Past Seasons Discussion

[misgabi13]

5 hours ago, limecoke said:

What, exactly, is tomato sauce in Australia?  Is it like ketchup or more like our canned tomato sauce or something completely different?  I’m truly wondering.

It is the equivalent of your ketchup.  

[Mellowyellow]

@katisha

Spoiler

I've held off typing this so as not to make it obvious who I'm whining about but.........that awful one note Larissa is going to win and I can't handle it!!!!! Nooooooooooooooooooo

I need to be consoled!!!!!!

It's putting  me off the rest of the series since she's gonna dessert her way to victory. 

😣😣😣

[retrograde]

Spoiler

I didn't want to believe it but the various betting agencies ALL have her as the favourite. Ugh. 

She seems nice enough but that most recent challenge was the epitome of her issue - she flat out refused to do what the expert asked her to do in favor of something totally safe and boring, then basically Steven Bradbury-ed past all the people who took a risk. 

[katisha]

1 hour ago, Mellowyellow said:

@katisha

  Reveal spoiler

I've held off typing this so as not to make it obvious who I'm whining about but.........that awful one note Larissa is going to win and I can't handle it!!!!! Nooooooooooooooooooo

I need to be consoled!!!!!!

It's putting  me off the rest of the series since she's gonna dessert her way to victory. 

😣😣😣

I'm so hearing you, @Mellowyellow!

Spoiler

I keep on hoping they're wrong for once and Tessa is actually going to win, but I feel it's futile!

[seltzer3]

On 6/19/2019 at 1:26 PM, babs1226 said:

I think it's good to remember that Ben's entry into the top 10 was mainly luck of the draw.  I really don't think he will get much farther.  At least we haven't seen any blatant manipulation (so far) like they used last year to get that Ben into the final.  IMO they really ended up with egg on their faces at the end.

Would be kind of hilarious/sad if we had 3 times in a row that a mediocre Ben made it to the final 2.

[akr]

3 hours ago, misgabi13 said:

It is the equivalent of your ketchup.  

It is apparently thinner, more vinegary, and not as sweet.

[Mellowyellow]

28 minutes ago, seltzer3 said:

Would be kind of hilarious/sad if we had 3 times in a row that a mediocre Ben made it to the final 2.

 Was there a Ben last year? I remember the ice cream one. I have no recollection of who went against Sashi. Just that I was happy Sashi won but I've no idea who the other person was😅

[katisha]

Well, thanks to my habit of reading Sportsbet markets I knew from the start which team was way more likely to end up on the chopping block but even if I hadn't known I would still have predicted Yellow, especially after that awful-looking Wagyu beef dish went out. Green team also didn't have a single "passenger" and Christina is an excellent leader, managing to motivate the team without being overly bossy and obnoxious. 

Based purely on how emotional she got after seeing her family tonight, and the fact that the footage for tomorrow shows her having another meltdown, I am predicting Anushka goes, and that it'll be Ben if it's not her.

[babs1226]

15 hours ago, seltzer3 said:

Would be kind of hilarious/sad if we had 3 times in a row that a mediocre Ben made it to the final 2.

Yes, it would be both, but I really, really don't see this year's Ben making it to the final.  I suppose it could happen, but it doesn't seem likely.

[TVbitch]

I like Tessa, but I'm a bit put off the way they feature and praise her. And that guest chef was all about her, while he was quite snarky with others. He pretty much told Larissa to shut up and that he didn't appreciate her kind of cooking. Glad he had to eat his words after that. ...wait, did I just make a pun? 

I really wish they would have used captions or taken a moment to introduce family/friends, cuz, I WANNA SEE! We got a few clips of people hugging, then (of course) we got to see Tessa surrounded by all her peeps, and Derek mentioned who was there for him and we got quick shots of them. I would have liked them to take a minute to do that for everyone. Maybe they could have, I don't know, cut the scene of George and Matt fucking spoon feeding each other. 

I do not see the appeal of wagu beef. I like some fat on my steak for sure, but I don't want the steak to be so fatty throughout that it feels like butter in my mouth. 

