Past Seasons Discussion

[xchouchoutex]

Hellooo everyone !

i hope you are all doing fine with everything going on these days 

i was looking for this website all this week on google, then i couldn’t find the discussion till i taped @Myriad’s name, it was hiding somewhere in my brain lol 

I’m glad that some faces came back to win like tessa and Amina i’m happy to see them in MC again, however rose why is she there 😯 and poh is seriously irritating me with her fake laugh 

i think bringing gordon for a whole week is a smart move because viewers need some time to accept the new judges 

i’m Moroccan not a middle-eastern but i know enough that the desert rose made yesterday is Basbousa not kunafeh , Kunafeh is made with very fine and long strips of dough (hoda used to make it on season 10 maybe ? )

 

 

[Myriad]

Tiptoeing without reading any posts since I'm behind, but I've just watched the latest of Bon Appétit on YouTube and was screaming for MasterChef to take notes.  Three cooks were tasked to cook carbonara: first one the traditional way; second one a modern way; third, experimental.  Well, that third one just whipped up a frigging dessert out of all the usual ingredients involved in the carbonara dish. It involves ice cream, but let's just be tolerant for this once, because it's one of those times.

Imagine something like this instead of the now "don't I have housework to do"-inducing replication of "my oh so spectacular dish that's there just for the bells and whistles" during some eliminations?

[misgabi13]

On 4/16/2020 at 1:44 AM, Rosenrot said:

Was Rose really Top 4 of her season? I'd have to check, but I guess so. I was also quite surprised to see her back. I didn't remember her at all until I saw her face - when everybody went "oh no Rose is back" I was like "who the F is Rose?" Memory. Crap. Again.

No, Rose wasn't top 4 - she came 10th in her season and I don't understand why she is back.

 

On 4/16/2020 at 2:00 PM, retrograde said:

I also like Poh! And I want to eat her crepes.

I agree!  I'm also happy to be in the minority here but I have always like Poh.  I don't see her facial expressions as contrived - I think she just has a very expressive face.

 

I am really enjoying this season so far - I like the new judges, really liked Gordon all week and there are enough contestants there for me to have a few I can actively yell at the TV that I want them to stuff up and go home - and yet some of my all time favourites have returned!  

Fingers crossed for Lynton, Callum, Simon, Khan, Poh, Hayden and a couple of others.

Ben can leave really, really soon!

Looking forward to much snark from you all in the upcoming weeks!

[retrograde]

Any thoughts on who is going first? I have to assume it's someone they've barely bothered showing us so far, like Reece, Harry, Tracy or Brendan.

FWIW, here are the SportsBet odds right now:

Spoiler

 

Poh Ling Yeow 2.50

Reynold Poenomo 3.25

Laura Sharrad 4.50

Callum Hann 6.00

Dani Venn 6.00

Hayden Quinn 10.00

Tessa Boersma 10.00

Amina Elshafei 12.00

Ben Milbourne 12.00

Harry Foster 14.00

Jess Liemantara 14.00

Chris Badenoch 18.00

Kahn Ong 18.00

Sarah Clare 18.00

Sarah Tiong 18.00

Brendan Pang 21.00

Courtney Roulston 21.00

Emelia Jackson 21.00

Reece Hignell 21.00

Lynton Tapp 34.00

Rose Adam 34.00

Simon Toohey 34.00

Tracy Collins 34.00

Ben Ungermann 51.00

 

Also, Khanh gives good Twitter commentary. I recommend.  

[Rosenrot]

15 hours ago, misgabi13 said:

No, Rose wasn't top 4 - she came 10th in her season and I don't understand why she is back.

Thank you! I don't know where I had gotten the idea that she was in top 4. 🤪

13 hours ago, retrograde said:

Any thoughts on who is going first? I have to assume it's someone they've barely bothered showing us so far, like Reece, Harry, Tracy or Brendan.

Harry hasn't been featured at all thus far. Neither has Brendan. Ridiculous. I understand there's a lot of competitors and it might be hard to be fair on everybody, but I want to see more than just Poh and her meltdowns (even tho I do love her).

E: I have to literally sit on my hands so I wouldn't go and have a peek at the Sportsbet odds. 

Edited April 17, 2020 by Rosenrot
i suck at pronouns

[dnagirl]

On 4/16/2020 at 7:16 AM, katisha said:

Sarah Carrot Lady - I did remember her having a son called Elvis but I thought she also had a husband from Brazil and I get the feeling she may no longer be married after she said tonight, "I moved to Tasmania with my son", not "we".  Or am I going nuts?

