Thanks for following along with me again! I’m sorry that each Sunday ends up being such a massive downer.
The whole world is terrible right now - can’t we just have MasterChef??
We sadly say farewell to @brendan_pang 😢 We'll miss you! #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/Ad9GPO6bfz
— masterchefau (@masterchefau) June 21, 2020
Melissa says that Brendan came back to play with a clear idea of who he was, and has given them “the best dumplings that this kitchen has ever seen”. “You’re such a special guy and we all love you so much.”
Brendan says “the experience reaffirmed how much food means to me, how emotional it is and why I work in food every day.” A reminder that Brendan quit his job as a social worker in child protection to enter the competition in 2018. He’s a big sweetie outside the kitchen too.
Long live the dumpling king.
Brendan is eliminated
Well, it happened. Brendan’s big bowl of umami noodles has sent him out of the competition. It just didn’t hit the brief, and the other dishes were too good.
Brendan says he “can’t feel anything yet”. Reece is feeling enough for both of them. Australia’s best TV friendship is broken.
Tessa had the best dish! Damn, confidence goes a long way. Which… also helps explain why Brendan is definitely about to go home.
It’s time to deliver the (obvious) verdict. But, first of all, who had the best dish?
“There was one dish that absolutely killed it,” Andy says. Probably Emelia. Maybe Tessa?
I reckon we’re about to get more Emelia footage in the coming weeks.
Emelia’s sense of humour is wildly underrated and I demand more of her #MasterchefAU
— Mads (@_itsyagirlmads) June 21, 2020
No such luck for Brendan. Emelia has hit it out of the park again.
PSA: Chocolate and vegemite is an unreal combo 👌 #MasterChefAU @emeliajacksonMC pic.twitter.com/bW9wLTb628
— masterchefau (@masterchefau) June 21, 2020
Jock says there’s a lot of skill on display in her dish. The parfait is incredibly smooth and the Vegemite isn’t overwhelming at all.
She’s perfectly balanced the dish and (further) cemented her new role as the dark horse of the competition.
Emelia serving the food back to the judges as a cube. A troll move and I love it. #MasterChefAU
— Dean Nye (@Dean_Nye) June 21, 2020
Brendan’s survival comes down to Emelia’s Vegemite chocolate dish. It needs to be straight up disgusting for him to stay in the competition.
Oh no, get ready to cry some more. Brendan’s dish has loads of good qualities, but it ultimately doesn’t fulfil the balance brief.
Jock calls it “an umami bomb” (but not in the good way Emelia was using that phrase). The balance of the other flavours is drowned out completely.
It’s time for Brendan’s big bowl of noodles and anxiety.
He says that he’s been doubting himself more and more, as the competition gets tighter.
“I’ve never made it this far before”. He came ninth on his season in 2018. He is currently in the top eight. Brendan!! You absolutely deserve to be here.
The verdict from Jock: “it might not be the most interesting dish, but it is very well balanced”. Reynold’s YouTube date puree is a hit.
Exquisite dish, Reynold 👌 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/8hfXJ5xYDn
— masterchefau (@masterchefau) June 21, 2020
Melissa’s description goes next level: “it’s like a scene from a Japanese Shogun movie with a Samurai sword, blood on snow, red rose”.
Reynold’s duck is next. We’re going to a nervous ad break. But tbh, the dish looks pretty fantastic. I’m much more worried for Brendan.
okay but sarah, khanh, and brendan going home back to back is actually illegal though #MasterChefAU
— Jess (@dykeoksana) June 21, 2020
Good news for Tessa: they love it!
It’s “sunshine on a plate”. It’s a complex, layered little delight. It’s exactly what the challenge called for. Tessa is safe, for sure. This is real redemption after that celery slap in the face.
You can cook for us any day, Tessa 👏 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/DohclHfRri
— masterchefau (@masterchefau) June 21, 2020
It’s time to taste!
Tessa’s scarlet prawn crudo is first up for tasting. She says she’s extremely confident because she’s cooking to her strengths. And… Andy actually gives some good advice? He says it took him a lot longer to find his specialty, and she should lean in to what she does best.
It’s much better than his previous commentary: “this balance challenge is all about balance”.
TWO MINUTES TO GO. Emelia is digging her Vegemite choccie. The sorbet has set. Brendan smashes a plate. Reynold throws some food on the ground.
