S13.W7 (E30-34)

[Athena]

Begins week of May 30, 2021.

[displayname]

Tom :'(

Spoiler for this week:

Spoiler

It's the comeback week. I hope Tom can come back.

 

[katisha]

1 hour ago, displayname said:

Tom :'(

I know he said he's a pescetarian, so maybe his reasoning for picking crocodile to use in round 2 was that it was the only game meat even close to seafood but when he refused to change course with 30 minutes to go, that just didn't seem sensible - did he really think that he could possibly do worse by changing over to something more familiar/known like duck or quail?

Gutted that Tom was booted, but I didn't much care for the composition of that bottom five because Pete and Kishwar were also there and that's too many of the better cooks for my liking.  

Random comment - again, while I have no interest in cooking or eating game meat (the mere smell of kangaroo cooking turns my stomach), so glad again to see a challenge where nobody could realistically make ice-cream (though no doubt Conor would have tried to).

Spoiler

I wasn't that attached to a lot of the booted contestants and I'm honestly bloody annoyed that we have to put up with Conor again this week.  I wonder if the incredibly inept Trent will be back too? 

 

[displayname]

18 minutes ago, katisha said:

 

  Hide contents

I wasn't that attached to a lot of the booted contestants and I'm honestly bloody annoyed that we have to put up with Conor again this week.  I wonder if the incredibly inept Trent will be back too? 

 

Spoiler

Most of them were downright annoying to me lol. Not looking forward to seeing Conor, Therese, Trent. Really just want Tom back, but suspect one of Therese or Conor.

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by displayname

[ChicagoMe]

Bring on the Pepto-Bismol - Conor's coming back - maybe we'll be treated to cow dung ice cream or ice cream that tastes like cow dung with a little olive oil thrown in.  I hope they give Therese her Immunity pin back so she can not play it again. This week has the potential to be exciting and nauseating all at once. Jess is the only one I'd like to see back...maybe a few more but, look, I already forgot their names. But they should change the name from Comeback Week to The Return to Bad Ice Cream Week.

Edited May 30, 2021 by ChicagoMe

[babs1226]

I am happy that Pete made it through.  He was just so down in all his talking heads.  I had a feeling that having to cook a savory dish in elimination would be Tom's undoing.  Every great dish of his that they highlighted at the end was a dessert.  I'm disappointed that they are giving the returnees more than one chance to cook.  The only one I really don't want to see come back is Therese.

[Rosenrot]

:( 

Too sad to form sentences. Will therefore leave. 

[dippydee]

Nooooooo! Not Tom! Damn you show. Especially when Aaron is right there :(

I knew Tom would have trouble, savoury was not his strength. He’s the only one I want back, maybe Jess or Minoli (who seemed like she was going to be an interesting cook) would be fine too.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed because it’s either screen time or last out who usually returns so maybe Tom has a chance.

1 hour ago, babs1226 said:

The only one I really don't want to see come back is Therese.

Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised given how “shocking” her elimination apparently was I’m guessing she’s a pretty good bet.

Edited May 30, 2021 by dippydee

[Aerobicidal]

This episode had no Blokey, little to no screaming, and Kishwar and Pete didn't get eliminated. I liked virtually nothing else about it, particularly the following: judges being unusually harsh during the cooking, Tommy laughing at his own terrible puns while everyone else seemed to be desperately struggling, Tom going home, and game meat* (and the unlucky connection between the last two).

I agree that hopefully Tom will return but, I don't know if I want to watch knowing how unlikely that is and how the editors will once again try to get me to love Blushing Instagram Pork, Queen of 100 Percent Original Creative Desserts, and Savory Ice Cream and Granita Earring Master. 

I want to call Pete and tell him that it's okay for him not to be all "OMG"/super happy/cheerleader/jazz hands. Obviously the show encourages it, but lots of people who aren't like that have done quite well in past seasons.

If she wants to, I think Kishwar could really do well in her own cooking show(s) after this season is over and have a major media career like Nadiya did after GBBO. She has a great presence and is very articulate even under the pressure of Masterchef, so I imagine she could really thrive in a non-competitive setting.

