Past Seasons Discussion

[katisha]

Awww, it's nice to see Sandeep get his moment in the sun.  He gets flak on the FB MC page because "all he can cook is curries" (got to love the good old racist Aussies out there) but I'm cutting him some slack because I very much doubt he is giving them the exact same type of curry each time and just swapping out the proteins.  Under the heading of "curry" there are tons of different variations.  But I still laughed when the judges asked Sandeep and Andy, "So, who was it who cooked the lemon rice and chicken curry?"  Hmmm, let me think now...!

Also, Sandeep can't possibly win this season because we had Sashi last season, and Sashi wouldn't have won if he'd never stepped outside the comfort zone of curries a few times, which he did.  Sandeep still hasn't. But I really like the fact that Sandeep is very respectful of Westernised palates being unused to extremely hot curries.  I don't know if anyone remembers Rishi, but his attitude was more like, "I'm going to blow their heads off with this curry and I don't really care if it's too hot for them because they should just be able to handle it!"

[Rosenrot]

7 hours ago, Myriad said:

One more "I want to be tasted" and I'll really be feeling dirty.

Also the word "tasting room" has now morphed into an entirely different - dirty, mind you - entity in my head.  

5 hours ago, katisha said:

"I'm going to blow their heads off with this curry and I don't really care if it's too hot for them because they should just be able to handle it!"

Literally me every time I cook for somebody else. (My BF likes spicy food, though. Luckily for him.)

I wasn't familiar with her since I haven't seen the 1st season, but I've come to notice that I really like Poh. 😏 And she seems to be a little better at mentoring than the useless Billie. 

Ribs in a pressure cooker already, to me, sounds like a thing that wouldn't work, but better to have learned it now and not in an elimination challenge. 

[PepperMonkey]

Oh Sanweep, congrats! I'm not sure if it's exactly racist to say all he cooks is curries unless the Aussie FB posters mean it in a racist way (maybe they do; I'm not a facebooker so I tend to think of everyone who posts negative comments as trolls)... there are so many different kinds of curries in so many different cultures, to lump them all into one category is a bit small-minded, imho. What IS ridiculous is the jidges acting like they didn't know who cooked the curry and rice versus the elegant little pile of calamari and tasty burnt corn bits.

Also, seriously, is Poh okay? I keep thinking she's wearing a wig and then today she has the hair scarf-y thingy..... Mr. Monkey and I are both cancer survivors and I recognize some of the hair stuff and the blush that's a little brighter than it normally would be because you feel so washed out all the time... Sending good thoughts her way....

[katisha]

1 hour ago, PepperMonkey said:

Also, seriously, is Poh okay? I keep thinking she's wearing a wig and then today she has the hair scarf-y thingy..... Mr. Monkey and I are both cancer survivors and I recognize some of the hair stuff and the blush that's a little brighter than it normally would be because you feel so washed out all the time... Sending good thoughts her way....

I am also a cancer survivor and I thought exactly the same thing. If she is being treated she is keeping it very quiet. I hope we are wrong.

[misgabi13]

11 hours ago, katisha said:

I am also a cancer survivor and I thought exactly the same thing. If she is being treated she is keeping it very quiet. I hope we are wrong.

There's not much on the internet except this piece - https://www.nowtolove.com.au/reality-tv/masterchef/poh-wig-55662

I was so torn tonight about which team I wanted to win but both had some of my favourites in it so was happy to just go along for the ride!

Will see how elimination goes - but a tiny bit cranky Abby won't be there - what a terrible captain (and soooooo many talking heads).

I was a tiny bit pleased that the guy who I didn't recognise (but may have mentioned he has an Italian girlfriend *snort) actually ended up making good pasta!

Loved both the nonnas (but would have totally gone with the porchetta suggestion just to get a mini-masterclass in how she made hers!).  At least the beef cheeks worked out for them though.

Was a bit weird to have 80 diners and not a single comment from any of them!

[katisha]

19 hours ago, Rosenrot said:

Also the word "tasting room" has now morphed into an entirely different - dirty, mind you - entity in my head.  

Well, add me to the dirty-minded crew because I sniggered tonight when Derek said the Red Team's nonna didn't like pressure cookers "because she likes it long and slow".  Hee!

2 hours ago, misgabi13 said:

There's not much on the internet except this piece - https://www.nowtolove.com.au/reality-tv/masterchef/poh-wig-55662

Well, that's certainly a relief! I'm never happy to hear anyone else has to go through the crap of cancer, with the exception of Ivan Milat because if anyone can be said to deserve it, it's him.

Back to cooking! I really enjoyed tonight's challenge and it looked like both teams cooked some great dishes with the exception of the blah calamari which sent the green team to elimination.  I wonder why their nonna didn't tell them to cook the calamari longer or give them better instructions for that runny mayonnaise? They should have had a backup plan because the way it turned out they couldn't leave it off or they'd have had insipid undercooked calamari with no sauce at all.

