S14.W09 (E40-E44)

[Snazzy Daisy]

MasterChef Australia: Fans & Faves

Week 9 (Jun 12-16, 2022)

E40:  Rick Stein's All-In Elimination

E41:  Everything Mystery Box 

E42:  DIY Pressure Test

E43:  Fruit Salad Invention Test

E44:  Time Auction Immunity Pin Challenge

 
❌ Eliminated ❌ 

1. Chris Tran (Fans)
2. Dulan Hapuarachchi (Fans)
3. Max Krapivsky (Fans)
4. John Carasig (Faves)
5. Christina Batista (Faves)
6. Sashi Cheliah (Faves)
7. Minoli De Silva (Faves)
8. Jenn Lee (Fans)
9. Melanie Persson (Fans)
10. Ali Stoner (Fans)
11. Matt Landmark (Fans)
12. Harry Tomlinson (Fans)
13. Steph Woon (Fans)
14. Michael Weldon (Faves)

 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

Daniel Lamble - the first person who made it to this year's Top 10.

[katisha]

I'm staying with my folks at the moment so I didn't get to see the whole episode.  Did Michael really deserve to go home instead of Montana? I mean, I guess the fact that his fish wasn't cooked well is important but to me, he's SO much better than she is that it's hard to imagine his dish was that much more deserving of a booting.  Oh, well, that's stupid production agendas for you.  Hopefully the recap can help shed some light once it's up.

[ppl]

I don't know which one is the bigger travesty: Michael not making the top 10 or Aldo and Daniel both making the top 10.

Nice to see that Rick remembered Billie! Her Spanish stew looked divine.

[Snazzy Daisy]

23 minutes ago, katisha said:

Hopefully the recap can help shed some light once it's up.

It’s in already.

[katisha]

8 minutes ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

It’s in already.

Thanks! I couldn't find it for some reason. 🙂

Quote

Today's challenge is to cook a dish that transports the judges and guest chef to a special destination. In other words the contestants must cook some kind of ship or aircraft. However, before that happens, "Rick" is going to cook a Madras Fish Curry, or as it's been officially known since 1996, a Chennai Fish Curry. He asks Montana to help him, and she's overjoyed, since he is the chef who, more than anyone else, first inspired her to try to monetise a social media presence.

Quote

Julie is making coq au vin, hoping it will bring to mind a trip to Paris, where she first learned the pleasures of coq. "Rick" comes round to engage in some sexy banter with Julie, who is rapidly gaining a reputation as the ultimate seductress of guest chefs. He points out that the other name of coq au vin is "love in a lorry", which spurs great merriment because hey, we've all been there.

🤣

Quote

The time has now come for Julie to whip out her coq au vin. She tells the poignant story of how it rained the whole week she was in Paris with her husband, so the coq was her only consolation. "This is flaming excellent!" Alf cries, before bragging a bit more about how he's a big TV star, then noting that compared to Julie Goodwin, the French are absolutely crap at cooking.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Today's elimination was rubbish. The judges said Montana's Christmas Dinner didn't transport them to Xmas in NY. Clearly the dish didn't meet the brief, but she was saved, AGAIN. The producers were so desperate to keep the Fans in Top 10 and Michael was just a collateral damage. My dream of having Billie/Michael's battle in the finale is now crushed.💔

Am so f-king sick of seeing teary Aldo. Tommy, Alvin and Keyma also cook something that's close to their hearts but they don't cry all the time. Nonna this, nonna that! Ugh.

Evidently, Michael is loved by many. 🥰

ps: I include these in the spoiler tag so they won't take so much space. Images credit to this Twitter acc.

Spoiler

Edited June 12, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

Top 10‼️

Look at what Aldo has posted below… 🙄🙄🙄

Edited June 12, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy
Changed pix!

[Aerobicidal]

"The time has now come for Julie to whip out her coq au vin" is just an amazing line. I only wish I could have written it myself.