Edited June 26, 2019 by TVbitch

[misgabi13]

Did anyone else see the amount of wasted food jammed under Anoushkas bench when she was having a sob?  I saw at least bread and what looked like lettuce.

Was willing the judges not to tell Ben any early he had stuffed the brief (they only left him 14 minutes before they pointed this out).

After his inspirational talk on the way out about moving into food and getting internships etc the pop up says he is opening a taco stall at the markets - seriously Ben stick with being a pharmacist after all the study you have put into it!

One of the blondes had flesh coloured pants on and, whilst she was on the gantry, it legit looked like she was wearing none - it was very off-putting!

I'm so glad Simon had a stellar dish - and that Tati did well (including those poor forlorn green bananas).

The Larissa love continues!  Simon and Tati both used more of the wasted ingredients - Larissa just cooked a good dessert (there were no passionfruits, chocolate, hazelnuts, Tia Maria, eggs, cream etc in the 'wasted ingredients').

[katisha]

50 minutes ago, misgabi13 said:

Was willing the judges not to tell Ben any early he had stuffed the brief (they only left him 14 minutes before they pointed this out).

After his inspirational talk on the way out about moving into food and getting internships etc the pop up says he is opening a taco stall at the markets - seriously Ben stick with being a pharmacist after all the study you have put into it!

I saw that too, @misgabi13! A taco stall? Pfft!

Gary, briefing the elimination contestants before the challenge: "Make sure you don't go into the pantry and get a lobster or something, won't you?  That's not what this challenge is about."

Ben's brain: "Cool - so that means Beluga caviar, truffles, gold leaf and duck breast are all fair game!"

Oh, Ben.  I thought pharmacists were supposed to be intelligent.

During the challenge, when they were showing all three lookalike blondes standing together on the gantry, I had fun imagining @Myriad's head exploding. 😂  Do they hunt in packs or something?

I must admit, even though Larissa didn't do much out of her comfort zone, unless they paid Massimo to say complimentary things about her dessert, I'm guessing what she did make was pretty delicious.  It certainly sounded it.

[babs1226]

1 hour ago, misgabi13 said:

The Larissa love continues!  Simon and Tati both used more of the wasted ingredients - Larissa just cooked a good dessert (there were no passionfruits, chocolate, hazelnuts, Tia Maria, eggs, cream etc in the 'wasted ingredients')

She did use the bread and the milk, and it was open pantry.  She met the brief and put up a delicious dish.  I'm happy that she, Simon and Tati had fun with the cook and made it through.  I'm glad Ben is finally gone.  No Ben in the final this year!  

[retrograde]

Ben: I just can't wait to go an do an internship!

Cut to: Ben, a 24-year-old with zero culinary experience, is now planning a taco stand.

I'm Larissa's biggest critic, but I thought tiramisu was actually a pretty clever use of the stale bread, and the dish looked tasty. Still, Simon one was the one who really nailed the challenge. I'm warming to him. 

[TVbitch]

I will miss Ben's stank faces whenever the judges are getting on him. They outdid themselves today with their gasps of horror when they opened the fridge to see the duck carcass. It was great theater!

Does the Masterchef Kitchen practice food waste prevention? Cuz I can't even fathom how much food waste this show generates. My beloved Simon used stems today, but earlier this week when he made his fabulous cauliflower, he cut a "steak" out of the center of each one and chucked the rest.

Tati needs a conjugal visit so she will stop groping the judges.   

[katisha]

The Larissa show rolls on, showing no signs of stopping, but at least tonight she tried a savoury dish and was praised for it. Hopefully that will encourage her not to always go the frozen dessert route. With her Lebanese background Larissa should be good at savoury too. I especially love the vegetarian food from that region, like the baba ganoush she made tonight. Tessa seems to have hit a flat spot in the competition and she really needs to get better at desserts. And Simon, who really seems such a sweetheart, is the most thoughtful and creative one there.

I think we can all rule out Tim going home tomorrow night so I think Anushka might go. It seems seeing her family really upset her equilibrium and she doesn't seem focused now. But Anushka is a better baker than Tati so that may keep her around a tad longer.

