It’s the immunity challenge for the Best of the Best Week, and Simon, Nicole and Tessa are hoping to face the guest chef.
I feel like we’ve seen this Matt Preston look before…
Matt introduces today’s special ingredient.
“Nothing – nothing – says extravagance quite like what’s under this cloche,” Matt says, before revealing the dish.
Matt lets the three contestants taste the caviar and how to eat it.
“A kilo of this caviar, $9,000 per kilo,” he tells them.
George reminds them of the stakes. He tells them they have 60 minutes, with an open pantry and the garden in play. George reminds them not to just feature the caviar – hero it.
Both time and montage starts, and the contestants head to the pantry.
ANUSHKA WATCH: Anushka, the 49 year old optical distributor who seems to have an endless supply of frames, is wearing black glasses today. Unusually for her, Anushka has put her hair down. She’s wearing a nice green blouse.
The montage isn’t the most interesting. No-one has any dramas, and it’s all well and good.
Time ends, and Tessa starts to cry because it’s good? I don’t know.
First to taste is Nicole.
They boys love it. Billie doesn’t look as impressed, but she never does, so this could go either way with her.
Matt says he’s almost at the point of pure pleasure, as he’s close to crying. He bangs his cutlery on the table.
They love that the buns are still a bit warm while everything else is cold.
Next is Tessa.
Tessa says she just really wants to do well which is why she was emotional.
Gaz bangs spoons on the table as well, but four, so as to one up Matt.
George says she’s treated the caviar with respect.
“Unbelievable,” Billie says.
Matt says it’s sophisticated enough to be in a french restaurant.
Finally, Simon.
Gaz initially called him stingy at the caviar, before they bit it in half and found more.
To one up both Gaz and Matt, George pulls out a really big spoon and bangs it on the table. This is funny, but also like why?
Overall, the judges call the best dishes yet, and possibly in the top 20 of the series, not just season.
They go through and say what they loved about each. The trio of judges all choose someone else, leaving Billie to make the choice.
She’s feelin’ a lot less awkward today, which is fab.
Billie chooses Tessa to compete for the pin, and helps her put on her jacket.
Matt introduces the chef of the day.
It’s Phil Wood.
It’s the usual immunity rules – 60 mins for the guest, 75 for the contestant. Blind tasting, the guest doesn’t know what the key ingredient is until it’s time to cook. Open pantry, garden in play.
The judges reveal the options for Tessa to choose.
She decides on beef and onion.
Billie starts the time and the montage.
It’s generally a chill montage. Phil is very nice.
With a few minutes left, Tessa’s reduction split. She manages to save it just in time. As the last few seconds count down, Phil comes over to look at Tessa’s dish.
Time ends, and it’s time to taste.
First is Tessa.
They love it overall. Gaz says he doubts it’s Tessa’s.
Finally, Phil.
Gaz says he knows exactly which dish is which.
None of the judges have anything bad to say about it, and absolutely love it. Phil stacked the elements so they get a bit of each coming through all the time.
“It’s just delicious cooking,” George says.
Gaz says both those dishes could come out of Phil’s kitchen.
It’s time for the decision.
Tessa’s scores: Gaz 9. George 9. Matt 9. Total 27.
Phil’s scores: Gaz 10. George 10. Matt 10. Total 30.
That means Tessa doesn’t get the pin tonight.
“When I saw it, I thought it was restaurant quality,” Phil says. “And if you need a job once this is over…”
Aw that’s nice.
As usual, this recap was written as I watched the episode, so there will be spelling and grammar mistakes.
I posted a MasterChef rant about Sandeep, and you can read it here.
If you have a Hot Tip, tweet me, leave a comment, or head over to my contact page, and let me know what’s good.
To catch up on this episode, or other MasterChef eps you’ve missed, head over to southhemitv.com. If you want to watch The Super Switch, southhemitv.com also has you covered, and I’ve got the recaps here.
Enjoy my recaps? Consider buying me a coffee.
Felicity Feiner 
Leave a Reply