Reynold’s duck dish is actually really coming together. Plated it up, the puree and pickled beetroot looks like a small delicate rose. The duck breast is crisp and succulent. The sauce looks rich and creamy.
Meanwhile, Brendan is grabbing fistfuls of hot noodle and scalding his palms.
:(
Reece is every sidelined sporting parent trying to stay calm but can’t help but intervene “what are you doing?!” #MasterChefAU
— Channel 10 (@Channel10AU) June 21, 2020
Reece coaching Brendan in a loving bit aggressively invested way from the sidelines is very “my mum at my year 7 debates mouthing rebuttals to me” energy and I’m triggered #MasterChefAU
— Niccy T (@NicReality) June 21, 2020
Emelia’s sheep’s milk sorbet is not setting very quickly, and if she doesn’t get it on the plate that Vegemite parfait is going to be 300% grosser.
Meanwhile Brendan is looking a bit lost, running around with big bunches of leaves, freaking everyone out. This is a worrying edit.
He’s pacing in circles muttering “Bitter, bitter, bitter, bitter, bitter, bitter” like a confused German.
At least Reece looks confident.
Updated
Reynold is trying out a “smoke date puree” for the first time because he saw a video on YouTube (big iso energy). How many days until we get a sourdough and banana bread challenge?
30 minutes to go
Aaand, we’re halfway through! To recap: the remaining contestants have to plate up a dish that perfectly balances the flavours of sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami.
How do you feel about the vegemite/chocolate combo? 🤔
— masterchefau (@masterchefau) June 21, 2020
Reynold is experimenting with some miscellaneous duck, Brendan is experimenting by not making dumplings, Emelia is experimenting with a Vegemite dessert, and Tessa is not experimenting at all. She’s just making a dish - prawn crudo - that she’s confident and happy about (good strategy).
One of these four will be going home by the end of the episode.
Are they foreshadowing a Reynold exit?
Me warning producers of the outcome if Reynold is sent home: #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/fo9jCxQfsq
— Olivia Silk (@livsilk) June 21, 2020
Time for some clarity on Reynold’s duck: he’s doing a beetroot reduction and raspberry vinegar.. He’s throwing some mushrooms into a pan. And um… nope, that’s all the clarity we get.
Emelia’s chocolate Vegemite parfait will be served with poached rhubarb, sheep’s milk sorbet and bacon fat caramel. The parfait will be a big “umami bomb” right in the middle, she says.
I wonder if this episode was filmed the week Covid-riddled Tom Hanks made his own umami bomb in a Gold Coast hospital.
Brendan’s seafood noodles will have a Japanese flavour profile, so it’s a bit more delicate.
Andy helpfully tells him “this one will all be about balance”. Yep, that is the challenge, thank you!!
I hate it here. #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/qxkST12c9D
— Tara Watson (@tara_watson_) June 21, 2020
Brendan seems confident in his new dish, let’s hope it pays off.
Everytime Brendan is on my screen and opens his mouth #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/60d7EgWvyM
— Fiza Zali (@fizawanders) June 15, 2020
Tessa is chopping up some “bitter gourd” for her prawn dish, which she describes as “the most extreme bitter taste you could ever imagine”. Mmmm... yummy.
Eep! Brendan is changing course. He says dumplings just don’t make sense for the brief, so he’s making seafood noodles instead.
Reece is giving him extremely nervous guidance (“what are you doing”, “what is happening”, “why”) from the gantry. It’s Reece Week - they’re not allowed to eliminate his best friend!!
The dish is a chocolate Vegemite parfait. Jock calls it a “bold move”. She calls it a “huge risk”. I’m assuming it’s a huge risk that pays off, considering all the tabloid coverage about her being the favourite to win...
Emelia is the only contestant making a dessert. That is definitely playing to her strengths. But it’s also a tough ask when you have to make it umami… Her solution: Vegemite chocolate.
I hate it.
Reynold, on the other hand, is going savoury! He’s grabbed a big old duck, some bacon, some soy… but he’s not 100% certain what he’s doing with it all.
Also, hello, this is a good point:
I don’t think cooking a balanced dish that combines flavours well is actually a challenge idea but rather perhaps the whole point of cooking in general #MasterChefAU
— Niccy T (@NicReality) June 21, 2020
Brendan is doing dumplings. Smart. Play to your strengths. I’m also just learning that his dumpling restaurant is called Bumplings. I love it.
He’s a little worried about the challenge of adding bitterness though.