 

You aren't going nuts.  From her Season 10 bio:

"At 26, Sarah moved to Sydney where she worked in hospitality and later met her husband, Brazilian-born Doug. They are proud parents to Elvis, aged three."

 

I enjoyed Gordon's cook and would like to try it at home sometime, though I'll have to find a different fish to use.

 

I'm hoping Rose goes home this first week. 

[katisha]

On 4/18/2020 at 9:38 AM, dnagirl said:

I'm hoping Rose goes home this first week. 

So close! But to be fair to Rose, Lynton's dish looked totally blah and obviously tasted much the same.  And although when Andy visited Lynton's bench, his hint to Lynton about the dish wasn't as heavy handed as the previous judges used to give, I still think he made it quite clear Lynton should fix it.  But since Lynton wrote it off as "Andy doesn't 'get' what I'm trying to do", he is pretty much responsible for his own elimination.  And Rose's dish looked far more appetising than his did.

I enjoyed the concept of this challenge but did anyone really buy that Poh was in any danger despite all that extra screen time?

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by katisha

[misgabi13]

1 hour ago, katisha said:

I enjoyed the concept of this challenge but did anyone really buy that Poh was in any danger despite all that extra screen time?

Not for a minute did I think Poh was in any danger.  The ads were on every 2 minutes so knew it was a misdirect.

As for tonight - I am gutted that Lynton was first out - and over bloody Rose!

Although - I'd rather have a dish that lacked seasoning (ie blah!) that I could add salt etc to than something that was described as too much garlic etc.

Clearly, this year, the judges are all about colourful plates etc.

Not the most enjoyable episode for me - I don't think Rose can cook very well, and certainly not much out of her 'middle eastern' comfort zone.   Meh, will see what happens going forward (although super happy Simon, Poh, Khan etc were safe!)

[Rosenrot]

Before the episode aired, it randomly said on Wiki that in this episode, the contestants had to cook with Gordon's favorite ingredient - peas - so I was totally expecting his gift box to be filled with peas. I was a wee bit confused. Well, clearly I should't trust what Wikipedia says before the episode airs.

Poh is bringing the drama! I was actually a little concerned that she might go, which does seem dumb in retrospect, but I blame it on the fact that I haven't slept or eaten. 

Have I told you guys lately that I love Khanh? 

My thoughts on the new judges after the first week: I like Jock a lot. Melissa is a bit meh for me (but on a shallow note, I've loved every garment she's had on thus far). And Andy - I'm sorry, but I just can't take him seriously as a judge. It's not that I don't like him - I do. I liked him in his season a lot, and I know he's somewhat experienced. It's just that it seems such a short time ago when he was a contestant himself and "couldn't even boil an egg" (his own words), and now he's supposed to be criticizing people that have been cooking for longer than him - some of them, anyway. 

But, it's still early days. He may win me over. 

Edited April 19, 2020 by Rosenrot

[ppl]

Not surprising that Lynton was first out. This is just basing it off his season but I don't even know how he even made it to Top 2 in season 5. Or anyone from the top 3 his season either. It was a very weak season.

After watching the first week, this is my contenders list:

Contenders

1. Callum - He's the only person there to have won the show. His improvement from season 2 to All-Stars was astronomical. One of the key things that will take him very far is his consistency. He's on a 7/10 or an 8/10 level with an ability to cook 10/10 dishes.

2. Laura - She was a very good cook in season 6 and that is only backed up by her real world experience post show. She's a huge threat to everybody and can cook outside Italian cuisine.

3. Emelia - Another strong cook from season 6. She's mostly a dessert person but can cook savoury well. I think people are sleeping on her.

4. Poh - She knows flavours very well and that will take her far in the competition.

5. Reynold - Technically sound but he emphasizes on presentation than taste. I think he will end up being shock eliminated at some point in the top 10/5.

6. Dani - She won the immunity pin but I remember her being very inconsistent in season 3. Having the only immunity pin is a huge bonus though.

7. Sarah T - I remember her from season 9 for her big, bold flavours. She was also consistent in avoiding eliminations along with Eliza.

I am intrigued by a few others: Tessa, Khanh, Harry, Brendan, Amina, Courtney and Tracy. The rest I believe have no chance of winning.

