MasterChef: 8 Chefs Compete - Again

Childhood pictures

Grilled cheese and tomato soup

Can Christian please leave?

Everyone is still in shock that no one [Christian] was sent packing on last night's MasterChef. Christian is uber excited and yelling "Top 8 Motherf-ers!" This I do not understand because 1) he was in the top 8 yesterday and wasn't as excited and 2) top 8 is such a random thing to cheer about - top 10, top 5, top 2, I get, but 8?

The first contest is a Mystery Box challenge. OOOOOH! This mystery box does not contain the answers to why Suzy is wearing a stupid hat, but does contains: live jumbo shrimp and crawfish, Alaskan King Crab, buffalo rib eye, short ribs and a dry aged porterhouse steak. Surf and turf time! Ramsey requests something magical:

Not this magical.

Christine seems frazzled as usual. "Her mind isn't here today," Jennifer says. She's right, Christine seems drunk. There's an 87.2% chance she is.

In an amazing turn of events it's only eight minutes in and there have been 3 Tracy sightings! But she has yet to be allowed to talk. Maybe later. It's now time for the ubiquitous MasterChef cookwear shout out: the new all steel MasterChef pan has no PTFEs on them! A-mazing! Thanks Graham, I hope you are getting some royalties from the cookware's sales.

Since with mystery box challenges they judges only try three dishes, they choose:

Adrien's braised short ribs and crab salad;

Suzy's prawn bisque and - Ack! Interruption! Tracy gets to talk and uses that time to put down Suzy! I like it! - bison with pan gravy; and

Jennifer's risotto with short ribs and crab.

 

Adrien's is decidedly delicious but not quite magical:

Adrien.

Suzy's dish needs some seasoning but is also deemed delicious. When Jennifer is called up as one of the top three dishes Christian is pissed. Her risotto gets rave reviews and Gordon Ramsey invites Christian to come taste Jennifer's dish. "Very good - I've had better," he spits out. Ramsey puts him in his place and once again he walks back pouting like a child. 

Find out who the winner of the challenge and what the elimination challenge is after the jump!

Jennifer wins! Christian grunts.

Jennifer gets to pick what the elimination challenge will be for the remaining chefs. The challenge offers the judge's three favorite childhood dishes to choose from: pizza, macaroni and cheese, and tomato soup with grilled cheese. While describing the choices to Jennifer the judges all show off their childhood photos and they were all much more adorable then than they are now - by far. Jennifer ends up picking the soup and grilled cheese for all the cheftestants to cook. I am pleased.

When the chefs make it back from the pantry they are greeted with 8x11s of their own childhood photos. If there is something that would motivate me to make a great soup and sandwich combo is would surely be a picture of me with awkward bangs and buck teeth. 

After a sweat, tears, earth, wind and fire filled 45 minutes the judging begins:

Suzy sliced open her hand during the challenge and had to start over with 15 minutes left. She literally shit in her pants. Which means it happened- cause that's what literal means. She presents a three G (gruyere, goat and gouda) grilled cheese with red peppers and a chunky bacon, red pepper, and tomato soup cooked with bourbon.  The judges love it. 

Adrien made a creamy tomato soup with a foie gras and honey grilled cheese with manchego cheese. He gets criticism for using too much cream and pairing the soup with the foie gras. 

Christian presents the judges a lobster and tomato soup and another foie gras grilled cheese with prosciutto.

They're kind of meh towards it and Christian thinks it must be because they hold him to a higher standard.

 

Ben Starr's soup is a disaster and considers tripping so that the judges don't have to try his sad, thin soup. What did they judges think? Well, here is Ben imitating the face that Gordon Ramsey made after tasting it:

No bueno.

Tracy (whose judging gets shown this week!) made a Mediterranean tomato style soup with a pancetta and fontina grilled cheese. Gordon Ramsey loves the soup and once again I think she may be the sleeper of the show.

Jennifer presents a lobster grilled cheese with an heirloom and plum tomato soup with chipotle chiles she stewed in. The judges like the spice:

Derrick prepared a roasted tomato soup with gorgonzola in the soup! Even I know gorgonzola is too strong of a flavor for the soup. His sandwich is too diner-like for the judges. How dare he?

Finally, Christine presents her green heirloom tomato soup with a goat, provolone, and bacon open faced grilled cheese. It's a bad combo overall.

The second best dish of the night goes to Tracy! Suzy ends up winning with her bloody soup and Christine has the line of the night in her reaction, "I don't think she's the one to beat, she's the one I want to beat up." That makes me think of this.

Christine, Derrick and Ben Starr are in the bottom three with BOTH crazy Christine and Derrick going home. He seems gracious in his loss while Christine says she will kick everyone's ass one day.

Based on the preview, next week everyone will be crying. Hooray tears (and cooking).

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