I don't know if I was confused by the elimination because Montana seems so over her head or the editing seemed to be telegraphing her to be going. Either way, to paraphrase Lucille Bluth, I do not understand the decision and I refuse to say anything further about it.

I'm now clearly remembering that the original reason Tommy annoyed me so much is because he talks like he's talking to children under ten. I know that's what he does for a living, but I don't care. It drives me nuts and I want him gone.

Otherwise, this was a pretty good episode.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Aerobicidal
Because it's Lucille, not Louise, Bluth! And I knew that. It was one of those days.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Sneak peek 👀

[ppl]

The judges' decision to send Michael home was the wrong one. If Montana didn't meet the brief then she should have been sent home. I remember the old judges kicking people out for not following the rules of the challenge.

There were lots of social media engagement today from Facebook, Twitter and other places that vilified the decision or posted sad tributes to Michael's departure.

It's these decisions that people will remember and end up changing the channel. It might not happen in the short term but next year, when people decide on whether to watch it again, they might think twice about watching Masterchef.

[CrinkleCutCat]

3 hours ago, ppl said:

The judges' decision to send Michael home was the wrong one. If Montana didn't meet the brief then she should have been sent home. I remember the old judges kicking people out for not following the rules of the challenge.

There were lots of social media engagement today from Facebook, Twitter and other places that vilified the decision or posted sad tributes to Michael's departure.

It's these decisions that people will remember and end up changing the channel. It might not happen in the short term but next year, when people decide on whether to watch it again, they might think twice about watching Masterchef.

I’ve just started to watch the next episode… and yeah, I’m resentful about seeing Montana in the Top 10 instead of Michael. That decision to send Michael home has really soured this show for me, especially after ‘Top 10 Daniel’ thanking Michael for teaching him so much. Michael’s dish (even with some slightly over cooked fish) evoked the memory he described way more than that sad roast chicken dish Montana served. I think a major ‘didn’t meet the brief’ should be upheld over a slight execution issue.

Edited June 13, 2022 by CrinkleCutCat

[katisha]

I've always quite enjoyed the "Everything Mystery Box" challenge because it doesn't really let contestants coast along in their own lanes.

What I liked:

• That the judges recognised Billie's talents, even though it must have half killed them to have to do it
• Keyma cooking confidently even though she gets much less positive reinforcement than Montana.

What I didn't:

• Melissa so blatantly telling Tommy what to do to fix his dish - if he'd used the hibachi like he told her he was going to, he might have ended up with a stuck messy fish which he had to scrape off at the last minute.
• And speaking of which, what was with that feedback Daniel got? HOW could that fish have possibly been OK given that he spent about five minutes trying to prise it off that metal grill and it really did look like a dog's breakfast? 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Great job Billie! 💪🏻

Good luck on the immunity pin challenge on Thursday. 😘

Edited June 13, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[Aerobicidal]

This was a ruff episode for me. Here are some of the items on my ruff list:

-No eliminations until Sunday

-Another immunity pin on the horizon

-Tommy (ruff)

-3/4 of the ruff dishes looked ruffly the same

-Judges being paid by the word, with Mel being paid bonus for adjectives and adverbs (Jock seems to prefer nouns)

I also agree that Daniel's dish looked unappetizing, but I'm fine with him sticking around for a while if we can get rid of Montana and Tommy ruff. 

Also, if almost every contestant is killing multiple challenges in a row, maybe make the challenges harder? 

Finally, I love that there is a product called the Carisma Potato.

Edited June 13, 2022 by Aerobicidal
I assumed the potato was Charisma, not Carisma. Oops.

[Snazzy Daisy]

DIY Pressure Test

• Sarah - Indian.
• Tommy - Vietnamese.
• Keyma - Carribean.
• Alvin - Asian/Seafoods.
• Mindy - Indigenous.
• Julie - Classic/Homey.
• Montana - Dessert.
• Daniel - With protein.
• Aldo - Italian, nonna’s recipe again, cooking/weeping/whining.

