Masterchef Australia – Jimmy’s Mystery Box
It is final’s week, the prize is within peoples grasps, and the judges including Shannon Bennett (yes we will discuss those eyebrows later) are running around dishing out a lot of advice to the contestants. At this stage of the competition the contestant’s should be standing on their own two feet.
Gary told Jimmy that his muscat ice-cream could be lumpy if left in the blast freezer rather than the ice-cream maker. All three of them repeatedly were telling Claire that she needed some crunch for her dishes, in fact Matt Preston outlined the ingredients she should use. Also they workshopped with Courtney what dessert she should do since she was having a major blank.
Tonight Jimmy had the advantage of picking the ingredients in the mystery box, so there were spices, chilli’s, besan flour, muscat, lentils and gorgonzola. The other contestants were not happy about there not being a flesh protein to cook with, and in fact I think Claire may have doubled her male fans by giving a scathing critique of lentils.
Lucky for them they had 90 minutes to cook, however in that time they were expected to do two dishes a sweet and a savoury. Shannon Bennett from Vue Du Monde was a guest judge as George as some commenters have suggested maybe at the world cup in South Africa. Shannon decided that 2 million viewers would not notice he had not brushed his hair as we would be too distracted by his eyebrows, which if he was a movie star he would have to insure. They were amazing.
By the way anyone one who did not make dhal automatically should have been given ten extra bonus points. I thought the three who made it were the ones who probably have the weakest techniques in the competition and possibly the least imagination. Also Jimmy should have had 50 points deducted for being out curried by both Courtney and Callum.
Jimmy did make two types of dhal a Tarka & a Garlic Butter one. Both served with Paratha & Onion Rings, his dessert was a Muscat Icecream. It all looked like a puddle of plop, and the Garlic Butter Dhal looked like lard. Gary Mehigan liked both of the curries, but just thought the pakora were flashy onion rings and thought he could do better, however he loved the muscat ice-cream
Matt who has a much more refined curry palate, well it is the UK’s national dish, said “there was not enough butter or garlic in the dhal, but the Tarka was better but still underseasoned.”
Shannon did not like the presentation, but did like the icecream.
Callum made a lentil curry (not sure how that is different to dhal) with flat bread, and lemon and ginger brulee tarts. I thought Callum’s dessert was a cracker, but I thought again he showed not a lot of imagination for his main.
However, Matt Preston preferred Callum’s dahl to Jimmy, and Gary who still thinks he is still in the seven deadly sins challenge of course ate the whole tart.
Courtney made Dhal with Caramelised Pakora, and Crepe with Ginger and Lemon Curd. Matt said the pakora was undercooked but thought it was the best dhal, however he thought the “lemon curd needed more then a couple of crepes”. Her dessert looked amateurish and Shannon said the crepes needed another element.
Now Adam tonight decided to really step it up a notch and cook outside the box (pun sort of intended). He made Oeufs Molle with Soubiese, and for dessert he made candied tomatoes in a muscat sauce with ginger granita. Shannon thought the veloute just over powered the soubise, however he thought the eggs are cooked perfectly. Matt thought the dish was clever, delicious tasting food. Matt also loved the idea of the dessert, he thought it was brave, but he thought if he removed sauce it would be a cleaner flavour. I thought Adam really showed he was a contender tonight.
Claire cooked Gorgonzola Mousse with a Muscat Sauce, Layered Lemon Curd Semifreddo with a crumble. After she started crying Gary had to turn into an amateur psychologist to get her though the judging. Claire sobbed “you guys don’t get while I’m here” and “why it matters”. Gary responded with empathy by saying ”there is know harm in letting your emotions out”. I was rolling my eyes. I thought both her dishes showed a lot of technique, and there was no lentil with spices in sight. For that I was giving her two thumbs up.
Gary said “Muscat syrup doesn’t work with the mousse” but he liked the mousse, but said it needed a garlic tuile. He loved the dessert and thought it was balanced. Note to Season 3 contestant’s Gary loves cream. Part of his OH&S plan at work must involve regular cholesteral checks.
Callum was through first to the top four, and Shannon said he was the equivalent of a second to third year apprentice.
Adam was praised for his going outside the square and innovation and was put through.
Matt Preston told Jimmy he was on the edge of a precipice as he had a huge advantage and he stuffed it, but he managed to stay out of the bottom two.
Claire and Courtney were in the bottom two. Claire was there because of her lack of belief in herself and the way it made the judges think her dishes were not going to be good.
However Courtney was eliminated and deservedly so, her dishes tonight showed lack of imagination and technique.
By the way good of Callum to acknowledge Paul (the guy who does the odds on this blog) tonight when he said “even the craziest of gamblers would not have dreamed up this top 4″. My money was lost a long time ago.
Loading ...
109 comments
The real mystery is why masterchef writers / judges allowed such a massive advantage in the final week. Jimmy proved with the V8 cake that he is capable but was always going to play to his strength with this challenge. No one made a lentil soup? My wife makes lentil soup regularly and it is fairly easy. I am still on #teamCallum to win. Thanks RR for your great blogs and all the regulars who provide insight and banter…
If you can’t win a game where you got the chance to stack the odds as heavily in your favour as is humanly possible, then maybe it’s time to find a new game…
Also, Shannon seemed to be enjoying himself on the show for someone who apparently had to be enticed into coming on.