Tessa says she is leaning in to South-East Asian cuisine (her strength, apparently) and doing a scarlet prawn crudo with a sweet and sour dressing.
How long do you reckon until Jock or Andy come over and say “don’t come the raw prawn with me” while aggressively winking?
Round two: strike the right balance
Emelia, Tessa, Reynold and Brendan are now cooking for their spot in the competition. It’s another test of their palates. There are five themed pantries in front of them: bitter, salty, sweet, sour and umami.
(Side note: umami is truly the Pluto of the flavour profiles. It’s definitely real… but does it count? It is the Heart in Captain Planet. The Posh Spice of our mouths.)
The challenge is to cook a perfectly balanced dish, using at least one ingredient from each pantry. They can make anything they want, it just has to be balanced.
Emelia guesses daikon, but it’s kohlrabi - another food that I know literally nothing about.
That is a very rough finish for Emelia. She’ll be cooking in the final round with Tessa, Reynold and Brendan.
I declared my love for Brendan, and now immediately have competition. Fair.
I love him more....but in the gay way
— Sir_Baden 🏳️🌈 (@badenchalmers) June 21, 2020
Laura gets honeydew - the absolute dud of the pre-packaged fruit salad.
Emelia gets served some crunchy water. Eep. But celery was already covered in round one… What are we thinking? Nashi pear?
Poh guesses feijoa before she even tastes it. Great stuff. I love my good New Zealand fruit that tastes like yummy hand soap.
Another tough one for Poh: persimmon. I don’t think I even know what a persimmon tastes like.
Laura nails fried tofu. Emelia gets parsnip. Callum gets horseradish. We’re going all the way bb. I don’t know if the producers banked on this happening...
Guys we’ve watched 30 minutes of people eating cubes of food #masterchefau
— Dean Nye (@Dean_Nye) June 21, 2020
Callum successfully guesses starfruit and everyone absolutely loses their minds. It’s mayhem.
Brendan nearly has a brain aneurysm from holding in a scream.
Callum is kind of incredible, hey.
Poh guesses durian without even tasting it, which makes sense. It’s an incredibly strong smell. Laura can’t stand it, which also makes sense.
Here’s a video in which the smell is variously described as “when you don’t clean out your freezer” and “ass”:
Everyone is absolutely nailing this challenge. What happens if they get through all the cubes?
I can’t bear to watch Reece stress for the rest of the episode.
Brendan and Reece. The best #MasterchefAU pic.twitter.com/WBapPMbcBZ
— UnPhiltered (@inPhiltrated) June 15, 2020
Now, to Brendan… this one looks trickier. A lime? Some kind of green citrus fruit. He doesn’t get it :(
There’s now just one spot left to fill for the second round.
Broccoli, lemon, tuna, strawberry… Again, these things don’t seem too hard. Everyone’s flying through. Rip Tessa.
Reynold is eating what looks like a little cube of ham? Spam?? He describes it as “dry, bland and slightly smoky”. Uh oh, the bad music is playing.
He incorrectly guesses turkey. It’s ham.
Ham can’t be turned into smoke or gold or the Sydney Opera House?? How can he be expected to know such things.
Reynold is cooking in the second round - his third time in the elimination round this season.
Bring on the bland beige cubes! Callum guesses chicken correctly.
Brendan gets salmon, Poh gets blue cheese (both those seem quite a lot more distinctive than radicchio, no??)
Emelia guesses radicchio correctly, which is completely wild. Everyone is sweating profusely realising that every subsequent cube is harder than this fake red cabbage.
Let’s take another sec to note how unfair this was to Tessa. It was literally her first cube...
Everyone else got apple orange tomato banana and Tessa got celery core 🤔🤔🤔 #MasterChefAU
— littleseverus (@littleseverus) June 21, 2020
They gave her the part of celery no one eats. For the first taste test and everyone else gets fucking banana and apple what the actual fuck #MasterChefAU
— COYS (@COYS98301578) June 21, 2020
That’s unfair! The heart of celery is different in taste to celery stalks! #MasterChefAU
— Miss Moo (@miss_moo) June 21, 2020
We’re halfway through the cubes and Tessa is getting increasingly more humiliated on the sidelines. She’s then grins with glee as Melissa brings Emelia a mysterious little lump of purple.
What do we think? Red cabbage?
Poh and Laura cruise through another round. Now, we’re on to the mysterious meat cubes - a substantially grosser proposition.