[babs1226]

4 hours ago, katisha said:

But Anushka is a better baker than Tati so that may keep her around a tad longer.

It may just come down to which one is better at following a recipe.  I wouldn't rule Tim out, though,  He hasn't been all that impressive since he came back unless he's cooking meat,

[ppl]

George isn't dead guys. A "George memorial" was really unnecessary.

Derek's plating in the Mystery Box was top notch! He and Tessa are the only two that have really put up some spectacular looking dishes and have that plating touch.

I liked Simon's plating in the Mystery Box. Shocking, I know. But he returned to usual form with that ugly plate in the Invention Test and he used the smoking gun again.

Really boring Invention Test. It felt like a get out of jail free card for the contestants. Make what you want but slap a sappy story on it. Bleh. Ever since the new executive producer took over in season 8, the challenges have gotten stale. Not a fan of the latest exec. producer.

I was really side-eying after Nicole and Tessa were declared the middle 2 in the Invention Test. Really, any of the 5 could have been bottom 3 though but it looked a little like they wanted to spare Tessa/Nicole the pressure test.

[misgabi13]

I'm really sad Tati went home!

I do not like these over complicated dessert challenges (especially for fabulous cooks that don't do technical desserts!).

Was kind of hoping Anoushka went home - but she lives to fight another day.

Know most of you don't like him but I am pleased that Tim is still there - didn't think he would cope with the 9 page recipe but he did.

Just to let you all know, my Tim love is that he teaches the tiny humans to grow stuff, then cook stuff, then love food and I think that is just amazing!

[katisha]

I was sorry to see Tati go too, @misgabi13.  I will miss her upbeat attitude and her cute accent.  She really drew the short straw on this challenge because not only was it her first pressure test (and by the way, how on earth did that happen), but it just had to be a complicated, fussy dessert and she's barely cooked any dessert of any type the whole competition.  Had a feeling Anushka's baking skills would get her there.  @TVbitch, at least now Tati won't be needing that conjugal visit! 😂

2 hours ago, misgabi13 said:

Just to let you all know, my Tim love is that he teaches the tiny humans to grow stuff, then cook stuff, then love food and I think that is just amazing!

I actually really like that Tim does this too.  I think most of what I have disliked about him has very little to do with Tim himself and far more to do with the "Prince Harry"/protected species/Blokey McBloke narrative.  And I'm sure he wouldn't necessarily have wanted to be portrayed that way.

[TVbitch]

I'm always delighted when I see it will be a George-free episode. Matt and Gary have an enjoyable repartee, and George is loud, sweaty, and has a sinister energy. He and his tiny tweezers are really unnecessary. 

I wanted them to taste all the Mystery Box plates! They had plenty of time to do so. PLUS I don't always trust they are picking the best ones and need to see for myself.

I figured Anush wasn't going home, seeing as she was cackling with laughter in her first talking head. I liked Tati, but none of the bottom three are really in contention. 

Why do I have the feeling the Masterchef House is actually right next to the Masterchef Kitchen, and they could walk there faster than it takes them to each get in a separate car and drive there. 

[babs1226]

I will miss Tati, and it was nice to hear Gary say that they will.  I giggled at Gary trying to be George.  I loved the way Tati said pressure.

[babs1226]

This recap of the pressure test is hysterical!

https://medium.com/@benpobjie/masterchef-recap-madame-tatis-last-oli-679c954e267b

[katisha]

20 minutes ago, babs1226 said:

This recap of the pressure test is hysterical!

https://medium.com/@benpobjie/masterchef-recap-madame-tatis-last-oli-679c954e267b

Thanks for sharing, @babs1226.  Loved this bit:

Quote

Tim is stressed over the need to make his shortbread thin enough. He is body-shaming his shortbread and should be ashamed of his toxic masculinity.

[babs1226]

41 minutes ago, katisha said:

Thanks for sharing, @babs1226.  Loved this bit:

Apparently this guy does a recap every week.  I'm going to look for older ones.  Too funny!

Edited July 2, 2019 by babs1226
Because I think I mean every challenge.