For once I have no complaints about the judging but really could have lived without the emo session with Claire. (Or perhaps I’m still bummed about her getting through last night despite the lack of the difficult tempered chocolate.)
After Jonathan left, I thought Adam was now the front-runner and looks like that is holding up.
Really looking forward to tomorrow night: for a change, no excuses, just their own food and looked like pick of ingredients, too.
Its starting to seem like Claire is using tears any time she thinks she is at risk of being eliminated … maybe she thinks that if they feel sorry for her, they’ll go easy on her dish (and maybe she’s right, its been working so far all season!)
For that reason alone, I actually prefer Callum. Sure he seems out of his depth sometimes and makes mistakes under pressure … but he’s 20! God I work with 20 year old medical students all the time and few of them seem able to work out the right room to be in, let alone cope with the pressure and bullying Callum has endured for the past 6 months.
So go Callum! I don’t think he should win, but I do hope that he gets a great job out of this. Because he’s able to work under pressure and that’s got to be handy as a chef.
And something Claire should keep in mind ….
Oh Boy Jimmy stuffed up even after selecting the ingredients , he so doesnt deserve to be in top 4.
A few observations:
Why did the judges kept pushing Claire to make that crumble? thats cos they didnt want her to stuff up and go home as both her dishes would have tasted plain n boring..
Why did everyone think Jimmy selected difficult ingredients? Just cos it had besan?? and no meat?? everything else was pretty usable in all formats. Jimmy should have selected ingredients like semolina , sago and other such actual Indian ingredients if he wantd to make it an advantage for him.
I cannot think he would have been the one to choose muscat and gorgonzola on his own . I bet Matt P would have asked him to change his orginial ingredients to include at least some stuff that others could use too,, and thats why perhaps they were asked to create a main course and a dessert so everyone could put some thing on a plate.
By the way, there is no such thing as a dal curry. Any dish which has a main ingredient like meat or fish and has gravy in it of onion tomatoes and spices is called “meat curry” or fish curry in this instance, so if u make anything with a gravy of tomatoes onion and masalas, that gravy basically is called a curry. There is so much more than just curries in Indian cuisine which unfortunately Jimmy failed to show., The kind of daal he made, no one even makes that crapppy daal at home let alone order it at a restaurant.
Personally, I commend Adam to make such beautiful dishes and thinking outside the box. He was brilliant.
On another note, Aaron Harvie has been accepting friend request on facebook by everyone.
Thats all frm me good nite.
Adam is a clever one – I think he has practised all sorts of exotic egg dishes, as he has made a few impressive egg meals in mystery box challenges, and eggs are a staple they always have on hand.
Claire – no wonder she hates lentils. her food is always fairly subtle, and lentils have to be spiced right up to be nice.
Poor Claire – I thought the crumble dumbed down her dessert too. Her dishes were a little on the wet side though…..
I was in a world of pain watching Claire’s sympathy schtick.
Courtney should have worn the feather…
I’ll miss her feisty comments. Actually if she’d slapped Claire and told her to suck it up, I would have given her a standing ovation.
“Its starting to seem like Claire is using tears any time she thinks she is at risk of being eliminated … maybe she thinks that if they feel sorry for her, they’ll go easy on her dish (and maybe she’s right, its been working so far all season!)”
That’s basically why Julie won. She was a terrible cook, but she knew when to play the crybaby card at the right times and that got her on right side of the judges. If Claire wins MC2 through the same means, I reckon we’ll all be in for a whirlwind of pain in MC3.
lol@comment no 8, but Cortney had to go, this was decided the moment she snapped at Mr G Man.
Handee towels may be thick and strong like their chief spruiker, Matt P, but I am not sure that for much longer they’ll be able to cope with the increasing mess in the kitchen – Claire’s tears.
Geelong Deano – I think Callum has huge potential but best amata cook in Aust? Since George and Gary had not done a curry in masterclass he had to copy one of Jimmy’s.
Anonymousse – I like Shannon on the show, and thought he was very relaxed on camera.
animotek – I wonder what Jimmy will cook tomorrow night?
Mama’s Milk – LMAO at the Courtney telling Claire to suck it up comment. I could just imagine her wanting to say that.
Aussiegal – thanks for the info on indian cuisine, I have to confess my knowledge in that area is not that great.
Seepi- I had not thought of Adam practising all those egg dishes but now you mention it I think there is a bit of strategy in it.
Brain Dead Dave – Agree it was not a good look
I’m developing a morbid fascination with MP’s tasting face … bit like a bloodhound being humped from behind by a chihuahua. Eyes roll slightly, thoughtful movement of the lips, the slight wobble of the jowl.
It’s like watching guiness settle.
And I love the way MP’s been shooting from the hip, especially re claire’s wan attempts at victimhood tonight. I think she and Adam are the best of the numbnuts left, but that doesn’t seem to count for much
Buzz- that is one of the best comments ever. Still laughing.
Pluck-a-duck – would handee want the negativity of being associated with Claire’s tears. Off topic have you seen the toohey’s new ad where the mate helps the other mate go to the toilet. Seriously it would turn you off buying that brand.
Muru – oh god hopefully in season 3 they will just edit out the tears. It is getting tedious. I notice Adam welled up but did not erupt.
Matt Preston has hips?
Dont like the way the judges talk to Callum n in todays episode to Jimmy when Matt asked him to look down at his feet.. plain rude.. surely there are other ways to say wat did or didnt work for them.