*Not really specific to game meat, but an all-meat challenge made an already unpleasant episode worse for me since I don't eat meat.

[Niuxita]

No Melissa and Elise has a hunter (ew) boyfriend? Heartbreak all around.

Who should I send the bill for my blood pressure spikes this whole hour? Before Kishwar opened the pressure cooker, I assumed she'd be the one to go home because she was the only woman in the bottom 5 and I was SO STRESSED OUT I literally could not speak. Pretty much confirmed that her eventual elimination (because male winner) is gonna absolutely destroy me. Can't wait! "I can't go home before you taste my Bengali sweets!" I love her so much.

Tommy should NOT have outlasted Tom, but he really was the architect of his own demise there so it's hard to feel like there was some huge wrongdoing (unlike certain OTHER eliminations that shall remain nameless). 

I thought it was such a dick move to go over to Pete who was feeling pretty confident about his sauce and be like, "Are you SURE this is good enough?" or whatever. I can't be sure, because the editing could be playing tricks on me, but it felt like it was after that that Pete became more subdued and insecure about his dish. I know I said he could win it all, but now that he's the only male I care about in this competition, it stands to reason that he'll probably get a bullshit elimination at some point. At least they couldn't find a justification to send him home instead of the undercooked crocodile. (That's another sentence I never thought I'd type.)

Can someone explain how this whole "cooking for a place back into the competition" works? I only started watching this show last season but I read comments about it being done in the past. You're telling me that after we FINALLY got rid of Conor, there's a chance we're gonna be saddled with him again? Why do bad things happen to good people??? I'd say who I want back but since it will be probably Conor + another unremarkable dude, I'm not gonna bother. At least Tom has a shot.

[katisha]

9 minutes ago, Niuxita said:

Elise has a hunter (ew) boyfriend?

I know - how gross! Now I'm imagining something like that awful picture that's around out there of someone (a Trump son?) grinning on the dead carcass of a giraffe he'd just shot, probably purely for conservation purposes.  I thought she would have had better taste.

10 minutes ago, Niuxita said:

You're telling me that after we FINALLY got rid of Conor, there's a chance we're gonna be saddled with him again?

I'm quite afraid this might happen, purely because he was featured SO heavily in the pre-show advertising.  I guess they figured we would all fall in love with him, not find him incredibly annoying!

 

[katisha]

Two hamsters get a second chance this year - have they ever done that before?

I wasn't even slightly surprised that Conor and Minoli were both in the top four and again, this is based purely on the fact that before the season even started both of them were in the preview ads.  I'd say that means there's a good chance one of those two will get the apron tomorrow and for the love of God, it had better be Minoli!  OK, so we didn't get octopus ice-cream from Conor but even his hair and single earrings annoy me.  I barely remember Katrina but would rather she got a second chance than Eric, who already lasted way longer than he should have.  So... go, Minoli, who got extra points from me tonight for not allowing the judges' mind-fuckery to convince her to change the dish she wanted to make. 

Meanwhile, last night's recap is up.

Quote

Elise is desperate to impress her boyfriend, who is a hunter and has filled their fridge with game meat: clearly not a man you want to disappoint. And indeed she comes out on top, naming 10 out of 14 correctly, thanks to her blood-soaked love life. Kishwar, Tommy, Tom, Pete and Aaron are forced through to round two, their knowledge of corpses woefully inadequate.

 

Quote

"I'm gonna live or die by this crocodile on my bench," says Tom, and he's far from the first unfortunate person to express such a sentiment. Meanwhile Pete tells Jock and Andy his dish is "interesting", causing Jock and Andy to almost jump the bench and beat him up. Restraining their violent urges, they visit Aaron to tell him his kangaroo is too tight: something no man wants to hear. Aaron admits to a chronic case of roo-tightness, but he has only 10 minutes to cook another piece of kangaroo, and he has to finish his sauce, and the toilet is blocked up, and it's class photo day – it never rains but it pours.