If anyone would like to know who may go tomorrow night, the latest odds from Sportsbet might provide a guide.  Also, interestingly, since I last checked the shortest-priced contestant has changed somewhat unexpectedly.  And that's all I'm saying!

Spoiler

https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/entertainment/masterchef/masterchef-2019-4170031

Edited May 29, 2019 by katisha

[ppl]

Red Team nonna was on fire. She saved the Red Team from going into elimination by reminding them to prepare their salad for their beef cheeks.

That calamari from the Green Team looked so sad. Everything on that dish was pale. Pale sauce and batter.

It felt like the nonna from the Green Team wasn't as involved as the one from the Red Team because there's no way any invested nonna would willingly send out a dish as bad as that.

Too many Abbey talking heads. She ignored the advice from the nonna as well. I guess Abbey is now smarter than a famous nonna. The whole team was lucky all their dishes turned out well because you knew the judges were going to criticize the Beef Cheeks dish for not being 'Italian enough' had Green Team put up a good starter.

I still have no one that I'm backing yet.

Meh: Tessa, Larissa, Derek, Nicole, Christina
Less than Meh: Sandeep, Kyle, Tati, Anushka, Simon, Steph
Invisible: Ben, Walleed
Dislike: Joe, Abbey, Tim

[dnagirl]

Wait...there's a guy named Joe?

Maybe it's because it is early on, or maybe because I have so much else going on in my life right now (hello clearing property and building a new house in a completely different state!) but I'm having a hard time getting invested in this season.

[Mellowyellow]

@katisha I can't say I care very much for the top 2  in the odds you posted.

Are they usually correct? I hope not!

The only saving grace is:

Spoiler

It's not Abbey with the best odds

As I thoroughly dislike that person. 

[retrograde]

I guess I can forgive the abundance of panna cotta given the challenge, but could've done without Matt describing it as having a "voluptuous wiggle." Barf.

I bet the guy with the "Italian girlfriend" goes, given how little we've seen of him so far.

[katisha]

5 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

The only saving grace is:

  Reveal spoiler

It's not Abbey with the best odds

As I thoroughly dislike that person. 

Hear, hear!

[katisha]

19 hours ago, ppl said:

Too many Abbey talking heads. She ignored the advice from the nonna as well. I guess Abbey is now smarter than a famous nonna.

Abbey's arrogance is really wearing thin.  Did you catch her eye-roll in tonight's episode when Joe said he was making ricotta from scratch? She muttered something like, "Oh, great. Now he's going to need every last bit of time."  Not such an offensive comment but it was more the way she said it. She's not a good advertisement for the millennial generation because she seems to think she knows better than everyone else.  And this is the second time she's put herself up as captain, isn't it?

I must admit, Kyle's had a lot more screen time than Joe ("My girlfriend's Italian") and the morose one so I figured one of them would go, not him.  But can anyone tell me why Joe decided to make his pasta differently today after what he did in the challenge was lauded by the judges?  What the?

And in other "what the" news, Poh, a black romper suit with MC Hammer pants is not a good look on anyone.

Someone asked upthread whether the Sportsbet odds on MC are accurate.  Well, since we've been keeping track of it, they've got every winner right. Even when Elena was not shown on screen for about half the season, she was the favourite in the market. So obviously, click the link I shared at your own risk!

Edited May 30, 2019 by katisha

[babs1226]

1 hour ago, katisha said:

But can anyone tell me why Joe decided to make his pasta differently today after what he did in the challenge was lauded by the judges?  What the?

Then he couldn't figure out what was wrong with it!  What a time to modify the recipe smh.  

Sad to see Kyle go, but he also took a risk that didn't pay off.  Take the risks during mystery box, guys!

[seltzer3]

I'm sad to see Kyle go, but he's been on a downward spiral the past week (mushy paella, screwed up the calamari in the team challenge), so it was kind of deserved.

I'm glad Christina was safe, she was a really good an effective leader.  It just sucked that the red team just ended up being better.

[ppl]

2 hours ago, katisha said:

Abbey's arrogance is really wearing thin.  Did you catch her eye-roll in tonight's episode when Joe said he was making ricotta from scratch? She muttered something like, "Oh, great. Now he's going to need every last bit of time."  Not such an offensive comment but it was more the way she said it. She's not a good advertisement for the millennial generation because she seems to think she knows better than everyone else.  And this is the second time she's put herself up as captain, isn't it?

Someone asked upthread whether the Sportsbet odds on MC are accurate.  Well, since we've been keeping track of it, they've got every winner right. Even when Elena was not shown on screen for about half the season, she was the favourite in the market. So obviously, click the link I shared at your own risk!

