MasterChef Episode 5

After a great start to the competition last week, it was time for the first Mystery Box Challenge of the season! For those of you who don’t know what that is, a Mystery Box Challenge is when each contestants station has certain ingredients underneath it, and they then have to make a dish using some or all of the ingredients. 

When the contestants got to their stations, there were two Mystery Boxes waiting for them, one which contained sweet ingredients, and one which contained spicy ingredients. From there, the teams had to make a dish with ingredients from both boxes. Zach and Michelle, having won the challenge last week, had an advantage this week, which was that they were going to assign all the teams their proteins. Much like with all the other episodes, I could tell who was going to land in the bottom simply by hearing the judges say they were concerned for them, with one exception that I will get to later.

After the cooking time was up, it was time for the judges to give final looks to each dish. 

The first team that landed in the top was Jessica & Jesse. Their dish was Seared Prawns with Sweet Carrot & Ginger Puree, Spicy Shrimp & ‘Nduja Jus, and Mustard Greens, which is a dish that I would be willing to give a try. The judges liked how it looked visually, and they said that the shrimp were cooked beautifully, the carrot puree was great, and they went beyond giving them a sweet and spicy dish, as there was also salinity and acidity.

The second team that landed in the top was Rachel & Julio. Their dish was Seared Octopus with Patatas Bravas, Spicy Salsa Roja, and Sweet Chambord Pickled Apples and Radishes, which I’m not sure is a dish that I would want to try. The judges loved the dish, saying that it was balanced, the octopus was tender, and Joe even said that it was better than the octopus in some of his restaurants, and the only complaint came from Gordon, who said that he wanted more sauce.

The last team that landed in the top was Tina & Aivan. Their dish was Korean Style Barbecue Short Ribs with Radish Kimchi and Garlic Rice. This was one of the teams that I was sure was going to land in the bottom, as the judges kept telling them to cook their short ribs in the pressure cooker, but Tina didn’t feel comfortable working with the pressure cooker, so she chose to cook it another way, and much to my surprise, it landed them in the top. The judges loved the dish, as the short ribs were tender and melt in your mouth, the flavors were pronounced and the dish was unified in its theme, but the only complaint from the judges was that it could have used a sauce. 

After that it was time for the judges to announce the winning team, which was revealed to be Rachel and Julio, which did not surprise me, and they were told that they would get a huge advantage in the next challenge. 

After that, it was time for the judges to reveal which teams had landed in the bottom three.

The first team that landed in the bottom was Azu & Javier. Their dish was a Spiced Venison with Sweet Beurre Rouge Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, and Salad, which if cooked correctly, is a dish that I might be willing to try. The judges hated the sauce and the three pieces of fruit, and they felt that it was not a cohesive dish that they worked together on. 

The second team that landed in the bottom was Ashley & Ricky. Their dish was a Spice Rubbed Filet Mignon with Dirty Rice, Sweet Chambord Sauce, and Radish, Mango, and Pineapple Slaw, which if made correctly, I would be willing to try. The biggest criticism from the judges was that the filet was overcooked. 

The last team that landed in the bottom was Zach & Michelle. Their dish was a Crispy Skin Duck Breast with Sweet Cherry Red Wine Sauce, Duck Fat Mashed Potatoes, and Spicy Mustard Greens, which if made correctly, is another dish that I might be willing to give a try. The complaints from the judges were that there was still so much fat on the duck breast, everything was sweet, and the sauce didn’t have the right consistency. 

After that, it was time for the judges to decide which team was going to be eliminated, and it was revealed to be Ashley & Ricky, which didn’t surprise me, as while I felt that any one of them could have gone home, I felt that they wanted to keep the divorced couple longer and they felt Zach & Michelle didn’t deserve to go home after winning the first challenge last week.

Overall, this was another great episode of Season 15 of MasterChef, and I’ll see you all next week in our first Team Challenge of the season!