A wine merchant from Bristol is set to appear in tonight's MasterChef episode, as the competition plows on into its fourth heats week. This year, judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace are mixing things up by introducing a whole new set of challenges that the passionate amateurs must complete to progress in the competition.
One of the 45 talented home cooks being put through the competition is 31-year-old Oli, who is currently living in Walthamstow, London. Oli was born in Bristol, but grew up in Keynsham and has lived in Canada and the UAE.
Oli's inspiration for his dishes comes from his Southern Mediterranean roots, as he is of Italian heritage. Tonight's episode will see Oli and nine other cooks arrive with both their dreams and ingredients ready for their first test, the Audition Round.
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This year's auditionees come from all over the UK, cooking a range of dishes that not only aim to challenge the palettes of the judges, but to make their tastebuds dance. Cooking their Signature Dish, the hopefuls must show John and Gregg who they are as a cook and how good they could become.
John and Gregg do not witness the auditionees cook in the MasterChef kitchen. Instead, they taste each dish in the new Tasting Room. Just like diners in a restaurant, they judge each contestant's food solely on the plate that is put in front of them.
After sampling all nine plates, John and Gregg pick their three favourite dishes, giving those cooks a well-earned MasterChef apron and immunity from cooking in the next round. However, for the six remaining contestants the competition is not over. They all get another chance to impress the judges and win themselves that coveted apron.
Pulling out all the stops for another of their Signature Dishes, the hopefuls must then cook a sweet dish if they delivered a savoury dish in the first round and vice versa. This time, John and Gregg are in the kitchen to witness their every move.
The pressure is intense and the stakes are high as at the end, only four cooks can join the three already fast-tracked to the next round of challenges. For two, their MasterChef dream is over.
Ahead of tonight's episode, Bristol-born Oli gave some insight as to why he decided to compete in the competition. He said: "I work in the wine industry so whilst I don't work directly with food, I do work indirectly with it in many ways: wine pairings, the world of restaurants,
"It's my day job but I love it and food and cooking is a natural progression from this. I want to now see if I can bring the two things together and take it to that next level."
MasterChef continues at 8pm tonight (April 12), Thursday and Friday on BBC One.
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