It was more telling when Sandeep and Walleed didn't acknowledge her comment at all. I wonder if she is hated by all in the house.

Spoiler

If Tim makes the final 2, that would be a major disappointment. I would be alright with a Larissa win.

Star anise ice cream? Yuck. Even worse are the judge's fake reactions on this one. Using a full bag of star anise would make it inedible.

Thick pasta and a thin sheet of filling. Joe's girlfriend's nonna needs to whack him with the rolling pin for that one.

Ben's plating is terrible. His cooking isn't that great either.

Kyle has thrown in a couple of stinkers. Not sad to see him go.

Spoiler

The editors didn't even bother to hide the chosen ones in the preview. Tim, Abbey and Tessa all safe until the team challenge round.

[seltzer3]

So a bit of a culinary question.

During the past team challenge, the Green team was freaking out about the burnt butter sauce.  So Christina had people crank up the heat to heat up the butter sauce faster.  One of the contestant, once it was done started scooping the HOT butter sauce into a giant glass measuring cup.

 Um, Isn't that dangerous considering glass can crack under hot liquid?  Shouldn't they have put that in a metal bowl?  Or does metal change the taste of the hot butter sauce?

[babs1226]

11 minutes ago, seltzer3 said:

Isn't that dangerous considering glass can crack under hot liquid? 

If it's a pyrex measuring cup,it should be ok, but I remember that my mom would always put a teaspoon in a pyrex measuring cup before adding hot liquid to disperse it as it poured.

[Rosenrot]

4 hours ago, katisha said:

But can anyone tell me why Joe decided to make his pasta differently today after what he did in the challenge was lauded by the judges?  What the?

What exactly did he do different? I didn't catch that. 

Oh wow. Poor Ben made what he thought was an actual good dish and then got knocked out by the judges faster than he could say "dirty prawn heads". He should've gone home imho, at least Kyle made some good dishes along the way unlike him. 

I'm bummed they don't seem to do the trips abroad anymore. ☹️ Really liked the season 9 Japan week. 

Edited May 30, 2019 by Rosenrot

[Rosenrot]

On ‎5‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 6:31 PM, katisha said:

I sniggered tonight when Derek said the Red Team's nonna didn't like pressure cookers "because she likes it long and slow".  Hee!

(Sorry, read this wrong and it changed the whole meaning of the sentence! 😄)

Edited May 30, 2019 by Rosenrot
was objectifying Derek because I read "he likes it long and slow"

[akr]

3 hours ago, ppl said:

  Reveal spoiler

The editors didn't even bother to hide the chosen ones in the preview. Tim, Abbey and Tessa all safe until the team challenge round.

I don't think this one (about who is seen competing as part of a team in the previews) is necessarily a spoiler - sometimes there is a team round in the first episode before any eliminations are done.  

1 hour ago, Rosenrot said:

What exactly did he do different? I didn't catch that. [re Joe - his pasta dough] 

Oh wow. Poor Ben made what he thought was an actual good dish and then got knocked out by the judges faster than he could say "dirty prawn heads". He should've gone home imho, at least Kyle made some good dishes along the way unlike him. 

He added more eggs to his pasta dough - I think he said he wanted a softer dough.

Agreed as to Ben's dish. At least I finally figured out what he did during the team challenge - mostly, chop up and cook pumpkins for Joe. I would be surprised if he lasts much longer. Here are the previous dishes we've seen from him: fried chicken tacos (desert island dish), fish & chips (fish & potatoes challenge), lamb with parsnips & beetroot (audition); the ricotta, pear & honey dessert in a previous elimination that was derided as an underwhelming bunch of bits on a plate but edged out Blake's disaster, with the wall paste potato puree; and this week, duck ragout with vegemite. It seems like the fish and chips were the highlight. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and guess that he probably cooks better outside a competition setting.

[zibnchy]

Is Kyle the one who left his very pregnant wife at home to maybe (if he'd lasted) give birth alone?

This was the battle of the twins for me. Until today I confess I thought Ben and Joe were the same guy. I was so confused as I half watched. One time we'd hear BenJoe say he's cooking pasta and another time BenJoe had suddenly changed to prawns.

And I didn't realize there's a Simon until recently.

Have we ever heard Walleed talk?

[xchouchoutex]

About the team challenge i think the red team were lucky to have a very good monitoring nonna and i’m done with abbey being a captain every time.

at the pressure time it was hilarious to see the contestants hiding their boards while answering like children 😄

 And here is my list for the moment :

my favorites : Tessa / Nicole /  Derek / walleed and larissa ( maybe because they’re arabs just like me excuse my bias 😅) and plus i think that walleed has more potential than it seems

my almost favorites : Tati / Anushka / Christina

annoying : simon ( because of his hair which get wet and oily when he start cooking and i find it disgusting sorry 😕 )

Dislike : i can’t stand Abbey OMG ! 