[dnagirl]

10 hours ago, katisha said:

So close! But to be fair to Rose, Lynton's dish looked totally blah and obviously tasted much the same.  And although when Andy visited Lynton's bench, his hint to Lynton about the dish wasn't as heavy handed as the previous judges used to give, I still think he made it quite clear Lynton should fix it.  But since Lynton wrote it off as "Andy doesn't 'get' what I'm trying to do", he is pretty much responsible for his own elimination.  And Rose's dish looked far more appetising than his did.

I completely agree with all of this, @katisha. I am disappointed. I thought Lynton would have lasted longer. It seemed to me that his heart really wasn't in it.

I grabbed the recipe for Laura's cacio e pepe off the website.  I just have to get the flours and I can make it.  It really appealed to the pasta-lover in me.

I was glad Reynold chose to cook savory.  Chris actually appealed to me, both with his cheesecake (I seriously love cheesecake) and his story.  I thought Poh's cake looked beautiful. I would actually try Courtney's cauliflower and I really don't like cauliflower. I think half the appeal was how the judges were going on about the aroma.  And again, Reece didn't annoy me. And no Jess blabbering and giggling!

[seltzer3]

I know people are pretty polarized of Poh, but holy cow does she has balls.  I kind of forgot how much of a risktaker she was in season 1 (although she did tend to drive over the cliff in season 1 several times).  But I would totally take her than past contestants who make the same thing (panna cotta, ice cream, tacos etc.) all the time.

Agree with everyone that Rose should have gone home.  Kind of sad to see Lynton, since I never saw season 5 or 6. (Just heard that Season 5 was bad, so never gotten to see it). 

Glad Chris and Courtney were safe, (rooting for all the classic contestants), and Chris was pretty ballsy in making cheesecake as well (S1 contestants are kind of reckless, lol).

[Corgi-ears]

12 hours ago, Rosenrot said:

Melissa is a bit meh for me

Someone does need to tell her that it's "Reynold," not "Reynolds."

Chris looks a little like Nick Offerman, and the whole "meat guy" thing just solidifies that impression.

Is Poh a "risk taker," or just stupid? Could she not think of a single worthy dish she could cook in anything less than 90 mins?

[Sarnia]

3 hours ago, Corgi-ears said:

Is Poh a "risk taker," or just stupid? Could she not think of a single worthy dish she could cook in anything less than 90 mins?

I may have missed the rationale of her choice, if she explained it (I have this show on the background while I do other things) but I didn't quite get her dish. It did look like a beautiful cake (and apparently it was tasty, so good on her) but it was basically a cake with filling, frosting and decor, and it seems most of the time was needed for cooking the cake and cooling the cake.

So while I get the idea of "using all of my 90 minutes to make an impressive dish" I didn't feel that this particular dish looked like it was worth that risk, when you think of all the other dishes she could have done in 90 minutes (or all the dishes she could have done in half the time).

Well, it paid out, so I guess she made the right choice in the end, but I was not that impressed.

[zibnchy]

In the first episode Gordon told Poh she's the favorite. Everyone fawns over Poh.

There's literally no way Poh was ever going home first and she knew it. She was putting on a show. She could have vomited in a pan, baked it, and frosted it with poop mousse and she still was not ever going home first.

I'll give her credit though because she did put on a show. She baked a nice cake. She could have just thrown some carrots on a plate, called it Carrots 3 ways, and been done with it.

Also I refuse to believe that Simon's plate of cabbage was as mind blowingly delicious as the judges seemingly wanted us to believe it was.

Laura is my new favorite (I hope I didn't just jinx her) and her cacio e pepe looked so delicious. Now that was a risky dish and she aced it. I never watched her season but may have to go back after this is over.

[katisha]

2 hours ago, Sarnia said:

So while I get the idea of "using all of my 90 minutes to make an impressive dish" I didn't feel that this particular dish looked like it was worth that risk, when you think of all the other dishes she could have done in 90 minutes (or all the dishes she could have done in half the time).

I tend to agree with you, but I have to give Poh credit for baking something and not just going the usual blast chiller brigade with their frozen concoctions.

Tonight, the more times Chris talked about not wanting to put any marinades or glazing on the beef, only salt and pepper, the more it became clear how doomed Yellow were going to be.  I suppose to a true purist, steak with nothing but salt and pepper is enough but I'd certainly want something else to zing it up a bit.  I did get a laugh from the team earlier, though, when Reece called Laura "Queen Bee" and she said, "I've never been called that before," and he came back with, "You've never been around so many gay people in your life before." Haha!  Speaking of which, I didn't even know Courtney was gay until they were showing pics of her with her fiancee.  Was she with her girlfriend during her initial season?