Edited June 13, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[katisha]

2 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

Aldo - Italian, nonna’s recipe again, cooking/weeping/whining.

You truly are a gifted soothsayer, @SnazzyDaisy. 😂

[CrinkleCutCat]

S14 E42 Pressure Test

With everyone told to bring their recipes written down I was expecting and HOPING they would have to cook someone else’s recipe… like a ‘Pressure Test’ typically is: replicating someone else’s dish. Missed opportunity MasterChef!

Edited June 14, 2022 by CrinkleCutCat

[katisha]

7 minutes ago, CrinkleCutCat said:

With everyone told to bring their recipes written down I was expecting and HOPING they would have to cook someone else’s recipe… like a ‘Pressure Test’ typically is: replicating someone else’s dish. Missed opportunity MasterChef!

You're right - that would have made for a far more interesting episode.

OK, I'm just going to say this - the judging at the moment is pissing me off so much. I guess it's the nature of having human beings judge other human beings that they are going to have their favourites and others they don't like as much but could they try and make their favouritism/production agendas a bit less obvious?  Now, in a lot of ways Mindy wears on my last nerve but as far as I'm concerned tonight her win was deserved because at least she doesn't always cook the same thing and she did a lot in her two hours, and even though it's not a dish I'd ever want to eat I can believe it was delicious.  But Dan? COME ON!  How many times have we seen him do seafood with a broth?  How much more revolutionary can this one possibly have been?  He took the immunity spot which should actually have gone to Keyma if it had to be given to a Fan.  This after that rubbish elimination of Michael instead of Montana on Saturday...urgh.  🤬

[CrinkleCutCat]

S14 E42 Pressure Test

Dan? Again? I just can’t get on board with him but I don’t know why! [need to think on this]
I would have chosen Mindy and Alvin or Keyma … no one tonight wowed me though.

I missed the pressure test having that really high bar of fine dining execution. 

On another note: So glad to have found some people (not enough though!) to share thoughts with on MasterChef! I’m a long time Primetimer but with different shows. Anyone else watch the UK version?

Edited June 14, 2022 by CrinkleCutCat

[babs1226]

1 hour ago, CrinkleCutCat said:

Anyone else watch the UK version?

I like all 3 UK versions: professional, amateur & celebrity.  

[Snazzy Daisy]

It’s another lazy challenge of “cook anything you like” disguised as a DIY pressure test.

Billie looks bored AF. They should let her run the floor/kitchen for that last 20 mins.

Sarah really cannot venture away from Indian influence huh. It would be nice to see her doing some French pastries etc ala Emilia. With all kind of desserts in the world, she has to be inspired by Falooda. 🙄

What’s wrong with Julie’s plating? She wants to show some improvement and the judges want her to stick to her rustic way. Does her plating change the taste? Rubbish comment. 

Congrats Mindy, it’s time to shine and steal some screen times. Judges’ favoritism over Daniel is palpable, roller coaster of flavors because of his broth? Ohh please! Keyma and Alvin are more deserving than him, they have been robbed.

Do the contestants really have time to be creative with their recipes? I thought they only have one night to come up with everything. Sarah vs Julie vs Alvin’s recipes. Sarah’s looks like a CV.

Edited June 14, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[Aerobicidal]

"The contestants don't seem to find the recent episodes very challenging. What should we do?"

"How about a 'pressure test' where they can make literally anything they want to?"

Andy: "INSANE!"

Melissa: "It will be the pathway we traverse on the road to inherent nourishment."

Montana did the classic low effort Masterchef AU dessert, but at least we got to hear Mel call the texture of the mousse "problematic." Montana, your mousse has been canceled (and not even by TikTok).

This is turning into the season of insane broths and I'm losing patience, although I didn't think today's episode was painful or anything.