[Mellowyellow]

It seems like a Aussie Facebook population can't stand Abbey either from what I've seen.

She is by no means nuts like the MKR or some of the old Masterchef US contestants (I swear they seem saner in the latest seasons) but in the Aussie one she sticks out like a sore thumb with her smugness.

Abbey just reeks of smug which makes her seem unpleasant in a competition where most of the people are extremely pleasant! 

I love Tessa. She just seems so no nonsense and calm and trustworthy.

I REALLY like Derek too but he makes some volatile decisions in his cooks sometimes so I fear he may not last long.

I find them all fairly decent and I think some of them will grow on me if I see them on air more......except Abbey

[retrograde]

23 hours ago, retrograde said:

I bet the guy with the "Italian girlfriend" goes, given how little we've seen of him so far.

I guess I was wrong, though he wasn't that far behind. When the most interesting thing about you is your girlfriend's grandma, that's a problem.

As a vegetarian, I liked Kyle early on because I'd love to see more people, ahem, "hero" vegetables on this show, but he ultimately underwhelmed.

[seltzer3]

21 hours ago, akr said:

I don't think this one (about who is seen competing as part of a team in the previews) is necessarily a spoiler - sometimes there is a team round in the first episode before any eliminations are done.  

He added more eggs to his pasta dough - I think he said he wanted a softer dough.

Agreed as to Ben's dish. At least I finally figured out what he did during the team challenge - mostly, chop up and cook pumpkins for Joe. I would be surprised if he lasts much longer. Here are the previous dishes we've seen from him: fried chicken tacos (desert island dish), fish & chips (fish & potatoes challenge), lamb with parsnips & beetroot (audition); the ricotta, pear & honey dessert in a previous elimination that was derided as an underwhelming bunch of bits on a plate but edged out Blake's disaster, with the wall paste potato puree; and this week, duck ragout with vegemite. It seems like the fish and chips were the highlight. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and guess that he probably cooks better outside a competition setting.

With the past seasons, we've had a mediocre Ben made it to the final 2, two times in a row.  So its not out of the question.

[TVbitch]

I thought for sure Abby would go down in flames they way they kept showing her ignoring their nonna! Dang. 

WTF with these mentors? I have yet to see them do any mentoring. They just creep around the kitchen observing when things are going wrong without offering any guidance. 

Joe: My pasta won't go through!!

Poh: Uh huh.

Joe: Maybe it's too dry?

Poh: Mmm.  

.Kyle was past his expiration date, but I was hoping it would be Steph cuz her personality is a bit too extra for me. Jesus God with the drama of whether she would GET HER ICE CREAM IN THE CHURNER!!!!!! 

[katisha]

Hmm, I have to say I don't think it was quite fair on Larissa and Steph that they landed in the bottom four automatically after their kitchen fire. I think they should have been cut some slack because they weren't familiar with that stove in that food truck so how on earth could they predict that it would catch on fire? And since that meant a fire extinguisher had to be used, which destroyed their food, so they actually couldn't compete even if they wanted to...I just think that is the definition of extenuating circumstances. Mileage may vary. I might also be extra pissed off after bloody Abbey did so well in that challenge because the last thing she needs is any more fuel for her arrogance bonfire!

Loved seeing my home town Brisbane on Masterchef for the first time. And I think Ben will go tomorrow night. There has to be a reason he has hardly been heard from all season.

[xchouchoutex]

Next dish we want to taste belongs to abbey ( me *rolling my eyes*) and the cherry on top was her being so lucky to be with Derek on the same team in a chinese challenge ugh !

and once again joe and walleed’s team was ignored by the producers and i didn’t see the judges giving them an advice or something unlike the other teams 

[ppl]

Joe made pasta again.

I'm really glad Sandeep was not tasted with his crab dish. It's nice to see more inventive dishes being rewarded.

Tati is becoming really one note for me.

Simon's and Tessa's dishes looked the best and different out of the 5 tasted.

Abbey...a lychee vinagrette is not the same as a lychee granita.

I wanted to see Christina's Paris-Brest.

Onto the team challenge, how funny and lucky that Derek gets to cook Chinese food. He was the star of the Red Team. He pretty much did all of the cooking/rolling and made the filling himself. What exactly did Abbey do besides serving, writing the menu on the board and putting some seasoning on top?

4 hours ago, katisha said:

Hmm, I have to say I don't think it was quite fair on Larissa and Steph that they landed in the bottom four automatically after their kitchen fire. I think they should have been cut some slack because they weren't familiar with that stove in that food truck so how on earth could they predict that it would catch on fire? And since that meant a fire extinguisher had to be used, which destroyed their food, so they actually couldn't compete even if they wanted to...I just think that is the definition of extenuating circumstances. Mileage may vary.

