S13.W13 (59-61): Grand Finale Week

[Athena]

Begins Sunday July 11.

[katisha]

For a season which has been less than stellar, to put it mildly, I'm quite surprised by how much I enjoyed tonight's episode.

No real surprise that the two sick bros made it into the finale but it's fitting, in my view, that Kishwar is the last woman standing.  She very likely won't win but at least she's there and we get to enjoy having her on our screens for one more episode.

The second part of the episode was more enjoyable than it has been in years.  I mean, the fun episodes when they involved the three former judges were fine but tonight was just hilarious.  Jock and Andy play so well off one another and this particular final three contestants got into the spirit of it better than many have in recent years.  Sabina was great value as a "guest" judge too.  And that Macgyver-ed spit roasted pineapple alone earnt the judge team a win in the second round in my mind.  So many excellent moments and I laughed quite a bit.  Very enjoyable ending what was a tough week for me last week (not watching the show - in real life/work stuff!).

Tonight's recap.  And I have to agree with Ben Pobjie about Justin's "fine dining" tacos,

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Pete tempts Justin from the side by conjuring visions of joining his "big brother" in the finale. By "big brother", he means himself: Pete and Justin's fantasy life has gone to a disturbing extreme. From above, Minoli suddenly bursts out, screaming, "BESTIES! WHOOO! PETE!" and wildly applauding the basic concept of friendship.

 

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"These tacos aren't what I imagined when I thought of fine dining tacos," says Justin, possibly because when one thinks of "fine dining tacos" one is thinking of an imaginary thing that can not possibly exist. But the diners are waiting and the tacos must go out, along with Elise's lentils and – a few hours from now – Kishwar's kingfish ceviche.

 

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Justin sends his mains out, and nobody can accuse him of not doing fine dining this time: the portion sizes are microscopic. Anyone eating this meal is getting Macca's on the way home, which is the mark of a truly fancy dish. 

 

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Justin's Brie ice-cream makes its debut. It's hard and icy, which sucks. But as the saying goes, when life gives you hard ice-cream…you know, just, kind of, put it on a plate. Justin emotionally notes that this dish reminds him of the person he loves most in the world: his fiancée, who I guess is also hard and icy? The judges eat the icy ice-cream and find it icy.

 

[babs1226]

I really enjoyed this episode, and the cook offs between the judges, and between the judges and contestants, were so fun.  I loved how the contestants mimicked Jock's feedback style.  He got a big kick out of it as well.  

I was not surprised by the way the cook went during the semi-final.  Kishwar knocked it out of the park with all 3 dishes. So great to see.   Justin thinking tacos for a fine dining entree was puzzling.  Elise not making any pasta was surprising.  All 3 of them making a frozen element was not, although good on Elise for switching things up with a semifreddo.  It's too bad she didn't seem to know how to actually treat the parsley.  After this season, I wonder if future contestants will ever go back to making ice cream with sweet ingredients.  

I'm really looking forward to the finale.  I honestly can't tell who is going to pull it off, because all three have the ability to do so.  I guess it all depends on who the stars align with tomorrow.  

[Aerobicidal]

"This place, it elevates you, and it's because there is exceptional people in the room."

Thanks, Elise, but I'm sorry your grammar wasn't elevated as much as your ability to fail at making herb ice cream was.

I'm not a woman, but if I was and someone referred to me as "the Mrs." on television I would immediately ban them from my life. 

"Brie cheese" as opposed to Brie Larson? Or is there another Brie that isn't a cheese but could have been made into an ice cream? 

I don't know how to speak English anymore. It's them or it's me, or both. It was nice to see Kishwar do well, but the only thing I'm rooting for is this show to finally end before August. I know it's supposed to, but I'm not convinced.

[Niuxita]

FUCKING YES, KISHWAR! Being the first contestant put through to the finale based on the consistency and general greatness of her menu? That's what I'm talking about. It's hard to believe from watching this episode that she most likely won't win, but at least I got what I wanted: seeing her in the finale and her being the last woman standing. I wouldn't have imagined, back when the show first started and she emerged straight away as my early favourite, that she would be what kept me watching all the way to the very end, but I'm very glad that is the case. Whatever happens, I think she's got a bright future ahead and hopefully she is able to pursue it.

Oh, Elise. I will miss you, your pretty pretty face, your amazing hair (WHERE had she been hiding that?!), and your adorkable commentary. "It's the semifinal so it's semifredo time!" "DON'T USE THE HIBACHI IT'S THE DEVIL." If you ever dump your hunter boyfriend, call me! You can make me all the pasta you want.