@CrinkleCutCat Yes, I watch the UK version, which I think it significantly better than the Australian one. But I don't read or post about it here. Over the past few years I reached my message board saturation point, but I've been reading this particular show's threads for so long that I try to join the conversation sporadically.

[Snazzy Daisy]

A touchy subject‼️

[CrinkleCutCat]

3 hours ago, Aerobicidal said:

@CrinkleCutCat Yes, I watch the UK version, which I think it significantly better than the Australian one. But I don't read or post about it here. Over the past few years I reached my message board saturation point, but I've been reading this particular show's threads for so long that I try to join the conversation sporadically.

I prefer the UK version, especially the Professionals iteration. I hadn’t watched the Aus version for years…. I got too sick of the producer induced DRAHMAH, which is non-existent in the UK show.

[CrinkleCutCat]

The producers seem to be leaning toward Dan and Julie.
- Dan gets the rags to riches narrative arc (rise): he gets to demonstrate the influence of this ‘experience and journey’… look at how much I’ve learnt from being on MasterChef! Who would have thought my cooking could become this refined? 

- Julie gets the Cinderella arc (rise then fall then rise): Getting Julie on this season was quite a coup and I love her inclusion, but I am uncomfortable about the show taking advantage of her vulnerable mental state for its own agenda. Julie also allows the show to reflect on it’s own glory and success.

[katisha]

Phew... for a minute there I was worried they were going to give Montana best dish tonight so thank God it went to Julie instead, especially since her dish looked like one I'd actually want to try.  I can't imagine Montana's raw fish with fruit juice on it would have done much for my palate!  I do wish Alvin didn't miss out so often, though.  He's always cruising near-ish to the top of the pack but never quite makes it to the actual top.

I've always quite liked the invention test challenges but this was a bit pissweak for a Top 10 level.  Why not do one of those ones like they had in past seasons where the contestants all had to recreate or reimagine a classic old school recipe like a Yorkshire pudding or some kind of fondue.  

Meanwhile, here is the recap.

Quote

As the Week Of Slightly Confusing Rules continues, it's time for an invention test, wherein the contestants are able to indulge their wildest and most perverted desires. With a chance at immunity…or a chance at a chance at immunity…or…uh…a chance at immunity plus another chance at a chance at another immunity? Anyway, with a chance at something good at stake, the cooks are faced with a terrifying challenge.

Good point.  The rules change an awful lot this season.  For instance, have we ever not had the booted contestants return for another shot at the competition?  If they haven't done that by now, they're not going to.

Quote

Montana immediately begins cutting into an enormous fish, because when faced with a horrible fruit dish, fight fire with fire: cook a horrible seafood dish. "Definitely taking a bit of an artistic interpretation with it," she says, as she pours a tin of paint into the fish's mouth. 

Quote

Time is running out for Tommy, who is at a loss. He keeps running to the pantry and back, but no matter how many times he does it, when he comes back to his bench there's still not a fruit salad there. Then he has a brainwave: why not make something with durian? He's fairly sure that people enjoy eating things that taste dreadful, so it seems like the perfect solution. 

Not to mention Mel wasn't there to give him any help!

Quote

The judges have bigger things to worry about, eg. the enormous cucumber currently being interfered with by Montana. They are excited by her idea of ruining a fish, and she is excited to learn that her cucumber is right up Andy's alley. But as Jock says, "it all comes down to balance", and if there's one thing that a cucumber makes difficult, it's balance.

😂

Quote

Speaking of downfall, Sarah is stuck. "The kiwi's not working," she says, flashing back to when she worked at Centrelink. She tries standing around doing nothing for a while to see if that helps, but it has limited effect.

She asks around the kitchen to see if anyone else has any ideas. Mindy tells her she knows how to cook. Sarah agrees, because she has a restaurant in India.

Sarah mentioning her restaurant (or is it multiple restaurants) in India needs to be part of a drinking game.