[katisha]

Everything is really falling into place for Larissa now, isn't it?  Strategically it was an excellent idea to pick really weird ingredients and as she expected, that really threw the guest chef off his stride. But I still think if cooking is what he does for a living, he should still have been able to make something better than she did as an amateur cook, so kudos to her.

Does anyone get a vibe that Larissa doesn't like Tessa, possibly?  From the gantry Tessa asked Larissa a couple of questions about what she was doing and I felt Larissa was quite short with her.  For example, "Are you using curry leaves?"  Larissa, dismissively, "Yeah.  Don't ask."  She did it after Tessa asked another question but I can't quite remember what that question was.  Eh, maybe Larissa is one of those people who don't like being interrupted when they are concentrating, or maybe she actually sees Tessa as a main rival and that's what's behind it?  Or maybe I just have too much time on my hands, most likely! 🤩

The challenge looks weird tomorrow night.  Are they doing some kind of progressive dinner involving train passengers?

[TVbitch]

Oh. Yay. George is back. 

Larissa: "My chicken is burnt to the point of being a carcinogen ...exactly how I wanted it!" ...but she pulled it off. 

Wait. What is happening?! Am I somehow now rooting for Christina? Cuz I found myself bummed when her chook was overcooked.

Yeah, right, the judges didn't know that Larissa made the dessert with the pc and ice cream. Interesting that someone tried a strategy other than just trying to out-cook. 

@katisha I'm got that vibe for a second when they announced Larissa the winner and cut to Tessa looking a bit sour. They are both very young, so maybe there is some jealousy, or a feeling that they are competing for "that" spot in the competition.  

[Rosenrot]

Not sure if MCAU is the right show to preach about food waste. (If they do something reasonable with their food waste, then I stand corrected.) 

I legit can't believe Anushka missed a whole page on her "apple pie" recipe and yet somehow pulled it off. Tim was of course outstanding. 🙄

8 hours ago, katisha said:

Everything is really falling into place for Larissa now, isn't it?

Another thing I can't believe. I've got nothing against her, just that… in the beginning she really gave me the vibe that she would be booted off sooner rather than later. Shows what I know, I guess! 

Couldn't the final top 2 be Derek and Simon? Pretty please? With sugar on top? Oh well. A girl can always dream.

[Myriad]

On 6/30/2019 at 3:44 PM, ppl said:

I was really side-eying after Nicole and Tessa were declared the middle 2 in the Invention Test. Really, any of the 5 could have been bottom 3 though but it looked a little like they wanted to spare Tessa/Nicole the pressure test.

Wasn't it as obvious as a kangaroo running towards you?  (In my arms, kangaroo!) It seems obvious by now that they're gunning for a Tessa win. It still stand by my Sam, he can make it.

I was so deflated to see Tati go home.  She has this particuliar positive energy that I will miss.  Always up to the challange, never relenting, and interesting head talks without the irritating hand gestures so many others display.

Meawhile, the lady of failed panna cotta and ever lasting so-so desserts still has both feet in the kitchen, short of everything that Tati was in terms of personality.  Someone, please hand me the black ingredients mystery box, it's time for me to cook something dark, very dark.  Like a failed expresso panna cotta topped with pouting blackberries.

[katisha]

8 hours ago, Myriad said:

Meawhile, the lady of failed panna cotta and ever lasting so-so desserts still has both feet in the kitchen, short of everything that Tati was in terms of personality.  Someone, please hand me the black ingredients mystery box, it's time for me to cook something dark, very dark.  Like a failed expresso panna cotta topped with pouting blackberries.

Heheh, @Myriad. I love your turn of phrase with the pouting blackberries!😃

Speaking of Larissa, she's quite the little bossy boots, isn't she? I know that's probably her job since she's (from memory) a restaurant manager, but Anushka got a bit frustrated with her at one stage when Larissa gave her one too many orders and then changed her mind and Anushka muttered under her breath, "Make up your mind!" 

