MasterChef Australia Season Four – The BIG Double Elimination!

Previous Episode: MasterChef Australia Season Four – Pop-Up Restaurant Challenge

Tonight, TWO contestants will be leaving in undoubtedly one of MasterChef’s biggest EVER eliminations! So who will leave?

Contestants up for elimination tonight are those of last night’s blue team- Audra, Debra, Amina, Wade, Andy and Jules.

They all head to the kitchen for tonight’s elimination that will feature a special guest…Marco Pierre-White!

Elimination Challenge Brief: Today, they will be cooking a three-course meal. There will be two rounds. The three least impressive dishes head into round two. Only one will be saved from round 2.

Conditions: Open pantry. 20 minutes to cook an entrée in round one. One hour to cook main and dessert in round 2.

Round 1 Progress: The contestants get stuck into it. Jules is doing pan-seared prawns butterflied with lemon and tarragon butter. Marco acts as their mentor. Amina is doing a Middle Eastern Salmon Carpaccio. Wade is doing a fresh salad, but it seems more complex than just your run-of-the-mill salad. Andy is doing roast blue-eye and Marco offers him a lot of advice while towering over him. He seems to smell Andy’s fear!

They didn’t have much time, and soon, time is up!

Tasting & Results

Debra

Cooking: Bruschetta.

Comments: Marco doesn’t call it the prettiest of food. Marco likes the big flavours and the generosity. Gary calls it good and honest cooking, but fears it may be a bit simple.

Jules

Cooking: Pan-Seared Prawns

Comments: Marco calls it risky. Gary criticises the tight prawns, but likes the dish.

Amina

Cooking: Ocean Trout Carpaccio.

Comments: Marco notices the big flavours but wants bigger salmon.

Andy

Cooking: Blue Eyed Trevalla.

Comments: The crispy skin is criticised.

Wade

Cooking: Brussels Sprout Salad.

Comments: Marco calls the dish pretty and the judges love it!

Audra

Cooking: Ocean Trout Sashimi.

Comments: Marco has one criticism- it wasn’t big enough! Gary calls it absolutely delicious.

Result: Wade is put through on the spot. The other contestants through are… Audra and Debra.

Andy, Amina and Jules progress to the next round.

Round 2 Progress: See above for conditions. The Round is back and here, they have to cook the main and dessert. They have to have the main done in 45 minutes. Marco acts as chief mentor and bottle opener by the look of things! Amina is doing a blue-eyed tagine.  She will be doing an Egyptian Rice Pudding for dessert. Jules will be doing a fennel, mint and grape fruit salad with trout. Marco gives her a hand chopping grape fruit.

Andy will be doing duck breast and braised red cabbage for main, but doesn’t know what he will be doing for dessert. Andy isn’t sure about the things he is cooking but Marco gives him invaluable advice. Jules is doing a vanilla mascarpone cream and macadamia crumble for dessert while Andy is doing grilled…something!

With ten minutes to go before mains should be up, Jules begins on a vinaigrette and it turns out a bit thin to begin with. Andy’s duck breast hasn’t finished cooking yet either. Plating up, Andy calls his main a disaster as he leaves no time.

Time is up for the main and Andy’s dish is quite the disaster indeed!

The funny thing is contestants stop cooking. YOU STILL HAVE DESSERT TO DO…IN FIFTEEN F***ING MINUTES!!! Anyway, excuse my French! The judges taste some mains in the meantime.

Mains Tasting & Results

Andy

Cooking: Pan-Roasted Duck Breast.

Comments: Marco calls it a big plate for such a small portion. Gary calls the plate mucky, but calls it a good dish. George says the dish makes him happy.

Amina

Cooking: Blue Eyed Trevalla Tagine.

Comments: Marco calls it a nicely cooked dish. Gary calls the fish perfection but thinks there should be more flavour. George agrees.

Jules

Cooking: Seared Ocean Trout

Comments: The fish is perfectly cooked, as Marco says. George wants more seasoning but loves the flavour and healthiness of the dish. Gary wants more from the vinaigrette.

Soon, the desserts are up and the final tastings proceed.

Desserts Tasting & Results

Amina

Cooking: Egyptian Rice Pudding.

Comments: Gary calls it delicious and loves the texture but says it is not quite cooked.

Jules

Cooking: Mascarpone Trifle

Comments: They love it however Gary is disappointed by the cream. He does love the textures and visuals of the plate.

