MasterChef – Recap & Review – Auditions Part Two

photo: fox

MasterChef
Auditions Part Two

Original Air Date: Aug 3, 2010

JD – Associate Staff Writer
jd@thetwocentscorp.com

So last week we got part one of the auditions. This week we get part two. Shocking, isn’t it? But with over half of the MasterChef aprons having already been given out, the tension level is getting high. Even the judges had their arguments this week, which was definitely fun to watch.

So lets take a look at who shined and got an apron, and who failed on last night’s episode.

The worst of the worst:
Tom, who cooked pasta fagioli – Tom came in and gave the chefs a gift, a carved apple head that was supposed to represent each one of them. They looked like apples with faces that had been sitting in the sun far too long. Nasty. His dish looked far from any pasta fagioli I have ever eaten, and Gordon said that the apple tasted better. Joe said it was a miss on every level. They all said no.

My two cents:
I know there’s only one up there one the worsts list. Weird, isn’t it? And to be honest, Tom wasn’t as bad as last week’s worsts. I’m not sure whether I am disappointed or not. I love good food and cooking shows and it’s more about the food for me than it is the train wreck, but in a show like this, you expect to see a little worse. Really, part of me feels good that no one had to be embarrassed this week… but still… Is that terrible of me? Yeah, probably.

Who won a Master Chef apron:
Tamar, who cooked lobster curry with rice – Gordon thought that her presentation was ridiculous, but that the curry was very good and gave her a yes. Graham agreed the curry was delicious, but said no. Joe said no. Once Tamar left, Gordon said he thought they had made a mistake, that Tamar did not deserve to go home. Though Joe wasn’t fond of the dish, Graham had said he thought it was good, and Gordon thought he had made the wrong call. Eventually, after tasting the dish again, Graham admitted he was wrong and went to give Tamar an apron.

Whitney, who cooked a blackened catfish taco with mango chutney – All of the judges agreed the food was good. Gordon was concerned that Whitney was too young (she’s 22), however, and asked her to bring her family in. Gordon said that he thought she was very good, but he’d like to see her come back next year. Joe said that the rest of the people in the competition were very aggressive and would eat her alive, at which point her sister vouched for her and said that even if Whitney seemed sweet and innocent, she did have a fierce side. Joe eventually decided that they had seen cooks twice her age that couldn’t cook half as well, and gave her a yes. Graham said yes too. Gordon left her family with a warning, though, insisting that if this didn’t work out for her, they needed to pick up the pieces and help her keep going.

Jake, who cooked Italian spiedini – Joe said he took a lot of liberties with classic Italian flavors with mixed results. Graham, who seemed to have taken an immediate liking to Jake as soon as he walked in, said the food was imperfect, but had some potential. He also said Jake was brave to take a chance and do something no one would have expected from him at first glance. Gordon said they got “great scallops and sh** beef”, among other hot and cold expletive-laced comments, and said no. Graham said yes. When Joe seemed ready to give an emphatic no, Graham took to Jake’s defense, promising Joe he would personally make Jake a better chef. Joe eventually said yes.

Jennifer, who cooked chicken Florentine salad with black garlic pomegranate dressing – Jennifer is a stay at home mom with two special needs children. Gordon’s first concern was that she didn’t need any more responsibilities than what she already had. After tasting her food, he said the chicken was delicate and tasted phenomenal. As she had restrictions with what she could cook because of her sons, he asked if there was more she could bring to the table. She said yes, so Gordon and Joe said yes too, getting her a spot in the next round.

Adeliz, who cooked stuffed plantains with picadillo, shrimp and vegetables – Adeliz seemed to have passion about her food, but as soon as she started to do fancy plating, squirting designs onto the plate, the judges weren’t happy. Joe said she was squirting away the soul. Gordon called her mother in and said that all the passion he felt was missing on the plate, then decided to give Adeliz a second chance. He gave her two hours to go home, cook something authentic, and come back to show them what she was really about…

Sheena, who cooked pork tenderloin with braised fennel and spaetzle – All the judges said the pork was overcooked, but Joe said everything else was perfect and had potential, and said yes. Graham said no. Sheena promised Gordon she would never disappoint him ever again, and after some hesitation, he said yes.

Darryl, who cooked baby back pork ribs – Darryl was born with only three fingers on each hand, and Gordon asked how he managed. Darryl said he was a no excuses kind of guy, which all the judges seemed impressed by. He used a pressure cooker to get the ribs done in an hour, which Gordon thought was crazy. Joe said he was passionate and took a risk, and said yes. Graham said no. Gordon seemed torn, but said the barbecue sauce was good, and gave him a yes.

Adeliz’s reprise! Second time around, she cooked New Mexican chili relleno – Gordon tells her he is expecting greatness and that they have never given someone a second chance like this. She said that she got their message loud and clear. The verdict on her second dish? Joe said it was fabulous, delicious, light, flavorful and well fried. Gordon said it was just great home cooked food tasting delicious. All three judges said yes, and were eating her dish even after she ran out to give her mother to good news.

My two cents:
I am glad Graham ate his words with Tamar. Whitney is very likable, and clearly good at cooking if she got in the competition at 22. I’m interested to see if she really does have the fierce side her sister said she did. Jake, in my opinion, should have gone home. I think Graham let his personal instant affection for Jake get in the way.

Jennifer? I don’t know what to think. She made a salad, which isn’t so hard, and she’s leaving her two special needs children to be on a television show. I obviously don’t know how she’s working this out and if her children are going to be taken care of properly, but it doesn’t sit right with me, especially when she came out and no one was there to congratulate her.

As soon as Sheena put the pork in the pan, I was thinking she had better stop talking and start watching it because they were so thin. Which she didn’t do and ruined her pork. I’m on the fence with her. And as far as Darryl, I have no strong opinion about him either way. Then of course, there is Adeliz, who was sort of the star of the show last night. I really don’t think I have anything more to say than that I completely agree with the judges.

While I am talking about the people who won, I heard a complaint last week that it looked like people were only being chosen for how good their stories were. The thing is, though, we only really “got to know” twelve chefs total that went through on the last two episodes. That means there were eighteen more that we didn’t meet. If you’re going to put a contestant on tv and you have a much larger selection of them than you have time to include, of course you’re going to show the ones with the best stories!

But back to last night. The judges surprised me a little. Gordon was pretty… well gentle isn’t the right word, but it’s all I can think of. But he stood up for Tamar, sent Adeliz home for a second chance, and made sure that Whitney’s parents wouldn’t let her give up on cooking if the competition didn’t work for her. Sweet isn’t the right word either, but you get my point. Graham made a couple of really bad calls, I think. I still can’t help but feel Joe is a little cold, but he made a few decisions I didn’t expect him to last night, like saying yes to Sheena.

Next week, over half of the thirty finalists picked in the last two weeks will not make it through the eliminations. I’m excited. How about you? Is there anyone you really hope does/doesn’t get cut next week? And what did you guys think of last night’s episode? Do you think anyone got an apron who didn’t deserve it? Did they pass up on someone you liked? Give me your two cents!

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