MasterChef Australia - S13E25 - Team Relay Elimination

 Here we go with this week’s elimination. It seems like they have decided to combine ALL MasterChef challenges possible and make one big Frankenstein challenge.

So today is going to be a two-round challenge. Round 1 is a team relay + feature a surprise ingredient + use a piece of equipment kinda challenge. Given how team relays themselves are insanely stressful, wonder why they added all these random other things to the challenge.

Round 2 is an individual cook where you have to use the same ingredient but in whatever you didn’t cook in the first round – sweet or savoury.  Again super complicated. 

Anyway – the teams all recall the most iconic moment in MasterChef history – The White Chocolate Veloute Disaster of Season 7 and will strive to not hit those lows.

Now the teams are figuring out their orders – and Dan tells Jess that she should cook first for the Green team as she is “good at thinking” simultaneously patronising her and calling the rest of the team stupid. For the Turquoise team, Sabina will be starting it off.  

The other cooks are sent off to the garden and the ingredient is revealed – apples.

Sabina is confident now because she is from Tasmania and everyone in Tasmania apparently knows how to cook 2 things – fish and apples.

So she has decided to go classic flavour combinations – doing a pork chop with apple a few ways. She has planned out the whole cook – with all the ingredients, who will cook what and so on. She has even made bowls of ingredients she wants to go into each element.  

Jess is thinking duck and apple – and gets started with her prep. She is adding a parsnip apple puree – why anyone would serve this weird cross between baby food and garbage is beyond me.

Apparently, the appliance they have to use is also different – one has a food processor and one has a whisk. Both teams are unconcerned with this pointless addition to the challenge – and this gets no more coverage in the episode.

Everyone is tense outside – and the second cooks now come in – Dan and Justin.

All of Sabina’s master plan is falling apart as she has not considered exactly how much of an idiot Justin is. Dan gets his instructions from Jess and thinks there is a lot going on. There are literally 3 elements! What did he want to do? Serve a raw apple?

Now it is clear that Justin has totally forgotten everything Sabina said. He says she said a lot of words, but he doesn’t remember enough. He also adds that Sabina’s communication was precise and excellent and clarifies that it is will be totally his fault if they go into Round 2.

In the store-room Sabina cannot believe this and is appalled that Justin has gone rogue. He is now randomly making things to give his team “options”.

Dan is working on his super complicated 3 element dish. The puree is not apple-y enough. Andy comes over to try the puree and Dan refuses to let him try it lol.

Andy is announcing that only 5 minutes are left before the changeover – Justin cannot believe the extent to which he has managed to fuck this up. To the point where Jock has to ask him if he is high or something.

Third cooks in now. Mel accidentally tells the truth and calls them victims. Tommy and Scott seem to be doing role-play and practicing for the hand-over. Smart move.

As expected, Justin has also screwed up the handover and now Amir is really confused about what is happening. On the other hand, Tommy has got a very clear idea of what he has to do. Which is mostly to add apple to the puree.

He tries the puree and has a great idea for this garbage element – to simply throw it out. But then he listens to heart which is clearly not as smart as his brain and decides to try and fix the puree.

Now he has also burnt the apple chips – though I am not sure how much of that is his fault.

Jess and Dan are worried. For some reason Jess thought that puree should be a good item for hero-ing the apple. Tommy is totally flustered and pissed right now.  

Sabina is telling Justin to his face that he’s an idiot for confusing Amir even more. She is remarkably polite about it.

Tommy is has given up and is just throwing apples into the dish now.

Finally, Amir has figured stuff out from all the super organized bowls that Sabina had prepared. He is now cracking on with the slaw and the spice rub for the pork. He has got the pork on and is setting a timer for Pete as well.

Now the final 2 cooks – Pete and Scott come in.

Tommy is worst guy possible to communicate what is happening here. He literally starts with “I don’t know what we are doing”. So much for that role play.

Pete is very clear about what has to be done. He is bringing it together and simplifying the flavours.

Scott is making an apple gastrique which is good but for some reason he is adding parsnip chips to the dish.

Both teams have finished cooking and their dishes actually look pretty good.

Round 1 - Tasting

Team Turquoise – Pork and apple – All judges are telling Justin that he was the worst of the lot for his team. Jock says the apple was there and have hit the brief. Pork is also well cooked, but the sauce lacked body. All said and done, it was a tasty dish.

Team Green – Duck and apples – Judges agree that the duck was perfectly cooked. Andy is not sure if this has hit the brief – as there is way too much parsnip there. Team Green loses the challenge and go into round 2.

Now they have to cook a sweet with apples.  This has to be most uneventful, boring elimination cook ever.

Fusion Dan is doing apple sorbet with an apple parfait in his 7^th time in a black apron. Jess is making a German dish - apple streusel cake with ice cream.

Scott is doing his take on Apple Charlotte Cheesecake. Andy puts unnecessary pressure by saying hes the best dessert cook here.

Tommy is making what he calls “tao’er” – a bad dad joke on the Vietnamese word for apple.

Jess needs at least 30 mins in oven – but with 30 mins to go she still hasn't put in the cake. She is probably going to Poh this.  

Dan bribes Mel with walnuts lol – which doesn’t seem necessary since his parfaits look perfect. Eric, Tom and Aaron are losing it at Dan’s parfaits up on the gantry.

Jess’s cake is cooked as it comes out of the oven with 5 mins to go. She makes her apple on apple on apple dish.

Tommy is done with his tao’er – he is now super emotional. As expected, Mel is also crying.  

Round 2  - Tasting

Dan up first – Apple sorbet, caramelized apple parfait. Andy says the sorbet couldn’t be better – Jock says faultless. Seems like Dan is going to make it to the finals this year by simply surviving all eliminations.  

Scott next – Apple charlotte cheesecake.  Jock likes the little apples, but he says he enjoyed it but didn’t love it. He feels it needed more flavour and Mel is also not fully convinced. Andy also says good but not exceptional. He might be in trouble.  

Jess – Apple Streusel Cake, Apple walnut crumb and apple ice cream. Andy says tastes like it looks – a bit confused. Andy says should have focused on cake and ice cream – and all the other stuff was distracting. Mel wonders why the raw cubed apple or the apple skin crisp was even there. Earlier Jess didn’t hit the brief – now she has hit the brief too hard.

Tommy – Tao’er. It looks great and the judges love it. Jock finishes off his portion and says could have eaten all of it. Mel also says the pastry and caramel was excellent. Andy agrees that he smashed it. He is surely safe.     

Results

The judges say this was Dan’s best dish yet. They also call out Tommy for an outstanding dish. Coming down to Jess and Scott – but clearly Scott’s dish was better and more coherent. So Jess going home.

Hugs all around – clearly social distancing is out the window.   

And that ends this random week on Masterchef. Next up we have what seems to be the return of the Invention Test. So should be fun.