Reynold successfully guesses lamb, Emelia gets beef. Poh gets bacon.
Updated
Callum breezes through with a little piece of pineapple.
Brendan guesses zucchini and Jock says “I’m sorry, it’s a courgette”. What a bloody stitch-up. He then tricks Poh into fumbling around for a cube that’s not there. He’s gone mad on the power.
Emelia is next up. It looks like a tomato. And.. it is. I’m back on my game.
She breathes a huge sigh of relief to not embarrassingly crash out in the first round (sorry Tessa).
Tessa has a trickier one: she says it tastes like celery, but has the wrong consistency. She guesses celeriac.
But it IS celery!!!! In fairness to Tessa, it is the celery heart (the white bit at the bottom which I have literally never eaten). That feels a hell of a lot tougher than orange...
Laura guesses beetroot correctly. Reynold has no trouble with his little orange cube.
cubed foods? sorry but these are the only "cube foods" we acknowledge in this house #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/W2RtYhkZto
— Michelle Rennex (@michellerennex) June 21, 2020
Brendan is the second to taste. It looks like a green apple. He crunches on in, and gets it right.
Poh is given a little cube of banana. She touches it and is extremely grossed out, then guesses it correctly.
“It’s giving me anxiety,” she says. Which is crazy, considering all the other genuinely anxiety-inducing things she willingly does on a daily basis.
All those people who are horny for Jock are going to love this challenge. The blindfolds, the all-black attire, Jock’s general demeanor right now and also all the time… It’s very 50 Shades.
Callum is first up. It looks like watermelon? Aaaaand, I’m wrong. It’s a carrot. This is a great start for Callum (who guessed correctly) and a terrible start for me.
Ugh, truly.
A moment of gratitude for the intern who had to cube the food #MasterChefAU
— Kiera (@UnderYourPorch) June 21, 2020
Round one: the cursed cube challenge
The 60 cubes on the table range from easiest to hardest, and the contestants will take it in turns to work their way across the table blindfolded. The first four to incorrectly guess each food will go on to cook in a second round to avoid elimination.
Callum describes this as “Russian roulette with food”, despite the fact none of these cubes have arsenic or coronavirus in them (as far as I know).
Everyone draws a number from a bag to determine the order they’ll taste in, and puts on their blindfolds.
The reason Reece is extra excited to not be cooking today: he was eliminated after a cube challenge in 2018. He got four guesses right, but that wasn’t enough.
“It’s really easy to make a mistake,” he says. “Think logically”. Which I suppose is good advice in this and every other situation.
The whole gang’s here! And so are dozens of tiny, socially distanced cubes.
Reece sprints up the stairs, ecstatic he doesn’t have to engage in this horrorshow. Laura is loving it, she can’t wait to get started.
Hi, everyone! Welcome back to another MasterChef elimination, where we must ritually sacrifice another food sweetie to please the Channel Ten producers (and subsidise the costs of their next mediocre show with Peter Helliar).
Tonight’s show starts at 7.30pm, so let’s look back on the teeny tiny week that was.
It was a good week for: Reece! It was another Reece Week, as he won immunity for the second time in a row.
The face you make when you win Immunity two weeks running! Congratulations @reece_hignell 👏 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/qWy57H57Ju
— masterchefau (@masterchefau) June 16, 2020
Reece went up against Brendan, Tessa and Callum in a challenge that had them weigh up the importance of time v number of ingredients - the longer they waited to start cooking, the more items they got for their pantry. Reece struck the right balance with a gin tart and ginger ice cream.
interesting that Reece is making a gin-filled tart, because that’s what I refer to myself as between Friday night and Sunday morning. #MasterchefAU
— jackson langford (@jacksonlangford) June 16, 2020
It was a bad week for: People who rely on MasterChef to provide structure and normalcy to their lives. We’ve gone from five episodes per week to just three - a mystery box challenge on Monday, an immunity challenge on Tuesday and elimination on Sunday. It has been four whole days without a Laura pasta joke. Are you all ok??
This is especially bad news if you live in Victoria (like me). We need all the inside entertainment we can get.
Tonight: The cube challenge!! The remaining contestants must correctly identify various cubed foods while blindfolded. It’s a surprisingly tough challenge, with a high risk factor for national humiliation. Which immensely talented chef will mess up and forget what banana tastes like?? Can’t wait to find out.
As always, please tweet @msmegwatson or email me!
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