Edited June 15, 2022 by katisha

[CrinkleCutCat]

Katisha: mentioning her restaurant (or is it multiple restaurants) in India needs to be part of a drinking game.

jeez, we would all be off our faces!

Julie still on the Cinderella arc edit. Wasn’t Alvin’s dish judged favourably? He just isn’t on the producer’s radar.

Edited June 15, 2022 by CrinkleCutCat

[Aerobicidal]

It's the insane fruit posse with the challenge of being inspired by a fruit salad, which apparently means you can make anything as long as fruit is involved, even if the ingredient is only "technically" a fruit.

Speaking of technical and insane things, the music editor was really having a field day. When Sarah was talking about her mom's pavlova, they were blasting something that sounded more suited to Sophie's Choice or a PSA involving sad animals. Insane!

I thought Julie's win was very heavily telegraphed but I would like to try her dish (and a few of the others). 

Also, judges, stop giving Montana the kid gloves treatment! You let her make it this far. If she can't believe it, maybe that's a sign you should take to heart.

I think tomorrow's episode is the first ever immunity challenge I'm actually looking forward to, although excessive favoritism toward Daniel has a slight chance of spoiling it. I'm going to predict that won't happen, but acknowledge that my prediction may be insane!

[Snazzy Daisy]

Finally, an invention test, but a lame one‼️

Mel’s absence is of course noticeable but I kind of like it. No need to hear screeching voice yelling “30 seconds to go!”

This episode should be titled “When Sarah cannot rely on Indian recipes…” 🤣  Does she really need to tell that she got her mom to teach her Indian staff on how to make pavlova? Pavlova isn’t that unique, duh. Modern day colonialism?

I have no clue why Montana is thinking about kingfish in a fruit salad invention test.

Hey Aldo, is Coconut Panna Cotta wt Passionfruit Syrup really an inventive dish? This isn’t the first panna cotta you made in this season.

Durian Tommy? Yummssss…😋 

Alvin’s Reimagined Rojak doesn’t look delicious as compared to the OG Rojak and the judges compliment him for that! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Edited June 15, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[katisha]

22 minutes ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

I have no clue why Montana is thinking about kingfish in a fruit salad invention test.

Yes, I'd say those are not the thoughts of a sane person. 🤣

[Snazzy Daisy]

5 hours ago, katisha said:

Yes, I'd say those are not the thoughts of a sane person. 🤣

TikTok influencers are the rare breed! 🤣

[katisha]

I actually really enjoy the time/ingredients challenges when they have them and tonight's was a great demonstration of that old saying "Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance." No offence to Julie as I'm older than she is but she totally owned that auction and Daniel either didn't play it very wisely at all or was shown up for the rather limited cook that he is.  Maybe a bit of both, really.  He was so determined to get those bugs as he thought they were the only thing he could make a really good dish out of and honestly, at this stage of the competition the contestants need to be more versatile than that.  It didn't faze Julie or Billie and even Mindy, with that horrible-looking tripe, managed to find a way to make it taste at least edible.

Recap time!

Quote

Julie is fired up. She's never won an immunity pin before and is desperate to gain one before it's too late. She's quite willing to kill for it, but fortunately for her competitors, that would not actually win her the pin.

"We're about to find out what lengths I'm willing to go to get that off of you," she says to Jock. Not the first time she's said those words to him, but the first time she was referring to a pin.

Heheheh!

Quote

The price skyrockets as the two women duel in possibly the most furious fight to avoid a cow's stomach lining ever to be broadcast on Australian television.

Quote

This means Mindy starts first, frantically trying to figure out the best way to combine tripe and parsnips. She is overjoyed to find that she has celeriac, which is simply not a normal way to respond to celeriac.

She begins making a broth, because that's all anyone does on MasterChef nowadays: make broths that the judges can say are glossy. She also washes her tripe, because nobody likes a dirty stomach lining.