I haven't watched every season of Masterchef so it might have happened at some stage, but in the seasons I've seen I don't ever remember a challenge where they all had to cook vegetarian dishes using a specified ingredient.  There was a vegetarian challenge last season with Yotam Ottolenghi, I think, but they were allowed to cook anything as long as it didn't contain meat.  This one really sorted the sheep from the goats in my view because if, like Tim and Tessa, you only really ever make a hunk of meat or fish the star of your plate and veggies are only there to be pureed or chipped up or possibly included in a jus or stock, you get very lazy and have no clue what to do when protein isn't available.  They didn't cover themselves in glory in that challenge and that slow cooked egg was a dumb idea.  I have a friend who is an excellent cook and basically cannot use anything with lactose or gluten in it, and still she manages to make delicious food because she's had to work out ways to make things tasty without resorting to the obvious.

A couple of good moments of humour, including Derek and Simon discussing the wind and their hair.  Derek said he'd worked on his hair for 10 minutes that morning (that roadkill look takes time to perfect!) and Simon said, "I just woke up like this," to which Derek replied, "But you look cute in a hat."  Hee!  And then when Tim was talking about his wedding ring falling off and ending up on the railroad tracks, he said, "If it had been eight or nine minutes later, my ring would have been flattened."  Er, are we still talking about jewellery, Tim? 😂

Lastly, Sportsbet are confusing me now.

Spoiler

The top three in the market have not changed for a while now but the bottom end of the market has been pretty inaccurate this season.  The longest priced contestants are Christina, Nicole and Anushka and not a single one is in tomorrow's pressure test.  And if that means the next longest priced one will be going, that must be Derek or Simon.  Urgh.... nooooooo! 😞 

Edited July 3, 2019 by katisha

[ppl]

Larissa barking orders at Anushka like how a normal indecisive young adult would. LOL No wonder Anushka wanted to slap her silly.

Tessa's idea of the sous vide egg was terrible in theory and execution. Slow cooking the egg, transporting the fragile egg onto a moving train and then plating it in the middle shows how little they thought about using eggplant in the dish.

Simon dragged Derek down with his fig leaf cream. Why not use actual figs to make a cream instead of fig leaf? I remember someone else using fig leaf last week or the week before as a replacement for figs and it also turned out to be a disaster.

Nicole and Christina winning was a huge surprise. I thought they had too many elements and that they would either forget to bring one element on train or plate very inconsistently.

Spoiler

If we didn't go by betting odds, then Tim would have been the massive favourite to go home tomorrow. I believe Derek will go home instead.

[babs1226]

5 hours ago, ppl said:

Simon dragged Derek down with his fig leaf cream. Why not use actual figs to make a cream instead of fig leaf? I remember someone else using fig leaf last week or the week before as a replacement for figs and it also turned out to be a disaster.

Simon tries to use as much as he can of an item.  He obviously forgot that Larissa tried the same thing in an ice cream weeks ago,and there isn't enough flavor in the leaves.  Derek apparently forgot also,because he raised no objection.  TBH I thought the judging on this was wonky.  Gary and Matt both had criticisms of Larissa's dish.  Matt said it was too lemony for him, and Gary said there wasn't enough of the crunchy stuff.  They didn't have technical issues with Simon & Derek's dish.  I personally don't think Simon & Derek should have lost.    

[akr]

6 hours ago, babs1226 said:

Simon tries to use as much as he can of an item.  He obviously forgot that Larissa tried the same thing in an ice cream weeks ago,and there isn't enough flavor in the leaves.  Derek apparently forgot also,because he raised no objection.  TBH I thought the judging on this was wonky.  Gary and Matt both had criticisms of Larissa's dish.  Matt said it was too lemony for him, and Gary said there wasn't enough of the crunchy stuff.  They didn't have technical issues with Simon & Derek's dish.  I personally don't think Simon & Derek should have lost.    

The criticisms of Larissa & Anushka's dish seemed more like things that could be an issue if everybody else excelled, rather than major problems. Since they were first up, with nothing yet to compare them to, the potential limitations got mentioned to counter the initial high praise.  I personally thought it looked the best of the three successful dishes, but I guess those not particularly appetizing looking zucchini purees were good. They also erred a bit in calling it mushrooms on toast since, as they said, it was actually toast[ed breadcrumbs etc] on mushrooms.

