Well, here we are again. Seems like only last week we watched in horror as Intense Matt’s egg thingy unglued itself before our eyes, leaving an also deserving Glowing Elena to take out the MasterChef title.
Who would you like to win and who do you think will actually win?
MasterChef finale starts on Ten at 7.30pm and is supposed to finish at 10pm. So if you start watching around 7.50pm you may avoid the faff and flashbacks.
Oh, and vote in the new poll for tonight’s winner.
We start with a flashback to the first day of the Top 24, and of course we get zoom ins on Eloise and Tamara.
We’re reminded the winner gets a monthly column in delicious. mag and $250,000 towards their “food dream”. I’m not even sure what the food dreams of Ben and Diana are, but no doubt we’ll find out tonight.
Ben and Diana (or Di-zey to her fellow contestants) arrive in their crisp chef whites and Ben has a sharp new do, while Dizer’s pontytail is extra swishy. At least George is not wearing a hideous jacket tonight. Matt, however, is dressed for a funeral in one of his long coats in black, with a double breasted black waistcoat and a silver cravat for bling.
There are heartfelt speeches about achieving your dreams, yadda yadda …
Come on – can we just get to the challenge, please! Or at least an ad break; I want to heat up my leftover rhubarb crumble to give me sustenance for this ordeal.
FIRST CHALLENGE
Every mystery box they’ve ever been set is lined up in front of them. They get their pick. Cool idea and it reminds me of how much I’ve forgotten – even the ones made of chocolate. Diana is actually considering Peter Gilmore’s box, with the abalone, which freaked out a lot of contestants.
Ooh, we're delighted that @DianaChanAU is revisiting Peter Gilmore's Mystery Box featuring abalone! Nice choice 👌 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/LNEfuGHvlm
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
Ben goes back to the begging and chooses Glowing Elena’s mystery box, which was the first of the season. And Diana – because she is not scared of abalone – picks Gilmore’s box, partially because she gets to use the garden as well (Ben does not). They can’t use the pantry.
. @ben_ungermann went with @elena_jo_duggan's Mystery Box from Week 1. Good choice 👌 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/Gg8gIsv71o
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
Last time Diana cooked from this mystery box I noted in the recap: “Diana’s braised abalone is next and even Gary has to praise her broth.” It bodes well.
Diana is making a green juice from Chinese broccoli and nasturtium leaves – this could be the hot new thing at Boost tomorrow. The judges love it when people do new stuff, a la Ben and his tulip bulbs.
Ben is making lemon myrtle ice cream (bingo!!!) with candied cucumbers and 50 other elements.
Uh oh – he slices his finger deeply and you can tell he’s gutted. It’s so deep he’s actually dripping blood on the floor.
In a nice change, we get a voice over from Benita – perhaps because she is wearing an eye-catching leopard print kaftan.
Ben carries on cooking like the machine he is but the blood starts dripping through the bandage and all over his apron. Poor bugger. He is having trouble getting his shortbread crumb cooked because of the delays – isn’t that what almost cost him a spot the other day? He has to quenelle ice cream without being able to grip the container properly, in case blood starts pouring over his ice cream.
THE JUDGES TASTE
Diana’s dish has that modern cheffy plating and the judges are impressed by its looks, especially when she pours the green juice around the abalone.
. @DianaChanAU's Round 1 dish is making our mouths water 😋 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/NLWBo66Z9j
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
Gaz says it’s “absolutely delicious” and the green juice showed confidence. Man, Gaz was such a latecomer to the Dizey train but now he’s all aboard and full steam ahead. They all adore it.
. @ben_ungermann has gone from never cooking desserts before to plating up gems like his delicious Round 1 dish. 👌 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/U8RbWez2lv
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
After a bit of ribbing about his slightly flawed quenelle, Matt wants more goat’s cheese mousse but Gary thinks the balance was fine. They like the lemon myrtle flavour and the cucumber and George even polished off his plate.
THE SCORES
Ben: Gary 9, George 9, Matt 8. 26/30
Diana: (She will get stronger scores) And it’s three 10s, amid much whooping from the gantry. 30/30.