But was pleased to see the praise that Callum got today, he even got an apprenticeship with Shannon . wow way to go.
Found it interesting that Adam observed that Jimmy has a nasty streak.
Why didn’t they do an update of what Courtney is doing? She handled her elimination well. Thought it was a bit nasty for Matt to say Courtney didn’t have masterchef potential (particularly after thay have been touting this lot as the best amatas ever and there were more dubious contestants ) . Why single her out in particular?
RR-thanks for the blog…:)
BDD – what else would the chihuahua hold onto?
I seem to remember that the finals week in MC1 was a bit of a hodge-podge too, but I think they’ve stuffed up this year – they’ve tried too hard to ‘maximise their success’ and I think it’s backfired. They need to do a big rethink of next season’s format, especially the product placement and pacing. IMO.
I always knew Matt Preston would enjoy a hot dog.
Anon- In the press release about Courtney it states:
There is talk of a small wine bar in Sydney’s burgeoning small bar culture, but for now, she is concentrating on gaining experience as a food stylist and recipe tester.
She would also like to do work experience with Donna Hay or Christine Mansfield.
dont you all think that after Joanne n Jono, they are trying to portrat Jimmy as the character that everybody would love to hate… watch those edits of him grinning n having an evil smile… they r doing a very gd job at it.
Buzz-LMAO at #13(so accurate a description-great visual) and agree with you #14(RR Buzz must have the funniest comment of all season 2 with #13)
RR-Thanks
RR: love this forum so much better than the MC forum. There after a few posts nothings related to the show but 100 pages of junk..love this format and ur timely blogs every nite after the show and the respect that everyone show to other’s posts.
Peace out good night.
@RR: To be fair, if tomorrow night’s test is to showcase the recipes you’d be likely to include in your hypothetical cookbook, even I have to say that Jimmy should and will cook Indian food… despite it being one of the enduring mysteries of the show that he made it to the top four.
I’m betting on mincy fiddly food from Claire, curry from Jimmy, something with pastry from Callum, and at least one off-the-wall egg dish from Adam. Plus lots of lubrication in the form of tears and chef sweat, of course!
Yeah and whats up with no homecoming for Courtney(do they only get one per series?
Talk about from the sublime to the ridiculous! From Zumbo cake to dhal dips – yeah, like that’s really a MC finals week test!
Yes, agree with Aussiegal on the Indian ingredients. I don’t why all the fuss – they looked easy ingredients to work with to me – another example of Jimmy’s lack of technique and creativity. Still think he’ll be there on Sunday night, thought. The judges seem very attached to him.
His smug looks at the others while the ingredients were being revealed really got up my nose – so pleased with himself! Glad he was made to look mediocre by the others, but it’s water off a ducks’ back. He really thinks he is in Adam’s or even’s Callum’s class.
Claire really is slappable. This “you just don’t understand me” whine – I can’ just hear her wailing it to her men to make them feel like shit. I almost felt sorry for until she brought that out.
Doesn’t Maggie Beer know Callums Mum? Bit of favouritism there maybe(especially since despite wanting to be a pastry chef he could only recall her sour cream pastry recipe)
Aussiegal – I interpreted it as an attempt to fire Jimmy up so he’ll be a better contestant, rather than a straight-out attempt to insult.
Also, Shannon’s comments about Callum being equivalent to a 2nd/maybe 3rd year apprentice sounded like possibly the most sincere (ie not overblown/faked) praise I’ve heard on the show. If he sticks through an apprenticeship it will be interesting to see where he is in 5-10 years.
AnonyMousse, I got the feeling that MP had to prompt callum to ask for a job … maybe callum has a range of custards he wants to try and flog first? Don’t know why but that sentence sounds dirty.
I also noticed that callum asked for work exp – are these guys serious enough about food to actually take it on as a 4-year trade? Apart from Mazza, who has been studying her gastronomy thingy.
The show has slumped to a cooking version of Hey Hey its Saturday – possibly all are suffering from post try-amata’s crap syndrome. At the moment there is more sizzle in the fed election stakes
Matt P looks like he’s on Prozac, having extra bad hair days and just barely holding out till the climactic speech about some hungry caterpillar becoming the butterfly. His finger bandage might also suggest the Jenny Craig contract has probably been signed.
Gary is really opening up and blowing us away with the revelation he is a greedy fatty- [according to papers today his ex-business partner would tend to agree],
Geo, no need to explain his absence cos he’s done the hard yards and loves his Mum, has opted out to get his dome botoxed for a heavy curry week ahead.
Buzz – yeah, he was definitely prompted, but I presumed that that was at the urging or request of Shannon (otherwise it would have been a bit of a rude thing for Matt to put Shannon on the spot in front of cameras like that).
If Callum’s not sick of cooking after 8 months of filming (especially when, according to all accounts, the only thing they do when they’re not being filmed is practicing cooking at the house) then he’s probably dedicated enough to pursue the apprenticeship.
Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (to coin a phrases)
C EST CONNERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes you guessed it a french chef judge again. how will he judge Indian cuisine? (answer; without a clue and with all the usual bias)
Claire you 1D clown… what about dhal?
Why are they not MADE to use all the ingredients in the mystery box. What a joke. It was no advantage to Jimmy at all, as all the other clowns bar poor Courtney cooked something French! (and then Matt had the hide to say to Adam he was brave! WTBFH? he didnt have the guts to even use the lentils!)
