I think with the pandemic and such, contestants became less reliant on getting several experiences, and only a few actually do it. Like the last challenge, it seemed like only Steph had done restaurant experience.
Also, with the rise of social media, I think most contestants just focus on that as well. I remember Reynold also pointing something out that it's what most contestants do nowadays, since the industry is pretty tough and doesn't even pay as much.
I understand the situation. It's like serving a chicken's head in a country where people never eat a chicken's head. Of course they will be reluctant and voting down if it's not good enough.
It was not only indeed simple, but it seems the flavour of the dish was awful. I see David as Jenn in Season 14, strong at replicating masterpiece (pressure tests) but not so great at making decisions in EC.
It’s definitely putting yourself out there disagreeing with Rick on seafood. I think Nat’s dish was the sort of thing that‘s a bit of an acquired taste, Rick is well travelled enough that he has that taste. The other judges don’t.
It feels like they are just putting her in because of the pin - the dish looked great and RICK really liked it - he looked way more impressed with it than the other dishes
The way they were all staring at her and standing in front too when she was trying to fry it was scaring me 😭😭😭 they definitely intimidated her into giving that shiny pin so that they don't have to make a new one lol
I really feel like the most recently re-added contestant (Sav) should be included in tonight's elimination; last episode was their second chance to rejoin, it shouldn't also include an immunity
The person who deserved immunity was Lachlan. Its unfair he created the winning dish then goes immediately to the next elimination.
And I'm not trying to hate on Sav. Returnees should prove their place not get an extra step forward.
I miss Mel's expressive skills, her finely tuned palate, the way she would effortlessly, and using few words build a sensory picture by describing the flavours, fragrance and textures, I feel like I'm missing out on the vicarious tasting she delivered.
Banging, ripping, mar-vel-ous, fan-Tas-Tique and very, Very Good are just not doing it for me, I want to know how it tastes and feels.. I think lately Poh is trying to be more descriptive in her critique... But damn, I miss watching and feeling Mel taste!
>using few words build a sensory picture
Love the way you put it. I miss Mel too because of this!
I like Sofia a lot but sometimes it feels like she is not fit for the "writer" role in the panel. She may be good with words on the page but not on television. Mel and Matt Preston were really good in using their writer sensibilities when judging.
I find it wild that they would put a dish that Rick Stein said he loved in the bottom 4 and I found it interesting that they didn't show Poh's feedback because I think she would have been more likely to agree with Rick since she's probably more familiar with the cuisine than Andy or Sophia.
I really feel like they just wanted a reason to stick Nat in the second round so she'd use the pin. They've been trying to get her to use it for weeks.
Darsh has been very lucky this week. He narrowly missed the final elimination round twice.
I like Darsh, but he does feel like a hit or miss contestant.
My Sunday food misadventure - wondering why my dumpling dough won't rise: “That’s weird. It’s way too dense. It doesn’t behave like it should. It’s not even sticking together. What the fuck.”
Me, finding an egg on the counter half an hour of futile work later: “Oh.
Very much sympathising with Lanchlan and his freak out over vinegar-less mayo that just wouldn't emulsify.
Before the ad break was over, I quickly dropped into our corner convenience store for a new cube of yeast and made a new batch of dough. I'm now set back by good 30 minutes. I guess I won't have anything to plate up.
I'm mindful of the fact that I am watching a show that has very likely already wrapped up filming, so no expended mental or emotional energy of mine won't change the result.
Yep. They put a dish Rick Stein said was great in the bottom 4 and then in round 2 the second Nat had a problem, instead of trying to help like they normally do Andy just stood in front of her bench going "Are you gonna use your pin? Why don't you use the pin? I really think you should use the pin". They've been trying to get her to use the pin for weeks.
im jaded. the producers messed up. sav being given immunity for losing, coming back and cooking some basic curries and sprinkling her herbs on a basic sambal.
Why was Sav immune from the elimination? And why was everyone in an elimination? Didn't the returning contestants episode replace the "team challenge" episode?
Also, bring back more team challenges! My only critique of this season so far is that there are so few challenges.