ROUND 2
Matt says there are no rules: they can cook whatever they like in 75 minutes, using the pantry and the garden. They must make three plates of food.
Ben is sticking with the pumpkin theme, doing butternut three ways with a Dutch spiced biscuit and coffee and cardamom ice cream.
Dizey is coating prawns in oatmeal – interesting! – with a salad. It’s a dish drawing on her Malaysian heritage.
Uh oh – Ben has tipped coffee granules into his ice cream churner. Karlie is worriedly whispering up on the pantry and I agree with her concern – why didn’t he dissolve them in hot water first? Could make for a weird sandy texture.
Gary pops over to Dizey’s bench to loom over her shoulder as she takes her prawns out of the fryer. Just what she needs. She decides her prawns aren’t crunchy enough – although Gary just gives her one of George’s dead-eyed stares – so she adds Panko breadcrumbs to the oatmeal mix and is happy with the texture.
. @BryanZhu_AU is all of us right now! 🙌 #MasterchefAU pic.twitter.com/WxW11hkDRv
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
THE JUDGES TASTE
One word for @DianaChanAU's Round 2 dish: YUM. 😋 (…and WANT!) Okay, two words… #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/aEXRbQlLoz
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
They love it but want even more sauce. Gaz says it could be a signature dish for her.
Diana is killing it!
Wow, what an inventive and delicious-sounding combination of flavours, @ben_ungermann 👌 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/jVa8W2vjMx
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
George likes the plating (the ice cream has a lovely gloss to it) and they love the balance of flavours. Again, George says he should open an ice cream shop. He lives in Queensland so it could indeed be a goer. And Karlie and I were wrong about the coffee – it worked well.
THE SCORES
Diana: Gary 9, George 9, Matt 9. Running total: 57/60
Ben: Gary 9, Matt is next with 9 so George must give it a 10 – yep. Running total: 54/60.
THE FAMILIES ARRIVE FOR THE FINAL CHALLENGE
And here come the tears. Awww – Ben’s kids sprint to him. Diana is bawling at the sight of the lady I presume is her mum, who she hoped would fly in from Malaysia. On the balconey Pete the crane driver is practically howling. I love it.
Family reunion 😭 We're not crying, we just have something in our eye… huh, @PeteMorganAU? 😉 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/Y5eTjiCQMX
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
Diana hasn’t seen her mum for a year. Ben’s son, Phoenix is adorable and his Oma (Nanna) has also come along. He must have been very young when his daughter was born, as she looks to be in her early teens. I thought he had three kids? Am I miscounting?
Kirsten Tibballs from Savour School – the one who set the mystery box challenge that was a chocolate box – is back with the final challenge. (By the way, that mystery box challenge was won by Weepy Pete when he made the coconut-looking dome.)
The judges reveal the dish they have to recreate and it looks like a still life. At first I worry they have to recreate everything from the pine cones to the display platter, but it’s just the fruit: a mandarin, Granny Smith and a pear.
Wow. What a beautiful #MasterChefAU Grand FInale pressure test! 😍 @SavourSchool #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/rhgXSXTLdn
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
They are all differently flavoured, with many layers inside. The stalks of the pear and apple are 100 per cent couveture chocolate.
Kirsten tells them the pear is the easiest one. For the apple they have to make their own mould out of sugar starch and won’t know if it’s worked until the end of the process.
We need to take an other look… 😱 So. Realistic. 🍏 🍐 🍊 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/9n4qA45jSf
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
I really hope this is not going to be one of those impossible challenges where we see them freaking out for six hours – yes, six hours!! – and serving up misshapen fruit.
I would say Ben has the edge because he’s more of a dessert man but Diana is better at keeping her composure.
It must be impossible to read a recipe properly when everyone is screaming up on the gantry. She obviously gets her focus from her mum. Up on the gantry a bloke (Dizey’s partner, I think?) tries to engage Mum in some producer prompted banter but she shuts her down with a “I’m concentrating”. Good one, Mum.
