World Cup Cookoff

After a surprisingly great episode last week with the first Team Challenge of the season, it was time for the next challenge, where all the contestants would be making elevated dishes for a FIFA World Cup Watch Party! Yes, they have gone all in on the World Cup theming this season. I’m not sure how I feel about this, because at times, I understand it, but at other times, it is just cringeworthy. I was still looking forward to the episode, as I always enjoy seeing what the contestants make. 

Before I get into this episode, there is something that I need to address. The people on this show have clearly been paying attention to Top Chef and all the product placement there, especially for products that are not even cooking related whatsoever. What I mean is that this episode, for whatever reason, featured product placement for The Home Depot. Product placement is not something new for MasterChef, as they used to have the most hokey product placement for Walmart for virtually any challenge where they had to cook Steak and any other ingredients along with it, but this episode took it to another level, as you will see.

The front of the kitchen was set up like a backyard at the start of the episode, complete with artificial turf, outdoor grill, and a flatscreen television. From there, it was immediately made apparent why this episode featured product placement for The Home Depot. It’s because they are one of the sponsors of the World Cup, and this season is leaning so hard into the World Cup theming.

From there, the judges explained what the challenge was, saying that the home cooks had to make elevated watch party food, but they did not want any finger foods or handheld food, and they had to make something that was unique to their cultures and their territory. The winning dish was not only going to win the Immunity Pin, it was also going to win a $2,500 gift card to The Home Depot. Because that’s definitely what home cooks care about more than anything in the world. 

Dave, who had won the Immunity Pin last week, would not be participating in this challenge, but his advantages did not end there. For this challenge, he was also given a Red Card, and when the contestants were halfway through the cook time, he could bench one cook from the challenge, making them safe from elimination. The judges then said that this advantage could work in one of two ways: He could either pull a strong cook from a rival territory, increasing the chances of someone from that territory going home, or he could save someone from his territory of Africa that was struggling. 

From there, the cook time had started, and the contestants explained what they were making. 

Jake chose to make a Marinated Carne Asada with Charred Corn Salad, which is a dish that I would be willing to try.

Britny chose to make Lobster with Corn Ribs and Garlic Mashed Potatoes, which is another dish that I would be willing to give a try. Here is a picture of what the dish looked like. 

Shompa chose to make a Chicken Boti Kabab with Bengali Style Pilau, which is another name for the Rice dish Pilaf, and another dish that I would be willing to try. 

Aishu chose to make Curry Lamb Chops, which is another dish that I might consider trying.

Chef Ramsay then asked Rita what she was making, to which she responded that she was cooking a Filet Mignon with Nigerian Suya Spice, which consists of Peanut, Cayenne, and Smoked Paprika, and the dish was also going to have a Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce. Also, Chef Ramsay asked her what it would mean if she won the gift card from The Home Depot, to which she responded that it would be amazing, as she has a big backyard in New York, and I’m sorry, but I have a hard time believing that any of these home cooks are this excited about a $2,500 gift card for The Home Depot.

Chef Tiffany Derry then asked Jaime what she was making, to which she explained that she was making a dish that her dad would make her before he would leave for work, and he also coincidentally worked at The Home Depot, because what are the odds?

As time went on with the challenge, Chef Ramsay said to the other two judges that he was worried about about Rita, as she had not even started cooking her Filet Mignon yet, and she was also stressed when she was talking with Dave about how she would cook it. 

A few minutes later, the halfway point of the challenge had been reached, and Dave now had to reveal which contestant he was giving a Red Card, and like I predicted, he used it to save Rita, his fellow teammate who was also representing Africa. I also immediately realized that this had resulted in an interesting situation, as Dave and Rita were now both safe, and they both represent Africa, and there were only two other home cooks still in the competition representing Africa, Heidi and Peter, and if one did not win the challenge, the other would automatically end up in the bottom, even if their dish wasn’t bad.

As the cooking time resumed, the judges continued to walk around and ask the home cooks what they were making.

Chef Ramsay asked Daniel what he was making, to which he responded that he was making Orange Glazed Chicken with a Chili Fried Eggplant, which is another dish that I would consider trying. Here’s an image of what the dish looked like, for those of you who are curious.

Chef Tiffany Derry then asked Maria what she was making, and when she saw her Mashed Potatoes and had a taste of them, her response was “That’s different,” which I immediately knew meant that it was bad.

A little later, time was up, and everyone had to stop cooking, and Jaime started getting emotional because she wanted her dish to be good, and The Home Depot was so close to her heart. Guys, I don’t know if you realize this, but it’s finally happened. It only took 48 years, but people are finally getting emotional over The Home Depot. All is now right with the world.

After that, it was time for the judges to go around and give one final look at everyone’s dishes. Here’s an image of what Aghata’s dish looked like.

And here’s an image of what Basia’s dish looked like.

From there, it was time for the judges to call up the top four dishes. 

The best dish from the contestants representing Asia-Pacific belonged to Jaime, who made Roti Canai with Malaysian Curry, Coconut Rice, and Cucumber & Pineapple Salad. For those of you who don’t know what that is, Roti Canai is a Malaysian Flatbread. This is another dish that I would consider trying. Here’s a picture of what it looked like.