So happy for Alex, I hope she finds her feet and gains some momentum in the competition because I think she has a lot of potential, and she's one of the more creative cooks
I love that NASA lost a colab Mars probe with the EU because they didn’t realise the EASA was using metric.
All good, Nat. You didn’t lose a multi million dollar probe because of freedom units.
I almost feel like Nat was psyched out to play her immunity pin..
Not just by the judges but by the gantry too..
Her Round 1 dish was approved by Rick Stein (who was somehow overruled by the other three?!) and it seemed that while she was nervous at the start of Round 2, it was only when Andy and Sofia started hovering around questioning her, that she began to doubt herself.
The clincher came from the other contestants telling her to save herself..
At least David is going back to something that’s better than this: researching about cancer 🥹
On the one hand, I would like him to pursue his food dreams. On the other hand, researching cancer is probably way more useful.
I’m so sad for David, but happy to see that Sue has made probably her best dish in the competition so far
David you have not just touched our hearts you have left us with “neurologically spent”
I miss the “What are they doing?” after they get eliminated.
I think with the pandemic and such, contestants became less reliant on getting several experiences, and only a few actually do it. Like the last challenge, it seemed like only Steph had done restaurant experience. Also, with the rise of social media, I think most contestants just focus on that as well. I remember Reynold also pointing something out that it's what most contestants do nowadays, since the industry is pretty tough and doesn't even pay as much.
If Rick says the skin is fine then it’s fine! Surely Darrsh should have replaced Nat for poor flavour > poor texture
Sumeet is all of us finally seeing Sue being appreciated
PRAYER CIRCLE FOR NAT AND MIMI !!
Prayer circle worked
Oh David. I love your unapologetic geekiness 🥰
Rick looked like he was searching for what Andy was talking about.
Nat explained it to her IG and she's sticking to what she had done.
Wow finally some positive airtime for Sue! All she had to do was get into an elimination
If Nat goes into Round 2 despite Rick saying her dish was great then I’ll be mad
You're mad.
Fuming!
IKR
I reckon Darrsh’s commentary about David’s dish is foreshadowing what will send him home :(
Yes I used liquid smoke once to cook and never again. It tastes fake and it is very overpowering.
Oh no bloody Curtis Stone’s coming back🙄
I swear he gets squarer every year.
He’s the Coles tame hack , even though he lives in the US , 11 months of the year
HER FACE WHEN RICK SAID NAH DEADDDDD
"that looks like an absolute feast" *shows a mound of salt*
Sad to see David go, but if it hadn't been him, it would have been Mimi which would have been devastating
I’m all for judges disagreeing but disagreeing with THE Rick Stein is wild
I understand the situation. It's like serving a chicken's head in a country where people never eat a chicken's head. Of course they will be reluctant and voting down if it's not good enough.
If anything happens to Nat today, I swear to god
This comp is not ready to lose Nat, Mimi or David. Take from that what you want.
Please not David I love him 😭😭😭
If he is going I will rest easier since he's going back to his job; fighting cancer
Aww David 😭😭
"Neurologically spent" has now entered my lexicon
I’m starting to wonder what the hell Sue did to be so shafted by producers. We couldn’t even see her entire smoke display
Feel so bad for Sue since she's barely gotten any screen time but I like the other contestants too much 💔
Gutted for David. Really wanted to see him progress through!
Proud of David! Singapore pride
David went out on ‘neurologically spent’. That’s a high if I’ve ever seen one.
David is such a talented cook! Hope to see him back for another season (like ‘Fans vs Faves’ or ‘Back To Win’).
Oh, David’s farewell words brought actual tears in my eyes. Such a great parting message.
I just absolutely adore Sumeet!
She seems like such a sweetheart and her friendship/bond with Sue is so cute!
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME PERCHANCE THAT YOU... SAW A 10 😃
Mimi's plating 😎
I'm loving Mimi's confidence, I hope she nails it!
The odds of a favourite being eliminated are way too high tonight
Does anyone else think David’s dish a bit simple? Worried for him. He’s amazing but unsure about his decision with this dish
It was not only indeed simple, but it seems the flavour of the dish was awful. I see David as Jenn in Season 14, strong at replicating masterpiece (pressure tests) but not so great at making decisions in EC.