It seemed the issue with Derek & Simon's  dish was that they did very little with the figs themselves. There were slices in the cake, and there was a fresh fig on the plate, and that was about it. 

I would guess it was fairly close between the top three, though; really only Tim & Tessa had a miss.

Not looking forward to the elimination - this stage of the competition is frustrating, as contenders get tossed while people who probably should have gone home a while ago still hang around. It's past the stage where I can root for an underdog to exceed expectations; at this point, I only want the contenders to stick around, and instead we've got an elimination  filled with people who could plausibly win.

[katisha]

Oh, Derek. You and your guns 💪will be missed. But I think it was only a matter of time before one of your batshit crazy ideas brought you undone. 

However, even though I like Tim, there was a good argument for him going instead of Derek because he got exactly the ingredient he wanted ie pork belly and he screwed it up, and he only put it with potatoes when he had other things like capsicum to play with. If you are going to stay in the same lane, you should really be obliged to get everything near perfect. One thing you can say about Derek is that he always had the cojones to try new and different (if slightly insane) things. Oh well, looks like we are stuck with Tim for the duration. But I am very glad Simon didn't go.

[misgabi13]

1 hour ago, katisha said:

Oh, Derek. You and your guns 💪will be missed. But I think it was only a matter of time before one of your batshit crazy ideas brought you undone. 

However, even though I like Tim, there was a good argument for him going instead of Derek because he got exactly the ingredient he wanted ie pork belly and he screwed it up, and he only put it with potatoes when he had other things like capsicum to play with. If you are going to stay in the same lane, you should really be obliged to get everything near perfect. One thing you can say about Derek is that he always had the cojones to try new and different (if slightly insane) things. Oh well, looks like we are stuck with Tim for the duration. But I am very glad Simon didn't go.

I actually yelled out 'Yes' when Simon was safe!

I feel so bad for Derek - as much as I like Tim I do think he was the weaker cook.

I am also cranky that the show even gave me a second of thinking Tessa was going home as I was not a fan of hers tonight.

Also, still gobsmacked that Anoushka is still there!  I think Derek was a much better cook than her.

I also think the 'other two blondes' should have been in elimination over Derek and Simon given they had more spoken complaints from the judges - which is all we have to go on as we can't taste the food!

I will never understand why they used fig leaves and not actual figs to bump up the fig flavour in that cream!  Nigella has a recipe for the most spectacular fig ice cream (that she made with Nigel Slater) that I make that is to die for.  Of course, it uses Marsala and they may not have had that but it is very figgy and they could have adapted!  https://witches-kitchen.livejournal.com/31887.html

[ppl]

Well, this season just got a whole lot less interesting.

Tessa did an outstanding job with her Jon Dory. Oh look, Tim makes another pork belly. Oh look, Simon thinks he's being creative.

Derek lost in the auction round. Why would he bid on eggs if he didn't want it? I feel like I'm always questioning why he's doing this or that. He's really not sensible with his cooking and he even admitted it today. At least his highlights reel package included a lot of dishes.

I think Simon was being tactical with his bidding. It was smart on his part. His plating is still nowhere near Tessa, Derek or even Larissa's level.

I'm rooting for a Tessa-Larissa final 2. I hope Simon, Tim and Anushka all go next.

3 hours ago, misgabi13 said:

I also think the 'other two blondes' should have been in elimination over Derek and Simon given they had more spoken complaints from the judges - which is all we have to go on as we can't taste the food!

The "other two blondes" had the best tasting dish. They won the challenge and weren't ever in danger of being in elimination.

[Myriad]

16 hours ago, katisha said:

But I am very glad Simon didn't go.

You and I both!  Tessa is probably his toughest competition, what with the judges' preference she's been given.  I don't read spoilers, but I think now that the finale will be Tessa and Simon. I so know who I'm going to be rooting for.  It has a penis.

What is Anushka still doing there? Better cooks than her have gone.  Like Tati. It's the danger of team challenges, mediocre ones will stay alive just by slipping through the cracks.  (I'm looking at you, Georgia.  And John of the memorable white chocolate velouté, though he didn't make it to the finale.)