Not sure who I want to go home most out of Yellow.  But meanwhile, Harry isn't happy about his lack of airtime.

 

[katisha]

17 minutes ago, zibnchy said:

There's literally no way Poh was ever going home first and she knew it. She was putting on a show. She could have vomited in a pan, baked it, and frosted it with poop mousse and she still was not ever going home first.

Bahaha! And since I've just read here that Poh and Hayden were reportedly paid the most cash to come back and do the show again, there's no way she's going anywhere any time soon.

 

[TVbitch]

Hey all ya'll, well poo, I'm not gonna get to comment very much cuz the episodes are running a full day behind for me in the states, and I hate to be spoiled.

I skipped over the Gordon cook and went to the elimination episode last night. OMG, the Faux Poh drama!  I guess it's not entirely her fault but it will make me a Poh Foe real quick if we continue to be subjected to it. Also, I do not get the appeal of a cake with big chunks of raw fruit. I don't see how that would be good. 

Bummed about Lynton cuz he was some age appropriate Man Candy for me. 

The judges are trying to be super high energy but it seems forced. They are missing that element of sly or cheeky humor that Gary and Matt sometimes brought. But it is early days, so we'll see. There was definitely a let down without Gordon who is able (when he is not in the US just shouting) to go from humor to high intensity to serious quite well. 

[seltzer3]

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

Hey all ya'll, well poo, I'm not gonna get to comment very much cuz the episodes are running a full day behind for me in the states, and I hate to be spoiled.

I skipped over the Gordon cook and went to the elimination episode last night. OMG, the Faux Poh drama!  I guess it's not entirely her fault but it will make me a Poh Foe real quick if we continue to be subjected to it. Also, I do not get the appeal of a cake with big chunks of raw fruit. I don't see how that would be good. 

Bummed about Lynton cuz he was some age appropriate Man Candy for me. 

The judges are trying to be super high energy but it seems forced. They are missing that element of sly or cheeky humor that Gary and Matt sometimes brought. But it is early days, so we'll see. There was definitely a let down without Gordon who is able (when he is not in the US just shouting) to go from humor to high intensity to serious quite well. 

The cake that Poh made is pretty common in a lot of asian bakeries.  Where its a chiffon cake where you would insert chopped fruit in between layers of the cake with cream.  A lot of chinese desserts prefer more "lighter" rather than sweet.

Edited April 20, 2020 by seltzer3

[TVbitch]

Thanks @seltzer3. I don't mind the thought of keeping it light by having fruit in it, but I would think at least cooked or macerated fruit. I guess having sponge with fresh strawberries (which I often find too firm and sour) just doesn't sound appealing to me. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by TVbitch

[Rosenrot]

Gee, thanks a lot Chris. Thanks to your puritan ways, there are now way more people that I like in the elimination than there needs to be. 

Hey, Harry got some screen time! What's going on!

I LOL'd at Simon's "double whammy of embarrassment" and his PTSD comment. Like TVbitch said earlier, love me some Simon. The orange team's dishes looked all really good to me. 

8 hours ago, katisha said:

Was she with her girlfriend during her initial season?

Quite possibly, but at least I don't remember her mentioning a girlfriend in her season. This article says she didn't "come out" (to viewers, that is) until now. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by Rosenrot

[limecoke]

Crushed that Lynton was first out. Maybe not the best time to “risk it for the biscuit,” whatever that means. Oh well.

I admit I have a super soft spot for Brendan, as I did on his season. I suppose he won’t last that long but I just think he’s kind of awesome.

Poh and her amazing 90 minute cake was annoying.  Five episodes in and I’m already sick of her.  She bugs more than Rose and that’s saying something.

[xchouchoutex]

Well well first of all i really liked poh’s cake for a change It was risky but worthy

oh Rose 🤦🏻‍♀️ Someone please just makes her stop making up plates names. Moroccan tart ? We have not such a thing in our cuisine for God’s sake , i mean i’m grateful that someone mentioned it but no not in that way 🤣 

i’m happy that orange team made it But now i’m worried about Tessa i hope she doesn’t get eliminated 🤞🏻

[Aerobicidal]

Enough with the screaming, male judges! I don't want any memories of George tainting my attempt (which has been successful so far) to enjoy this show for the first time in years.

I actually like Poh. I admire her humanitarian work and I enjoyed Poh's Kitchen for having authentic SE Asian recipes that are really hard to find in restaurants where I live. However, her cake risk gave me traumatic flashbacks to some woman who took a similar risk using an entire fish in the first round of an elimination challenge.