Andy

Cooking: Grilled Figs

Comments: Gary likes that he gets what they see. George is happy with the grilling of the figs and the kernelling but wants more layers.

Results: The contestants leaving in Twelfth and Eleventh Place on MasterChef Australia 2012 are…AMINA & JULES!

What is going on?! None of the dishes today were perfect, but saving Andy?! That’s ridiculous. Andy got criticism for an extremely messy main and a dessert with no layers. Jules’ dessert had layers and textures and her main had many more positives around it than Andy’s with only slight problems with the vinaigrette. Amina’s dishes also showed more professionalism. Though without being able to taste, I can’t really say much. I just think it was another case of a poorly picked bottom three- however as much as he is a good cook, the saving of Andy was probably the most surprising outcome here.

Maybe now that two popular contestants have gone, Andy can come to the forefront, but his cooking skills, when compared to these two, leaves a lot to be desired.

And now for something else- the contestants are going to ITALY!

MasterChef Australia next airs Jul 6 at 7PM on TEN. 

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Hey guy's,
If you've stumbled across here, I'm assuming you are as big a fan of reality television as I am! I reported for Throng Australia as their resident Reality Television Commentator from May 2011 to January 2013. I will continue to provide Top 20 Reality Television Star lists for 2013. I'm currently covering the upcoming season of Big Brother on Big Brother 24/7!
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  • http://www.facebook.com/mikiglat Miki Glat

    Good riddance Amina!

  • http://twitter.com/johnsonleung Johnson Leung

    Did you notice that the winning team was watching the cooking from the balcony? Interestingly, Beau was not present when the six contestants at risk were making entree, but turned up later for the cooking of main and dessert. Maybe he had media commitments?
    Amina, Andy and Jules all had good and bad points on their dishes, so I was surprised to hear Andy got through while Amina and Jules were out. Amina was one of the strong cooks in the competition and one of my favourite contestants. She will be sadly missed.
    Those were the final eliminations in real time before the current season premiered on May 6. During the top 50 week, the top 10 contestants and the judges travelled to Rome to begin filming. As you might have read from The Advertiser back in May, the contestants plus some production crew members were hit by a bug in Italy and filming was delayed by three days. I think the delay occurred between the immunity challenge (which will air on Tuesday) and the group challenge (which will air on Wednesday).

  • Ryno_091

    im pretty sure this is masterchef’s first double ellmination (not including those that take place in finals week) while it was a great epiesode i cant help feeling that the wrong pepole were sent home i honestly think its time for deb and wade to go

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003368455102 Courtney Lewdon

    Yes, Ryno, it was the first ever double elimination.

    Johnson, I guess they judge what they cook on the night. But I think in this case, where the dishes were so closely matched, they really should have looked at the bigger picture. This is now the second time Andy has been saved under what I would classify extraordinary circumstances.
    Yes, I do remember reading that! Interesting! Not long to go now!

    Miki, we do ask that you refrain from posting possible spoilers in the comments, thanks- but yes, Amina is eliminated after many, many elimination appearances :)

    • http://www.facebook.com/mikiglat Miki Glat

      Um…..I didn’t post a spoiler – it was my prediction before the results were announced (and thank god it turned out right)

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003368455102 Courtney Lewdon

        I apologise then. :)

  • essenza

    Deb is safe with TOMATOES ON TOAST!!!!
    No wonder cast was struck down with “mystery illness” when they got to Italy. We feel sick in the stomach as well,having just witnessed two nights of Deb’s malingering.

  • ablivi

    OMG after her complainiing and crying Deb is killing me – Would rather Amina any day.

  • http://www.facebook.com/mikiglat Miki Glat

    Don’t diss Deb! I adore her – her and Wade have been my favourite since Day 1! I was glad to see the back of Amina!

  • laz

    i think the only reason Deb is staying is they need a villain to make the show interesting. She was terrible on Wednesday night. Took 2 hours to set-up! Then getting up everyone when her dessert was not done.

    Will miss Amina. I thought she was a terrific person.

    • essenza

      Agreed. If you recall first series, JG only survived so many appallingly low moments cos her fellow competitors did not see her as a threat. They used to vote each other off. So we ended up with a mediocre home cook in the final, winning thanks to demographic marketing potential. I can’t forget the Pie Challenge, her unappealing slops tasted great, according to the calculating judges & producers. Left a bad taste at our home, but hey! that’s entertainment!
      Wondering how Italian earthquake victims will be acknowledged?