I'm gonna start a crowdfunding to pay for Andy's pain and suffering from being forced to eat all those chilis throughout the season. I feel your pain, bro. Kishwar's "Do we have some milk?" was adorable, though.

Melissa looked GORGEOUS for the actual semifinal, and her "I like that I'm not the shortest judge anymore" in the second part made me giggle. As a fellow vertically-challenged woman, I feel so seen and represented.

Oh, look, it's my two dream lunch companions as guest judges! Did I suddenly develop a weird sort of clarividence for inconsequential things? I guess we'll have to see what I dream of tonight.

[katisha]

51 minutes ago, Niuxita said:

Oh, Elise. I will miss you, your pretty pretty face, your amazing hair (WHERE had she been hiding that?!), and your adorkable commentary. "It's the semifinal so it's semifredo time!" "DON'T USE THE HIBACHI IT'S THE DEVIL." If you ever dump your hunter boyfriend, call me! You can make me all the pasta you want.

I know, right?!  Her hair was stunning!  Mind you, as someone who underwent WL surgery a couple of years ago and has extremely fine, thin, straight hair, being wildly envious of the hair of others is a permanent state of mind for me...haha!

[katisha]

11 hours ago, Aerobicidal said:

the only thing I'm rooting for is this show to finally end before August. I know it's supposed to, but I'm not convinced.

I can see why after finding out that tonight wasn't the ACTUAL finale...no, that comes tomorrow night with what Jock said would be an epic pressure test. I'm sure it will also be sick.

Random thoughts...

* Kishwar's children are as adorable as you would expect children of hers to be. I love that Kishwar said her daughter was a "cheeky bugger" after Serafina told her she is always crying!

* Are Pete's daughters called Scout and Lux? 

* Justin's "missus" didn't look like I expected she might. 

* WHAT was Andy wearing? I think Bert Newton might have hosted the Logies in it in about 1978.

* Was anyone else surprised that Pete's dish didn't lose points from Andy and Jock as well?  Serving undercooked meat is usually considered a fairly heinous sin and I'm not sure this would have flown in previous seasons simply because not every judge got an undercooked bit?

Here is the recap.

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Meanwhile the judges visit Pete and listen to him describe the baffling perversion that he is making. "You wanna pick up that trophy, right?" asks Jock, pointing to the Wimbledon Women's Singles Plate, which Channel Ten has stolen for the day. 

Bahaha - it does look very similar!

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Kishwar's kids pick her balls and the conviction that her daughter should have her own show grows ever stronger. One ball has white soy sauce and the other has smoke, so a soy cigar it is. Justin sends his mother and fiancée to grab hold of his balls. He gets grapefruit and fusion, so he will have to make some kind of nuclear dessert. Pete sends his daughters to the bowls and they pick quince – QUINCE – and "steamed". So Pete is going to have to really get on some fruit's nerves.

 

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Pete declares himself "frozen with fear" as he gazes at his quinces and remembers that terrible day when a quince destroyed everything he cared about. Jock comes over to tell him he's wasted seven minutes and is in danger of giving statuesque blond men a bad name.

 

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As Kishwar marinates her sardines, we cut to her daughter, and god she's cute. It shouldn't even be allowed on TV, this level of cuteness. It's like an episode of Bluey written by a baby koala. "I love you mum," she calls out and everyone just collapses into a puddle. But suddenly there is a challenge. "I hope Daddy gets the trophy," chirrups one of Pete's daughters. A titanic cute-off has developed on the balcony, and the cooking below seems incredibly unimportant by comparison. Kishwar's daughter, always one to raise her game in response to the big occasion, cries out, "Go Kishwar" and dances around in circles trilling, "Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah". That'll take some beating.

🤣

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by katisha

[displayname]

54 minutes ago, katisha said:

* Was anyone else surprised that Pete's dish didn't lose points from Andy and Jock as well?

Yes, very.

[Aerobicidal]

I've always liked Peter Gilmore on this show and I'm worried that might end after tomorrow, depending on the result and how justified it seems. 

Anyway, this was a surprisingly enjoyable (and not outrageously long) first half of the finale. If there's one thing I've learned this season, it's that I could probably identify a dish made by Christian Puglisi (or someone trying to copy him). 

On a semi-related note, I may try to copy Kishwar's second dish, but in the meantime I have to finish a bangin' deconstructed spanakopita composed of feta ice cream, spinach granita, and a phyllo crumb.

[Niuxita]

16 hours ago, katisha said:

I love that Kishwar said her daughter was a "cheeky bugger" after Serafina told her she is always crying!

