MasterChef Australia - S13E38 - Melbourne photo immunity challenge

 The contestants are walking at some high up location in central Melbourne. They come to see the judges standing with one single mystery box.

Mel has started off by given a super long speech about Melbourne. Andy now reveals the Mystery box – which has a phone and a map. They have to go out into the city, somehow experience the urban culture that the whole city of Melbourne has to offer in a few hours, take a photo and make a dish inspired by that photo.

Now they all get their *Samsung Galaxy* phones and head off. Product placement and all is fine, but this seems a bit much.

This is arguably the most random and vague challenge they’ve ever set. Any photo can be interpreted as anything – so basically the contestants will just cook whatever the hell they want.

Depinder who has caught on to this and has already decided what she wants to cook – says “this is one of the best challenges so far”. Either that or she has not realized just how random this challenge could get.

Tommy has taken pics of random laneways which reminds him of …..Vietnam. Well played Tommy.

Brent has photographed a beer keg – he is actually linking to his time here. Will probably make a bar snack.

Kishwar is from Melbourne and has gone straight to the National Gallery of Victoria (world famous in India vibes?). She takes one super abstract photo and says “She has her money shot” – showing all of us that she has been at home for ages and has clearly never had to google the term ‘money shot’.

Elise is also from Melbourne – she has gone to the Botanical gardens to take a pic of a cactus which reminds her of a deceased friend. Damn this suddenly got super intense.

Pete says he likes Federation Square because the buildings remind him of minimalist food. He takes a picture of a staircase?  

This is all wildly abstract – we will see people who will try to “hit the brief” and represent their photos on the plate, and then people who will play smart, come up with some story and just make whatever they want.

Apparently the top 4 cook in immunity challenge tomorrow.

Tommy is getting chillies in his pocket for some reason – like he has a whole ass basket right there!

Scott has taken a B&W photo of a coffee shop which has inspired him to make a monochromatic dessert. So like, literally any B&W photo ever taken anywhere.

Maja has decided to phone it in. She has taken a picture of street art and says its grungy so she is making jalapeno poppers. Zero effort.

Justin has taken a photo of a wall sign saying be true to yourself or somesuch – so he is making something “authentic” – his mom’s chicken curry. Smartly played to completely sidestep the brief.  

This is exactly why “taking inspiration” type challenges are stupid.

Depinder has taken a picture of a café and is making choux pastry. So basically any establishment that serves anything sweet = inspiration it seems.

On bright side, she is finally cooking something that is not Indian – she is making chocolate and raspberry choux pastry. She wants to show off her skills to judges.

Brent is doing something called “hosier lane fried chicken” – he thinks of pubs and beer. Andy, who was totally ok with Maja making literal batter fried jalapenos, says to Brent that this fried chicken has to be the BEST THEY HAVE EVER EATEN. Totally no double standards, and completely realistic, measured feedback there.  

Poor Brent is going all out to make this the crunchiest chicken around.

Aaron is inspired by the paving lol.  

Minoli has also decided to give up on this inspiration from photo nonsense and is making a dish called four seasons in one day – which has nothing whatsoever to do with her photo.  

Kishwar is amazingly not making Bengali curry today. She wants to actually replicate the photo on the plate. She’s making fish cerviche with rainbow pickled vegetables and an ‘angry red’ jam.

She says this is very risky because this for once she is going outside comfort zone – but on the bright side, at least she hasn’t cried even once this episode.

Elise is pissed that it is such a broad brief – how is one supposed to mug for such a syllabus. Anyway, she is making a dish that reminds her of her friend.

Sabina has taken picture of a some place that ….grows food. So now she is making something that is ‘urban relevant’, by which for some reason she means vegan. Ugh.

Linda’s picture is of a coffeeshop. So she is making doughnuts with coffee ice cream.  But her ice cream has gone into the churner waaay too late, and she forgot to put on her frier for the doughnuts.