 

 

[displayname]

Anyone but Conor!!!

[babs1226]

Well, it was easy to figure out who the top 4 were going to be based on the talking heads.  It's not easy, right now, to figure out which one of them will come closest on what looks like a very fiddly dessert.  I think it will come down to who can keep the coolest head.  It will be nice if it's one of the women.  

[ChicagoMe]

There are either a lot of sexual favors or nepotism happening somewhere on Conor's behalf. He has virtually no chance to win...or even justifiably go much further in this competition - a wasted selection; he has irritated me since the beginning. Happy about Minoli - her food seems genuinely interesting and unique. Eric...another bummer choice. I'd give anything to never have to hear from him or Conor again.

How is the 2nd one being selected? I don't understand that. Is it going to be one of the remaining 3? That would give Conor a 50/50 chance...christalmighty!

Edited May 31, 2021 by ChicagoMe

[dippydee]

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who likes Dan, four people picked him for ingredients!

Im pleased for the girls in the top 4. Not at all happy about Eric and Conor getting through, though I will give Conor props for not making an ice cream or granita. I guess lemon ice creams are too boring for him. Keeping my fingers crossed for Minoli in the pressure test but I have a feeling it’s Conors one to lose.

[babs1226]

1 hour ago, ChicagoMe said:

I don't understand that. Is it going to be one of the remaining 3?

They told all the returnees that they would get a 2nd chance, so I don't think it's just going to be the 4 from today.  Maybe they will repeat today's competition?

[Aerobicidal]

The best cooks ever! The best food ever! The most ridiculous parody of attempted social distancing ever! The most articulate judges ever!

For the last one, today I want to call out Mel for describing the classic chocolate orange ice cream'n'soil dessert as "so chocolatey that it couldn't be more chocolatey but it's also really fresh and orangey." That's a 1:14 ratio of marginally useful to clearly useless words.

Minoli's dish looked unappealing to me--although I usually love Sri Lankan food--but they gave her a lot of screen time and a convoluted plot line, so I'm hoping she might beat Eric and Conor tomorrow. ("Will they understand Sri Lankan food if it's served on one plate?" As if any of these judges would complain that they're so used to eating Sri Lankan food served on multiple plates that the dish is so confusing that they don't care whether it tastes good!)

I'd bet everything I own that Conor will be one of the two coming back so at least I hope the other one isn't Eric.

Edited June 1, 2021 by Aerobicidal
Fix a typo

[SnideAsides]

10 hours ago, katisha said:

Two hamsters get a second chance this year - have they ever done that before?

Return challenges:

S1: No challenge; judges arbitrarily bring back Poh and two random blokes to fill time because of the season's weird "free pass to the final week" immunity format.

S2: Eliminated players complete a skills test; the top six advance to an Invention Test and non-eliminated players blindly taste their dishes before picking three to return.

S5: An entire week of challenges, with current and eliminated players paired together and gradually being narrowed down; winning pair gets return rights for the eliminated player and an immunity pin for their partner.

S6 and S8: Mystery Box; winner returns.

S9: Eliminated players cook a savoury dish, then the best six cook a sweet dish; winner returns.

S10 and S11: Immediately after an elimination (Thursday in S10, Monday in S11), the booted player and the other eliminated people compete in an Invention Test; winner returns.

[katisha]

You clearly have a much better memory than I do, @SnideAsides! Thanks for the clarification.

[SnideAsides]

I just had enough time (Melbourne lockdown + can't work from home) to trawl through the Wikipedia pages for each season.

Weirdly they seem to keep getting earlier - the first two seasons' returns were in weeks 10 and 11 (but S2 was 14 weeks to justify it), then it was Week 8 in seasons five and six, then it's been Week 7 ever since.

[katisha]

Well, that went pretty much according to script in that Minoli got the apron, but considering the style of food she usually cooks (savoury and a bit rustic), she did an absolutely brilliant job.  I'm stoked for her but I'm even more stoked that she stopped Conor getting his ice-creamy fingers all over that apron.  I'm still afraid he'll get the second one but it was kind of satisfying seeing his confidence in what he did be so misplaced in the end.  