I know, that was so candid it warmed my heart. And yes, her kids are exactly the brand of adorable you would expect given who their mom is. The oldest kid helping his sister go up the stairs melted my heart.

I could literally watch Kishwar give interviews about anything and everything for hours on end. 😍

16 hours ago, katisha said:

* Are Pete's daughters called Scout and Lux?

It would seem so, yes. Oh, millenials.

Serving undercooked meat wouldn't have flown even if, say, Justin had done it. If that doesn't make it any clearer who they want to win, I don't know what does. At least Kishwar got a perfect score the second time around, but she should have scored higher than Justin in the first round if her dish was "great" (dry fish notwithstanding) while his was "good, not great." Also, what was with getting inside her head about "Where is Kishwar in this dish"? Let her cook what she wants, ffs. I'm cancelling the crowdfunding, Andy. You can pay for your own pain and suffering.

I hadn't watched this show before last season, so is this three-person, points-based system the norm for non-All Star seasons? I remember seeing something similar in last season's contestants' flashbacks. The way this lends itself to be molded towards justifying whoever the judges' predetermined winner is gives me pause, but I like that there being two losers (for lack of a better term) means the spotlight won't be solely on one person during such a stressful and devastating moment.

[displayname]

lol

[katisha]

I think even those of us who didn't succumb to the spoilers knew that a Jussie or Petie win was on the cards but I have to say, if you take past competition history out of the equation, on that final day Justin was actually the most deserving of the win because that laidback, calm vibe he's always had puts him in an ideal position to excel at an horrific pressure test like this one.  It's true that whilst he seems to almost be moving in slow motion and not running around like a headless chook, he does seem to just get stuff done efficiently.  They've never had a two recipe pressure test in a finale before that I can recall.  Pete seems to be quite crippled with self-doubt and scatty and not only is Kishwar a perfectionist, but she also strikes me as the kind of person who cooks for love and enjoyment, not to meet a massive deadline.  So I can actually believe Justin's savoury dish was close to perfect and it would appear the sweet dish wasn't far off it either.

I possibly love Kishwar even more now after her remark about being the third wheel in the great love story between the sick bros...LOL!

Always good to see a few former winners in the crowd - Emilia (has since had a baby girl), Laura (nearly a winner), Sashi, Diana, Brent.  I could have done without seeing bloody Emma and Larissa, though.

I'm not sure they've ended up with the real winner of the season, though, because I think whatever happens to Justin or Pete, Kishwar will probably do the best out of the lot of them and I'll be so happy if that turns out!

Oh, and for the last time, here is the recap!

Edited July 13, 2021 by katisha

[akr]

Thanks for the recaps. I actually haven't been able to get myself to watch these last two episodes; I might go back & catch the first one, for Kishwar's daughter & maybe a few of the recipes, but the second sounds interminable, especially since it's a pressure test. I would only care if I was invested in more than one of them, and didn't already know that she was almost certainly not going to win because the betting odds had been decisively towards Justin all this time. I tried to set that knowledge aside, but by the very end, there wasn't much suspense left, either in how it was going to come out or in how it was likely to be edited; and when I saw that he had in fact won, I found that I just had no motivation to watch. I've been tired of the Pete & Justin (& Andy & Jock) show for quite a while, so just knowing who won is enough. I wish them all well, but I've had my fill of watching them. I'd be happy to see more of my favorites, though (Kishwar, Depinder, Minoli, Tommy, Linda, & Sabina).

I find it's usually harder to keep my interest at the very end. There aren't enough cooks left to fill the time, and I don't care for pressure tests that much even when the stakes are lower. I suppose if it had been three of my favorites, though, I would have been interested in seeing all the interactions and such. 

[ChicagoMe]

I didn't watch the last 4 or 5 episodes for a lot of the reasons already mentioned. I'm not sure Pete ever made a dish that could interest me beyond simple morbid fascination. And the bro show within the show was equally nauseating. I wonder how Aussies feel about this season - are they disappointed? I looked forward to this season and by it's end care little about the next one. The judges and producers turned this season into one big hot mess - guess that explains Pete's appeal to them.

[limecoke]

Well, being the contrarian that I am, I rather enjoyed this season. It was nice to get back to regular people as I didn’t particularly enjoy the all-star season except for the fact that Emilia won.  While I was hoping for a Kishwar win, I’m actually pretty…ahem…stoked that Justin pulled it off and based on that last cook, he deserved it. I was never annoyed by the bromance because I basically ignored it. Good luck to all of them because they seem like nice people.

