Shaun O’Neale shocked his closest friends when he announced he was going to compete on MasterChef.

Now, after winning Season 7 of the reality cooking competition, the 33-year-old DJ from Las Vegas is revealing exclusively to Life & Style his plans for the grand prize, his go-to midnight snack and what Gordon Ramsay is really like behind the scenes.

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“Everybody knows [Gordon Ramsay] as a very forward person, but America doesn’t really see how compassionate he really is,” he said of the hotheaded TV chef. “He wants the best for everybody. He wants every single person in that kitchen to win. The reason he gets frustrated and raises his voice is because he knows that you’re not putting your best effort out there.”

masterchef gordon ramsay shaun o'neale (credit: greg gayne / fox)
Greg Gayne / FOX

Before sailing away on the MasterChef cruise, Shaun also shared that along with creating a cookbook that elevates home cooking, he’s going to use his grand prize to travel.

“I definitely see myself opening a restaurant down the line, but right now one of the things I want to do with the money is travel,” he explained. “I really want to get deep into the small towns of Italy…Then I want to go to Southeast Asia and really submerge myself in their culture.”

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And if you can’t throw down in the kitchen like Shaun, don’t worry, he has the perfect midnight snack for you.

“A stuffed-to-the-gills omelet with some ham, some cheese, bell peppers… just a beautiful omelet with some bacon. That’s the perfect midnight snack.”