In the beginning it was all about teamwork, but in round two, it was every celebrity for themselves, and Dami’s cheesecake fell short of saving her place in the MasterChef kitchen.
Tonight’s elimination involved two rounds, and only Tilly was safe after winning immunity in Monday night’s cook. In the first round, the celebrities were split into two teams and had to compete in the infamous MasterChef team relay. At the end of the relay, the team with the least impressive dish would see themselves in round two.
An apron draw determined the teams, with the Pink Team of Collette, Thorpey, Archie and Rebecca taking on the Red Team of Nick, Dilruk, Matt and Dami. Special guest Curtis Stone joined the celebrities from Los Angeles to reveal that they needed to feature mango in their dishes.
After a chaotic and dramatic relay, it was time to taste and first up was the Red Team’s flathead fillets with mango salsa. Jock said the salsa was delicious and the rice was perfectly cooked. The fish was expertly filleted and while overcooked, Mel said it was clear that the team had worked well together.
The Pink Team, presented their Caribbean-inspired chicken, potatoes and mango salsa, and Andy said the salsa was beautifully flavoursome and the spice mix on the potatoes was great. In a close call, it was the Red Team’s overcooked flathead that sent Dami, Dilruk, Nick and Matt into round two where they had to cook their best sweet dish.
Jock said Nick’s cheesecake with Breton cake and macerated strawberries was super delicious. Dilruk’s Shrikhand with mini puris was wonderfully flavoured, and Mel said the dish was an exercise in restraint and elegance. Matt was relieved when Jock gave his sour fruit crumble and crème fraiche an eight out of ten.
Dami’s fears were founded when her cheesecake was quite soft in the middle. Mel said that it looked the part and the flavour was phenomenal, but it was grainy and only just set. On a day when the competition was fierce, the textural flaws of Dami’s dish were enough to see her sent home from the MasterChef kitchen.
Upon leaving the MasterChef kitchen, Dami Im said:
“Being part of MasterChef was such a wild ride. I am proud that I got to share some of my family recipes and some Korean dishes.
My husband is so happy to have me home, and now we’re going to be trying more new dishes and I’m going to be cooking a lot better, I think…”
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