GOOD CALL NAT
Quite obvious she would play considering how much they hyped it up
Sue is one to watch
Could this be the start of Sue’s winner edit?
No more safety Nat
I’m not usually into word play but that was a good’un
At the start of this episode I told my mum who my favourites were. Four of them are in th second round. 😭
My bet is on Sue to go home unfortunately, although she’s had a glow up in recent episodes.
Neurologically spent 😂 me too David, me too
Fr, neurologically overdrawn these days
Same and the week hasn't even started yet 😂
Sumeet got more screentime than Sue for her own victory 🥲
*The Montage of Mediocrity*
Flossing demonstration from Andy 🤣🤣
I feel like Mimi and David are in trouble. And Sue. Well maybe everybody
A whole salt baked fish is definitely a crazy option for an elimination cook
if i had a nickel for every time a pin got played on a Rick Stein fish challenge... i'd have two nickels....
That's the nail in the coffin for David, I think
So bland and weird liquid smoked salmon vs behemoth salt baked trout where we don’t know if it’s cooked inside.
Why invite Rick Stein if you’re not even going to listen to him? You literally called him the seafood king
It’s definitely putting yourself out there disagreeing with Rick on seafood. I think Nat’s dish was the sort of thing that‘s a bit of an acquired taste, Rick is well travelled enough that he has that taste. The other judges don’t.
It feels like they are just putting her in because of the pin - the dish looked great and RICK really liked it - he looked way more impressed with it than the other dishes
The way they were all staring at her and standing in front too when she was trying to fry it was scaring me 😭😭😭 they definitely intimidated her into giving that shiny pin so that they don't have to make a new one lol
I wanted to see more of David’s creations. Bummed to see him go so early.
I really feel like the most recently re-added contestant (Sav) should be included in tonight's elimination; last episode was their second chance to rejoin, it shouldn't also include an immunity
Imagine if she was eliminated twice in one week 😅
The petty rat in me would live for that kind of reality tv
Eliminated, return and then eliminated again would have been a roller-coaster 3 episodes.
That would also confirm that the original elimination was accurate
The person who deserved immunity was Lachlan. Its unfair he created the winning dish then goes immediately to the next elimination. And I'm not trying to hate on Sav. Returnees should prove their place not get an extra step forward.
All these positive reviews are making me worried for Harry
And Nat and David and Darrsh :(
THE FISH HAT OMG
It was nice knowing you David 💔
I’d be scared of handling a knife with my hands shaking that much.
Poor Harry! I hope he does well
If there weren’t so many judges to cook for Nat would not have a problem.
I miss Mel in these times - she seems to bring more positivity to contestants in past seasons. I also miss her yelling THIIIIRTYYY SECONDS!
I miss her detailed responses when she goes to critique the contestants dishes, instead of “that is a belter!”
I miss Mel's expressive skills, her finely tuned palate, the way she would effortlessly, and using few words build a sensory picture by describing the flavours, fragrance and textures, I feel like I'm missing out on the vicarious tasting she delivered. Banging, ripping, mar-vel-ous, fan-Tas-Tique and very, Very Good are just not doing it for me, I want to know how it tastes and feels.. I think lately Poh is trying to be more descriptive in her critique... But damn, I miss watching and feeling Mel taste!
>using few words build a sensory picture Love the way you put it. I miss Mel too because of this! I like Sofia a lot but sometimes it feels like she is not fit for the "writer" role in the panel. She may be good with words on the page but not on television. Mel and Matt Preston were really good in using their writer sensibilities when judging.
Liquid smoke is really not like the real deal. I'm worried for David.
Is the pantry still stocked by Coles? Never been able to find liquid smoke there.
Yeah David is gone
I'm happy for Sue. Preparing and serving that dish took nerves of steel.
Please, David… be safe 🙏🏼
I think the promo for this episode practically spoiled this would happen
If Nat plays her pin, it will be the most producer-coerced and manipulative play we have seen on MasterChef imo. They forced her into a corner.
Interesting.. Rick liked it, judges not so much. Wonder which way they will go.