They do go on a bit about glossy broths, don't they!

Quote

Undeterred, Jock continues to demand answers from Billie. "You can go now," she says. "We still don't know what you're cooking!" Andy cries. "That's our job!"

But that's not their job. Their job is to eat the food and say what they think about it. It's a bit sad Andy still doesn't know this. An intervention might be called for.

Good on Billie for sending those two on their way.  She didn't have time to waste on their banter!

Quote

At tasting time, Billie's parfait turns out to be, as the French would say, "parfait", proving that the best way to excel on MasterChef is to tell the judges to leave you alone.

[CrinkleCutCat]

If two dishes are equally good… in a time challenge…. I don’t think you should choose the best dish based on the one you would go back to and eat again and again (Jock)… surely you choose the one that was the best despite the amount of time the cook had? Billie had less time than Julie yet had a great dish 🤷‍♀️

[Snazzy Daisy]

Quite an awful episode to watch, for me. I like the challenge because it pushes the contestants to be more creative and inventive but I hate all the planted narratives, drama and continuous foreshadowing. We all know in the end, it's gonna be Julie Goodwin who will win the last immunity pin. Maybe the producers need to be reminded that it is an IMMUNITY pin, not a SYMPATHY pin. 🙄

Daniel may think he was being strategic with the Moreton Bay bugs but he was clearly having a tunnel vision and his self-confidence/ego got the best of him. But hey, am so glad he didn't win that pin. Fuhhh. 😈😈😈

It's quite enjoyable watching Mindy experimenting with the tripe and she's done a good job in making a complete dish out of her limited pantry. What I don't appreciate is Julie making gross face every time tripe was mentioned. Her reactions were OTT than Billie's. It's still food, come on! 😏

Billie was robbed!!! Why? Because she is un-flusterable and brings less drama. Pure and simple.

Stop wasting time, just bring us the Julie vs Daniel finale already. It is inevitable, right? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Edited June 16, 2022 by SnazzyDaisy

[CrinkleCutCat]

I’m not watching if Daniel is in the finale. The producers can’t think we viewers are that gullible…. Surely!

[babs1226]

It seems that most people I've seen feedback from feel that Billie was robbed.  I agree to an extent, because what she did was really impressive for 40 minutes.  In fairness to Julie, though, having to cook lamb to just right is more challenging for most cooks than making a parfait is for Billie.  She is an amazing cook, no doubt, and she's a genius with flavors.  I just feel like Julie had to work harder to produce a dish as delicious as Billie's.  The judges said that they decided that Julie's was the dish they would want to eat over and over.  Was it fixed for Julie?  Maybe.  I'm willing to bet that Julie will use her pin the next time she has to cook in an elimination.  

[katisha]

1 hour ago, CrinkleCutCat said:

I’m not watching if Daniel is in the finale. The producers can’t think we viewers are that gullible…. Surely!

I have to agree.  Yesterday's challenge really showed him up.  I do think Billie probably should have won but let's face it - for whatever reason the producers think that Julie winning would be a better story and more palatable for the viewers because she's so beloved, and for that reason I don't think Billie ever had a genuine chance.  But a far greater travesty would have been if they'd managed to find a way to give the pin to Daniel because in no universe is he even half as good as Billie, Julie or even Mindy. Thankfully he stuffed things up so they just couldn't do it.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Incredible Moments for Top 10

Aldo cooking his nonna recipe and Daniel with his usual shtick of “I have no idea what am doing but eventually I nailed it”.

🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

[Snazzy Daisy]

RECAP:

Michael was eliminated because his fish was inconsistently cooked. Montana was saved, again! Silly right?

Billie won an immunity from Sunday's elimination and had another shot at the last immunity pin, thanks to her Fish Pie with Mash & Watercress.

Mindy, Daniel and Julie did too.

In the end, the last immunity pin went to the producers and judges' favorite, yay!!!!