Here's the recap.

Quote

Previously on MasterChef: the TWIST THAT WILL CHANGE THE GAME FOREVER came, in the form of the same twist that happens every year: eliminated contestants getting another chance. But the REAL twist is that they didn't just get another chance: they got another chance stretched over multiple nights to pad the series.

Quote

Katrina serves first and has been in this episode little it is very unlikely that she is either especially good or especially bad. "It'll be interesting to see what the flavours are like,"says Melissa, and I mean I guess so but that's becoming a bit old hat. Can't they mix it up with, say, "it'll be interesting to see whether there are any rat faeces in this"? Anyway Katrina's dessert is OK really.

 

[dippydee]

Yay Minoli! I’m glad she got one. I was rooting for her for this one. 
 

Not going to lie I laughed at Eric saying he was going to follow his instincts when his are pretty poor when it comes to cooking. The jam really was his downfall, Didn’t he wonder why the oranges had to be put in boiling water and then cooked with the other ingredients?

2 hours ago, katisha said:

but it was kind of satisfying seeing his confidence in what he did be so misplaced in the end.  

I got a little kick out of that too. I know he’s still got another chance but it was certainly a little fun to see the judges trying to be positive about his dish when they clearly weren’t impressed with it.

[akr]

Yay for Minoli! She's the one of the four I would most want to see more from, and she seems like such a lovely person. A pretty good job from all of them, really - at the end, the guest chef seemed almost a little disappointed that there hadn't been more drama beyond Eric's jam not setting & Conor leaving off his twigs. 

It sounded like someone will go straight through from tomorrow's mystery box, rather than setting them up for another pressure test to get in. So, will there then be a Thursday episode in which they all cook for immunity from a Sunday elimination? I had been thinking it was going to be four days of cooking from the eliminated contestants, but that's not what it seemed like from the preview.

(As for the somewhat polarizing, but obviously talented, Conor: I actually think he might not have gone back to the ice cream well that much again, after it got him sent home. The dish yesterday looked really good, so I'm reminded that when he cooks Greek food I'm interested, but I still can't get behind someone who calls himself! "mulletbae." Just cook, please.) 

[Aerobicidal]

I'm so confused. Why were they wearing black aprons if no one was going to be eliminated? What was at stake for the winner of this pressure test? Is Blokey blokey enough? Does anyone really want to get back into this competition, And, seriously this time, was Conor proud and confident enough?

The preview suggests a possibility of Conor and Therese getting a lot of screen time tomorrow, which is not surprising or encouraging to me. 

I don't understand why anyone would even apply for this show if they couldn't at least semi-reliably temper chocolate (sorry, Kishwar). Actually, I just want a separate show of Masterchef Just Desserts AU and a savory-only rule on this one. I would also like a new Tesla, world peace, and the end of all forms of discrimination. 

[akr]

1 hour ago, Aerobicidal said:

I'm so confused. Why were they wearing black aprons if no one was going to be eliminated? . . . 

I don't understand why anyone would even apply for this show if they couldn't at least semi-reliably temper chocolate (sorry, Kishwar). Actually, I just want a separate show of Masterchef Just Desserts AU and a savory-only rule on this one. I would also like a new Tesla, world peace, and the end of all forms of discrimination. 

They actually weren't wearing aprons at all - it was the guest chef who had a black apron on. 

Funny!!

[displayname]

Just please join me in a prayer circle for Tom, lol.

[seltzer3]

On 5/31/2021 at 8:00 PM, SnideAsides said:

Return challenges:

S1: No challenge; judges arbitrarily bring back Poh and two random blokes to fill time because of the season's weird "free pass to the final week" immunity format.

S2: Eliminated players complete a skills test; the top six advance to an Invention Test and non-eliminated players blindly taste their dishes before picking three to return.

S5: An entire week of challenges, with current and eliminated players paired together and gradually being narrowed down; winning pair gets return rights for the eliminated player and an immunity pin for their partner.