I thought they should have had the bottom 2 teams and Larissa and Steph go into elimination. The fire occurred very early in the service part of the challenge and they could have made the case for the 2nd worst money raising team to go into the pressure test as well. In the past, when people were sick and had to sit out of a Mystery Box/Invention Test or Team Challenge, they automatically went into elimination. I remember Andrea from Season 7 skipping the Mystery Box/Invention Test and automatically going into the pressure test and they had 4 people for the elimination instead of the usual 3. Bad luck/timing hasn't precluded people from going into eliminations automatically.

Spelling is not Joe's forte. I'll take a Chard corn with Paprica!

Having to make British cuisine for 400 people is really unfair. They didn't even have a deep fryer. Can you say instant pass to elimination?

How do you spell Pho? lol.

Korean fried chicken looked so good.

Why didn't Sandeep and Tati make burgers and hot dogs? Or corn dogs?

Did Yellow Team's Peri Peri Chicken look raw to anyone else? The judges' piece looked very purple.

Too bad Green Team's Viet food couldn't be tasted by the judges. I still would have liked to see them ask one of the people who paid what they thought.

[snowbryneich]

 

 

 

6 hours ago, katisha said:

Hmm, I have to say I don't think it was quite fair on Larissa and Steph that they landed in the bottom four automatically after their kitchen fire. I think they should have been cut some slack because they weren't familiar with that stove in that food truck so how on earth could they predict that it would catch on fire? And since that meant a fire extinguisher had to be used, which destroyed their food, so they actually couldn't compete even if they wanted to...I just think that is the definition of extenuating circumstances. Mileage may vary. I might also be extra pissed off after bloody Abbey did so well in that challenge because the last thing she needs is any more fuel for her arrogance bonfire!

I did think George was talking about the pork fat causing the fire he was implying that the fire might have been caused by them overloading the oven - earlier on we had Larissa trying to fit as much pork belly in there as possible (so they would have more to serve) hence them being penalised.

[babs1226]

11 hours ago, katisha said:

Hmm, I have to say I don't think it was quite fair on Larissa and Steph that they landed in the bottom four automatically after their kitchen fire.

What happened was unfortunate, but they landed in the bottom because they made the least amount of money.  I think it was a fair way to handle it.   I felt bad for them.  Their dishes looked really good.  

[ReallyRealReality]

Two things that bothered me in this episode...

First off, what happened to Anushka's hand?  After the diner's arrival is announced, she gives a private interview and she waves her hands around several times and there is a big white bandage on the palm of her left hand.  No mention of it at all in the episode.  Was it a burn or a cut, and did she contaminate food?

Second, was anyone else grossed out or even notice when George walked up to check on the American truck and Sandeep was knuckle deep scratching his head... and didn't stop to wash his hands?!  I don't want to think about how many other times he did it unconsciously that wasn't caught on camera.  Also, constantly wiping the sweat off with his arms is just as bad, who knows how much extra salty seasoning got splattered and dripped around. 

*excuse me, I'm going to be sick now*

[katisha]

8 hours ago, ReallyRealReality said:

First off, what happened to Anushka's hand?  After the diner's arrival is announced, she gives a private interview and she waves her hands around several times and there is a big white bandage on the palm of her left hand.  No mention of it at all in the episode.  Was it a burn or a cut, and did she contaminate food?

Second, was anyone else grossed out or even notice when George walked up to check on the American truck and Sandeep was knuckle deep scratching his head... and didn't stop to wash his hands?!  I don't want to think about how many other times he did it unconsciously that wasn't caught on camera.  Also, constantly wiping the sweat off with his arms is just as bad, who knows how much extra salty seasoning got splattered and dripped around. 

Ewwww! I'm glad I obviously wasn't paying close enough attention to that.

Meanwhile, tonight's episode - I did NOT see that coming at all.  It was pretty obvious from the get-go that one of the guys was going to get booted, but Prince Harry?  Even when he seemed to be stuffing everything up I thought they would find some lame excuse to save him, but the pure and simple fact is that even though Ben wasn't impressive either, he definitely did a better job than "T-Bone".

Spoiler

But given that he's in the top five in the Sportsbet market, I think it's guaranteed that he will win his way back into the competition during the second chance round for the eliminated contestants.

