MasterChef season 8 episode 10 review: Nuts for coconuts
Did the judges make the right choice? It’s hard to say, but the people there were tasting the food and we weren’t, so we gotta take their word for it. Jeff is no doubt valuable to the show — he’s a firecracker, and it’s good to have those sort of unstable elements in the kitchen. These past two episodes have been somewhat of a low point for him this season given that he’s struggled mightily to complete the challenge with a dish that will keep him safe.
Tonight, Jeff made it through with his deconstructed cupcake (this is what we personally like to call the crumbs after we’ve already eaten a cupcake), and it meant that Vera was sent home.
Going into the season, we thought that Vera was going to be one of the biggest characters — she was a tough, Southern mom with a big heart and a huge personality. We actually didn’t see as much of her this season as we thought we were going to, but growing up in Texas she reminded us of so many people we know and love. She’s probably the person who hosts all of the good neighborhood potlucks and blows everyone out of the water with her food. The fact that everyone was pretty much close to sobbing with her exit showed how popular she was — and she seemed genuinely grateful to be there. These are the sort of castings that bring a smile to our face. More of this!
What led to the elimination
After winning the Mystery Box Challenge presented by Shaun O’Neale, Cate had a chance to figure out what she wanted the remaining home cooks to do with the ingredient of choice: Coconut. She could force someone to do either a sweet dish or a savory one. We like this sort of twist since it’s not ranking anyone in terms of best/worst, and it gives her the power to make some strategic decisions. Also we volunteer to eat all the coconut dishes since we could eat coconut every day of the week.
We understand where Cate was coming from with most of her choices, given that she clearly wanted to slow down people like Dino, Yachecia, and Jeff. If were a contestant on the show, we’d probably try to force Jeff to make a dessert every episode from here on out. He’s obviously a big threat doing savory stuff, and in the end, this is a cutthroat competition where you want to win. (Unfortunately for Cate, Yachecia and Dino both passed this test with flying colors.) Daniel, who emerged this episode after being in the middle for a while, ended up winning the challenge alongside Dino. This could mean that the two are going to be captains for the upcoming challenge, which could prove fun since we’re going to Las Vegas! Some of the best culinary showdowns on this show are the ones that we’ve seen in the past in Sin City.
Overall
This was a really solid episode of the show with two good challenges, and a nice use of Shaun as a guest judge / designer during the Mystery Box Challenge. One of the things that MasterChef continues to do well is remind people of their past winners, even if there’s only so much they can use them. Grade: B+.
What did you think about this MasterChef episode, and the elimination of Reba from the kitchen? Share in the comments below!
Meanwhile, head over to the link here in the event you want to get some other news when it comes to the show right now, including exit interviews with the eliminated home cooks. (Photo: Fox.)