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Heaven and Hell Week saw the contestants all fired up
with the first Mystery Box challenge of the week.
One Mystery Box from Heaven
containing the judges' favourite ingredients
like fig and Wagyu,
and one Mystery Box from Hell
containing Adriano Zumbo's feared Macaron Tower of Terror!
The contestants had to work in pairs
and they had to choose which Mystery Box they were going to cook with
before finding out what ingredients they contained.
I think the contestants that really backed themselves and their ability
to create an impressive dish without having to follow a recipe
chose the Mystery Box from Heaven.
But surprisingly, it was these pairs, that got to cook their own dish,
that ended up in an elimination!
Dan and Kelty did not work together very well at all.
And they took way too long to decide what they were going to cook
and in the end created a dish
that looked like it could have been whipped up in around 15 minutes.
Whereas Lucy and Pip, they destroyed their Wagyu
by serving it with a lemon thyme butter
when Wagyu beef is already so rich and buttery.
But I was super impressed with Liliana's ability
to create the best macarons of any MasterChef contestant ever!
Now, I don't know what Callum from Series 2 would have to say about that
but Samira and Liliana's Macaron Tower was almost perfect.
Unfortunately for Dan, Kelty and Lucy and Pip,
their dishes were far from it
and all four had to face the next Elimination Challenge.
Guest chef and judge Ian Curley definitely lives up to his name
by throwing the contestants a "curley" Elimination Challenge
split into two rounds.
In the first round, two people will be safe.
And in the second round will be a head-to-head battle.
Close friends, Lucy and Pip, decide that it would be the worst thing
if they were to cook against each other in the second round.
But it seems as though they decided their fate too soon
and both of their dishes are deemed to be the worst in the first round.
Lucy has accidentally cooked her steak tartare in lemon juice
when the beef is supposed to be served raw.
And Pip, well, she accidentally forgets to put half her dish
on the plate!
Ahh!
Both girls burst into tears and get very, very emotional
and I definitely know how they feel
because it does feel like the contestants in the competition
become your family even though you're cooking against them.
But the girls have to pull it together
because the second round, to cook a classic bombe alaska, awaits.
Pip's face drops when she realises
that, well, Lucy's strength is desserts
and even though she's determined not to give up
and that she's going to cook with all her heart,
it's her over-whipped meringue that sends her home.
Now, I feel so sorry for Pip
because the reason why her meringue doesn't work
is because she's listening to the others up on the balcony
telling her to keep whipping her meringue
when she thinks that it doesn't need it.
What a hard way to learn that you should trust your own instincts
instead of listening to others.
This week's Team Challenge is a deliciously wicked task
as the contestants have to cook up seven courses
representing the 7 Deadly Sins
for 70 university students.
My favourite, Rishi, leads the Red team
with the plan to divide and conquer the Blue team led by Neha.
Now, it's pretty obvious that Rishi is the stronger leader out of the two
as Neha is getting stomped on by all the big personalities in her team
like Kelty, Noelene and Jules,
and somehow the Red team's fish dish
starts off as being French inspired to be served with a beurre blanc,
a potato gratin, which sounds really good,
but ends up being served with an Asian dressing,
no beurre blanc and potatoes!
Definitely one of the worst dishes of the series.
But, on the other hand, I think I've just put on five kilos
just by thinking about Jules' incredible roast pork
which represents gluttony for the Red team
and also Emma's divine chocolate cake
with baked chocolate custard and orange sauce
representing envy for the Blue team.
I'm definitely envious of anyone that got to eat that!
Now, in the end, it's a close call,
but it's Rishi's chilli poppers, that represent wrath,
that almost killed George,
that end up winning the challenge for the Red team.
And it seems to me that the Red team have won
every single Team Challenge this season.
Well, it seems as though the Red team are being just a little bit greedy.
(LAUGHS)
It's just another day in the office for Kelty
as he seems to be in every single elimination.
But today he's cooking against some particularly strong cooks
from the Blue team
with the challenge to cook from your heart
and to cook a dish that represents you.
It's all very emotional as the contestants share their life stories
and what inspires them to cook.
I've even got a few tears in my eyes
as Noelene speaks about her dad's past in the war.
And I admire Jules so much.
She's got an incredibly generous spirit
and she's fostered 29 children.
Now, all the contestants cook with their heart on their plates
and they create some of the best dishes of the series
and also the biggest!
Noelene has cooked an entire pig's head
and Samira has made a meze platter that looks amazing
and is big enough to feed an entire army!
The judges have their work cut out for them in this challenge
as each dish means so much to the contestants.
But I'm super happy for Jules as she's created the best curry
that George has ever eaten!
And Lucy has made the best crackling according to Gary
and we all know how much Gary loves his crackling.
But unfortunately for Liliana,
it's her rainbow cake, that looks so pretty and so fun,
that misses the mark for the judges and she is sent home.
But Liliana can leave with her head held high.
I think she's created some really good dishes this series,
plus her family now get to enjoy her gorgeous cakes and macarons again.