Ben is freaking out a bit and his Calvados catches fire, which we know is wrong because Diana mentioned it earlier. The producers send Kirsten over straight away to tip him off, as they don’t want to spend six hours filming someone when the audience knows all along their dish is a failure.
Diana mentions how important it is to dissolve the sugar and we see Ben scraping undissolved sugar into his bowl. Kirsten is there again to ask: “Why are you doing that?” Oh dear – chill, Ben! Although, showing you so flustered at the start means you will probably triumph in the end. A pep talk from George and an “I love you” from his son puts Ben back on track.
Diana juices her mandarins by hand; Ben uses the juicer. The edit doesn’t tell us who is right.
Oops – Diana’s liquid centre thingy has failed because she still had undissolved sugar crystals in the pan. A pity Kirsten wasn’t there to alert Diana to the problem as she did with Ben, albeit for a more serious issue.
Diana decides to remake it.
Ben’s liquid centre has also failed – that’s the one he remade twice. Urgh – I hate it when a dish is so hard even talented cooks can’t get them right.
Ben has run out of ingredients so ditches the element and poor Diana’s second attempt has also failed.
MasterChef needs to go back to the finale being people cooking food I’d want to eat in a restaurant, not some kind of Dessert Ninja Warrior designed to break people. Makes me miss Great British Bake Off even more. I really don’t want to watch a talented cook like Diana crying quietly in the corner over sugar gel.
Finally they both get their fruit on the platter but Diana’s pear stem breaks at the last minute.
Time for hugs all round. And tears. Pleaase, can we rehydrate poor Ben and Diana and get them a coffee and a snack. Ben’s comforting of Diana as she crouches weeping behind the oven ends in somewhat hysterical laughter from both of them.
If there's one thing that gets us every time, it's the wonderful camaraderie we see between our contestants. ✊ #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/90thGEcGme
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
And we still have 20 minutes to go here in SA! Although 10 minutes of that will be ads.
THE JUDGES TASTE
Diana is first. Her mandarin looks pretty good but the apple is a bit squished and the pear overripe looking. Her decision to remake the sugar thingy cost her time to get the perfect presentation, but Matt sticks up for her ballsy move to keep trying.
They have trouble cutting the mandarin due to the thickness of the choc but the other two look pretty impressive inside.
Kirsten says “she’s got the flavours perfect”. Gary misses the liquid centre thingy and the mandarin wasn’t quite citrussy enough. (Is that because she didn’t use the juicer? Hope they tell us.)
Ben’s fruit is more polished looking – not as good as Kirsten’s, but good. George praises him for comforting Diana, when really you’d have to be a heartless bastard not to. The inside of his mandarin looks better than Diana’s and they love the taste. It and his chocolate stems are “outstanding”. Kirsten says his double-dipped pear (caused when the pear slipped out of is grasp into the choc coating) has a too thick coating, which makes it too sweet.
THE SCORES
Ben: Matt 9, Kirsten 9, Gary 8, George 9. Running total: 89
Diana: Gary 8, George 8, Kirsten 8, Matt 9 (and this must be the score where they film the two endings, because that was the deciding vote, giving her 90 points). Matt really should have given her an eight and made them do a tie-breaker challenge – one of those 10-minute cooks. We’ve never seen that in a final. That score was unfair to Ben.
DIANA WINS! Yay! Although they both did a good job, she has been consistent throughout the comp and so organised. She would be an asset in any professional kitchen.
Ben gets $40,000. Karlie gets $10,000. The same prize money as last year.
Congratulations @DianaChanAU, Australia's #MasterChefAU for 2017! 🎉🎉🎉 pic.twitter.com/h7kjfLpcRp
— #MasterChefAU (@masterchefau) 24 July 2017
We would like Diane to win alas it will not be as Ben has been reading from the script…doing it for the kids…doing it for oma…(cos Nonna is so 2015)…it is time for a male winner…
For all those who miss Karlie…
https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/studio-10/extra/season-2017/24-jul–sponge-cake-with-karlie-verkerk on Studio Ten this morning.
It’s the choice between hands through the hair and onto the food and double dipping into bowls after tasting. Both finalists excel at unsanitary kitchen techniques.
