MasterChef season 8 episode 16 review: Gordon Ramsay, Aaron Sanchez’s inspiring offer

If it was the goal of MasterChef season 8 episode 16 to leave everyone in a pile of their own tears, then mission accomplished. We’ve said that the first hour of the recent two-hour episodes were by and large a little forgettable. However, we cannot say that this time around! This was, by far, one of the strongest episodes of the season in terms of the ending and how it went down.

Let’s dive right into that given that it was such a tear-jerker. Seeing Gabriel go was so sad, but then we heard of how much he inspired Gordon Ramsay and Aaron Sanchez to the point where they wanted to in turn help him further his own career. Gordon offered to pay his way through culinary school, and from there Sanchez offered him a spot as his New Orleans restaurant afterwards. He’s got a chance to have a real future in this industry, and we don’t think it’s just due to his superior cooking skills. He’s also apparently a really nice guy, and you should consider this to be additional evidence that if you go on one of these shows you should be kind to those around you as well as work hard. Even if you don’t win, good things may come your way.

While Gabriel may have lost MasterChef, this is easily the next-best thing since his future is now set up for him. We couldn’t be happier for him at this very moment – a big congratulations from all of us here at CarterMatt!

Gabriel’s elimination wasn’t even the plan this time, as Dino, (after winning the Mystery Box Competition/talking with Gordon Ramsay about his gym bod) tried to screw over Jeff and Yachecia the most. He gave them the hardest pasta to work with, and while Yachecia struggled, she did enough to advance. Good on Jeff for taking on the egg-yolk ravioli and doing enough to stay alive. With that said, was it really the right move to go after him? Given his struggles in most dessert challenges, we probably would’ve targeted someone like Cate or Eboni, who are both extremely strong and have excelled in all aspects. This seemed to be more due to the rivalry between Jeff and Dino than it did anything else. We have a feeling that Dino would’ve completely killed this competition.

This episode as a whole was a thrill, because this is what we like to see out of MasterChef — creativity. Both the mystery box and the elimination challenge allowed the home cooks to experiment, and show that they can conceptualize something beyond just emulating what the judges have already done for them. We do also think that this episode cemented Dino as the favorite right now to win. He’s peaking at the right time in the competition, given that there are just a few more rounds to go until the finale. Episode Grade: A-.

What did you think about MasterChef season 8 episode 16, and the extraordinary gift that both Gordon Ramsay and Aaron Sanchez offered up Gabriel? Share in the comments below! Also, if you are looking for more scoop on MasterChef then head on over to the link here and let CarterMatt be your guide.(Photo: Fox.)