Because she wound up leaving, the editing stretched out the intended first of two (or more?) rounds for the entire episode and it was all dramatic music and male judges screaming at her "OMG you can't understand what a risk is this!" and "Wow this is so risky!" and "You really will leave if this dish doesn't work!" 

That episode highlighted everything I hated about the prior incarnation of the show.

Anyway, I'm rooting for Amina and Dani (I love Sri Lankan food) and surprised by how many contestants I used to find unlikable that now seem likable--and, to a lesser extent, vice versa.

This is probably the least snarky post I have ever written on Primetimer.

Here is a recap of the fish elimination challenge episode.

[retrograde]

I am always complaining that dessert-y contestants on this show never risk baking and instead do gels and domes and ice creams and crumbles *coughReynoldcough* so I have to appreciate Poh doing the cake, even though I agree it didn't seem like an amazingly special cake. 

Dani's episode 1 win is starting to seem like a bit of a fluke. 

For the so-called meat guy, Chris is not doing that great with the meat. 

Andy literally described about 10 dishes as "cracking" -- and added in a "bags of flavor" to boot. New catchphrases please. 

I'm glad at how little panna cotta we've seen so far. 

My guesses for eventual winner (more based on reputation and treatment so far than anything else): Callum, Laura, Poh, and Reynold. Wildcards: Emilia, non-Ice Cream Ben, and Simon. 

[seltzer3]

I kind of realized what I have problems with Andy and the new judges (primarily Andy).  When the old judges would do their observations on contestants (or would troll them "are you sure this is correct?"), there is a bit of a suspense, since obviously Gary and George have way more cooking experience than the contestants.

But when Andy, does the whole "are you sure you know what you are doing?" schtick, it falls really flat and is laughable.  Because who is he to tell other contestants, when he doesn't have that much more experience than others.  When Andy did the whole, is it to simple to one of the teams, Harry 5 minutes later was all, "whatever let's not listen to him."

It was kind of weird that the one team that was one member down, you had Dani wasting so much time grilling ONE BANANA.  That was probably a reason why they fell behind with prep.

[ReallyRealReality]

23 hours ago, Sarnia said:

I may have missed the rationale of her choice, if she explained it (I have this show on the background while I do other things) but I didn't quite get her dish. It did look like a beautiful cake (and apparently it was tasty, so good on her) but it was basically a cake with filling, frosting and decor, and it seems most of the time was needed for cooking the cake and cooling the cake.

So while I get the idea of "using all of my 90 minutes to make an impressive dish" I didn't feel that this particular dish looked like it was worth that risk, when you think of all the other dishes she could have done in 90 minutes (or all the dishes she could have done in half the time).

Well, it paid out, so I guess she made the right choice in the end, but I was not that impressed.

I'm with you, I wasn't impressed by Poh's dish either.  It wasn't frosting, it was whipped cream... and she did a pretty bad job of spreading it out evenly or smooth.  When I saw her finished product, all I could think was "that's it?".  Every summer I buy fresh strawberries, an angel food cake and some Cool Whip to have 'strawberry shortcake' (I'm not a fan of the 'cups' or the drier biscuit form).  So she spent 90 minutes making what I can buy and make at home... aside from the lychees (never had or seen one here).  Oh!, and I also wasn't impressed with her bouquet, either... completely drenched in edible flowers?  *puke*

I never saw her season, only got to see her as a guest mentor and she did nothing to spark my interest in her.  Seemed strange to me that so many contestants were in awe of her, and I got the feeling when this season started that she thinks she's better than everybody else.  Watching her forget her chili oil that 'brings the dish together' and then her breaking the tart shells that she makes ALL the time in her shop, on top of this 'risk taking' fiasco, she can go any time and I won't miss her.  I am not a fan!  Besides... I really don't like watching people who laugh with their mouths so wide open that their jaw is resting in their lap.  😄

[TVbitch]

Watched the cookout. They really want Chris to be the villain this season, don't they? First they slag him in Gordon's restaurant service for not having the number of potions right (which he apparently denied) and now in the cook off for portions and seasoning. And they keep showing little snippits of him looking dour. He is not my favorite at all, but I kind of hate it when they do that. (If he in anyway endangers my Simon, I will say "off with his head!" of course) 

Speaking of Simon, his booming baritone is hilarious, it's like two octaves below everyone else's voice and always can be heard. 