Ben, too much ice cream, as maz said the kids, plus Oma oracles. Last night’s haircut. That might be enough for him to win.
Just throw some pork belly and ice cream in the general vicinity of those scavenging Stooges and it’ll be down to the wire.
George said these were “the best of the best” last night.
Gary is on The Project. Not giving much away.
He’d be sweating bullets knowing/ fearing what the ratings are going to be.
lol, I will be flipping between Ninja Warrior and finale. Their ratings picked up last night, over 900k, NW was 1.7m . NW finale is tomorrow so I guess we’ll see ratings in the morning. Valuable lesson for $hine. Sack the judges, except for Shannon; bring in a female judge and introduce blind tasting OR if a guest chef comes on with a dish for contestants to replicate, he or she alone should decide the winner/loser.
Did he put on weight?
Diana is hoping the swing of her ponytail will get her through.
If it was a blonde ponytail , it might be enough…..but the ponytailed Karlie, Nicole and Eliza all failed
Ben mentioned those kids again. Drinking game.
Use of the word “amazing” another drinking game.
Double shot for ice cream to numb the pain sooner.
They are just dragging the finale. Picking up the old mystery box for finale. Boring
Unfair challenge.
WARNING …. anyone west the Murray, turn off The Project before the end because Carrie may have given something away.
Thanks, done.
Ooh, now it’s over, what did she say??
Said her mum saw the promo and thought a man had lifted the trophy … thankfully she was wrong
Oh, I didn’t pick up on that.
BLOODY ICE CREAM AGAIN!!!!
I knew it. No “mystery”
And mousse.
Had to be goat’s cheese mousse . Yawn.
I’ve switched off. I can’t believe Ben is doing another @$#%& ‘ing ice-cream in the grand finale!
I think there could be another ice cream in Round 2
Gary tries to freak Diana out in contrast to Ben who is encouraged.
Now bloody Ben. He cut his finger
He can now brag he cooked with sweat,tears and blood.
Tks for the reminder. Blood, Sweat and Tears, a great group from the late ’60’s through till early ’80’s from memory.
Diana getting twice the air time Ben is and we are only 20 minutes in… hmmm. Good sign or not for Ben?
Sigh. He’s making ‘oice’ cream again.
There’s blood on the bench. Ben’s leaving it all out there, even his blood. Cuts himself, what a nong.
“nong” …… thanks for the memory… haven’t heard that word in years!!!!!
Ben ice cream always have shortbread. Boring
Someone tidied up Ben’s awful haircut. There’s still something about him I don’t like, sorry
Hey you don’t have to apologise for your opinion,
Ben’s doing too many elements. Would anyone like blood ice cream
The local neighbourhood vampire?
The judges will make the scores very close
All these contestants on all these reality shows that are all doin’ it for the kids…
Have any of you ever read a story, seen an interview, where some kid, anywhere, anytime, states “my life changed after Mum/Dad won Masterchef/MKR/The Block/Big Brother/House Rules/Survivor/etc/etc/etc…
No, but we are waiting for the PhD on adolescence ruined by parental appearance on RTV.
They really should have had independent judges for tonight
That would have been so much fairer.
Every year in the final the judges always say how amazing those dishes were.
We should have a showdown between the finalists in the past season. That would be interesting.
Wow the hairdressers have had a field day, DIana is lucky all she ended up with was extra swish in her ponytail. There’s some hideous dos up in the gantry (I’m looking at you Eloise).
oh yes! That do was a determined plea for airtime if ever I saw one!
Ages to go before it starts here, but I’m cracking up at these comments. Aren’t we a cynical bunch.
Maz and Liberty, drinking for every mention of kids or every cliche will have us plastered after 2 1/2 hours. That’s probably not a bad state to be in at the end of the finale, now that I think about it.
It would probably make it more palatable to start that way.
Jess still has resting bitch face.
She cracked a very brief smile last night.
Guess what? Ben is making another ice cream.
Ben OICE CREAM AGAIIIINNNNN
If that were me in the kitchen I would’ve necked a few swigs from that Bundy bottle.