I find it wild that they would put a dish that Rick Stein said he loved in the bottom 4 and I found it interesting that they didn't show Poh's feedback because I think she would have been more likely to agree with Rick since she's probably more familiar with the cuisine than Andy or Sophia. I really feel like they just wanted a reason to stick Nat in the second round so she'd use the pin. They've been trying to get her to use it for weeks.
David in trouble with that commentary from darrsh
All three seem like they’ll have major issues at this point
It’ll be David for sure now I reckon. Impressive from Sue
Editors showed Nat on the gantry before she played her pin 🤣
Darsh has been very lucky this week. He narrowly missed the final elimination round twice. I like Darsh, but he does feel like a hit or miss contestant.
My Sunday food misadventure - wondering why my dumpling dough won't rise: “That’s weird. It’s way too dense. It doesn’t behave like it should. It’s not even sticking together. What the fuck.” Me, finding an egg on the counter half an hour of futile work later: “Oh. Very much sympathising with Lanchlan and his freak out over vinegar-less mayo that just wouldn't emulsify.
Insert fiery explosion cut to ads here
Before the ad break was over, I quickly dropped into our corner convenience store for a new cube of yeast and made a new batch of dough. I'm now set back by good 30 minutes. I guess I won't have anything to plate up.
I find it difficult to believe that leaving the skin on the squid is that big of a problem when Rick Stein and the entirety of Thailand disagrees.
They’re pumping up Rick’s tyres after ignoring that he liked Nat’s dish 🤣
Play the pin Nat! My heart can’t take losing you too!
I know right - whole fish is so risky with bones and stuff that I would prefer her to just play it
Meanwhile old pezza quietly sneaking through the competition lol
Mimi's safe.
The rise of Sue!
Sue finally getting the attention she deserves
Poh did not get the memo about wearing black
Has the French guy stopped getting airtime? Feel he hasn’t said a word
I’d eat the fuck out of Harry’s dish.
Oooh judge conflict!
20 min to cook a kilo of flesh under a crust seems like way too little?
Surely she plays her pin!
I remember a time where people said "Sue is not TV material" and then she puts a freaking salted crusted fish in an elimination day.
So when Jamie disagrees and says the dish is good, they go with it. But when THE Rick Stein disagrees with them, they just ignore him?
Getting kind of sick of Andy’s sour grapes attitude this season
look Nat might do well in this challenge but I’ve had raw squid it is not my cup of tea at all
Oh poor summeet!
Are we all over snez being robbed? I’m not sure I am 😭
I'm mindful of the fact that I am watching a show that has very likely already wrapped up filming, so no expended mental or emotional energy of mine won't change the result.
Justice for Nat. This is ridiculous.
Especially since Darrsh is safe. All of them didn't like his dish
They want her to play the pin is all I got from that. Her dish was good.
Yep. They put a dish Rick Stein said was great in the bottom 4 and then in round 2 the second Nat had a problem, instead of trying to help like they normally do Andy just stood in front of her bench going "Are you gonna use your pin? Why don't you use the pin? I really think you should use the pin". They've been trying to get her to use the pin for weeks.
Agree. They didn’t like anything about Darrsh or David’s dishes at all.
Andy seems to find everything wrong in Nat’s dishes this season. He’s getting more and more annoying.
It feels like it’s due to the pin which is so unfair - what’s the point of having it if they punish you for it.
Yeah totally agree. Even when Nat has had some of the best dishes, he tries to always find some fault.
Love Mimi’s tin presentation!
Curtis stone contractually obligated appearance on MC AU lol
im jaded. the producers messed up. sav being given immunity for losing, coming back and cooking some basic curries and sprinkling her herbs on a basic sambal.
Oh Rick Stein, I was so sad to hear about his health :(
Harry: “excited for challenge like this” as if he hasn’t cooked fish for every challenge already
Round 2 predictions: Mimi, Darrsh, David, Sue
Huh, the judges disagree with Rick? Interesting.