Andy needs to be replaced. Maybe he will get better but he is mistaking frenetic energy for excitement, and really does not add anything in terms of judging. So far the judges are way to bland in their descriptions of the food and they just agree with each other about everything. They need a John Torode or a Greg Wallace even, who are very good at describing flavors and textures in detail and explaining why they work or don't work. And they will disagree whole heartedly if that is how they feel. 

[Rosenrot]

12 hours ago, seltzer3 said:

But when Andy, does the whole "are you sure you know what you are doing?" schtick, it falls really flat and is laughable.  Because who is he to tell other contestants, when he doesn't have that much more experience than others.  When Andy did the whole, is it to simple to one of the teams, Harry 5 minutes later was all, "whatever let's not listen to him."

Right!? And Harry was right too, since their team ended up winning despite how "simple" their dishes were. 

I'm sure Andy is a fine chef; I don't know that much about his career after his S4 win. To me, however, he is out of place as a judge. And I think I would feel that way were it any other former winner or contestant in his place. 

Edited April 21, 2020 by Rosenrot

[zibnchy]

I am not historically a germaphobe. Of course, Covid-19 changes things for everyone. In this pressure test episode I saw at least two, and possibly three, instances of judges or cooks tasting something by dipping a finger in and licking it. Pre-virus that would be icky. At this point it is a complete gross out. Sure, there wasn't any double dipping (that we could see) but we have no way to know where that finger had been. Had it been washed recently? I mean, washed with soap and water, not spit.

Over the years I've overlooked the loose hair flipping and sweat dripping and face touching and questionable tasting strategies, probably because I don't have to actually eat the food. Now it just grosses me out and puts me off whatever dish is being cooked.

What will the MCAU kitchen look like with Covid-19 restrictions in place? My understanding is they were still filming when restrictions were introduced and I will be very interested to see them implemented during mid-season. Gloves and masks at a minimum. Minimum distancing. Also the judges will have to stop eating off the same damn plate (that has always annoyed me).

A few petty asides:

1.) I (hope I) will never be hungry enough to suck the brains out of a prawn head. I never want to see a prawn head on my plate. I will never declare prawn brains to be "Yum".

2.) I don't know anything about Andy and my impression is of a basically ok guy BUT there's something about the way he eats that annoys me soooooo much. Get off my TV Andy.

3.) Ice Cream Ben needs to go. They've done a pretty good job of editing him out but he was unavoidable today.

 

 

 

[ppl]

LOL @ Andy telling the Orange team that they need to make more complex dishes. Knowing that they're one team member short and they had to make food for 400 people, Harry was smart to toss his comments aside. I also question why he would knock Orange team's dishes for simplicity but not the Grilled Corn with Mayo dish. Now that is a simple dish.

I really hope Jock cuts back on the screaming except on time checks.

So far Andy is really struggling to make any sort of half-decent comment about the food. He either backs up what Jock says or gives a simple statement without diving into what makes the plate of food good or interesting or terrible.

The shouting from the gantry needs to stop too. I felt it has gotten worse over the seasons especially in seasons 10/11.

[seltzer3]

Sad that Courtney is eliminated, especially when we haven't seen her in a really long time. Was hoping Ben would go.

In terms of the whole portioning thing that Chris faced in the team challenge.  I felt like making chicken seemed like a wrong idea, since a chicken isn't a uniform piece of meat.  Like it was smart for other teams to just cook prawns, or a lamb rack, since you can portion those easier evenly.

[retrograde]

Didn't Laura used to work at Jock's restaurant? Hardly seems fair to have a competition to cook food from the same place.

My main takeaway from the episode is that I'd like a crumpet. 

[katisha]

Oh, my God. Ice-cream Ben actually went there...chicken feet caramel? I think Jock was even more grossed out than I felt. 🤮 But I might have known that he'd get into the top five with another stupid ice-cream. 😏

On the plus side, the chicken feet being used brought back a great Kath and Kim memory! 

Reynold, when a person who has had bariatric surgery thinks your portions would even be too small for them, you are overdoing the micro cuisine just a tad! And the judges had to share that infinitesmal portion! But major props for doing more savoury dishes this season.

Edited April 22, 2020 by katisha

[misgabi13]

1 hour ago, katisha said:

Oh, my God. Ice-cream Ben actually went there...chicken feet caramel? I think Jock was even more grossed out than I felt. 🤮 But I might have known that he'd get into the top five with another stupid ice-cream. 😏

Poh's face when he described his dish was beyond priceless!  (Not savvy enough to get a screenshot to show you!).

Ben can just go home right now!  Please!!!!

 

I was impressed that the new format is clearly based on the fans all wanting to see EVERY mystery box cook tasted - so that was refreshing!