S6 and S8: Mystery Box; winner returns.

S9: Eliminated players cook a savoury dish, then the best six cook a sweet dish; winner returns.

S10 and S11: Immediately after an elimination (Thursday in S10, Monday in S11), the booted player and the other eliminated people compete in an Invention Test; winner returns.

S1:  Justine was also brought back.

[TVbitch]

Dang, everybody chose Dan as the one person who knew them well enough to select their special cookery item. ...Is everybody else an aloof bastard or something? : D

Okay can production please tell these people whether they can freaking hug or not. They are hanging all over each other one minute, then demurely touching elbows the next. Poor Tom tries to exit all socially distant like, but Jock is not having it and demands some serious bro hugging. Andy breaks that up to explain to Tom that if Jock gets a bro hug, then Tom is contractually obligated to hug him, too.   

[Niuxita]

Conor: If someone's going to beat me, they're gonna have to pull something out of the woodwork, because that apron is mine.

Narrator: That apron was not, in fact, his.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Yay, Minoli!! I think she's the one eliminated female contestant with the most potential that was let go way too soon. Her reaction was the best and she just gives off such a great vibe.

29 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Okay can production please tell these people whether they can freaking hug or not. They are hanging all over each other one minute, then demurely touching elbows the next.

Yeah, honestly. Maybe when they bump elbows after a cook ends they're just doing it reflexively at this point? Either way, it's annoying. If one of y'all has COVID, then all of y'all have it, so pls just drop the act.

[akr]

Maybe they have different comfort levels with hugging etc. - I'm not sure when this was filmed relative to various stages of Australia's mostly very good record with Covid, but some people are more risk averse than others, and it can be hard to dial your caution levels up and down as situations (and recommendations) change. I figure they've decided hugs are now allowed, but obviously they're not mandatory. The elbow habit that was widely followed for a while may still feel more comfortable than a high five, etc., especially with someone you've only ever exchanged elbow bumps with. Etc. I just figure I give everyone latitude on how they handle it.  We've had it much worse here in the States, but now that I'm vaccinated etc. it's still a bit of an adjustment, as you don't know other people's status or how they feel about it (especially as it was so politicized), and it's weird to re-navigate the rules for things you haven't done in a year.   

In other words, awkward is normal for the time being. And they don't have to all be on the same page at the same time - or even, individually, on the same page from moment to moment. 

[displayname]

Woah neither Therese nor Conor is making it back in?! Who would have thought it!

[dippydee]

1 minute ago, displayname said:

 

Woah neither Therese nor Conor is making it back in?! Who would have thought it!

 

I was shocked! But I think I may actually have preferred one of them to Eric getting yet another chance. He can do his niche thing well but anything outside of that or even following a recipe seems to be an issue for him. How many more shots at this does he need. I would have given his spot to Jess.

Still I’m so happy Tom gets a second chance. I’ll be rooting for him or Maja to get the second return slot.

[katisha]

15 hours ago, displayname said:

Just please join me in a prayer circle for Tom, lol.

Happy to, and I'll keep it going for tomorrow night as well because I fell a little more in love with him tonight.

Andy: You don't know what might be under the lid of the covered Mystery Box.  It might be crocodile.

Tom: It BETTER BLOODY NOT BE, Andy!

😆

Meanwhile, though I can't believe Eric got through to yet another apron-winning round, at least Conor didn't.  And even though I'm not sorry to see Therese not make the second round, I did feel a little bad for her that her return was such a bust.  On Monday she wanted to show the judges that she can also cook savoury (and maybe she can, but she didn't do it well that night).  This time she went back to the familiar dessert with ice-cream and crumb wheelhouse but stuffed up the ice-cream, There's no doubting the pre-show ads really oversold Therese as the second (or fifth - I've lost count) coming of Reynold, which she never was (and frankly, nobody really wanted or needed her to be).

If Tom doesn't get the apron, I'd love to see it go to Maya as well.  Mad props to her for the fact that after she was booted she went and got that work experience because it's clearly improved her skills.