THE french chef gave the game away twice when first he said to Jimmy he would not like his dessert and later when he said to Adam.”he’s cooking something french…that appeals to me”
MANGE DE LA MERDE!!!!
And why dont the judges butt out and not give bucket loads of hints to the contestants (including Jimmy)
And how did they choose the order in which the dishes were tasted? So many embuggerances there its not funny! Y not pull the names out of a hat? Or out of part of your anatomy where the sun don’t shine
then the french chef said to callum ” its got frenchiness…that i like” At least be subtle about it !
And didn’t Adams runny egg look lovely Blurrchh!
Last year i complained about this stupid show that all bar Poh and Chris new nothing about Asian food and that the judges new even less about judging it. NOTHING HAS CHANGED This year they had 2 good Asian contestants and the judges were/are unable to judge their dishes either.
Claire Boo LE Hoo
Finally… All the great dishes Courtney cooked that they showed at the end to try to soften the blow. Wot a Joke. If they were so good why was she going home and the chunder wonder remained to cook more revolting custurds!
To this wretched show all I can say is va te faire foutre trouduc
YES NOT HAPPY JULIA!
Ouch. I don’t even speak French and I guessed (correctly, as Google tells me) what that last line meant.
@sourkraut Not sure whether you’ve only been exposed to Aussie fried eggs but Adam’s poached eggs were cooked perfectly – that’s exactly the consistency they should be. You might not *like* that consistency but that’s the way they should look.
AniM
That’s Not the point!
He did NOT use the lentils, I guess he was cunning enough to know there was a french judge and cooked to what he anticipated (correctly) that he would like. For matt to say that was brave was total crap.
Actually yes Aussie fried egg IS the only way i will eat egg. As i said b4 I even tried the century egg, but i just dont like egg. (I will try any food once, except possibly the BMTS) If that’s a crime sue me and sentence me to eat french food with brussel sprouts for the rest of my life.
sk-adam should have rolled out this recipe for the judges:http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cream-of-Lentil-and-Chestnut-Soup-with-Foie-Gras-Custard-104751
Jimmys offerings looked like babies turds and the ‘ice cream’ slop seemed like an afterthought-not much to have earned all his evil smiles
What really annoyed me was when Jimmy wanders over to see what Callum is cooking and returns to his work station looking so pleased with himself. Like as if Callum could outcook the curry master…well guess what Jimmy! It just goes to show how average Jimmy’s skills are, if the person, he taught to make curry, can make a better curry.
Anon : yes I wondered about Adam’s comment re Jimmy’s mean streak too. Adam didn’t quite look like he was joking – maybe he thinks Jimmy stole his macaron on purpose. Watch your back Adam!
To be completely honest? I am so over Masterchef.
It’s become a joke.
Cooking lentils is a no-brainer. I guess Adam couldn’t bear to lower himself.
Dot’ know what Claire was wetting herself over.
Best line of the show – from Claire: “I hate lentils. They are just so BEIGE”. Coming from the Queen of Beige this was quite the statement.
Claire is now in her element as the only remaining female. But her angst, crying, whinging, eye-lash fluttering is just way over the top and will be reminding many males of their worst-nightmare girlfriend experience. I’m glad MP called her out on her crap for once.
Adam’s efforts tonight while they apparently missed the market little in terms of taste, stood out and confirm that he is the only legitimate contender left in the mix. I also think what he has produced in the last few weeks reflects his high level of intelligence: ability not only to learn new dishes and techniques but to be smart about his choices (French techniques to impress the celebrity chef, prawn-scotch egg invention, etc.).
Agree completely with poster (was it BDD?) who said wasn’t it “convenient” that Jimmy has been kept around long enough to put together this “tough” mystery box challenge!
Hi, does anyone know where i can find Jimmy’s spicy crab curry recipe?
According to his twitter, his posted it up on facebook but i believe his facebook has been deleted.
I’ve been searching endlessly
Completely and utterly off topic…but have y’all seen this new election “advert” put out by Paul Howes and the AWU. No matter which party you support (or not), this is pretty funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNCZw4MTzB0
My understanding is that Callum has NOT been offered an apprenticeship, merely some work experience…for which he does not get paid, but DOES get proper kitchen/chef experience.
and P.S. Courtney cried too- both nights, so ease up on Claire a bit….
Gosh, if Jimmy actually wins this….
He was eliminated once, then basically avoided elimination again in the muppet elimination, and has admitted on-camera that he’s not the best cook left. And he’s been woefully limited all through.
I like that Callum is around a ‘second/third year apprentice’ level. Masterchef? No way.
Um, okay – I didn’t watch, but have a pretty good grasp of what went down thanks to you guys and Twitter.
Thought this piece was interesting: http://www.theage.com.au/national/melbourne-life/twitter-twitter-little-star-20100720-10jkz.html
(Not the Ashton Kutcher bit – scroll down for Courtney). She applied last year but didn’t get through, yet this year she was one of the top five? How is that so, when this year’s crew were so much better than last year’s?
Interesting to see that Jimmy had the advantage and still put up a crap dish. I meant to write this on the previous episode, but to me, none of the contestants deserved to win the V8 challenge. They all put up cakes with serious flaws. They should’ve done it like the CWA challenge and said they were all crap and no-one wins. And then do the mystery box the normal way, with Gary and George or the producers picking the ingredients. As for tonight, I was surprised at how well everyone did, with all the panic and claims of disasters ahead. I thought Jimmy should’ve been eliminated. He had the worst dahl/curry, despite being the curry guru and picking the ingredients plus his dessert was a scoop of ice cream. They criticised Courtney’s dessert but at least there was some presentation and more than one component. She should’ve stayed over Jimmy. She made essentially the same savoury dish, but better. And her dessert had better presentation and more components.
