May 30, 2013 | Posted in EPISODE RECAPS, REALITY TV | By sockii
Auditions #3 (Top 19 Revealed)
MasterChef Season 4 – episodes available to view at Amazon Instant Video.
Week two of MasterChef Season 4 is off to a fast start! Last year we had three full weeks of audition episodes; this season it’s crammed into two weeks, with only a short part of this new episode devoted to the actual 5-minute cooking tryouts in front of the judges. While the fake/stunt auditions can get boring very quickly, I kind of miss more time being devoted to those who appear to be “real” contestants. It seems like we have less time to get to know who these people are going to be, before going further…
Nevertheless, Howard is the first up this week. He’s a 26 year old army vet who is making a Bourbon Peach Blackberry Cobbler…Joe thinks it’s a very good home dessert, but Gordon doesn’t like the amount of bourbon in it and says no. Graham gives a hesitant yes, so now it’s time for the drama as Joe tells him “let’s take a walk”. So it’s out to meet Joe’s waiting family, and after a dramatic building (where we all know what’s going to happen next), he gets an apron to much cheering and delight from the crowd.
There are a ton of “nos” shown quickly next, and then we see the last of the aired auditions…Johnny, a 28 year old carpenter making, of all things, Lobster Crackerjacks with Coconut. Gordon says it doesn’t read well on a menu but it actually works. He gets three big yeses for the unusual dish, even though Joe has some reservations.
Now it’s time for all of those who made it past the judges to fight to enter the MasterChef kitchen – half the chefs won’t make it past this challenge. There’s always a bit of a stunt awaiting at this point, and this season is no exception. A herd of lambs are released into the giant warehouse-like kitchen, and that’s their challenge for the next 60 minutes: create a stunning dish with lamb. They have every imaginable cut of lamb available to them to work with, along with the entire MC pantry. A mad dash ensues for the best ingredients – one contestant ends up even pushed to the floor! But everyone grabs what they want and begins to cook.
As they work, the judges begin grilling everyone on their plan. The seem to think many of the chefs are over-complicating their dish and that is likely to be their downfall. At this point a new twist is introduced: Joe is walking around, watching the chefs work, and if he doesn’t like what he sees he’ll ask for their apron on the spot. “Too many technical mistakes,” he tells the first dismissed chef. There are a lot of chefs we haven’t seen at all at this point, along with a few who were introduced last week…it’s hard to keep track as we’ve been rushed so quickly to this point of the competition.
60 minutes are up and the judges take a final look around at the dishes, and divide the contestants into three groups. We pretty much know how things will go at this point as a similar approach was taken last season: one group will soar ahead into the MasterChef kitchen; one group will be dismissed on the spot without tasting. The third group of eight are in question now, and the judges will taste their dishes to decide their fate.
They are calling people up in pairs of two…is it interesting that two African-American chefs are called first to go up against each other? Malcolm is going on with his successful Lamb Trio of Sausage, Rib and Loin salad. Seymira, whom we haven’t seen until this point, is sent home.
Next up is Johnny and Brian. Johnny has done a Lamb Rangoon with Tzatziki Coleslaw. Graham says it’s good but simple. Brian has make Southwest Liver and Onions with a Cactus Salad. Graham wants his liver a little less cooked. Gordon says it’s looked like he murdered the lamb even while Brian is smack-talking Johnny’s dish – bad move! It turns out Brian is out, and Johnny is moving on to the MC kitchen.
Then we have Nanci, who has made Lamb Chop with Red Pepper and Artichoke. Joe says it’s well constructed but the sauce is too strong with the garlic. Bri has made “Four Seasons Lamb”…and it turns out she’s a vegetarian who never cooked lamb! Joe says he is impressed with both but only one person will move on. It turns out to be Bri, which makes things interesting as I don’t think we’ve ever had a vegetarian chef in the MC kitchen before. I wonder how long she can make it if she is not really experienced cooking meat – and if she can’t/won’t taste any meat dishes she has to make.
The last two chefs fighting for a spot in the kitchen are Luca and Beth. Luca has made Lamb Loin Roulade stuffed with Sweetbreads, Endive and Goat Cheese. Joe says the lamb is tender and the vegetables are cooked pretty well. Beth has made Lavender Hay Roasted Loin with Fried Sweetbreads and Celeriac Puree. It seems Beth has beat Luca and he’s out once again, by the comments being made. But no! He’s let through after all and it’s a pretty emotional moment – at least for Luca who did not get past the auditions last year. I’m rooting for him at this point, as I like his very Italian approach to cooking and he seems earnest about what he does. But how far will he get past this point? We’ll find out in the next part of the episode, when the real competition begins…
Looking for more on MasterChef Season 4? Then check out my season Hub Page:
MasterChef US 2013: Season 4
Who will be the next MasterChef? Find out in Season 4 of the intense cooking competition where talented “home cooks” compete for the ultimate title – and prize! Learn more about the contestants in my hub for the season, share your opinions in weekly polls, and check out video highlights as well.
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sockii
sockii is just your typical Jane-of-All-Trades who never has enough time in her day for all of her projects. She has written for many websites online including Squidoo, Zujava, Yahoo! Contributors Network, HubPages and Wizzley. She has been attending and vending at science fiction and media conventions for over 15 years, and for several years ran an art gallery and jewelry store in Philadelphia. Today she is happy to be living in South Jersey with her partner David and their 6 cats. Sockii is a member of several affiliate sales programs including Amazon Associates and Viglink. Products from these services may be advertised on her posts and pages to generate sales commissions.
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