Edited June 2, 2021 by katisha

[displayname]

8 minutes ago, dippydee said:

He can do his niche thing well but anything outside of that or even following a recipe seems to be an issue for him. How many more shots at this does he need.

I thought neither his wontons nor his scallion pancakes looked good 😅

[zibnchy]

"I'm going to make a pickled egg yolk and fennel 4 ways." -- last words of a chef who has lost all hope.

I'm mildly obsessed with YoYo. She was eliminated early (2nd or 3rd) and I never gave her a thought because she was never featured. I'm not sure she ever got a talking head except the pity THs contestants get when they're about to be booted. So this week that we have spent with the eliminated chefs, a week in which way too much screen time was given to f'ing Trent, we again never heard a word from YoYo**. No TH, no heartwarming story about how much she's grown as a chef, no judge visit to her bench. Nothing. So my question is why does MasterchefAU hate YoYo so much? What did she do to warrant worse treatment than Trent for cryin out loud.

**I recognize the fact that she may have actually just really sucked at cooking because she did leave a poop shoot in Mel's prawn. Even I, a person who doesn't really cook, know a poop shoot is a ticket home. So how did she get into the comp in the first place (I don't watch the audition episodes)?

I am a bad person because I may have giggled when Therese served up her small bowl of sadness and despair for the judges. And I felt a definite bit of joy when I realized Conor is NOT returning.

I'll be fine if Tom or MessyBun win tomorrow. But, serious question, why have we spent an entire week focused on people who've already been eliminated? This show does not actually need to be longer.

ETA: Oh it's poop chute. Of course it is. That's better.

Edited June 3, 2021 by zibnchy

[Aerobicidal]

Of all the food on this season, the dish Tom made tonight sounds the best to me. I think a smaller black garlic Canale and yogurt without the ice cream/etc. could also be a savory amuse bouche. Yes, this is my brain after not going to a restaurant for fifteen months, fantasizing about pretentious tasting menus. (Luckily, that streak will end next week.)

Aside from that, Trent and Jess win the awards for consistent incompetence and Therese wins for biggest fall from "grace." I still remember how irritated I was when Jess made horror tacos in an immunity challenge and the judges were trying to hype them up by saying the salsa was smoky. And that episode aired last December.

I can't pay attention to Eric's food because he annoys me so much, so for all I know he deserves to win tomorrow but I sure hope he doesn't.

[akr]

7 hours ago, katisha said:

23 hours ago, displayname said:

Just please join me in a prayer circle for Tom, lol.

Happy to, and I'll keep it going for tomorrow night as well because I fell a little more in love with him tonight.

I'm right there with you, but he once again demonstrated that he likes to take big risks. The canelés could have failed just like the crocodile did (although he was of course at least on familiar territory this time). I like him, but if he gets back in, I suspect that sooner or later that penchant for risk-taking is going to take him down again. 

Edited June 2, 2021 by akr
accent mark on canelés

[SnideAsides]

7 hours ago, zibnchy said:

So how did she get into the comp in the first place (I don't watch the audition episodes)?

But, serious question, why have we spent an entire week focused on people who've already been eliminated? This show does not actually need to be longer.

My guesses for these two answers are (1) the producers wanted "lockdown revelation" casting instead of finding great chefs, and the small pool the judges had to work with during the auditions means some people who'd normally be laughed out of the room may have gotten through, and (2) Ten's insisted on the season being longer in case they're unable to make content, like how they had to stretch the season out during last year's lockdowns.

[katisha]

32 minutes ago, SnideAsides said:

the small pool the judges had to work with during the auditions means some people who'd normally be laughed out of the room may have gotten through,

I don't think there's any "may" about it!  Look at Trent and YoYo's efforts last night.  Trent doesn't appear to be able to cook anything competently and even this seafood hating old gal knows that nobody wants to eat prawns complete with a side order of poop chute!  And many of the better contestants (I don't really want to call them slightly less incompetent) this season are quite one note in what they're able to do well, including some I really like such as Kishwar.  