I would’ve really liked to see what Courtney put up in tonight’s challenge, yet now we’re stuck with more bloody curries from Jimmy. Its too predictable.
So lentils are boring and beige Claire…would you say you are kinda like a lentil ?
Did anyone else see Alvin on the 7pm. project?
He was HILARIOUS, very cheeky, had them on the floor.
Awesome summary, I know where I’m going to get updated for the next week. I feel ashamed that the top four contains two of, in my opinion the poorest cooks in the competition, Jimmy and Callum. It’s a shame we don’t have Jonothan and Marian there! Oh well, Adam for the win and even for prime minister. Such a modest easy to love guy.
Injera,
I’m not getting it either. I was prepared to back George’s assertion at the start of the season that these were better cooks than Season 1 but I just can’t have it now. And that Courtney couldn’t make it last year but gets through to the top 5 sort of backs it up. I know she could have been practicing like crazy in that 12 months but still…..
Last year there were more inventive cooks IMO. Chris, Justine, Poh, Aaron, even Julie. This season with the exception of Marion and possibly Adam, the cooks all seem to be very much recipe driven. I’m not seeing any dishes that make me go ‘Wow’ like last year. Have any of the contestants this year come close to something like Poh’s deep fried meringue ?
This last week is becoming a bit meh. I know its the same for all reality shows as there isn’t that diversity of contestants any more to hold our concentration but it would be good if they have a think of revamping the final week format next year. MC have been groundbreakers as far as ‘reality shows’ are concerned so its not beyond them to think of something bold and exciting.
That said, it did have its highest figures for the year last night (just under 2.4 million) so maybe meh is what the viewers want.
Figures are even more impressive considering that debut of ANTM was on Fox last night and generally the same viewers watch both shows. Would be interesting to know how many people IQ’s ANTM last night. Our household certainly did.
@Sourkraut: There’s *never* been a requirement for people to use all ingredients from a mystery box, and the judges usually even make a point of saying that in their intro. Not sure why you’re so steamed that Adam chose not to use lentils.
As for the eggs, you said “And didn’t Adams runny egg look lovely Blurrchh!” That seemed to imply that you thought they weren’t cooked correctly. As I said, you’re perfectly entitled not to want to eat poached eggs but that doesn’t mean that no one should cook them that way!
The problem with Claire’s crying is not that she cries – everyone cries at some point on this show – I want to see Matt Moran cry! The problem with Claire’s crying is the timing.
I must say she gave a masterful performance last night. The tilt of the head, the wan eyes outblinking Blinky Bill’s so prettily, and the delicate rattling of her Shirley Temple curls. And then that huge beam she gave once poor old Courtney got the ouster, which she quickly camouflaged as ‘Oh it’s okay to cry, Courtney’ while hugging the one going home.
It was the most fascinating display of Daddy’s Girl skills I’ve seen outside of primary school. And it worked! (She was probably going to stay over Courts anyway, but she pulled the stunt, a familiar one from her repertoire, timed it well, and it worked!!)
The only thing more fascinating than the machinations of people on reality TV shows is the machinations of people on reality TV blogs. It’s been great here lately! Bizarroworld cubed.
Strategy thoughts:
Excellent strategy from Jimmy tonight, who really did make it as hard as he could for everyone else.
His cooking (who would have thought it) almost let him down, but his strategy was sound. Once again, the optimum strategy in Masterchef isn’t to win, but to not lose. I would disagree with MP that he had a massive advantage and didn’t use it properly – I’d argue that it did EXACTLY what Jimmy wanted – which ws to help him survive into the final four. Safe was good here.
As for the criticism of being one-dimensional, Jimmy’s where he is BECAUSE he’s one dimensional, not in spite of it. Don’t hate the player, hate the system.
Some flashes of strategic thinking from some of the others too.
Seepi had one of the best strategic insights yet, pointing out that Adam’s been practising egg recipes, having realised that eggs are a staple pantry ingredient in every challenge. It has certainly given him an advantage, which has augmented his strong cooking skills.
To my mind Adam has been one of the top strategic players (along with Jimmy and Jono) in this season. Don’t forget that it was Adam’s team pick for the Army challenge that put Marion in a position to fail. Last night he clearly played up to the guest judge, who he (rightly) felt would probably understand French food better than another dhal dish.
Claire’s strategy is misplaced. She’s cried twice now when she’s plated up stuff she’s not happy with. I’m going to give my TV girlfriend the benefit of the doubt here and say the tears are genuine. But as MP pointed out, telling the judges your food is crap BEFORE they eat it is a bit self-defeating. Peter had the better strategy – he could have plated up a dishcloth soiled with Callum’s sweat and he would have still had the same jaunty comment “I’m really happy with the way I’ve worked today, really proud of the dish and I hope you have as much fun eating it as I did wiping Callum’s pimply brow”. Instantly the judges think, “well, this might taste alright then, despite the damp bits”.
