MasterChef – pairs challenge – Wed, Jun 28

Split into pairs, each team must make two plates of the same dish and they must be identical, but they will not be able to see or taste what their team mate is cooking.

Any Offspring fans should stick around after MasterChef; the season returns straight after (athough, yes, they should have quite a couple of years ago).

The pairs will cook with a giant divider between them. They are:
Tamara and Sarah
Karlie and Ben (that’s a strong team but Karlie may have trouble yelling).
Arum and Eliza
Eloise and Callan (could struggle)
Diana and Sam (if Diana takes charge of communication they should be ok).
They have 60 mins but only one pantry visit.

Eliza and Arum go steak (he has done a lot of steak in this comp).
Diana and Sam will do a cheesecake – they seem to be having a good planning session.
I am surprised Callan and Eloise are not doing dessert – it’s his strength and she’s a relative all-rounder.
Sarah and Tamara are pan-roasting quail.
Ben and Karlie are doing snapper fillets with asparagus.
There is a lot of shouting going on.
Is it Callan who quips “There’s bad reception in here.”
Eliza smartly tells Arum (who seems a little deaf) to cut his onion rings using the lid of a vinegar bottle they both have.
Poor Sam has added his creme fraiche too early so has to remake his cheesecake.
Callan and Eloise are trying to create identical dressings – that’s tricky. As the judges say, scallops should be a no brainer.
Sarah and Tamara are microplaning their aromats so they will look the same.
Uh oh – Eliza had her steak cling wrapped round the edge while Arum’s is loosey goosey.
Uh oh – Eloise is a much better scallop cook than Callan.


MasterChef fun fact: the blast chiller is a “blastie”, according to Sam.
Tamara and Sarah have a definite advantage being at the end of the row, so they don’t have to yell so much.
“Arum! Arum! Arum!” … can Matt Preston please come and be Eliza’s megaphone?
Sam’s praline isn’t setting – they can’t do their tuille.

THE JUDGES TASTE
* The cloches are lifted and Sarah and Tamara’s quail looks similar. The judges like the taste and say there is only a slight difference in saltiness and sauce colour.

* Sam and Diana’s cheesecake dessert looks different mainly due to Diana having heaps of praline dust – which looks great – and Sam hardly any. Gary says it tastes good but they aren’t identical.

* Karlie and Ben’s snapper has been plated slightly different – they missed out on having a yelling match about vertical and horizontal plating. Matt says Karlie’s brown butter sauce is tastier while Ben’s fish is better cooked. But the judges like it.

* Eloise and Callan’s scallops. The obvious difference is the lack of dressing on Callan’s because he didn’t measure as Eloise instructed. Gary says Callan’s scallops are “bullety” – “a terrible thing to do to a scallop”. Eloise’s dish was, however, delicious.

* Arum and Eliza’s steaks aren’t plated identically but the elements look the same. The steaks are cooked to the same doneness, which is tricky to achieve. Gary says the purees are slightly different but nothing to worry about.

THE VERDICT
The bottom two teams will go into tomorrow’s elimination.
Callan and Eloise and Diana and Sam. Elise and Diana got the raw end of that deal. Interesting the two youngest cooks fared the poorest.
George says there was a split decision over the winner. Gaz voted Tamara (surprise!) and Sarah. Matt voted Arum and Eliza. George swings it to Team Tamara. Facebook will be going nuts over that.

TOMORROW
The four contestants have to choose from four pantries, but they will be revealed at different times, so waiting for the last pantry means you have the least time to cook. It looks like a herb pantry is the first one. The loser is a “shock” and we see Diana with a tear in her eye and Eloise and Callan bawling. Does that mean it’s Sam?



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38 Comments

  1. Yet another silly, pointless challenge that tests their use of language rather than their cooking skills.

    • Well if isn’t it will be a genuine surprise to me. Can someone just let me know so that I can skip the episode and I don’t have to see Gary’s lust-filled yet creepily paternally-proud announcement – accompanied by Tamara’s squeals excitement and feigned astonishment?

  2. Ha ha ha. Eloise and Callan wont win the top prize.

    I think the inexperience Callan is showing all his flaws now

    • “I want my quail!”

      “Where’s my quail?” “Where’s my quail?” “Where’s my quail?”

      “Service!!!!”

      “Simplicity, Flavour, Dreams”

      “Yes, Marco!”

  3. What BULLSHIT! They actually said in the comments while tasting that Eliza and Arum had the two closest dishes. As if we needed any proof that Gary and George are the judges that need to go.

      • My theory is it was the consolation prize for Sarah (because from what i’ve read she should have won the pin) and the prize for Tamara because of the part of their anatomy George and Gary think with.

    • Totally. Absolutely confirmed that Matt is the only judge who can stay. I HATE that Gary has delegated all major decisions to his penis. George just as bad.
      I feel v bad for Eliza and Arum who were clearly robbed.

  4. If the judges are unable to be fair, and clearly they can’t be, all aliminations should be blind tastings.

  5. This was the best “team” challenge they’ve done in ages. Eloise grinding my gears more than ever though. Judging by the promo it gives the impression of Callan going, but could be Sam. I don’t really care who goes so long as it’s not Diana!

  6. I just watched the last 15 minutes.

    Moe, Larry and $hemp were truly pitiful. Who’d want to go anywhere, let alone Japan with those Tamara~struck dickheads?

    • I hate myself every time I watch it nowadays – and every episode is just as bad as I feared.

      I used to love challenges, but now it’s unabashedly rigged they aren’t the teensiest bit enjoyable.

  7. So typical. Eliza and the hearing impaired Arum were robbed, and Tamara gets the golden goose again (Sarah was almost irrelevant). Can this series be any more unbearable?
    I feel for the good people of Japan.

    • Oh no! I hadn’t thought of that – a poor unsuspecting nation about to be drowned in Tamara.

      • My recorder missed Offspring and stupid Tenplay hasn’t put the whole Ep up yet. Will have to wait til tomorrow. I will watch it til the series ends but it’s not as thrilling “OMG I can’t wait for Offspring” as it once was.

      • Yes! Not golden days standard Offspring but certainly heaps good enough to wash out the nasty taste of Masterchef.

        • Yeah I’m still enjoying Offspring. Pity Darcy was killed off. I assume John Waters didn’t want to come back.

  8. Thanks Juz. Was hilarious everyone yelling to each other & not being able to hear.
    Poor Callan didn’t have his pan hot enough so his scallops didn’t cook properly. Then he didn’t measure his sauce.
    Surprise surprise Tamara got the top dish.

  9. Arum and Eliza should be flying business class not Sarah and Tamara.
    AE’s were the closest matches and they were delicious but the team with faux blondie on it gets the win.

  10. I have noticed so far they have not done a 3 course service challenge in a proper restaurant.

    Maybe contestants are not up to it and they will stuff up.

  11. Hope I’m not counting under cooked chickens here , but Diana looks safe from the promos.

    Yeah, Enemadol$hine.

    I’d say Sam’s head is in a culinary noose. Sayonara Sam.

    • Sam and Callan have both overstayed, IMO but Callan will be the one squeezing in to an economy seat for Japan trip.

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