1 hour ago, akr said:

I'm right there with you, but he once again demonstrated that he likes to take big risks. The canelés could have failed just like the crocodile did (although he was of course at least on familiar territory this time). I like him, but if he gets back in, I suspect that sooner or later that penchant for risk-taking is going to take him down again. 

I agree but part of me admires that when the judges come around and try and scare him out of making whatever he's doing, he stands his ground and has the cojones to say, "No, I'm going to keep doing it my way."  Maybe not a sensible strategy but I like that he won't play their games.

[babs1226]

I am in the US, and I can't even watch the American version.  I find this version delightful.  I am fine with the season being longer.  I like the way they are doing the competition this year, with everyone getting at least two chances to cook.  The competitions this week have been enjoyable, mostly because of the high energy in the room.    I was disappointed that Therese chose to make yet another ice cream, crumble, caramel.  I am curious, though.  Here in the US, we have a lot of ice cream varieties that have pieces of nuts in them.  Is that not a thing in OZ?  Therese could have caramelized some nuts, then added them to the ice cream after it finished churning.  

I don't think that Eric will be coming back.  I think it will be Tom or Maja.  

[Aerobicidal]

2 hours ago, katisha said:

[P]art of me admires that when the judges come around and try and scare him out of making whatever he's doing, he stands his ground and has the cojones to say, "No, I'm going to keep doing it my way."  Maybe not a sensible strategy but I like that he won't play their games.

Yeah, I complete agree with this comment about Tom. I don't think he'll make the finals, but he's taking risks and doing interesting things on a season when most people aren't (with exceptions like Pete).

I can't believe I haven't mentioned or even thought about this, but I broke my elbow in March, so maybe I am having some sort of subconscious reaction to the constant elbow bumping on this season. I don't know if it's making more more or less snarky, but everyone here should feel free to take that into account when reading anything I write during the remainder of the season. (Which is, what, only four more months or so?)

[Niuxita]

6 hours ago, Aerobicidal said:

Aside from that, Trent and Jess win the awards for consistent incompetence

Jess wasn't at all incompetent tonight, though.

Still can't believe Conor has zero shots left to come back. Miracles do happen. All his favour with the judges seems to have been transferred to Eric, though. I'm not sure I buy his food is so E P I C that he deserves to be put through yet again. Tomorrow should be Tom's to lose but you never know.

Super happy for Maja as well. Hopefully whatever is burning tomorrow is something that should be burning or that at least doesn't ruin her dish too much.

[misgabi13]

5 hours ago, babs1226 said:

Therese could have caramelized some nuts, then added them to the ice cream after it finished churning.  

I was thinking the same thing!  Chunks of caramelized macadamia may have hidden the slight graininess.

 

16 hours ago, katisha said:

Meanwhile, though I can't believe Eric got through to yet another apron-winning round, at least Conor didn't. 

I am SO HAPPY that Conor didn't make it through and is finally out of chances to return.  He was making it really hard to watch the show.  He always looks kind of 'grubby' and I wouldn't want to eat anything he made because of that.

 

Fingers and toes crossed tonight for Tom!!!!!

[displayname]

Sigh... Well I'll take the gender ratio evening out again, if we can't have Tom back. At least it wasn't Eric.

 

ETA: Hope the next to go is one of Amir, Brent, Justin, or Aaron. I mean, come on.

Edited June 3, 2021 by displayname

[dippydee]

Oh Tom. What terrible strategy, I’m not happy we didn’t get to see his fancy dessert but his starter looked so sad compared to the others. 

The first time I’ve liked Eric this entire show was watching him walk away when Andy and Jock were talking at his bench. It was pretty funny. I was worried for a moment he would get through when there was so much focus on him with the backstory and the big deal of him cooking real Chinese food. I understand the personal meaning to him and the cultural And heritage issues he’s dealing with (taking Indian food to primary school back in day used to get some looks) but he’s been cooking this food all season so I’m not sure why it was suddenly a “story”.

I’m happy for Maja, she’s become so much more interesting. Her time was so well spent in the kitchens. It really shows in everything from her prep work to her plating. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does.

