MasterChef marks an achievement that any show would be proud of on July 1 — 100 episodes. MasterChef has seen some characters in the past and this year’s bunch is just as talented and interesting as the past. So what does Ramsay have planned to celebrate its 100 episode? Let’s get to the show.
The Team Challenge
The contestants find themselves 60 miles from the kitchen. Hey! A road trip to a beautiful ocean view site! Ramsay tells them that they are celebrating the 100th anniversary of MasterChef. The chefs will have to cook a “wonderful” lunch for 100 guests which will include food critics, restaurant owners, chefs and past winners. Each team must do appetizers using oysters and caviar. For the entree, they have duck breast to work with.
Nick and Olivia are team captains and must pick their teams. Nick chooses Amanda and Stephen immediately while Olivia takes Derrick who feels like he should be in charge. As the teams are chosen, the talent seems equal. Tommy and Claudia are the last picks. Nick takes Claudia and you can see Tommy feels insulted. Now Olivia is worried because Tommy gets upset easily.
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They have 60 minutes to prep and they start. Of course, Derrick feels that Olivia’s dishes are too complicated. While the teams are cooking, Ramsay is checking the dishes and immediately finds a problem with the Red Team’s oysters. Olivia’s Red Team is not off to a good start. So the team has no oysters to use and their dish looks embarrassing. The Blue Team meanwhile is getting their appetizers out quickly to hungry guests. And where is the Red Team? They’re rethinking their dish.
As the entrees start, Elliot is revisiting previous contestants who point out mistakes they see. Ramsay does stop by to discuss the appetizers with Olivia and she throws Derrick under the bus. Ramsay tells her to get her act (and brigade) together for the entree. And now Nick’s Blue Team have burnt the carrots. Charlie has goofed big time. The Red Team now is heading for a good service. As the Blue Team plates, the duck breast is cold thanks to Charlie cutting the meat too early. Now Ramsay is panicking as he finds finds raw duck. Where did the good Blue Team go?
As the dishes go out, Tosi find problems with the Red Team’s duck too. It’s not properly prepared so the comment cards will tell the tale of who wins. The guests are filling out the cards and opinions seem split. As the last dish goes out the Red Team celebrates but Olivia is still worried. The Blue Team is disheartened and Nick is worried too.
To finish the meal, a Tosi cake is delivered and Ramsay calls it beautiful. The teams enter to applause and Derrick is so happy because of his success. Ramsay now announces they have a winner who will be revealed at the MasterChef’s kitchen.
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The Pressure Test
In the MasterChef kitchen, Elliott welcomes the teams back. Ramsay takes the time to point out their errors. Olivia and the Red Team goofed on the appetizers while Nick and the Blue Team messed up the entree. The winner is the Red Team. This means the Blue Team must face the pressure test.
The pressure test will feature only six members from the Blue Team. Together, the team must decide on one name who should be safe. The discussion in the wine room has the team split. Shelly won’t take any blame and neither will Charlie. Ramsay calls the team back and Tosi asks who will not be facing the pressure test. Stephen steps forward and goes to join the Red Team. He hugs Nick as he goes up and Nick tells us that Stephen deserved the bye due to his hard work.
Tosi now shows the team what they must make. They must make a birthday cake. Tosi has placed two candles on the cake because two will be leaving. Each cake must be three layers, have beautiful frosting, and celebrate the 100th episode. They have 90 minutes. Each chef seems to have a different flavor in mind. Tosi calls for the cakes to be in the oven at 20 minutes. Charlie’s cake goes in the oven as the rest are taking their’s out. Amanda’s cake falls due to being raw in the middle. She’s in tears as Ramsay offers encouragement.
As Tosi calls time, she heads to check Charlie’s cake. He only has two layers and Tosi sees no way for him to make a three level cake. (I have a suggestion but they can’t hear me!) With three minutes to go, the chefs are struggling.
The cakes must be brought down to the bar. Nick is first and Tosi is impressed with his coconut cake. Elliott tries Amanda’s sponge cake which isn’t done in the middle but gets fair reviews. Shelly is next and her’s is under-cooked too. Ramsay tells her it’s not her best performance. Sara’s cake is tasted by Tosi who tells her she made a smart decision. Next is Claudia’s tres leche cake which looks beautiful and is delicious. Charlie is last and his cake is a mess. Ramsay cuts it and can’t see three layers but the cake taste delicious. They’re going to have a hard time deciding who leaves.
Claudia is declared the winner and of course is safe. Nick and Sara are safe. Amanda, Shelly and Charlie are up for elimination. Charlie is asked to leave. The next chef leaving MasterChef is a hard decision. In the end, Shelly is safe after a Ramsay scare and Amanda is going home. Ramsay tells her that all had high hopes for her and not to stop the journey.
Next time on MasterChef
The MasterChefs must prepare a Ramsay dish which leaves some with high and others with extreme lows in the food prep area.
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
