Hopkins, a former school teacher who now works in the local beer industry, said Prairie Villagers may also see his mom Ruth Hopkins, who served on the Prairie Village City Council for 24 years, make a cameo on screen, too.

This is Hopkins’ second crack at a TV cooking show

Hopkins was in the running for season two of Bravo’s “Top Chef Amateurs,” a spinoff of the popular “Top Chef” reality competition, but the show didn’t get renewed after its first season.

Then, “on a whim” he decided to apply to audition for the 13th season of FOX’s “MasterChef” to give his lifelong cooking passion another go.

“I was fairly certain nothing could come of it,” he wrote on social media. “Since then, I’ve been on a surreal journey.”

In an interview with the Post, Hopkins said in addition to being a home cook, he’s also worked in kitchens like Quinton’s Bar & Grill in Lawrence and has dabbled in creating his own recipes.

“I’ve kind of always had jobs that are parallel to the world of cooking, but I’ve never actually been a chef,” he said. “This was kind of a way to take all those passions and hobbies and the fun recipes I’ve created and put them to use.”

Hopkins is set to appear in Wednesday’s episode

The episode airing at 7 p.m. Wednesday is one of several audition episodes where contestants from four different regions around the U.S. try to earn a place in the competition.

Hopkins compared his experience auditioning in front of Ramsey in Los Angeles to a scene from the movie “Old School,” where Will Ferrell’s character blacked out while on stage during a debate competition.

If Hopkins earns one of the five spots from the Midwest region, then he will continue to compete for the ultimate prize of $250,000 in cash and title of America’s MasterChef.

Hopkins said the pork chop dish he served up for his audition has special meaning to his marriage and he’s made it “a bunch,” but he’s never cooked it while being grilled by judges like Ramsay, a notorious stickler.

“It’s a dish that I created, and I kind of say it’s a love letter to my wedding and it is,” Hopkins said. “I’m kind of incorporating these elements from my past and my marriage and it’s, like, super personal.”

It was an intense, surreal experience, Hopkins said

Hopkins said he did not anticipate how real this reality television show would be until the actual audition.

The entire “MasterChef” experience taught him a lot about himself, he said.

This experience required Hopkins to take a risk and make himself vulnerable in front of a national audience.

“I’m proud of the way that I was able to act and interact with people and carry myself and present myself,” Hopkins said. “I was honestly more comfortable than I thought I would be.”