That said, Claire’s still here and Peter’s not. I’ve always wondered what the judges would do if, after asking “how would you feel if you went home tonight?”, the contestant said “Gutted Gary. I’m going to run home in the rain, put some Morrisey on the CD player, pour a warm bath and get out the razor blades. And you don’t want that on your conscience, do you?”.
Well, now we know how that strategy works.
Courtney? Gonski from the moment she said she hadn’t thought about the sweet dish. She’s failed at the basic strategy for MC, which is – practice the basics. Adam got this, Courtney didn’t.
Callum – no strategic thinking on display, but didn’t really need to. I rate Callum – he and Claire were my pick for the final four right at the start. As another poster pointed out – HE’S 20!!! And good on him (with some prodding) for getting work experience in a three-hat restaurant. He’ll get a job no problems following this.
As an aside to all this, has anyone noticed the relatively wealthy backgrounds for the final 10 or so? Think about Matthew and Callum – where do you get that sort of exposure to great food and great ingredients unless you or (especially) your parents have the resources to go to great restaurants or buy the best food. Using this yardstick, the two best cooks in the competition are Jake and Courtney. They’ve overcome piss-poor salaries to still be awesome cooks.
Matt,
Re the wealth – think its more that you would only apply to be a contestant if you were either :
a) reasonably financially secure
b) or worked in a position that you felt comfortable taking 8 months off in – ie manager level or above.
As an example, it would be hard for a Mum with 2 kids who works 3 days a week to help with the mortgage, to ever get a gig on Masterchef.
Or a father whose wage is the primary family income.
Thats why most of the contestants don’t have kids.
Most reality show contestants normally skew well off, financially independant, student or unemployed as it is only them who are able to take the necassary time off.
Agree – Courtney and Jake have done very well to get as far as they did as it must have been especially hard for them.
Courtney was just on The Circle, says she is going to start a catering business (after learning more), she’s happy for the top two, she doesn’t know who’s won yet and will find out on Sunday. She said they both put up a good fight. Also commented on Clair’s tears, blamed the ingredients for upsetting everyone. Said they filmed last night around 4 weeks ago.
Surprised that Gary’s concerns @ the tummy-rumbling after-effects of certain food combinations didn’t extend to Adam’s egg and onion affair.
I like food, Sooty, CG: do you think Claire has earnt herself a nickname–The Soggy Lentil?
this morning my little girl asked for lightly toast i overcooked it .before i told her i thought of claire and how she got herself out of trouble . so i went up to my little girl and i have strawberry blond hair (i curled it up a bit beforehand) tilted my head to the left and blubbered that i had let her down and myself and i hope she understood the pressures that i am under . she’s said that’s o’k daddy ,she said ” the toast is bit overcooked but the butter is excellent “. phew dodge a bullet there hee hee hee i said with a sneaky smile, pulled the wool over her eyes . thanks claire !!!!!
I actually liked last night’s episode. We saw every contestant planning their meal, cooking and being judged. And there was some variety in the food: eggs, mousse, dahl, pastries etc.
I’m a bit concerned about Claire actually. She seems to really think she has to stay on masterchef as long as possible – what will she do when it ends. She must understand that if her food isn’t 100%, they can’t let her stay on becuse she ‘really really wants this’.
kingfisher you are hilarious! But you must also accuse your daughter of not getting how much making good toast means to you, and if you can throw in the words “emotional vocabulary” that will give you bonus points.
Seepi – agree. And I almost feel if she makes the last 2, they’d need to give her the victory just so 4 million Australians won’t have to suffer through her blubbering away as runner up and saying ” Oh I’m a failure, I’m devastated, disconsolate blah blah blah.”
There was real tension between Claire and Courtney at the end too I thought. The hug was quite cold and forced.
Claire prepared for Ma$terchef by watching Play Misty For Me 24/7.
Liberty- Not sure about the timeline. Zumbo said the V8 cake episode was filmed 2 weeks ago before it went to air and now Courtney said last night episode was filmed 4 weeks ago.
Liberty-Sorry I just check and manage to get the actual timeline. Courtney was correct and Zumbo lied or gave wrong information. Tomorrow episode was filmed on the 29 June.
Ang 86 @ 49
and other Jimmy haters.
You people must have the most unbelievably phenomenally fantasmagorical senses, of taste and smell, to be able from kilometres and perhaps thousand kilometers away and through closed doors to be able to say Jimmy’s curries are crap!!!!!!!! What are you basing that on? Sight? That wont tell you what food tastes like, it will tell you if it looks blurch (AniM). ( as the jedges are now telling us ( after i educated them about it last year) that its in the taste.I can only conclude you are going by the spin and merde the judges are telling you about the food, and again i still believe that none of them have educated curry palates as they are or APPEAR to be 1 dimensional. If you dont like curries that’s totally fair enough, but please keep the comments backupable.
AniM @ 54
Where did I say “noone should cook eggs that way”? I couln’t give a stuff how people cook their eggs. It was my personal opinion that they looked blurch and i stick to that.
OK you are right about the rules of the mystery box, they dont have to use the given ingredients, but I think for the next MC they should have to. The SO-CALLED monumental advantage Jimmy had under these rules was …Bullsheisse, as the other clowns could avoid using them virtually altogether. As for Claire’s Moose, I think it was an ingredient (by sense of sight only) of the infamous bull moose turd stew.
WANTED
ammunition for a handy dandy jiffy whiffy acme ajax tv bullshit seeking missile. I just ran out. And the ads in between have not reduced the need either!