I'm learning a lot about my own city this week.  I had to look up where King Street is (rather than being in the actual city, it's in a nearby suburb, Bowen Hills).  And tomorrow's episode is coming from one of my favourite places of all, Maleny on the Blackall Ranges in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.  If it was a fine day when they filmed there, we'll be in for some great scenery shots. 🙂

[misgabi13]

42 minutes ago, katisha said:

I'm learning a lot about my own city this week.  I had to look up where King Street is (rather than being in the actual city, it's in a nearby suburb, Bowen Hills).  And tomorrow's episode is coming from one of my favourite places of all, Maleny on the Blackall Ranges in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.  If it was a fine day when they filmed there, we'll be in for some great scenery shots. 🙂

I didn't know where King Street was either - even though I've eaten at Montrachet several times over the years.  Then I discovered it moved a little while ago from Paddington so didn't feel quite so bad!

I'm kind of sorry Tim went home - even though he did stuff up.  There are so many people still there who haven't won a damn thing, been tasted, or even said a word!  I will miss him.

I don't know about anybody else but watching home cooks try and replicate a dish of that calibre after being shown it once and then not given a recipe is not my idea of what should be on a cooking show.  I want them to be given ingredients and make something from their own head - always far more satisfying to watch.  I also think it gives a better indication of the 'better chef/cook'.

Save that sort of challenge for immunity - not elimination!

Abby is still insufferable!

[ppl]

Normally, I love replication pressure tests because we get to see the contestants focus and dedication to completing the challenge but this pressure test was stupid. Memory is an important tool for a chef in the kitchen but asking amateur cooks to recreate a dish after only watching the steps once turns the show into a memory contest. If they really wanted to make things difficult, they should have done the challenge from season 6 where they had to recreate the dish using only Matt's review as guidance. No recipe, no seeing the dish or tasting it. That way, contestants can show off their processes and creativity in re-creating the dish.

Spoiler

We all know Tim is coming back. He has the 2nd best odds. If they use Tim's 2nd chance as a storyline to his eventual win, I may not watch next year. It was great when Dami Im won X-Factor with her 2nd chance (although she didn't deserve to be eliminated in the 1st place) but if they start to rig competitions to advance him, I will be furious.

[akr]

Is it a coincidence that the three women from Queensland all have essentially the same hairstyle (dyed blonde, same length, etc) or is this a typical Queensland thing to do?

[limecoke]

Yes!  I noticed that the three Queensland women all looked more or less alike.  Coincidence?  Probably.  Anyway, I’ve only seen Brisbane on film but it looks like a beautiful city.

Add me to those grossed out by contestants who scratch their head or fiddle with their hair then resume cooking.  Seriously?

I’ve lived in seven different areas of the U.S., and was raised by Texans so I know a lot about chili con carne in its various forms.  I also make a pretty good pot of chili.  There are debates that rage over chili with beans vs no beans.  There’s also some weird thing in Ohio about chucking noodles in the chili which is totally gross, but never, ever in the long history of my life have I heard of it being served over rice.  Nope.  Doesn’t happen.  

I hated the elimination challenge.  Replicating a fiddly dessert isn’t my idea of a proper way to send someone off.  Just let them cook.  Worst dish goes.  

Edited June 3, 2019 by limecoke

[patty1h]

3 hours ago, limecoke said:

I’ve lived in seven different areas of the U.S., and was raised by Texans so I know a lot about chili con carne in its various forms.  I also make a pretty good pot of chili.  There are debates that rage over chili with beans vs no beans.  There’s also some weird thing in Ohio about chucking noodles in the chili which is totally gross, but never, ever in the long history of my life have I heard of it being served over rice.  Nope.  Doesn’t happen.  

Hello - lifelong NYer here, with my chili history.  We grew up on chili that was:  ground beef, onion, green pepper, chili powder, kidney beans in a tomato sauce.  It was only ever served over rice.  I never knew about other styles of chili till I was in my late 20's.  When I make chili for myself, a pot of rice is cooking too.

[retrograde]

9 hours ago, akr said:

Is it a coincidence that the three women from Queensland all have essentially the same hairstyle (dyed blonde, same length, etc) or is this a typical Queensland thing to do?

It certainly fits the stereotype.

To be honest, I don't think the average Australian has any idea how Americans make or serve chili. I was kinda surprised that's what they thought of when they thought of an "American" dish at all -- I reckon most Australians think it's maybe a Mexican thing, and cook a similarly shitty versions (that are basically bolognese) to Tati and Sandeep to stuff in hard-shell tacos with a lot of other ingredients that don't belong in there. I suspect Tati and Sandeep were just stuck for ideas. 

(That said, I have also had chili with rice in the US, also in NY [which I don't think of as a big "chili" place outside of maybe firehouses?]).

[katisha]

I was actually astonished that Abbey's dish wasn't chosen ahead of Anushka's tonight.  They praised it more highly, they said she had got lots done, they said the broth was brilliant.  So either Anushka performed some kind of broth miracle in about 10 minutes or the judges don't like Abbey either and are trying to knock the smug out of her? Haha, probably not, but a girl can dream! Pretty disappointed in Anushka's performance against the guest chef, though. Another layer cake, and it turned out to be a pretty average one.

