Last night, two dishes were declared the best of the season: Ben’s “campfire on a beach” main in round one and Eliza’s “embers” dessert in round two.
It was quite funny to see two contestants cooking in one room and two in the other, given the layout of Jack’s Magazine. That meant the judges had to walk between the two rooms to the contestants’ progress.
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Was sorry to see Michelle eliminated,she could have won the competition.Maybe Karlie or Diana will this season,Ben an outside chance to go to top 3 if he keeps cooking as well as he has this week
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I was shocked and disappointed that Michelle was eliminated. She was one of my favourite contestants. She just had two bad cooks. Her mistake in last night’s challenge was to use cream cheese in her parfait which led to it become rock solid.
The deception challenge was last used in season 6 in 2014, also during Heston Week.
The last time so many contestants faced elimination was in week 2 after the red team lost the team challenge at 400 Gradi at Crown Casino, and all 11 members had to compete again to stay in the competition.
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Japan Week commences 2 July with a MasterClass that will be shown on Friday at 7.30 (Common Sense debuts on Thursday night that week).
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According to my post on March 26, filming for Japan Week started in late March. It finished in early April, when George Calombaris had to call from Tokyo to apologise for the underpayment of staff at his Melbourne restaurants. Heston Week (week 8 of competition) took place in late February. Japan Week is week 10. That left the rest of March for one week of episodes which will be shown this week? Didn’t sound right. Unless the contestants had an early Easter break between week 9 and week 10?
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Most likely an Easter break.
Interesting move by the producers to incorporate a pressure test in tonight’s invention test, by asking the contestants to include a key element from Peter Gilmore’s past famous desserts in their dishes. The chosen ingredient was coconut shavings from last year’s cherry jam lamington. Diana left it late to make hers when everyone else made the shavings at the start, but did enough to save herself from elimination.
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##MasterChef Australia Top 10 Contestants Revealed
MasterChef Australia’s Top 10 Class of 2017 is now complete.
With high praise awarded by some of the most respected local and international guest chefs – including Yotam Ottonlenghi, Heston Blumenthal, Curtis Stone and Ben Shewry – and an immunity pin in play, the calibre of the 2017 contestants continues to impress.
This season has delivered some of the biggest challenges and finest dishes ever seen in the nine-year history of MasterChef Australia and judges Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston have been dazzled by the contestants’ skills and determination.
Ten remarkable cooks remain and with the coveted title of Australia’s MasterChef 2017 up for grabs, some amazing guest chefs and a trip to Japan still to come, the stage is now set for the run home to Finals Week and the Grand Final.
The top 10
Arum Nixon, 34, NSW, Advertising Strategist
Arum’s confidence has grown throughout the competition, after he secured the very last apron available in the Top 24. After losing the first two team challenges, the Englishman found his stride in Sweet Week. It was his first pressure test, completing Deniz Karaca’s challenging Passion for Caramel Tart, which made him realise just how much he wants to win this competition. After surviving Paul Carmichael’s bajan fish fry elimination challenge, he believes he can now win any challenge to get there.
Ben Ungermann, 32, Queensland, Retail Manager
Ben found his feet cooking in David Thompson’s Thai- inspired challenges and gained his first victory in an invention test. It was followed a week later by a tasting in Yotam Ottolenghi’s mystery box. With each cook, the father of three has gained confidence, inspired further as one of only three contestants not put into elimination during Heston Week.
Callan Smith, 18, NSW, Student
A lover of weird, wacky and wonderful ways to cook, the teenage sensation affectionately named “Mini Heston” would love nothing more than to take out this competition. With a strong focus on sweets, Callan has marveled the judges with flavours including pairing icy granita with soup, which prompted Thai cuisine legend David Thompson to declare he hated a dish that was so smart. Captaining his team to victory in Yotam Ottolenghi’s challenge at Bertie’s Butcher, Callan is one to watch.
