Jess and Poh have been consistently good in the last few challenges on Masterchef AU Back to Win. (Photo: Jess Liemantara, Poh Ling Yeow/Instagram)
MasterChef Australia Back to Win has been on for six weeks now. With only 13 contestants left in the competition, the biggest season of the reality show has gotten viewers way more invested than ever before, and that’s all because of the glorious contestants this year. And with half the journey done, this seemed like a crucial week for the show.
The sixth week of MasterChef Australia kicked off with a shocking elimination. Hayden Quinn (Season 3) got eliminated in a world cuisine and flavour combination challenge and, in my opinion, this was the biggest shock of the week. Hayden was a strong competitor in his season, and this year too, he was seen as a strong contender.
Not just this, Ben Ungermann’s (Season 9) exit from the competition left the viewers confused, especially because he was one of the prominent frontrunners this year. While we were told that this was due to a personal commitment, it has been widely reported that Ben’s involvement in a legal suit led to his exit.
The team challenge this week had the contestants being split into two teams – sweet vs savoury. It was shocking to see Reynold falter with his cake in a challenge that had his name written all over it. This was after he went out of the way to create that visually stunning apple pie dish. But where Reynold faltered, Jess came through with flying colours. She wowed in the team challenge and also became the only person to win immunity twice. So far, the show has established Reynold and Jess as the people who are ruling over the pastry section but lately, Jess seems to be winning the race.
The second elimination of the week saw Sarah Clare (Season 10) leave after Peter Gunn’s Black Box challenge. However, this was a close call between the two Sarahs. Sarah Tiong was saved by a whisker which reminded me that it was just last week when we had discussed her golden streak so far.
The mystery box challenge saw Shannon Martinez put up a vegan challenge for the contestants. Reece, Simon, Jess and Poh came out on top.
This week got me thinking that Laura, who came in second during her season, hasn’t had a bad dish in this season so far. After a few mishaps with time management, Poh has also found her groove, proving why she is one of the most loved MasterChef alumnae. The next week will see them battle it out for Top 10 and if we know anything about MasterChef, we know that the show will now shift into its next gear.
MasterChef Australia Back to Win is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.