Edited June 3, 2021 by dippydee

[katisha]

31 minutes ago, dippydee said:

Oh Tom. What terrible strategy, I’m not happy we didn’t get to see his fancy dessert but his starter looked so sad compared to the others. 

As soon as he said that was his plan I was pretty sure he'd be a goner.  I mean, I can see what he was trying to achieve but he's a smart guy.  Surely he must have realised that there was no point spending two hours making a fancy-pants dessert if your entree and main were going to be so rushed and slapdash that you'd get knocked out of contention before your dessert ever got tasted.   Sad he's gone but really, nobody could say there was any unfairness.

31 minutes ago, dippydee said:

I was worried for a moment he would get through when there was so much focus on him with the backstory and the big deal of him cooking real Chinese food. I understand the personal meaning to him and the cultural And heritage issues he’s dealing with (taking Indian food to primary school back in day used to get some looks) but he’s been cooking this food all season so I’m not sure why it was suddenly a “story”.

I think it's great that Eric was cooking foods from the part of China where his family's from, but everything needs to be well executed.  For once I have to agree with Justin when he said, "That squirrel looks sick!" because the fish looked a bit like it had a disease called white spot (I used to have aquariums back in the day).  It didn't look appetising and those lumpy bits of cornflour would have been like eating wallpaper paste.  Very glad that he only made it as far as the second round.
 

31 minutes ago, dippydee said:

I’m happy for Maja, she’s become so much more interesting. Her time was so well spent in the kitchens. It really shows in everything from her prep work to her plating. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does.

Me too.  She can't possibly win the competition unless she's planning on a sex change in the near future but she has the potential to build further on what she developed whilst working at those top restaurants and perhaps show a little more versatility than others still left.

The recap is up.

Quote

Tom explains his plan to Jock and Andy. Andy notes that he will probably have to work hard on his entree. This throws Tom, who never realised he'd actually have to cook the entree: he'd assumed just describing it to the judges would be enough.

Quote

Wynonna's fish is good. Maja's fish is good. Eric's fish - which is called "squirrel fish" because it looks almost exactly like three-day-old roadkill - is good, but...a bit dry? And Jock got a mouthful of flour? Damn...Eric and his profound respect for Chinese cuisine are both gone. Poor sweet Eric…

 

Edited June 3, 2021 by katisha

[dippydee]

16 minutes ago, katisha said:

For once I have to agree with Justin when he said, "That squirrel looks sick!" because the fish looked a bit like it had a disease called white spot (I used to have aquariums back in the day).  It didn't look appetising and those lumpy bits of cornflour would have been like eating wallpaper paste.

Lol! I agree, even he he pulled it out of the oil, the fish looked so pale and unappetising I didn’t understand why the gantry was cheering so much. 
 

I will say his starter looked delicious. The eggs and tofu especially. I think he went the opposite of Tom. All his attention went to the starter and his main looked a little more like an afterthought.

[ChicagoMe]

I was rooting for Tom but after he announced his strategy it was obvious he wouldn't advance. Eric nailed the appetizer but his fish/squirrel looked downright cancerous.  When I heard "that's sick" coming out of the gantry...well, I thought the "prompting" had become ludicrous. As a side to that, I'm tired of all the over-reactions from the chefs for the sake of "good" tv. I don't know what kind of audience this is supposed to be playing to but I find my finger on the fast forward more and more lately. Maybe now that we've once again gotten rid of all the chefs we had already gotten rid of it might be a bit more enjoyable. Fingers crossed. At this point, I couldn't even begin to call the top 5.

[Aerobicidal]

Imagine walking into a department store, and three people come at you screaming at you that they sell the most profound, beautiful, delicious, meaningful, and iconic perfume ever created in the history of mankind. And they continue talking, less and less coherently, but just as loudly and incessantly.

That is how I felt about the judges trying to sell me Eric right until about two minutes before he was eliminated.

Now I am off to attempt a sick squirrel ice cream with a brined green olive granita and a pickled onion soil.