Diana Chan, 29, Victoria, Accountant
With an impressive record boasting five mystery box tastings, including one win, and twice named top three in an invention test, Diana has showcased an array of impressive skills.
Victorious in Sweet Week’s invention test with a strawberries and cream ice cream, and in multiple savoury challenges, Diana’s calm and measured approach in the kitchen has allowed her to consistently plate up impressive food. She captained her team to a win in the first team challenge for the season at Gradi and her dishes have been the most tasted in the competition.
Eliza Wilson, 30, Victoria, Theatre Nurse
A strong contender across both sweet and savoury, Eliza secured her apron in the Top 24 following an impressive profiterole cook using lemons in Maggie Beer’s challenge. Twice scoring places in both the mystery box tastings and invention test top three, she has proved a solid cook, successfully cooking throughout Heston Week without finding herself in elimination.
Eloise Praino, 32, South Australia, Graduate Law Clerk
As the only winner of a coveted immunity pin, after an incredible waffle dish in round one and an indulgent chocolate mousse against Charlie Carrington in round two, Eloise has been plating up interesting and decadent dishes, often using her signature whiskey flavour. Twice securing a place in the invention test top three and tasted twice in a mystery box with one win to her name, Eloise survived her first pressure test cooking Yotam Ottolenghi’s mezze feast.
Karlie Verkerk, 26, NSW, Copywriter
The Sydney copywriter with a passion for interior design has wowed the judges with her flavorsome and often Asian-inspired dishes. Routinely top of the class, she has had three mystery box tastings of which two won her back-to-back advantages with David Thompson and Yotam Ottolenghi. She has twice been named top three for the invention test and won Curtis Stone’s invention test, securing her a coveted Power Pin. Captaining her team to victory in Matt Sinclair’s pop-up challenge, Karlie is a powerhouse.
Sam Goodwin, 25, Victoria, Construction Coordinator
Ocean Grove’s Sam has cemented his place in the Top 10, securing a mystery box win and twice named top three in an invention test. Cooking for his idol Ben Shewry was a highlight and he was praised for his smoked rice ice cream, which secured him his first invention test placing. Having survived both Josue Lopez and Deniz Karaca’s feared pressure tests, Sam’s methodical and calm demeanour makes him one to watch in MasterChef Australia.
Sarah Tiong, 25, NSW, Risk Consultant
With a strong Malaysian background, Sarah has routinely cooked well in the competition, competing twice now against two professional chefs, although both times just missing out on a pin. To take her place in the first immunity cook, she cooked a dish using bok choy which Gary said completely changed his take on the vegetable. After securing her apron in the Top 24 following an impressive Malaysian pancake in Maggie Beer’s lemon challenge, Sarah established herself as a solid performer, claiming early victories in home cooking week, Ben Shewry’s invention test and Sweet Week. Now named three times for mystery box tasting and three times securing a top place in an invention test, Sarah also captained her team to victory in the glasshouse challenge.
Tamara Graffen, 28, Western Australia, Engineering Officer
No one in the competition has had a journey as eventful as Tamara. Over one week alone, she was in the bottom four in Curtis Stone’s invention test, eliminated the following night in Deniz Karaca’s pressure test, and then reclaimed her apron the following night when she battled the other 11 eliminated contestants for a spot back in the competition. At the end of that week, she also survived pot luck elimination after her team’s loss in the pop-up challenge. Plating jam-packed flavoursome dishes, Tamara has often relied on chillies, using the spicy ingredient to win a mac and cheese challenge.
Why does this show make such a big deal about Top 12, Top 15, Top 10, Top 5? What is the difference between any of these stages?
And what’s with the big deal the judges always make about it being a “brand new week in the MasterChef kitchen”? Meaning what? It’s not as if the format of the competition follows a weekly pattern - a person is eliminated two episodes after “the brand new week” on Monday night - then again on Thursday.
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They only make a deal about top 10. I have never seen them send out press releases for top 5, 12 or 15. Its to celebrate the achievement that they have reached the top 10 out of the thousands of people that auditioned.