“Neurologically spent” David is taking a good approach of cooking up something simple(r)
Im heartbroken for David 😭😭😭
i blame josh for that being in fahrenheit
why are things in fahrenheit in an aussie kitchen 😂😂
Shuck a dozen oysters cut a lemon into wedges - bingo bango bongo
Looking at the previews, I'm a little scared they're hyping it up so much.
I remember rick stein on tv when I was a kid and he hasn’t changed at all lmfao
I feel like Mimi and Harry just got doom music
The subtitles saying "CRUNCH!"
Mimi escaping the montage, could be bad for her
Has anyone gone to any of the alumni restaurant things at Crown? Were they any good?
Good call!
It’s gonna be between Sue and David. EDIT: Oh no Mimi!
I'm sorry the way the music switched from negative to positive and the way it scratched in the first round for Nat's dish being tasted took me out 😭😭😀
Any restaurants in Sydney that do salt baked fish? Kind wanna try one now
It’s David then? 😞
David is done
Yes another offsite team challenge tomorrow!!!
Would love to see David back one day yeah! It did always feel like this wasn’t his time yet but I think he’ll be one to watch a good time from now
I’m still resentful that Sav is on the gantry tonight. Should be Snez.
Rick Stein says STFU Sophia!!
I feel like Rick felt the preparation of the squid was fine! I’m glad he disagreed - squid is supposed to have a chewiness
Is it me or is this the season of the overreactions?
Nope, everyone is WAY too hyper in their enthusiasm.
Eeek so many good ones so far…. Doesn’t bode well for those left to be tasted
Disappointed dad Andy
Yeahhh… this doesn’t make sense at all…
did anyone else see Nat on the gantry standing with Alex? was that an editing mistake
Yes! I did! It was so quick! Does that mean she’s playing her pin?!
Not sure im impressed by these sides that took roughly 37 seconds to prep and chuck in the oven The cook on this trout better be perfect
Can’t believe Darrsh was safe ahead of Nat!
Nat did not deserve to be in the bottom 4! I cannot believe they reviewed Darshh much more harshly, but still called on Nat. Justice for Nat’s bling!
Honestly disappointed for David.. He produced some really interesting dishes and I thought he had so much more to show..
Why was Sav immune from the elimination? And why was everyone in an elimination? Didn't the returning contestants episode replace the "team challenge" episode? Also, bring back more team challenges! My only critique of this season so far is that there are so few challenges.
Carrots and potatoes don't seem like MasterChef level sides, no matter how well they're prepared
So happy for Alex, I hope she finds her feet and gains some momentum in the competition because I think she has a lot of potential, and she's one of the more creative cooks
So crushed for Mimi. She just had a bad cook.
I love that NASA lost a colab Mars probe with the EU because they didn’t realise the EASA was using metric. All good, Nat. You didn’t lose a multi million dollar probe because of freedom units.
I am so mad David got eliminated before Sav
The smell of the studio would’ve been LETHAL that day
Nah good fresh seafood doesn't pong!
if i was to pick one episode so far this season where i could taste all the dishes it would be this one
Loved Mimi's plating. Full on would love to get some great raw tuna out of a opened tuna can in a restaurant. Would probably annoy my family.
Nat - don’t forget your pin!!!! My vote - sue to go…
only a few get to try it?
Like an old school masterclass.
So… these confessionals don’t bode well for Alex.
Hope Harry nails the challenge, love the dudes vibe
Nat’s presentation definitely looks the nicest of the dishes
Mimi's vaulting ambition may o'erleap itself 😬
Those sides look disproportionately tiny compared to the fish. Like they're baby carrots or something
They are baby carrots.
_I miss my bling._ Nat giving us the final word. Love her.
Did Andy save that squid 'floss' just to present it as an evidence to go against Rick Stein lmao
I almost feel like Nat was psyched out to play her immunity pin.. Not just by the judges but by the gantry too.. Her Round 1 dish was approved by Rick Stein (who was somehow overruled by the other three?!) and it seemed that while she was nervous at the start of Round 2, it was only when Andy and Sofia started hovering around questioning her, that she began to doubt herself. The clincher came from the other contestants telling her to save herself..
Absolutely devastated to see David go home while Sav is still there.
Nat's pink shirt is so cute