MasterChef Season 16 Episode 4

After another great round of auditions last week, which also taught me a lot about African Cuisine, it was time for the final round of auditions with contestants representing The Americas! To clarify, when I say The Americas, I mean every part of it. The United States, South America, Venezuela, Mexico, Barbados, and Jamaica. 

Much like the other three Audition Episodes, the judges gave out five aprons among eight home cooks that were auditioning, except these were the last five aprons of the whole competition. 

The first home cook auditioning was Tkaiya, who was from Jamaica, New York and was representing the island of Jamaica. The dish that she chose to make was Pineapple Glazed Jerk Chicken with Sweet Potato Puree. This is absolutely a dish that I would be willing to try. I mean seriously, have a look at it below. 

When she finished plating her dish, there was just one problem. She forgot to plate the Pineapple Glaze. 

The judges immediately commented that the dish looked great, with Chef Ramsay saying that he loved that she kept the Chicken on the bone, it had great color and a great sear, and the Puree looked finessed. Chef Tiffany Derry also said that it smelled so fragrant, which is what you want with Jerk Chicken. Chef Ramsay then said that the Chicken was cooked beautifully and tasted great, but he was looking for a respite in the form of something sweet like a glaze to counteract the heat. Tiffany then said that she was told that there was a Pineapple Glaze on the dish, but she couldn’t taste it, to which Tkaiya explained that she accidentally forgot it. In a surprising turn of events, Tiffany said that she was actually happy that the Glaze was not part of the dish, as it would have ruined the Crispy Skin on the Chicken. 

In the end, all three judges were a “Yes,” meaning that Tkaiya had won the first apron of the episode.

The next home cook auditioning for an apron was Coby, who was from Lafayette, Louisiana and was representing Cajun Cuisine. The dish that he made was Alligator Sauce Piquant with Smothered Cabbage. Yes, you read that correctly. People actually cook and eat Alligator. I don’t know about you guys, but it would take A LOT of convincing before I even thought about eating Alligator. If you’re curious as to what the dish looked like, here it is.

Joe Bastianich said that the dish looked like it was going to be full flavored, the Rice looked good, and the dish was presented in an elegant way. When they started eating it, Chef Ramsay said that he respected him for attempting to cook Alligator, but it tasted bland and needed more Sauce and more Gravy, which meant that Coby did not win an apron.

The next home cook auditioning for an apron was Camilo, who was from Texas and was representing Mexico. The dish that he made was a Grilled Achiote Rubbed Quail with Roasted Corn Salsa and Avocado Smash. I would have to think about it for a while before I decided to have Quail. If you’re curious what the dish looked like, here it is.

Tiffany immediately said that she loved the caramelization on the Quail and the textures on the plate with the Corn. Chef Ramsay then added that Quail is one of the hardest birds to cook, as if it’s 30 seconds overcooked, it’s dry and tasteless, and if it’s undercooked, there was no chance he would be getting an apron. The judges cut into it, and saw that it was cooked perfectly. They all liked the dish, and while Joe and Gordon were both a “Yes,” Tiffany initially said that she was wondering if Smashed Avocados and Corn Salsa was enough to represent Mexico, before admitting that she was also a “Yes,” giving Camilo the second apron of the episode. 

The next home cook auditioning for an apron was Harold, who was from Austin, Texas and was representing Venezuela. The dish that he made was Arroz Con Pollo, which for those of you who don’t know, means Rice With Chicken. I would absolutely be willing to try this dish, I mean just have a look at it below.

Unfortunately, as good as it looked, when the judges cut into the Chicken, it was raw, so this meant that Harold didn’t win an apron.

The next home cook auditioning for an apron was Jhanelle, who was from Savannah, Georgia and was representing Jamaica. The dish she made was Pan Seared Sea Bass with Jamaican Spiced Broth and Caramelized Butternut Squash. Even though I love Butternut Squash and would be willing to try a Jamaican Spiced Broth, I do not think I would ever want to try Sea Bass. If you want to see what the dish looks like, here’s a picture of it. 

Unfortunately, the Sea Bass was undercooked, and the Broth was way too salty, so Jhanelle did not win an apron. 

The next home cook auditioning for an apron was Brittany, who was from Los Angeles and was representing Barbados. Here’s an interesting fact about her: She’s a wrestler. The reason why I am saying this is because what happened next was quite possibly the weirdest thing I have ever seen on this show, as she and Joe started doing some wrestling moves on each other. Yes, you read that correctly. It was also quite possibly the most energy Joe ever showed at any point in time during the show. 

After that weirdness, she presented her dish, which was Salted Cod Fish Cakes with Scotch Bonnet-Garlic Aioli and Apple-Fennel Slaw. I don’t know about you guys, but I would be willing to try this dish. I mean, just have a look at it below.

The judges immediately praised how crispy the dish looked, as well as how it was plated, but when they each took a bite of it, they were immediately hit with a ton of heat. Despite whatever complaints the judges had with the dish, they were all a “Yes,” meaning that Brittany had won the third apron of the episode.

The next home cook auditioning for an apron was Jake, who was from Alma, Michigan and was representing Mexico. The dish that he made was a Mole Negro Cake with Chocolate-Chili Ganache and Black Sesame Creme Anglaise. In other words, it was a Cake that was inspired by the flavors of a traditional Mole Sauce. I’m not even joking, this is a dish that I would seriously consider trying. I mean, just have a look at it below.

Despite having some concerns about how it looked, the judges immediately loved the flavor, and for the first time in the series, all three judges said “Yes” at the same time, meaning that Jake had won the fourth apron of the episode.

The next home cook auditioning for an apron was Andrea, who was from Alaska and was representing Indigenous Alaska Cuisine. The dish that she made was Salmon with Crushed Blueberries, Carrot Puree, and Microgreen Salad. I am not too sure that I would want to try this dish, and it’s not for the reason you might think. I actually had Salmon a few days ago for the first time in years, and I loved it, so I would be willing to have Salmon again, but I would not be willing to try Blueberries with it. If you’re curious as to what the dish looked like, here’s a picture of it.

The judges liked that the Salmon was cooked perfectly, but they felt that the dish had too much sweetness, so Andrea did not get the final apron.

The final home cook auditioning for an apron was Maria, who was from Miami and was representing Brazil. The dish she made was Moqueca De Camarao, which is a Brazilian Stew with Shrimp in Coconut Milk. This is yet another dish that I would seriously consider trying. If you’re curious as to what it looks like, here’s a picture of it. 

I don’t even need to say what the judges thought of the dish because she was the final home cook auditioning, and there was one apron left, so it should not be a surprise to anyone that the final apron of the season went to Maria. 

And just like that, we now have our Top 20 Contestants of the season, with five representing Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and The Americas respectively!

Overall, this was another great round of auditions, and I’ll see you all next week when the competition officially begins, and the contestants have to make elevated versions of classic stadium foods!

But before you stop reading, I’m going to give you all a cliffhanger for the next episode. At the end of every episode, they show a trailer for the next episode, and the same was true for this week. 

Something you should know about me is that it takes a lot to surprise me to the point that I actually scream. But on this trailer, they showed such a disgusting mistake in one of the dishes, that I actually screamed at what I saw. What was this mistake that truly horrified me? Well, you’ll just have to find out next week…!