As for the new week thing, each week you dont go home allows you to get better or redeem yourself if you just had a bad week the week prior.
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No, they have definitely, 100% made big deals about other milestones in the show itself (I’m not talking simply press releases).
As to your second point - we already know they’re in the top 20 or so out of thousands of people. That’s literally how the competition starts off.
As for each week - someone goes home after 2 days before the cycle continues. In fact, it would make more sense to greet them like that on Tuesday, because from that point, it’s another 3 days until someone gets eliminated again.
I guess it boils down to the fake-arse sunshine and positivity this show attempts to put on (you can add in all the “positive” background music which telegraphs every result) - it’s quite artificial and annoying, and I bet part of the reason ratings are so shallow at the moment. Stop treating viewers like fools.
I have an idea to shake up the cycle for season 10: have the team challenge on Sunday and elimination on Monday, then mystery box/invention test on Tuesday, given the show usually gets its biggest audience on that night. Then immunity challenge on Wednesday, and pressure test on Thursday followed by masterclass if there is a guest chef like Heston Blumenthal.
I feel sorry for Nicole. She competed in her first pressure test and was sent home after she left bones in her fried snapper - one of the big no-no’s of MC kitchen, even though her other two dishes were done quite well. Callan had his worst cook in tonight’s episode as well.
The show has been like that since the start so I doubt thats the reason ratings are down this year. All shows get stale and same same over time and viewers naturally tune out. Nothing lasts forever.
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Season 9 began in South East Asia last Monday night (June 19) on pay TV channel Lifetime. It airs 8pm weeknights Hong Kong/Singapore time and repeated at 11pm, plus multiple repeats the next day. The Asian broadcast is now in its second week (home cooking week). So SE Asia joins Australia and New Zealand in showing the current season in the same period. Still no sign from India on when the show airs there. Star World India (which fasttracked the last two seasons of MC) is still showing MasterChef Junior USA!
late post
Haven’t watched MasterChef since last Wednesday at the old army dig-out, been catching up…
Was sad to see Michelle go home, she was also one of my favs & also quite young. Heston certainly set a difficult challenge, particularly Round 1.
NB/
My remaining favs this season are Sam, Callan & Karlie.
It was great to see Peter Gilmore return on Sunday for the Mystery Box/Invention Test, another MC household guest. I was rather intrigued and excited to see him bring out former Pressure Test dishes for the Invention Test and boy did it prove a struggle for Nicole, Arum & Callan.
Which brings me to last night (which I enjoyed the most) 
What a Pressure Test! I hadn’t seen anything like it before & great to see a completely different guest, he was fantastic (loved the cuisine too). Unfortunately, at the post, Nicole just didn’t execute the snapper properly (all judges had bones), whilst Callan had a great presentation and appearance & Arum nailed the flavours.
Can’t wait for tonight’s Immunity return with Shannon, the final chance for a pin prior to Japan Week. Good luck to the girls.
Yep. The show is in it’s 9th season. What other nightly reality show lasted this long in Australian television? I can’t think of any. Even the original run of Big Brother was over by season 8. They haven’t done anything ‘wrong’ this season except stick to a format that has worked. For me it is as good this year as it has been but the dog is 9 years so at some point it was always going to shed viewers. In fact when they altered with the format back in season 4 or 5 that is what viewers turned away. What got the viewers back the last 2 or 3 years was going back to the current format.
It’s just a fact that all shows have a life and next year Ten should probably be less reliant on it to push the network through and focus equally on some other formats as well.
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Speaking of the mystery box, it was funny to hear that none of the 11 remaining contestants had cooked with abalone before, not even Diana and Sarah. Abalone is an expensive food but many Asians love to cook and eat it.
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Masterchef is the only reality TV that I watch and I’ve been watching since Season 1 when Julie Goodwin won.I’m glad that they have another overseas trip this season too.Was sorry to see Nicole go,Ben is the only Qld contestant left now
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Great immunity tonight, loved it