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It’s MasterChef, not MasterBait!

When the 'MasterChef' Top 9 had to create stunning dishes involving sea urchin, or uni, it was sink or swim time. Find out who had the fresh catch of the day and whose dishes failed to hook the judges.

- Season 3, Episode 11 - "Top 9 Compete"

This week’s episode of MasterChef had an exotic feel to it – certainly more so than in weeks past in which the contestants created stunning dishes out of commonplace desserts or concoctions prepared with a pizza stone. The Mystery Box Challenge tonight required the top 9 contestants to use their creativity working with none other than the spiky sea urchin, also referred to as uni.

Because the sea urchin has poisonous spines, it must be handled with care. Chef Gordon Ramsay gave a quick demonstration on how to remove the edible part of the sea urchin (which seemed rather icky in my opinion) in a process very much like what I would anticipate brain surgery must be like for a surgeon. I was extremely nervous for Christine because she couldn’t watch the demonstration, but she seemed relatively at ease after she felt the incision hole with her hands. She never ceases to amaze me with her natural talents and extraordinary cooking instincts.

Many interesting dishes were created using the sea urchin, with the top three being Felix’s uni and pea risotto, Josh’s handmade pasta and Stacey’s rock shrimp sushi with uni aioli. What I especially liked this week was that this challenge proved it really is still anyone’s competition to win. Felix hadn’t been in the top three of a Mystery Box Challenge since the early weeks of the competition, and neither Josh or Stacey had ever been up there to my recollection.

Joe called Stacey the “dark horse of this competition,” praising her for her expertise with her sushi-rolling, while Josh was praised for his instincts to roll a lighter form of pasta with the uni instead of a heartier fettuccine. However, it was Felix who took the Mystery Box Challenge title and therefore got to hand-select which fresh fish everyone would be working with in the Elimination Test that followed.

Felix made a bold move when she decided she wanted a challenge, giving herself a medium-to-difficult fish to work with when she chose the halibut. It was apparent she has no respect for Monti, saying she clearly memorizes recipes and doesn’t have as much passion in the kitchen as the rest of the contestants. She gave Monti one of the harder fishes to cook, the really ugly John Dory. She also gave Frank and Becky difficult fish to fry – catfish and rockfish respectively – in an effort to take out whom she perceived to be her biggest competition. She gave Tali, Christine and Josh much easier fish in comparison – arctic char, salmon and sardines.

However, Felix’s calculated moves ended up backfiring on her when Monti and Becky both rose to the challenge and cooked their dreadful-looking fish to perfection. Frank proved once again why he is one of my favorites in the competition, as he prepared an Indian fried catfish that looked and apparently tasted delicious. Felix struggled with her poached halibut, which the chefs called “overcooked” and “dry.” But Felix was not in the bottom three dishes, which ended up being David’s deviled yellowtail, Tali’s arctic char with green lentils and Christine’s “pedestrian” baked salmon with rice and vegetables.

I felt really bad for Christine. Her dish didn’t look or sound all that bad to me. I guess I understood what the chefs were saying, that it lacked that certain finesse her dishes usually have but it was definitely not the worst dish of the night and the judges agreed, sending her quickly back to her station. I’m really over David’s fumbling excuses – he always seems to be whining about something. In my opinion, he barely skates by week after week and I don’t anticipate him lasting in this competition much longer.

I was happy to see Tali finally go home, although I will miss his comic relief. When he compared himself to a frustrated Picasso who was constantly being interrupted in his creative process by Gordon Ramsay, I about fell off the couch. Did he really just compare himself to the Picasso of the culinary world? Apparently they just failed to recognize Tali’s creative genius by being “too old school.” The judges said his dish utilized the wrong technique, the wrong flavors and the wrong ingredients. I’m clearly no expert, but that sounded like an awful lot of wrongness to me. I did think his uni shooters seemed very colorful and creative looking when plated, but I’m not sure how they tasted.

Maybe Tali was a misunderstood genius. The world may never know. But one thing I’m over in this competition is Becky. I really hope she doesn’t win because I can’t stand her “it’s all about me” attitude. And I really don’t understand why they all give Monti so much crap when she consistently out-performs them all with her rustic comfort foods. I hope Monti makes Becky and Felix eat crow before the competition is over, but then again, I like rooting for the underdog.

Memorable Quotes:

“It’s MasterChef, not MasterBait!” – Gordon Ramsay

“Why don’t they see the genius that’s in front of them?” – Tali

Photo Credit: Shine (Aust) Pty Ltd.

8 Responses to “It’s MasterChef, not MasterBait!”

July 10, 2012 at 11:10 AM

The lead-in picture to this week’s review is most disgusting. That said, Monti (Carlo) is emerging as the dark horse in this race. Becky is about as likeable as Tali. Where do these people acquire such conceit? Hope she’s out ASAP. Christine seems to be faltering. Perhaps the pressure is getting to her?

My final three prediction, as of today, are: Monti, Frank and Josh.

July 10, 2012 at 12:06 PM

I’m not ready to count Christine completely out yet. She had a bad week, it happens to the best of us. I still think she is one of the most consistent chefs on the show. I am predicting Christine, Monti & Frank as the top three. I like Josh, but I like Christine better. Really though I will be happy with anyone in the top three other than Becky…her ego wouldn’t leave much room for two other competitors.

July 10, 2012 at 2:23 PM

Pretty stupid that they take Tali out over David, who served them a frozen piece of fish. When does Top Chef come back on? The manipulation and editing of these Ramsay competitions is kind of wearing on me.

July 10, 2012 at 2:58 PM

Tali has been a total disappointment, to the chefs, not me. I hated his attitude and conceit. He deserved to go last night. He got a break when he was up against his buddy, Ryan and wasn’t cut. David did show some talent early on but he’s faltering of late. He’s short lived with the remaining contestants and could be the next one to go.

July 11, 2012 at 11:09 AM

I get that, but the whole point of this show is that they go based on individual dishes, not overall performance. Tali survived to this point and didn’t put up the worst dish; ergo, he shouldn’t have been sent home this time.

July 10, 2012 at 7:13 PM

Not surprised Tali was finally sent packing. He believes himself to be a food artist who is misunderstood by those fancy chefs and old school training. His genius is just misunderstood (remember “madness before brillance”comment?). :-)

Monti is talented but I do wonder whether she is running a game. She has obvious talent (and despite the criticism from Becky and others) rises to meet challenges. Gordon calls her a freak for a reason. She comes across as someone who seems scattered, unfocused, and unable to compose herself but yet can produce some excellent dishes.

David lost it sometime ago. Has not produced anything memorable. Destined to go soon.

As for the final group: Stacey, Frank, Christine. I think Stacey has the edge over Monti in terms of creativity. And yes like the others hoping Becky will not make it.

July 11, 2012 at 8:05 AM

Sometimes the flightiest, craziest people are also the most creative. I wouldn’t count Monti completely out yet, though I do like Stacey too.

“You’re insane, but you might also be brilliant.” – Danny DeVito in Man on the Moon

July 11, 2012 at 9:11 PM

Really hoping Christine isn’t sent home next week. Since in the preview its a “heartbreaking elimination” and she is the only contestant everyone on the show loves. Other than that, so glad Tali is gone. That kid is legit insane, likens himself to a culinary Van Gogh as if he is on another level. I guess he has never heard of molecular gastronomy, which is the “other level”.

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