As I expected and hoped to see, Maleny looked absolutely spectacular in the location shots.  I am also pretty sure I've been to the Old Dairy where they were cooking and bought some great home-made cheeses and the proper old-fashioned pot set yoghurt. Deelish!

1 minute ago, katisha said:

Edited June 4, 2019 by katisha

[misgabi13]

1 hour ago, katisha said:

I was actually astonished that Abbey's dish wasn't chosen ahead of Anushka's tonight.  They praised it more highly, they said she had got lots done, they said the broth was brilliant.  So either Anushka performed some kind of broth miracle in about 10 minutes or the judges don't like Abbey either and are trying to knock the smug out of her?

Well, that is not what we wanted at all!

Abbey continues to be painful in all the videos - smug isn't the word!

I love Anushka but seriously, another layer cake???

Billie clearly had to appear in future years in her contract as she is not a good mentor and seems horrified to be there!

Yay for tomorrow night and getting Elena!  Wonder how pregnant she is given that she is just about to pop in real life now!

How was the celebrity chef allowed to use macadamias once he had picked his ingredient (given that macadamias were one of the main ingredients)?  Not that Anushka would have won!

A bit cranky that instead of calling her out on the layer cakes the judges laughed about how long she would be doing it for!

And, just in case it hasn't been said 'shut up Abbey'!!!!!!!

[Corgi-ears]

Sarcastic Gary is always the best Gary.

[Rosenrot]

14 hours ago, patty1h said:

We grew up on chili that was:  ground beef, onion, green pepper, chili powder, kidney beans in a tomato sauce.  It was only ever served over rice.  I never knew about other styles of chili till I was in my late 20's.  When I make chili for myself, a pot of rice is cooking too.

Same. I don't think I've ever had chili without the rice. I can't even imagine such a thing is possible. 😄 

Was not expecting Blokey to go home, and while I'm not super upset about it or anything… yeah, that is NOT a way for anybody to go home. It's just stupid. And has little to do with actual cooking skills. Boo.

[limecoke]

19 hours ago, patty1h said:

Hello - lifelong NYer here, with my chili history.  We grew up on chili that was:  ground beef, onion, green pepper, chili powder, kidney beans in a tomato sauce.  It was only ever served over rice.  I never knew about other styles of chili till I was in my late 20's.  When I make chili for myself, a pot of rice is cooking too.

Wow, that’s me corrected.  Must be a northeast thing because it sure isn’t a southern thing.  Always happy to learn something new but I still think it’s as weird as chili with noodles.  My Texas mom served it with cornbread.  

Yes, Abbey can shut up until the end of time. Arguably this seasons most annoying contestant.  

Edited June 4, 2019 by limecoke

[PepperMonkey]

Native Texan here, too, and we would never have dreamed of letting a bean anywhere near our chili! Same with rice, BUT I have heard of both and enjoyed both of an occasion, for something completely different.

Mr. Monkey is from upstate NY and he likes the few days old chili with his mac and cheese which he adoringly calls chili mac.

I wasn't sad to see Faux Harry go either, but yeah, that challenge was ridiculous for elimination and as someone else stated very intelligently, and first, should have been more like an immunity pin challenge OR much closer to end of competition than this "soon." I do think they will find a way to bring him back though. 

Haven't seen immunity pin challenge yet, but Anushka made another layer cake? And she can cook other stuff: we've seen it. Oy. At least Abbey (OMG is it Abbey? her name is escaping me...) didn't get a shot at the pin. And I don't know why they keep bringing Billie back to the show; ditto with Matt. And Poh's not bothering me, even though I've never been a Poh fan, but she doesn't seem to add much as a mentor either. Shannon used to give them practical advice, not that everyone always listened, but that was on them, not him.

Still no one I'm finding to actively root for. I like Tati, Derek, Tessa and Nicole. And the only one I actively dislike so far is Abbey... or at least I think that's her name. I'm not finding myself as enamored of this season as I have been in the past seasons so maybe its time is running out. I'll continue to watch as long as they continue to air it, but my FF button has been getting a real workout this season.

Edited June 4, 2019 by PepperMonkey
Because it's Nicole, not Danielle...

[ReallyRealReality]

Missed posting on yesterday's, but I wanted to say that I paused on each contestants side-by-side comparison and, believe it or not, Larissa's was the worst.  Everyone else had all of the elements in the same place, only missing a dot or two of the chocolate at the far end of the lines, or one sprig of green at one end of one of their cakes.  Larissa's was much more compact (didn't fill the plate) and was mirror imaged.  So, based on what WE could see, she didn't do a proper replication.  The judge's should have caught that... said SOMETHING about it and acknowledged that everyone else got it right.  What can I say, some things I'm picky about.  lol

8 hours ago, misgabi13 said:

How was the celebrity chef allowed to use macadamias once he had picked his ingredient (given that macadamias were one of the main ingredients)?  Not that Anushka would have won!

