by Todd Betzold

 

It's team challenge time on MasterChef, as the competitors head to London West Hollywood to cook hors d'oeuvres for a Hollywood party. For this challenge, the two teams will have 90 minutes to make a total of 300 vegetable, beef and dessert appetizers for the party guests. The team with the most votes wins and the losing team faces the pressure test.

 

Having had the two best dishes in the last elimination test, Ben and Christian are team captains and get to choose their teams. Ben chooses Suzy, Tracy, Jennifer, Esther and Christine. Christian chooses Adrien, Alejandra, Derrick, Giuseppe and Erryn.

 

The two teams go at it with two different approaches, as Ben and the Blue Team work in a democratic way, as he gives the reins over to the women and let them all make decisions on the menu and Christian makes all the decisions for the Red Team, as a dictator would.

 

Chef Ramsay calls over Ben and Christian to discuss the menus and discovers that both teams are making two similar hors d'oeuvres for the vegetable and dessert option. He is not happy with this, seeming all the ingredients available in the kitchen, but they both stick with their original ideas.

 

We have Suzy cooking the gazpacho for the Blue Team and Adrien cooking it for the Red Team. Adrien is making a duo gazpacho, so Suzy with her arrogance is upset he is one-upping her.

 

For the meat appetizer, the Red Team is taking a big chance when Christian decides to serve up raw meat, but he is running the show, so Derrick gets to making what he is demanding...raw meat, but using a blowtorch to give it the torched effect. Christine is cooking up the meat for the Blue Team and after her victory in the pressure test against Max, she is confident she can cook the meat.

 

Meanwhile, Esther is struggling hardcore with the dessert for the Blue Team. She screws up the dough the first two times, but with only 30 minutes left, she takes a third attempt. Giuseppe is having no issues with his dessert for the Blue Team, so it could come down to this appetizer to decide it all.

 

Third time was the charm for Esther, as she is successful with the dough. However, the filling for the dough is a disaster and they have six minutes to come up with a dessert....fresh berries it is!

 

The teams get ready to serve and Chef Ramsay points out the Blue Team's last-minute dessert is the worst dish he has ever seen on MasterChef and the worst dish to ever leave his kitchen...seems like an obvious win for the dessert portion to the Red Team.

 

After we see the guests trying out the hors d'oeuvres and mixed results on all three of them, the judges announce the results of the votes. For the vegetable course, the Red Team's Gazpacho Duo takes 64 percent of the vote over the Blue Team's Tomato Mint Gazpacho. For the meat, Christine and the Blue Team's Mini Beef Wellington took 100 percent of the vote over the Red Team's Beef Tartare. I guess the raw meat did not go over well at all!

 

So, it is down to the dessert...in what seems like an obvious win by the Red Team, but the vote showed different. Chef Ramsay announces it was by a narrow margin and with 53 percent of the vote, the Red Team's Berry and Mascarpone Tart was victorious and a loss for Ben and the Blue Team.

 

Time for the Pressure Test...this week, the losing team is to create a layered cake in two hours, with a minimum of six layers to the cake. The point of this test is to have perfect construction and presentation of the cake, along with an amazing taste to that cake.

 

After we see struggles from all the competitors, up first is Ben, who comes up crying with his Pumpkin Carrot Cake with Creamed Cheese and Candied Hazelnuts. He states that this is the first time he had the ingredients to show the judges who he was as a chef and it made him happy. Well, he did not disappoint as Chef Ramsay said it was absolute magic on a fork and Graham had to pause to comment because his mouth just had an orgasm. It was a touching moment for Ben...go grab some tissues!

 

Suzy is next with her Canache and Pecan Cake with Chantilly Cream and Raspberry. For this cake, Suzy took it over-the-top. Joe said there was too much going on and it tasted disgusting. Suzy even stated she was served a humble pie today and that some people may be better than her.

 

Good cakes from Tracy and Jennifer, but then Esther brings down the mood with her Lemon Raspberry Cake. Graham said it was very, very sweet... almost too sweet and Chef Ramsay said it looked like it was put together in a panic.

 

Christine and her swearing ways brings her cake up last, which was an Apricot Berry Cake with Hazelnut Liqueur. Joe said it seemed kind of sweet on sweet and there was no contrast and it was boring. Chef Ramsay said the sponge was perfect, but the cake is lacking.

 

So, all six competitors are brought before the judges. Tracy, Jennifer and Ben are told they are safe and can join the Red Team up top. Chef Ramsay tells Christine that all three judges are proud of her and how she handles herself in the pressure tests and that she is safe. So, we are down to Suzy (did too much with the cake) and Esther (she looked panicked and lost during the test). Having not dealt well with the pressure, Esther is sent home and Suzy survives another week.

 

 

MasterChef airs Monday at 9/8c on Fox.

 

(Image courtesy of Fox)

 

 

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