Week three time! I honestly didn’t think I missed three weeks, but here we are I suppose.
EPISODE 20: Sunday 10th – Elimination
It’s elimination day, and there’s the judges keep talking about takeaway.
All the contestants, except Amina for her stunning job on Thursday, are given a whiteboard. They’ll have to guess the country of origin for some dishes. The first four to guess incorrectly will go into round two.
First wrong is Ben who on dish three guessed rice paper roll from Vietnam when it was a Peking Duck pancake from China.
Dish four gets out three people, Tracy (who guessed Thailand), Tessa (who guessed Vietnam) and Chris (also Vietnam) for Laksa when it’s from Malaysia or Singapore.
That means that everyone else was sent up to the gantry.
Round two: the four cook and Deliveroo will take their dish to Mel’s house, where she will eat it 20 minutes after it has been cooked. Jock and Andy will stay at the kitchen and eat straight away with them, while Mel judges alone at home.
Time starts.
Tracy does a fried chicken before realising it won’t travel well and changes dishes.
The contestants also have to pack their meals up for Mel, so they have to think about sustainability, how the food will arrive, and how to keep it warm, etc. All concerns I have when ordering food online tbh.
Time ends and it’s tasting time.
Ben serves Nasi Goeng. For Mel, he used a different type of egg, I think chicken, and like a quail egg for Jock and Andy. He explained that it’ll travel better, he also changed the way it was cooked for Mel so it arrives well for her.
Mel likes it, Jock isn’t sold on the different eggs, but Andy understands that Ben wanted to do a more gourmet dish in the kitchen where he can pull it off, blah blah blah. Jock says it’s one of the best he’s ever had.
Next is Chris. For some reason I didn’t write down what his dis was, but I did note that he gave everyone a beer. Mel wanted more complexity in his dish. Andy said it looks the way it tastes, everything was just ok. Nothing was blowing them away, and it needed extra spices, a bit more flavour.
Tracy was next, everyone liked her dish, again, I failed to specify her dish, but I was probably colouring in at the time. I’ve started a portfolio of my colouring in. Initially as a joke, now I’m more careful with colour choices.
Finally, Tessa. Jock said the dish needed 20 more minutes, but all around everyone said it was pretty good, and the fish was perfect. I guess she made a fish dish.
Results time: Chris is out.
EPISODE 21 – Monday 11th – Group Challenge.
I definitely made notes but I think I left it in my car and I’m in my pjs now so I’m not running across the road to get the notes.
It’s the start of twist week. The contestants are broken into two teams.
Team Brown: Captain: Sarah T. Simon, Ben, Khanh, Tessa, Emelia, Reece and Brendon.
Team Grey: Captain: Poh. Reynold, Tracy, Laura, Callum, Hayden (sits out of challenge as uneven numbers), Sarah C, Jess, Amina.
The contestants will be cooking whatever they want with open pantry and open garden. They have two and a half hours before service starts to get their food ready, then the diners will be coming in.
50 diners per team, entrée, main, dessert.
Cooking begins.
About halfway through, the teams are told the twist – they must swap kitchens right now. Everyone swaps and try the food the other team has prepared and decide if they want to keep, scrap, or alter the prepped foods. Both teams hate what the other team has been doing, but do their best to make do with what they have done.
For some reason all of a sudden they also had to do vegetarian dishes, which I don’t recall hearing at any stage, but here we are I suppose.
Tasting happens, and the first course is a win by the grey, the main is won by the brown, and the desserts were both great, so it was a tough decision, but the main by the grey was inexcusable, so it’s a win by the brown, putting the grey into the pressure test tomorrow.
EPISODE 22 – Tuesday 12th – Pressure Test
Yesterday’s grey team are in the pressure cook.
Again, I don’t have my notes, because I’m a fool, but I’m also behind on episodes, and I thought that I’d be up to date by now but I’m not (see above – I’m a fool), so I just want to power through, and I think I only got up to this episode, so I can just skim this one and get to the next one quickly for you.
So they have to do a Darren Purchese. He brought in a passionfruit pav. But underneath is a second dessert with so many elements and layers.
Midway during the cook, the recipe is taken from them and they just have to go with it. Maybe I’m in a pressure test and my notes being in my car is my twist? lmao
Amina super struggles and while many of the contestants had flaws, hers were too big to overlook.
Jess at one stage was helping Amina by giving her precise amounts of sugar etc, but nothing could help her.
Amina was eliminated and I am heartbroken.
EPISODE 23 – Wednesday 13th – Mystery Box.
Everyone arrives to mystery boxes on their benches.
Jess is handed MVP by Mel for her sportsmanship yesterday during the recipe debacle and helping everyone, specifically Amina.
What’s in the box?
Scampi, wild rice, peanuts, shallots, turnips with tops on, duck (leg, breast, wing), Worcestershire sauce, and a mango – eight ingredients, the under bench staples, and the threat of a twist upcoming.
They must use at least one ingredient in the box. All dishes will be tasted and the top five will be in tomorrow’s immunity challenge.
Their 75 minutes start.
The twist: a second Mystery box is wheeled out, to the shock and horror of the contestants. It’s a cute baby Mystery Box, and I love it. I want one. What would I use it for? Something ominous…
All the contents of the baby box must be included in their dish. The ingredient is fig. Next to the fig is a tinier baby box. Later, they open the baby-er box and find it’s got lemon myrtle, another ingredient they must use.
It’s tasting time, and I honestly just can’t even be bothered today, I’m going to be hontest. It’s been a big day.
Goodness me, I’m full of excuses this episode, aren’t I?
I catch some of the tastings, and they are looking great, and Sarah T, like everyone can’t say Worcestershire. Adorable. Love her.
The decision:
Poh, Reece, Simon, Reynold, Sarah T.
EPISODE 24 – Thursday 14th – Immunity challenge.
Alright, straight up, the twist is that Katy Perry turns up, because while it may be a twist to the contestants, ten needs to keep us here by showing us the twists in the ads, I guess. Someone was like to me, ‘Why would Katy Perry come on the show??’ and I had to remind them that she sings the theme song.
Anyway, the top five from yesterday are here to wow the judges and soon, Katy Perry.
So the contestants have 75 minutes to do a hot dish and cold element (temperature wise).
“Ah, Hot and Cold,” someone says.
“Very Katy Perry,” someone else says.
Time starts, and the contestants get going.
I’m not the biggest Katy Perry fan tbh, so I’m not too like OMG I have to watch it for Katy Perry.
It’s tasting time.
Overall, everyone does a beautiful plate of food, and Katy enjoys them all. Except for Reynold’s dish, it wasn’t the best tbh, but they weren’t offended by it either.
But there can only be one winner, and it’s Poh. Well done, Poh.
There’s a MasterClass, but I’m not here for the cooking, so let’s keep going.
Felicity Feiner 
You are so funny! Im so glad you are writing recaps again❤️
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Aww thank you! Rushed as the weekly recaps may feel, I hope you enjoy
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