hit that he began organizing parties for Gatien’s other clubs The Palladium, Tunnel and Club USA. Alig’s notorious “Outlaw Parties”, which were thrown in various unconventional places including a Burger King, a Dunkin’ Donuts, abandoned houses and a subway, helped to revitalize the downtown New York City club scene which Village Voice columnist Michael Musto declared had died after artist Andy Warhol died in 1987. Alig’s parties also became notorious due in part to his own “bad behavior”. Alig would throw $100 bills on crowded dance floors just to watch people scramble for them. In other instances, he would urinate on clubgoers or urinate in their drinks and stage falls wherein he knocked others to the ground.

As Alig’s popularity in the club scene grew, so did his drug use. He was arrested several times for drug offenses and entered rehab, but continued to use drugs. In 1995, Alig’s boss Peter Gatien sent Alig to rehab once again. Alig later claimed that after he completed his stint and was released, Gatien fired him.

Some of Alig’s behavior could be explained by a personality disorder; he was diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder. He stated that “The doctor said I was the most extreme case he’d ever seen. Everything has to be completely over the top and exaggerated. It worked well for my job – I was a promoter.”

Alig was paroled on May 5, 2014. Per the conditions of his parole, Alig returned to New York City. He is required to abide by an 8 p.m. curfew and must undergo drug counseling, anger management, and job readiness training. In the months following his release, Alig granted numerous interviews in which he expressed a desire to star in his own reality show and stage an exhibition of his art work. In May 2014, it was reported that Alig was attempting to sell his memoirs and was pursuing a career as a magazine writer.

On October 15, 2014, Alig released the pop song “What’s In” (Featuring DJ Keoki) through Austound Music, an Austin, Texas based record label. An EP, also entitled What’s In, is scheduled for release. In May 2015, a selection of Alig’s paintings went on display at the SELECT Fair in New York. Alig also hosts an online satirical talk show entitled The Pee-ew Show.

In popular culture

The events of Michael Alig’s years as a club promoter up to his arrest were portrayed in the 1998 documentary Party Monster: The Shockumentary and the 2003 feature film Party Monster starring Macaulay Culkin as Alig and Seth Green as St. James. The events are also covered in St. James’s memoir, Disco Bloodbath, re-released with the title Party Monster after the release of the 2003 film.

A prison interview with Alig is featured in the 2011 documentary Limelight, directed by Billy Corben.

Alig’s case has also been featured on the TV series American Justice,[21] and Notorious, as well as Deadly Devotion on Investigation Discovery.

See the Trailer to “Glory Daze: the Life and Times of Michael Alig” 2015

GUEST RAMON FERNANDEZ

Actor, Director and Writer

Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, the son of a Puerto Rican Matador and a Bostonian film Production Secretary, Ramon was raised in the world of Show Biz from an early age. His mother worked on such classic films as “Patton” and “The Great White Hope.”

After graduating from Roger Williams University with a degree in Business and a minor in Theater, he moved to New York City and began working on Wall Street. After a five years, the acting bug caught up with him again and he quit a career in finance to focus fully on his passion for the arts. After a quick turn on “The Sopranos”, roles came in steady on such TV shows as “Law & Order”, “All My Children”, “Lie To Me”, “CSI Miami”, “Cold Case” and movies, such as “Che: Part 1”, “Taxi”, “No Reservations” and Academy Award Nominated “The Visitor”. He is an award-winning Director (“Hot Tuesday”, Atlanta Shortsfest) who completed his first Documentary Feature film “Glory Daze: The Life and Times of Michael Alig” in 2015. As a screenwriter, his work has been optioned by Robert Evans (The Godfather) and Michael Mailer (Producer, son of Norman Mailer).

Often playing both heavies and cops, Fernandez is well known for his brooding intensity and explosive edgy character work. He speaks English, Spanish, French, Russian and is a prominent Voice Over artist, Editor and published film critic.

GLORY DAZE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MICHAEL ALIG

Directed by Ramon Fernandez

Documentary Feature

USA | 2 hr 15 min | 2015

New York City. 1987. A new group of individuals arises to fill the artistic power vacuum created by Andy Warhol’s untimely death and the demise of his ‘Factory’, in the form of The Club Kids. They would reign supreme over The City’s nightlife through an era of decadence, debauchery and creative heights, which culminated with the death of one of them as well as the party itself.

Their undisputed leader was Michael Alig, who came to New York with dreams of working in the fashion industry, only to find himself at the head of a nightlife movement which went far beyond anyone’s expectations, reaching outrageous proportions. It ultimately imploded catastrophically with Michael going to prison for the murder and dismemberment of drug dealer Angel Melendez.