Brent seems to be stressing out like anything – poor guy. What an asshole Andy is for this total chutiya behaviour.

Depinder’s choux buns look great – another top dish coming up for sure.

Pete seems to have to do some 100 things with only 10 mins to go. He says he has to finish 30 mins of work in 10 mins. He’s gone waaaaaay overboard – and surely nothing good can come of this.

Linda’s coffee ice cream has not worked, so she is literally serving coffee now. One small silver lining is that it is Vietnamese iced coffee.  

Tommy has started plating his banh beo. Mel is there trying his food for some reason at this super crucial time.  

Pete is doing some 10 things and Maja is chilling having made her one thing.

The Tasting

Kishwar’s dish kinda looks like her picture - but looks utterly disgusting. Its basically a piece of raw fish with some pickled vegetables of different colours on top.

Andy says he loved the dish. Jock says do this more often – like please for fucks sake do something different – ek aadmi kitna Bengali curry khayega?

Tommy’s Banh beo is unsurprisingly brilliant. Andy says he should sell this. Jock says beautiful thing to eat. Mel says it was 3D and jumps off the plate – a description that no one has understood at all.

I really, really like Tommy as a contestant, but got to say pretty much same criticism as Kishwar – can’t keep making only kind of cuisine. He is a Kishwar that doesn’t cry in every single episode.

Pete’s dish was cooked well but lacked finesse.

Scott’s dish is not remotely monochrome, so he has changed his story. How he is giving some gas about how the picture reminds him of childhood and aero bar and stuff. Anyway, the judges buy it because there is no way to dispute anything since this is a pointless challenge with basically such a wide brief, that there is no brief at all.

Minoli’s dish has too much stuff on the plate. Andy also says its too sweet.

Aaron’s pavement tastes like pavement. Jock tells him politely that his execution wasn’t good – in other words, the dish sucked.

Linda’s dish I gotta say is extremely simple. She basically has got doughnuts with iced coffee. Mel likes the doughnuts – says its very simple but its meaningful. Jock also says the texture of doughnut is epic. Andy likes the coffee. Amazingly she might actually make it through with literally a doughnut.

Elise’s dish is delicious. Mel says deep with flavour and life, feels gentle and considered. Again no one has a clue what the hell this means, and we move on.

Justin has made chicken jhalfrezi. It has turned out well.

Maja’s jalapeno poppers and chips are ….okay I guess. Everyone knew she was phoning it in.  

Sabina’s dish (mushroom taco) is delicious despite being vegan.

Depinder’s choux pastry is perfect. Andy says its absolute textbook and then adds that he is worried for the rest of the contestants. There are 13 people here – what is the need for saying she is the favourite to win in every single cook. Puts unnecessary pressure on her and shows favoritism.

Jock also cannot fault the dish. Mel says it shows personality and sense of place – she is on a roll today with inane comments that have nothing to do with food.

Jock also puts favouritism and says he’ll eat his shoe if its not a top 4 dish today. But he ruins it by asking if she got the joke. That’s the second time in 3 episodes he’s done this. 

Brent poor guy is still worried about whether he has been able to produce the BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN THE WORLD (which seems like overkill for a fucking mystery box challenge). I mean one person literally served a single doughnut with coffee, and another served poppers with chips.

Mel says it was fantastic. Andy says only thing to change would be to salt in buttermilk. Jock loved it and actually goes over and hugs Brent because Andy has been a dick to him through this episode and tells him that Andy is a chut whose views don’t matter at all. 

The results are a bit surprising to be honest.

We have Depinder, Tommy, Kishwar, and Linda making it.

Depinder and Tommy were expected but the other two seem like weird choices. Especially Linda – who literally served a doughnut (with coffee!). I would imagine Elise or Sabina were in with a shout – or even Justin or Scott.

But clearly, the judges seem to be going with some totally different criteria in their heads.

Tomorrow we have an immunity challenge and I am rooting for Tommy.