 

Random thoughts:

• I felt really bad for Brendan to miss out by so little - his dish looked amazing.
• I loved how excited Sarah T was from start to finish.  I also loved how crispy and delicious her dish looked.
• Much as I love Khan his broth looked muddy - but that could have been the choice of bowls.  It was all a bit unfortunate looking.
• Super pleased Rose's cake was too dense!  
• I wish they would do more mystery boxes where you simply cannot make a dessert. 
• Whoever made the custard tarts (which we were not shown a tasting of) must have used all the staples to make pastry and custard and then possibly waved a bit of chinese five spice over it?  Not quite the spirit of the mystery box.
• So SICK of Ben and his bloody ice creams!

Not a bad episode and we got lots of Simon - even though his dish fell flat!

[katisha]

3 minutes ago, misgabi13 said:

Not a bad episode and we got lots of Simon - even though his dish fell flat!

I loved it when he said to himself at one stage, "Oh, Simon, you silly bastard." 😂

[Rosenrot]

I, too, am glad that Reynold's doing more savory now. (And at the same time not, because if he kills savory AND desserts, he may well win the whole thing, and I'd rather someone else did that...) Ben, on the other hand, slipped right back to his comfort zone even though yesterday he was puffing out his chest all like "I wanna show everybody I can do more than just ice creams". 🙄

4 hours ago, misgabi13 said:

I wish they would do more mystery boxes where you simply cannot make a dessert. 

Yeah, but you know it - somebody would still make a dessert. 

Rrrealllly hoping that Khanh will win the immunity! 

Edited April 22, 2020 by Rosenrot

[TVbitch]

When they put the spoon into Reynolds dish, it was bigger than the piece of fish! That was amuse bouche! But I would not be amused if I paid for an entree and got that!

And that dish pointed out how much the judges are lacking, cuz after they salivated over it for 10 minutes I still had no idea how it tasted. "I could imagine going to the finest places in the world and being served this!" "This is a restaurant quality dish!" "If this is you cooking savory, then you should cook savory." 

Then in the big Broth Off: "You've packed it with flavor." "You've pounded the flavor in there." "Yours is all about flavor and yours is about technique." 

Um, okay, but can someone please tell me how these dishes taste? Even yesterday when the judges sucked 500 prawn heads, I STILL don't know what prawn brains tastes like? ...anyone? Bueller? Bueller? 

And finally, if they are going to taste all the dishes, which they should, then at least let me SEE all the dishes. Maybe say a couple words. Jeez. 

Okay, end of rant! ...for today  

[seltzer3]

Omg Ben knock if off with an ice cream.

[xchouchoutex]

20 hours ago, retrograde said:

Didn't Laura used to work at Jock's restaurant? Hardly seems fair to have a competition to cook food from the same place.

My main takeaway from the episode is that I'd like a crumpet. 

Exactly ! I thought about the same thing at that moment , i was like she may know the dish by heart that’s why she was helping and telling courtney how to do things . Anyway

about the mystery box i thought that Ben was joking when he said that he’s making a chicken ice cream, i was waiting for him to tell them what he was really making , silly me ..

i don’t know but i have a feeling that Sarah Tyong will win the title 

[ReallyRealReality]

Am I the only one who though Harry's dish looked like a baby croc?

I'm with everyone else about the judge's poor ability to describe what they are tasting.  I know why Andy has such a difficult time, he shovels in half the dish in one bite.  He has no idea what any of the separate elements taste like, there's nothing left.  Melissa is suppose to be a food writer, where are her words?  Poor Jock does the best he can, but when the other two rely on him to start most of the critiques so they can agree with him, it's putting a lot of pressure on him.

I'm glad they changed it to taste everyone's dish in the mystery box challenge, but where were Tessa, Jess, Reece and I don't know who else that made what else.  

[katisha]

13 hours ago, Rosenrot said:

Ben, on the other hand, slipped right back to his comfort zone even though yesterday he was puffing out his chest all like "I wanna show everybody I can do more than just ice creams". 🙄

He needs to remember that his season wasn't that long ago and I think a lot of us remember that he used to cook savoury food most of the time, was barely skating by, and then one day he discovered the ice-cream machine and decided to make nothing else from then on, even if the ingredients were caviar, tripe, boiled eggs and white chocolate.

[misgabi13]

2 hours ago, katisha said:

even if the ingredients were caviar, tripe, boiled eggs and white chocolate.

Goodness - don't give him any ideas!   