11 hours ago, ppl said:

 Simon thinks he's being creative.

He is!  *pouts* 

Edited July 5, 2019 by Myriad

[Rosenrot]

Well, so much for my daydream of Derek & Simon finale. 😭

lkdjlkasjkdsls WHY IS TIM STILL THERE?????

*deep breaths*

[Myriad]

7 minutes ago, Rosenrot said:

lkdjlkasjkdsls WHY IS TIM STILL THERE?????

*deep breaths*

I hear you, sistah!  Except I would change Tim to Anushka.  Both of them are due to go. Tim is a one-tri,k poney, while Anushka simply has no business being there. She went through the cracks and I can only hope she's next. Although wouldn't exactly cry if Tim were the next one out of the door.

[Rosenrot]

41 minutes ago, Myriad said:

I hear you, sistah!  Except I would change Tim to Anushka.  Both of them are due to go. Tim is a one-tri,k poney, while Anushka simply has no business being there. She went through the cracks and I can only hope she's next. Although wouldn't exactly cry if Tim were the next one out of the door.

True, very true. I'm just extra angry at Tim because he got the protein he wanted AND had the most time AND cooked something familiar to him, and still managed to f it up. Derek was of course batshit crazy as usual, but at least he tried something new and took risks, even if they always didn't pay off. And I like crazy. ❤️ 

Edited July 5, 2019 by Rosenrot

[TVbitch]

... ... really? Tim's pork belly was undercooked and not crispy, but Derek goes?

So Tessa's loss in the last challenge, and them faking us out that she could possibly be eliminated, was just a quick little redemption arc thing, so we can root for her extra hard now. --Not happening as long as Simon is alive. 

Anushka and Tim have nine lives. At least Nush has a personality. Tim is about as exciting as a doorstop. 

[Myriad]

25 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

So Tessa's loss in the last challenge, and them faking us out that she could possibly be eliminated, was just a quick little redemption arc thing, so we can root for her extra hard now. --Not happening as long as Simon is alive.

I saw that as well. She's the favourite of all favourites, and although I have nothing against her personally, it's grating. Rewatching past seasons, it's clear that the judges had their chouchou every season.  Georgia, Sara, and this year, Tessa.  So man-man.

I'm gunning for Simon. The twilight in his eyes is so endearing.

1 hour ago, Rosenrot said:

Derek was of course batshit crazy as usual, but at least he tried something new. And I like crazy. ❤️ 

I'd like to meet Derek, he's an interesting person.  Not that I would buy him a coffee, mind you.

Edited July 5, 2019 by Myriad

[Mellowyellow]

I couldn't bear to watch Derek's elimination ep. I thought we had more time with him😭😢😭😢😭😢

[katisha]

Every season there seems to be contestants who make it far further than you might have imagined they would go.  This season (apart from Tim - sorry again to his fans) it's Anoushka.  And yet at times she still surprises by trying to do dishes which are very much out of her wheelhouse, so kudos to her for winning the Mystery Box. 

I do see that Tessa seems favoured above others but I like her so I'm mostly all right with that. 🙂  And since the judges initially seemed very sceptical that her dish would work, and then pleasantly surprised that it did, I would count that as a deserved win.

Does anyone have any idea what will be taking the place of the pressure test in tomorrow's episode?

[katisha]

* tumbleweed *

Where is everyone? Has this season really been so dull everyone's tuned out? 

Anyway, just got through watching tonight's episode.  Actually felt sorry for that poor chef from Wildflower restaurant having to put up with that lot cooking in his kitchen.  I got the feeling that Christina won the challenge (such as it was) purely on the fact that she didn't stuff anything up and wasn't just making a bit of French toast and syrup like Tim.  As for Larissa, her arrogance is worse than Abbey's ever was.  That professional chef flat out told her that Bombe Alaska was a bad idea and it wouldn't feature her required ingredient enough.  Then she decides she knows better, makes it anyway and falls flat on her very deserving face.  Next time, love, you should listen when EXPERTS give you advice because you may think you are one already, but you're soooo not.