WANTED
one slightly used TV set. must have bullshit filter (remote controlled) politician crap eliminator, and a channel dedicated to appreciation of french chefery
MasterChef cooks half-baked
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/executive-lifestyle/masterchef-cooks-half-baked/story-e6frg8jo-1225894887593
I’m upset about Courtney being evicted, I liked her,
I’m so SICK of Claire and her manipulative histrionics, stupid princess. I also saw the smile after poor old Courtney got the boot, quickly covered up with fake sympathy. Unfortunately her little award winning actress bullcrap works, the judges lap it up.
I really hope Adam wins, please god.
Shibumi @59
LMAO!
Paul
As a manager of a small but very busy organisation, I can assure you there is no way i could take 8 months off work to appear on a game show
Matt
Paras 2 & 3, I agree and yes it is the system I detest
Disagree with para re Adam’s eggs. I started out really liking him but have gone off him, not sure why (illogical i know). Anyhoo as someone else pointed out, what’s so great abou an egg with minced prawns on the outside?
When will Claire unleash her signature dish…a boiled bunny?
Anonymous (at 30) – interesting question (Doesn’t Maggie Beer know Callum’s Mum?) if the answer is yes. I guess it’s possible as the Barossa Valley is not New York city, so a lot of people would probably know each other. Wonder whether his Mum is in the food game?
AnonyMousse (at 31 and 34) – as I understand it, chef apprenticeships unfortunately pay “peanuts” for long/unsociable hours (currently, something like $7 an hour with little improvement over the 3-4 years involved) so you’ve got to admire those who take it on or had no other choice. A lot of the MC contestants seem to be talking initially more about work experience (eg now suposedly Courtney) so they’re probably still trying to figure out in their own minds whether the food industry is for them compared to the cosy MC kitchen. Anyway, as you say it did look like Callum had to be prompted to ask Shannon about a position (work experience or whatever). Maybe Callum wasn’t too keen on this one, as if Matt P is to be believed didn’t all those big hitter judges in the signature dish cook-off (the short changing plategate episode) last week say they would have Callum working in their restaurants.
Hi sour,
Probably thinking more along the lines of a middle manager in a large organisation – yep definitely impossible for a small business or someone with less than twenty employees
Claire
There would me more people in the world that eat lentils as a main dish than the entire population of Oz!
Even a “slab of meat” lover such as I enjoys the occasional pot of lentils. Some people in fact would love to be able to get a regular pot of lentils. Dont be elitist!
Pluck a duck
first para … GOOD POINT will be interesting to see, however i think she has far more integrity than to play faves
Imagine if people cried like Claire out in the real world.
Can you imagine going to a restaurant and having the chef come out to your table to say “you just don’t understand me” and burst into tears before you’ve even taken your first mouthful?
“Can you imagine going to a restaurant and having the chef come out to your table to say “you just don’t understand me” and burst into tears before you’ve even taken your first mouthful?”
haha. I should totally try this on at work (am a nurse), see where it gets me. Yeah RIGHT. I’d get kicked to the kerb for sure.
sourkraut – her comments annoyed me as I grew up in northern NSW with hippy parents and not a lot of money, I lived on lentils and nuts etc when I was a kid, still do. In fact, I make a mean vegetarian red lentil cottage pie with chillies, spices and sweet potato, it may not be Masterchef material but it’s tasty and healthy!
Emma – are you sure we are not twins I grew up in Northern NSW’s on lentils and nuts, oh and many moons ago I used to be a nurse. But I cannot cook a red lentil cottage pie.
Pluck a Duck – I agree with what you say about apprentices, but going to uni you don’t even get $7 an hour, so you have to look at it that way. But once you finish he as a qual/trade. BTW apprentice pays more then being a blogger.
Matt – I like your socio-economic theory and it has some validity. Also it would be difficult to take 8 months off, then add on another month for post show publicity. We see three and a half months worth and think that is it. There is no way I could take that much time out of my ‘real’ life, for financial, and other reasons.
Though I just read on twitter that The Amazing Race might be coming to Australia. I am so going to apply. And expect superscrag! Ok toodles guys I am off to learn how to bungee jump then will be eating pigs testicles for dinner.
Claire must have misread what happened on last year’s show – what with Chris B balling Julia Jenkins. Hey, Claire! Wrong type of ‘bawling’. Get with the program, love! No wonder this season is so tedious.
gotta way with the burnt toast now the missus is angry at me so again i tried the claire crybabydoll routine scrunch my strawberry blond her tilted my head to the left put my cute little face on then blubbered and then tell her you don’t understand about how much pressure i am in this relationship , and meekly look up to her then
gotta way with the burnt toast now the missus is angry at me so again i tried the claire crybabydoll routine scrunch my strawberry blond her tilted my head to the left put my cute little face on then blubbered and then tell her you don’t understand about how much pressure i am in this relationship , and meekly look up to her then BAM HIT WITH A JAMIE OLIVER FRYING PAN !!!!! blood everywhere where are those bloody paper towels when you need one . thanks claire!!!!
Sourkraut- The judges said that Jimmy’s curry wasn’t as good as Callum or Courtney’s and he’s supposed to be the the expert. He may well be a good curry cook but he just doesn’t have enough versatility to be the winner. He didn’t make the best cake on Monday, he just made the least worst.
I’m really glad Adam got through and agree with the Daddy’s little girl comment in regards to Claire. It’s very apt!