I thought the judges were great this season and I can truthfully say that I never, for one moment, missed those other three guys whose names I can barely remember.  Well, until next year, it’s been nice reading all the comments here and I’m continually grateful that Australia produces this show because here in the US, our version of MC is an abomination.  Congratulations, Justin, now get out there & help your lovely fiancé plan that wedding.🤣🤣

[Aerobicidal]

Over the course of 61 episodes, we saw the most wicked, life-changing, sick, bangin', epic journey of all time.

-Justin went from the editors highlighting his TMNT-speak to the editors highlighting his bromance and trying very minimally to sell a redemption arc after his stern Jock talking-to.

-Kishwar went from being really likable and making a lot of curries to being really likable and making a lot of curries.

-Pete went from the opening chapter of Christian Puglisi's cookbook to a chapter about 2/3 through the book.

Although there is a lot to criticize about this season, I think it would be a perfectly enjoyable show if it only had different editors, different producers, fewer contestants, far fewer episodes, a ban on ice cream, a ban on granita, a ban on the bloke caricature, a lifetime ban on mentioning or featuring Reynold, different music, and making Andy either dress astonishingly awful all the time or none of the time.

[Niuxita]

Well, colour me absolutely SHOCKED. I genuinely believed this was Golden Boy Pete's finale to lose. I don't have any strong feelings about Justin, other than it could have been worse. The winner could've been Tommy or Brent or (God forbid) Conor. 

When Kishwar said "We have to switch between sweet and savoury, so I'm gonna need to be extra focused" or something like that, I thought, "Great, and she has the gantry yelling down at her." I so badly wanted her to come in second, but once it was clear Justin had knocked it out of the park, there was no way she was beating Pete. I was at least glad that she didn't seem heartbroken (Laura's reaction to losing last season was hard to watch, though granted their circumstances were vastly different) and was just happy to have been on this ride. And yes, the third wheel comment was hilarious. I also loved when she said something like, "You know when you've done something hard... like climb Everest or have a baby?" Heeeeee.

If one were to take a shot every time Justin said "[You're] my best friend," one would end up with alcohol poisoning, I reckon. He reminds me of a friend I used to have who asked me if I was mad at her when I replied with emojis instead of words, though I concede Justin's vibe is a lot more laidback.

Laura and Emelia!!! Seeing them reminded me that THEY were a sick bromance I was actually invested in, because it didn't feel forced or shoved down our throats. 

Lastly, on a shallow note, both Therese and Kate the Croissant Lady (I can't remember her last name, sorry) clean up veeeeery nice.

[babs1226]

I felt really bad for Pete in the last round.  He obviously let the stress get to him, and it was hard to watch him struggle.  Then to lose out by one point must have been heart breaking for him.  That being said, I read that he is working in one of Peter Gilmore's restaurants, so good on him.  The nice thing about this competition is that one does not have to win the trophy to get career help.  

[TVbitch]

I finally finished ...and quite frankly, I think I deserve a trophy just for that! I will now enjoy a 3-month moratorium on the words: epic, banging, cracking, motor, and triumphant, as well as the phrases "taking a risk" and "playing to my strengths." 

Question: Has Pete ever made a protein that was not covered by scales, domes and/or tiny planks of vegetables. I don't want my meat playing peek-a-boo with me at every damn meal! 

I guess Justin won it on the day. I just wish the final had not come down to a pressure test. I do not enjoy seeing everyone (well, I guess not super chill bro Jussie) burst into stress tears after their final cook. Also hate it that they feel they failed this or that element, and that is why they lost. I would rather see them cook their own food for the final and go out feeling good about it. I wish they would just do a 3-course meal and have it judged on creativity, technical execution, and cohesiveness. Like Masterchef UK. Speaking of, MC UK Professionals will be airing this fall, and if anyone would like help as to where to find those episodes online, just shoot me a PM! 

Thanks to all you guys for being FAR more entertaining than the actual show! : D

[katisha]

Low ratings for the finale.

Oh, and Justin is a Hillsonger. BLEAGH! 

[ReallyRealReality]

I just struggled to sit through and watch the last two episodes, knowing via Twitter who won, I was in no hurry to witness it for myself.

I call BS that Mel got raw quail and the guys didn't when they were all cooked in the oven together and served on one dish.  Also, why did she score it a 6(!!!) when the very next day she scored Justin's raw cake a 9... that all of the judges said was a problem?!??!!

I just want to say what I've said for years... if Masterchef AU is going to insist on having a pressure test for the winner, the judging MUST be done blind so that the audience KNOWS the winner isn't predetermined.