Edited July 8, 2019 by katisha

[Rosenrot]

The 'other two blondes' excelled again.

Is it just me or this just a really weird top bunch. ??

When they decided Christina would do the main, I was immediately like "I don't think that's a good idea" - I just don't remember her really wow'ing me at any point… and then she went and won! (But still didn't wow me.)

I think we need this quote now more than ever:

On ‎7‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 7:22 PM, ppl said:

Oh look, Simon thinks he's being creative.

(I still love him, though.)

[misgabi13]

1 hour ago, katisha said:

* tumbleweed *

Where is everyone? Has this season really been so dull everyone's tuned out? 

I'm still here but not commenting as every time I say something it seems to annoy people and they post things that make me sad!  

I have my opinions on all of the people and they are allowed to have theirs but I'm not interested in being made to feel bad just because I post my take on a show.

Still watching though!

[ppl]

2 hours ago, katisha said:

* tumbleweed *

Where is everyone? Has this season really been so dull everyone's tuned out? 

Anyway, just got through watching tonight's episode.  Actually felt sorry for that poor chef from Wildflower restaurant having to put up with that lot cooking in his kitchen.  I got the feeling that Christina won the challenge (such as it was) purely on the fact that she didn't stuff anything up and wasn't just making a bit of French toast and syrup like Tim.

I think the show is missing Derek big time. Say what you want about his cooking but he was a big character. His 'go big or go home' mentality led to massive thrills when he successfully completed the dish that he wanted or huge failures when it crashed and burned.

I liked Christina's dish and plating out of the 5. I think both Christina and Nicole deserved to win today's special challenge.

I still don't see anything special with Simon. He has messed up fish, prawns and now marron. I was shaking my head when he asked the guest chef half or whole marron.

Christina and Nicole's cooking haven't really stood out. Their dishes have been pretty forgettable.

Tim should have never been let back in the competition at all. I knew they were going for the redemption arc.

Anushka's cooking is bland.

Larissa's got a big head but her dishes have been more memorable than the previous ones mentioned.

Tessa is the only one there that has been consistent and has plating skills like a chef.

If the producers decided to ban ice creams, pork belly, crispy skin and purees collectively next season, what do you think the contestants would make?

[ReallyRealReality]

6 hours ago, ppl said:

If the producers decided to ban ice creams, pork belly, crispy skin and purees collectively next season, what do you think the contestants would make?

Panna cottas, of course!  lol

I haven't been commenting much just because I don't get to watch it until several hours later (I'm still waiting to watch today's).  I have been wanting to pipe up lately just to say...

The hardest thing for me to convert to is hearing them referring to the "produce".   Here in the states, "produce" is limited to the fruit and vegetable section in the grocery store.  We never refer other items as produce, even though the definition is "things that have been produced or grown, especially by farming"... they are simply "meat" or "dairy".

Also, has anyone else missed the masterclass episodes?  Seems we've only had 2 this series.  I always like getting a look at how the contestants learn new skills.

Edited July 8, 2019 by ReallyRealReality
Didn't need to quote the full post

[babs1226]

11 hours ago, katisha said:

As for Larissa, her arrogance is worse than Abbey's ever was.  That professional chef flat out told her that Bombe Alaska was a bad idea and it wouldn't feature her required ingredient enough.  Then she decides she knows better, makes it anyway and falls flat on her very deserving face. 

I was glad she fell flat on her face.  It drives me nuts when they don't listen to professional chefs.  I'm glad Gary called it.  She decided on her dish before knowing what her ingredient was,and just tried to cram the plums into it, a la Ben style.   I think she just isn't that great at thinking on her feet, so she couldn't change direction.  It would be really great to see her make one dessert that doesn't contain frozen things or things that have to set.

This cook was a letdown altogether.  There wasn't one dish that the judges raved over.  I bet Simon's dish would have been a lot better if he stuck to his original plan.  Too bad the time pressure got to him. 

I really hope Tessa is the winner tomorrow, or tonight, whichever the case may be.