[katisha]

I have to say I'm really glad Sarah T won immunity tonight over Laura because even though I like Laura (and the way she speaks about food and flavours, she could probably replace at least one of the judges), it still doesn't sit well that a) she was able to cook a dish which she prepares regularly in her restaurant with her professional chef husband and b) that that dish was to be partially judged by her acknowledged mentor.  

As for Ice-Cream Ben, the only reason I think he grudgingly agreed to cook savoury in the second round is because an ice-cream machine requires longer than 40 minutes.  And did anyone find it rather shocking that in round 1 he was only able to name eight of the 24 ingredients in that curry?  I'm not a particularly good cook and I'm no Masterchef but I think even I could have guessed more than that!  He should be embarrassed.

ETA: I loved Melissa's outfit tonight.  

Edited April 23, 2020 by katisha

[zibnchy]

9 hours ago, ReallyRealReality said:

I'm with everyone else about the judge's poor ability to describe what they are tasting.  I know why Andy has such a difficult time, he shovels in half the dish in one bite.  He has no idea what any of the separate elements taste like, there's nothing left.  Melissa is suppose to be a food writer, where are her words?  Poor Jock does the best he can, but when the other two rely on him to start most of the critiques so they can agree with him, it's putting a lot of pressure on him.

Andy just shovels in giant bites and it's completely irrational how much this annoys me.

It seems like Gordon really did prop up these three in the first week because left on their own they are flailing. But none of them are George so that's a huge plus.

[Rosenrot]

3 hours ago, katisha said:

And did anyone find it rather shocking that in round 1 he was only able to name eight of the 24 ingredients in that curry?

Not to mention that he mistook a fish curry for a chicken curry. I thought that was the kind of mistake you might've made in S1. 

Oh Benny. I'm still very curious as to what he was arrested for. I wonder if we'll ever know. 

Sarah's dish did not look like a winner's dish to me, but I can believe it tasted yummy and I'm glad she won (she was my #2 pick after Khanh). Not a huge fan of Laura.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Rosenrot

[xchouchoutex]

Anyone of you saw Sarah T when she tasted her sauce with a spoon and then put it back into the pot and kept stirring ? Maybe it’s just Coronavirus’s ghost makes me hallucinate 😂

[dnagirl]

19 hours ago, ReallyRealReality said:

Am I the only one who though Harry's dish looked like a baby croc?

Mr. DG thought it looked like road kill.

 

I have nothing to say about Ben's chicken foot caramel with ice cream that doesn't involve the F-word so I'm keeping my opinion to myself.

 

Ben in the immunity cook (paraphrasing): things are going really badly right now.

Mr DG: Dude, they're about to get much worse.

12 hours ago, katisha said:

ETA: I loved Melissa's outfit tonight.  

Me too!  I thought she looked lovely.  I find her clothing choices to be really stylish, but that may just be me.

Good job Sarah T!  I was happy that her meat came out so tender, I was worried.  Though, I wouldn't have minded Laura winning either, thought her dish looked pretty dang tasty.

I really did enjoy the masterclass.  Loved the idea of Jock showing us what he would have done with Melissa's mystery box.  I also liked that they had some of the contestants demonstrate their techniques.  A number of them are pretty much professionals now, so that is fun to see, although I think it is more for us than the other contestants.  No comment on the ice cream.  No. Fucking. Comment.

[limecoke]

Maybe it’s just me but a brown smear on the side of a dish is never going to be a winner for me.  Other than that odd choice, Khanh seems like a terrific guy.

The sooner the ice cream guy disappears the better.

Oh Brendan, you came so close.  His dish in the broth-off certainly looked more appetizing. 
 

[ReallyRealReality]

19 hours ago, zibnchy said:

Andy just shovels in giant bites and it's completely irrational how much this annoys me.

It seems like Gordon really did prop up these three in the first week because left on their own they are flailing. But none of them are George so that's a huge plus.

Honestly, I don't know which annoys me more.... Andy shoveling in huge bites or Melissa's prim and proper smaller bites being shoved in between bright red lips... so bright they draw my attention (what can I say, I get bored waiting to hear "fantastic flavor!').  Her top lip reminds me of the tip of an elephant's nose.  You know, that little nubby finger-like thing that grabs a-hold of things.  😄

I think it's time, especially now that this pandemic is upon us, that the contestants prepare 3 separate dishes for the judges.  I believe it will test them further on their ability to maintain consistency.  It will also allow the judges the opportunity to sample every element without cross contamination or using up a dozen spoons per dish.