Equivalent of a second or third year apprentice ..welder.
overheard at MC kitchen’s cleaners meeting last night –
Curry still on the menu? Yeah its going to be a long week, double the orders of toilet paper and get in some industrial freshners and pleeeease someone sure up Matt Ps dunny seat as its going to get thrashed
Bidets that blow out yoghurt would help,too.
maybe they could both make the show sustainable and save time and just put roti on the toilet rolls
Handee Ultra Fouls
I now get the ‘world of pain’ given Jimmy’s being doing all the cooking and training in the house
Jimmy’s trying to weaken and dehydrate his rivals by stealth.
LOL.
You guys are awesome.
polly, brain dead and the Culinary Boner,
When MC is all over, where am I going to get my daily dose of laughs?
re: Australian article (#70) interesting that Ian Curley of the European made those comments. My friend went to the European for dinner last week and Claire was dining that night too (along with her partner, who my friend and I went to school with!)
@Beck: Claire gossip, get your Claire gossip right here, hot off the presses http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/confidential/sparkler-turns-up-the-heat/story-e6frf96x-1225894762239
The thing that was most annoying about Claire’s sobbing was that she was saying “you guys don’t get me and why I’m here” and “I wanted my food to do the talking” when it was so clear that her food WASN’T able to say anything, and if they haven’t got why she’s there by now, she’s not really doing a good job of all at expressing it.
And why did she just plop that mousse on the plate, instead of in a little dish?
why the big “downer” on Claire?? I find Jimmy’ s smugness and endless curries far more annoying than Claire’s foibles. and damn straight, she cooked better than Courtney last night- so tears or no tears, Claire deserved to stay. Her dessert was excellent and so was her mousse. her sauce was not. so- 1 thing worng, Courtney got her dahl right, but both her pakora and dessert were wrong.so-2 things wrong. ergo- she left. and don’t forget- Courtney cried the night before last.
Girls cry…deal!!!!
Poor Jimmy, his curries have become like a Workchoices albatross around his neck.
His parents were in the audience on Ready,Steady ,Cook this afternoon. They’ve suffered enough.
I concluded a few weeks ago that the primary aim of the show is to serve as a long, money-spinning PR campaign for a gimmicky cookbook. I believe the producers decide early on (around the top 20 mark perhaps?) who is going to “win”, and the judges don’t really get a lot of say. Perhaps bringing people back into the competition is the only opportunity for sabotage that they really get.
For Jimmy’s mystery box choices, I personally believe he went easy on them. He chose ingredients that easily allowed for many variations for both sweet and savoury, and anyone with some culinary knowledge shouldn’t have found it the “horrible”, “difficult” “nightmare” his co-contestants did. If it was really so hard for them, they don’t deserve to be there.
I do get sick of the patronising comments that get made about Jimmy and Indian food generally, as if “only” cooking curries means you are a cook with little knowledge or skill. Curries are incredibly varied and do require a great understanding of flavour and a substantial amount of skill to prepare when made entirely from scratch.
surprised no one commented about Gary ordering callum to mop the sweat off his face
KID – why would the producers have decided back at the top 20 that any of the now remaining contestants were the right choice for a cookbook and thus were going to be fast-tracked through? Adam was barely even shown on camera or interviewed in the first few weeks of the competition, from memory, so if they planned for him to be there they mustn’t have told their editors.
If I was a producer looking to fudge the results and make the most profits from a cookbook, I would have got them to put Marion in more elimination challenges Jono-style to make her look vulnerable (and thus not a sure-win) before letting her win the whole lot – I wouldn’t have picked Callum/Adam/Claire/Jimmy instead. Perhaps I just don’t understand Evil Producer logic, though.
@KID The negative comments about Jimmy only cooking curries are not belittling curries or the skill it takes to cook them but rather reflecting that you’d hope that someone called “Australia’s MasterChef” would be able to cook a variety of cuisines and use a variety of techniques. The cake challenge is really about the first other type of cooking in which we’ve seen Jimmy succeed. Everyone obviously has a cuisine they’re most interested in and comfortable with but you’d hope that in a competition they’d show a variety of skills and dishes. That mostly was not the case with Jimmy.
KID
Spot On!
AniM
you still have not told me how apert from the boofheads on the judging panel you hav worked out your comments on Jimmy’s cooking.
And if you are still looking for Oz best amacha chef on MC, I believe you are sadly misguided. but I could have told you that at the end of last year when Chris B got robbed of the title.
Anyhoo a good curry should always burn twice. I hope matt and co are squirming. maybe 10 will supply gas masks
@Sourkraut ??? I never said anything about the quality of Jimmy’s cooking, I was just talking about comparative judging, variety, and challenges .
Angel 86
If he made the least worst cake, wot does that say about the ability of the others? Perhaps he did not include ingredients such as “sweat from brows” and “Tears from cheek” . Perhaps those ingredients made for a “bitter” taste in the other “cakes” and allowed him to be least worst. i would have loved to see him put some chilli in it just to clear the judges, especially dumbos sinuses.
Best amacha chefz in OZ wot a joke!
Georges eating habits disgusting. Can someone teach him to use a knife and fork properly
[...] go missing overboard each year, so it is not beyond the realm of possibility that one contains chilli, besan flour, a bottle of muscat, lentils and gorgonzola. There are no seasons in the supermarket’s fluorescent glare, nor real ethical objection to [...]
Leave a Comment