The challenge was that Anushka could see all of the "iconic Queensland ingredients" and choose the mystery ingredient she wanted to work with, and that item would then be off limits to the celebrity chef.  The celebrity chef had to pick his item blindly from the remaining four.  He had no idea what the other three ingredients were, but since they were on the table, they were also stocked in the pantry (you could see the big pile of pineapples when he was shopping) and therefore available for either chef to use... he was only restricted from using her choice.  (The whole thing was dumb, in my opinion)  I do want to add that I liked the way he took time out of his cook and engaged with the other contestants.

And, just to add to the chili debate... I'm from the Pacific Northwest (Seattle area)... never heard of having it with rice here.  My family usually just eats it by the bowlful with a plate of cheddar cheese and crackers.   Speaking of... a friend's quick dip recipe that I learned and still use today.  In a small saucepan, empty one a can of your favorite chili, 4 ounces of cream cheese (half a box), some diced onion (I use one thick slice), and your favorite hot sauce to taste.  Heat, smashing the cream cheese in until fully mixed and it comes to a bubbling gooey mess.  Best if served hot, enjoy with whatever dipping chips you like.  I use tortilla chips, she served hers with Spicy Nacho Doritos.

[akr]

My take on Abbey is that she's always trying a little too hard to be and do what she thinks others expect of her. She (justifiably) has confidence in her cooking skills, as do and should they all, and is likely getting encouragement from the producers to keep doing what she's doing in terms of offering commentary. The results can be a little grating at times, and the enthusiasm for everything sometimes seems a little forced - not dishonest, but said because it's what she thinks should be said - but I think it comes from a good place.  

A lot of viewers seemed to think they were talking about her dish rather than Anushka's, too.  I wonder if Abbey didn't overplay the ginger - that's often an issue with ginger-focused dishes and their guidance seemed to push that. Ginger in the noodles and ginger in the broth - and then the fish well-cooked but probably not with a ton of flavor of its own - I'd definitely be interested in trying it, but it's not shocking that Anushka, who has made chicken stock that  they've raved about before, was able to punch up the flavor on her broth successfully.  I guess they edited to maintain suspense rather than to explain the justice of the outcome on that one.

A beetroot cake:  that's a new one for me. I like beets, and I suppose it would work in much the same way that using carrot or pumpkin or zucchini would, but the color certainly calls attention to it. I'm not sure I'd want to use it unless it was also a chocolate cake. It looks like using beets in a cake is a normal thing in the UK & Australia but I don't think I've seen it in the US. 

[ReallyRealReality]

1 hour ago, PepperMonkey said:

Still no one I'm finding to actively root for. I like Tati, Derek, Tessa and Danielle (OMG is it Danielle????? I'm worried about my short term memory today....).  And the only one I actively dislike so far is Abbey... or at least I think that's her name. I'm not finding myself as enamored of this season as I have been in the past seasons so maybe its time is running out. I'll continue to watch as long as they continue to air it, but my FF button has been getting a real workout this season.

SO many blondes on this season, it's really difficult to tell them apart sometimes, but there's no one named Danielle on the show this year.  You are correct on the one to dislike, Abbey (chubby blonde).  The women remaining that you didn't mention are Steph (short blonde hair with glasses), Christina (tall blonde with horse teeth), Nicole (the 'other' blonde, the only way I know she's not Tessa is that Tessa reminds me of Paris Hilton when she smiles), Larissa, and Anushka.

[misgabi13]

5 hours ago, ReallyRealReality said:

The challenge was that Anushka could see all of the "iconic Queensland ingredients" and choose the mystery ingredient she wanted to work with, and that item would then be off limits to the celebrity chef.  The celebrity chef had to pick his item blindly from the remaining four.  He had no idea what the other three ingredients were, but since they were on the table, they were also stocked in the pantry (you could see the big pile of pineapples when he was shopping) and therefore available for either chef to use... he was only restricted from using her choice.  (The whole thing was dumb, in my opinion) 

Thank you for clarifying that - it made no sense to me but then again I probably wasn't paying enough attention as the Tuesday night immunity challenge is my least favourite episode!  It was a very odd challenge that made is necessary for us to watch yet another layer cake!

[misgabi13]

Just started watching but Steph's face says it all!  

When Elena, quite rightly, pointed out that the other three dishes were Asian and the eggplant one was Italian she had a face that would curdle milk on her!

Take some advice darlin!  Elena was correct and you can't just hold onto 'what you know how to cook'.  Don't think she is a team player!

Seriously, resting bitch face pumped to the max and now not resting but furious bitch face!