I so want the Ice Cream King to lose now.
Yes he’s become such a one trick pony.
I thought that normally the judges are tizzied up in dinner jackers at the finale
And im not going to comment on more f?…?..$@ ice cream
Yeah, they’re usually all dressed in formal suits.
Diana dish is just too simple for this round. One hour just made some crunchy prawns a sauce and pickle
Yawn…sobbing family moment.
This finale is heavily padded up with rubbish.
Like Jowl$y shilling Bailey’s.
With newly dyed black hair😂
Final dish is overkill.
I’m really over these ridiculous pressure tests.
Total overkill. Ridiculous
Last night’s service challenge was a much better indicator of their cooking ability.
They used to have a service challenge in the finale where they served the families
Why throw a challenge like this at them after HOURS in the kitchen?!?!
The finale will have to be filmed in 2 days.
Yeh I think the first two cooks were the first day, and the pressure challenge with the families present was day 2.
I’m doing a running recap on SA time in case anyone is fast forwarding (or needs a toilet break). Up to the second round scores.
Family time. Retch….people carrying on like they’re at a funeral. Embarrassing. Hug the bejeesus out of everyone and go back to handling food. Fail.
Ben is doing a Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon final. He cried because he cant beat Diana
Ben’s crying because he can’t make ice cream this time.
I’d be so tempted to throw the apron in their faces and walk out. So friggin unrealistic and loads too much pressure in one day. I hope it was filmed over 2 days!!!
Second time Ben has cracked under pressure. He is getting the redemption edit. If they give Ben the title because he has reproduced then this is b&**%%it.
ROFL – redemption edit
It did degenerate into a Dads4kids ad.
Some DUI Dad footage might have been more poignant.
Ben has a scripted “I can’t beat her – she’s too good moment” Cue sad dramatic music.
George steps in for the pep talk – Ben recovers. Cue inspirational music.
And Masterchef jumps the shark.
The usual script. Cry, cant do, fall behind and then boom, blitz it
So now both have a breakdown.
Wonder what would happen if they turned around to the producers and said “nope, no faux scripted drama from me, I’ll keep my dignity intact”
George gives Ben a big pep talk but Diana you’re on your own and they expect us to swallow that they don’t play favourites.
The only way Ben will win is if Diana produces a completely unfinished dish.
I could not stand for one second trying to cook under pressure with that sort of crowd in the room – f-ing peanut gallery reminding you how far behind you are in a foreboding tone of voice. That and all the faux encouragement.
Couldn’t agree more! Add the judges whose comments are either derailing a good idea or giving someone an unfair advantage.
Diana seemed a bit rattled by the peanut gallery. They needed to shut up.
So the final moments turn into a painting competition. Poor Diana.
Right now as Ben joins Dianna on the floor it finally hits me. We are the losers for watching this travesty.
ABSOLUTELY!!!!!
It’s just so stupid that it comes down to something that is not even normal chef’s work but a really specialised area. I definitely won’t be watching next year.
I agree. The only thing I don’t understand is why a chef that has worked for years perfecting their skills and craft in order to produce such a highly specialised dish, would sit there agreeing with the stooges as they look at the contestants “house of wax horror creations” and say “there’s a few minor flaws”.
This pressure test is not exciting at all. I think the other pressure tests in the earlier weeks were better
Yep, have to agree. Who the f**k wants to make dessert shaped like fruit? A really elaborate cake/dessert, I understand but fake fruit – bzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I don’t see it as a culmination of the whole competition (part of their “journey” ). It’s just not fitting way to end. 🙁 Regardless of the winner.
Their fruit look so hideous! Like some weird genetic modification gone wrong.
Well, gotta be happy with that result!
Forbidden fruit. Source of culinary evil.
We already had Heston’s meat fruit a few years back, so the “fooled you” thing wasn’t that exciting.
Well, that was a fairly anti-climactic finish. I still would’ve liked Ben as the winner but it was well deserved to Diana. A very worthy winner of a terrible season.
That Ma$terchef “trophy” looks like a hub cap from a car, Gary. Cheap.