Chef Ramsay said that he was most impressed by the fact that she had the confidence to even make a dish that takes hours to make, and he also said that the Curry was delicious, fragrant, warm, and sour. Tiffany also liked the Pineapple, saying that you get a bite of the Mint with the Pineapple and the Curry, and the Roti was beautiful, while Joe said that it was an excellent watch party dish, with the three of them watching her cook.

The best dish from the contestants representing Europe belonged to Julia, who made Pan Seared Scallops with Eggplant Puree, Fennel Salad, and Lemon Caper Sauce, which is another dish that I would be willing to try. Here is what the dish looked like for those of you who are curious.

Tiffany immediately said that it was definitely not something she has ever had at a watch party, but she wouldn’t be mad if it showed up, adding that the sear of the Scallops looked great, and Joe also said that caramelizing Eggplant and then making a puree was very unusual, but it was very well done.

The best dish from the contestants representing Africa belonged to Heidi, who made New York Strip Steak with Cream Pepper Sauce, Seared Scallops, Cauliflower & Leek Puree, and Roasted Potatoes. This is another dish that I would definitely be willing to try, and if you want to see what it looks like, here’s a picture of it.

Chef Ramsay immediately said that the dish looked delicious, the Steak was cooked beautifully, the Puree was delicious, the Sauce was nice, but the Scallops were 30 seconds overcooked, but he still thought it was a well-rounded dish, which Tiffany and Joe agreed with. 

The best dish from the contestants representing The Americas belonged to Tkaiya, who made Escovitch Fish with Festival and Coconut Cream Rice. For those of you who don’t know what these are, Escovitch Fish is a popular Jamaican dish of Pan-Fried Fish with a Pickled Vegetable Medley, while Festival is a Jamaican street food made of Slightly Sweet Deep Fried Dough. This is another dish that I might consider trying. Here’s a picture of what it looked like.

Chef Ramsay immediately commented that it looked inviting and that the Snapper had a great sear and that it was cooked perfectly, but the Festival needed some more moisture and liquid in it, and the other two judges agreed with this assessment.

From there, the judges picked a winning dish, and the best dish of the night belonged to Jaime. Yes, the contestant who had such an oddly specific connection to The Home Depot won the challenge on the episode that had product placement for The Home Depot. I think the joke pretty much writes itself, and I hope it does, because I don’t really know what it actually is. 

This meant that Jaime now has the Immunity Pin for the next episode, and all the other members of Team Asia-Pacific were safe from elimination this episode, leaving them still with the same five contestants they started off with.

From there, it was time for the judges to call out the bottom three dishes. 

The worst dish from the contestants representing Europe belonged to Nico, which did not surprise me, as the judges talked about how they were concerned about what he was making during the cook time, and he had landed in the bottom for the last two episodes, so I was confident that he would end up there again.

The dish that he made was Chicken Skewers with Pepperonata and Polenta, which is a dish that I would consider trying if it was made correctly. Here’s a picture of what it looked like. 

Yeah, as you can see, there is something that you can immediately see is wrong with it. There’s barely any Chicken on the Skewers. 

The judges were not impressed with it at all, as Tiffany said that it looked like a watch party where the budget was real tight, Chef Ramsay said that it looked like someone had already taken a bite, Joe said that there were at least 30 grams of Chicken on the plate, and then when they actually tasted it, Chef Ramsay said that the Chicken Skin was nice and crispy, but he cut it so small that it had dried out, while Joe just straight up told him that the dish was emblematic of his time there, “Moments of brilliance surrounded by lack of technique.” 

The dish from the contestants representing Africa that landed in the bottom belonged to Peter, who made a Piri-Piri Spiced Ribeye with Fondant Potatoes, Plantain Chips, and Buka Stew Dip, which is a dish that I would absolutely be willing to try. Here’s an image of what it looked like. 

This moment of the show illustrates why choosing the worst dish by team is not always a good idea, because since there were only two people representing Africa participating in the challenge by the second half of the cook time, Peter’s dish ended up in the bottom by default, even though the judges all admitted that they thought the dish looked and tasted great, and that the one major concern, the cook on the Steak, was not a problem, as the Steak was cooked perfectly. Again, he made a perfect dish that all three judges loved, but he ended up in the bottom because of how the format works.

The worst dish from the contestants representing The Americas belonged to Maria, who made Flank Steak with Vinaigrette Brazilian Salad, Turmeric Mushrooms, and Mashed Potatoes, which is a dish that if made correctly, I would be willing to try. Here’s an image of what the dish looked like.

Chef Ramsay said that the dish looked rushed and unfinished, the Steak was overcooked, and the Mashed Potatoes were like his granddad’s wallpaper glue. His words, not mine. Joe Bastianich then said that it would be a great dish for him to eat if he was in a Brazilian hospital, which is certainly a way to phrase it that I would never choose, and also borders on racist.

The judges then said that the contestant being eliminated was Nico, which did not surprise me, because again, he was on the bottom three weeks in a row. 

Overall, this was another great episode of Season 16 of MasterChef! I hope you all enjoyed what I had to say! The show is now going on hiatus until the World Cup is over, so I’ll see you all with whatever my next blog post is!