MasterChef – Recap & Review – Top 38 Revealed

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MasterChef
Top 38 Revealed

Original Air Date: Jun 13, 2011

JD – Sr. Staff Writer
jd@thetwocentscorp.com

Oh yay, a third round of auditions. Didn’t we only have two rounds last season? Two was plenty, and last night dragged a little for me. They probably could have crammed the auditions into just two episode, and it showed with all the playing to the camera, like bringing in wives and children. It didn’t take away too much, though, and for the most part I enjoyed it. We had a brain surgeon, a trust fund baby, and a pumpkin enthusiast with a killer Julia Child impression.

Let’s get cooking…

The Worst Of The Worst:

There was a string of Italian dishes that were trying to impress Joe. Among them was the lady Gordon said he’d give a 3 out of 10 to “after three bottles of wine”. Another lady corrected Gordon multiple times on his pronunciation of… something. I didn’t recognize the name of the dish (jumbot?), and neither did Gordon, so I’m guessing she was either wildly mispronouncing it or it wasn’t a real dish. Anyone actually know what it was?

Christin, who made “sweet meatballs”, probably doesn’t count as one of the “worst” auditions, since Joe did give her a yes. However, Gordon and Graham said no, and I thought her dish sounded gross. So what exactly is it that makes a meatball sweet? Pound cake. Yes, you read that right. I like to mix it up when I eat, but pound cake, meat, and tomato sauce together?! Um, no thanks.

Oh, and the quote of the night came from Gordon during a montage of failures: “Are you allergic to flavor?”

Classic.

Who Won An Apron:

Suzy, who made tandoori sea bass – Joe said that not only did he give her a yes, but that she had potential to be a finalist. Graham said she should be proud, and Gordon said yes too.

Max, who made fried oysters with steak tataki – Gordon wanted to see him make something less glamorous because he was reaching too high too fast. He thought the dish worked, though, and said yes. Graham said the fried oyster was great, but the beef was unseasoned, and gave Max a no. After being assured that Max thought he could go all the way, Joe said yes.

Giuseppe, who made stuffed mussels and homemade tomato sauce – Giuseppe didn’t get the typical down-the-line judges comments. He was sent out to get his wife and son, while the judges commented on things like “rustic charm” and “purity of flavor”. When Giuseppe returned, Gordon asked Jake, Giuseppe’s son, to rate his dad’s food out of ten. When Jake said eleven, Gordon gave him an apron to give to his dad.

Adrien, who made achiote tierra y mar (surf and turf with homemade achiote) – Gordon said the seasoning was not for the faint hearted. Graham said there were a lot of great layers of flavor. Joe said the spice mixes were wonderful when smelled on their own, but fell flat on the dish. He said no, and the other two judges said yes.

Joseph, who made “Swiss alligator” – Graham said there was a lot of heart and soul, and said yes. Joe was a no, but Gordon said yes after talking to Joseph’s wife, who rated his cooking a twenty out of ten.

Ben, who made crunchy fish tacos – Gordon said Ben was a strong contender. Graham said it was delicious and an “absolute yes”. Joe handed over an apron with a third yes. Considering Ben forgot to put his signature ingredient in the dish (crispy fried pumpkin), he was lucky. I think making everything from scratch (like the tortillas and the pumpkin IPA he marinated the fish in) really helped him.

My Two Cents:

I was excited about Suzy from the time I interviewed Gordon and he mentioned the brain surgeon who cooked so well. Her fish looked amazing, and I like that she pointed out what she wished would have been a little better as the judges were eating it. I think it showed a real willingness to learn and take criticism well.

Ben seems like he’ll be fun to watch if he stays for long, and Max should be interesting. I hope there is more to him than just a stuffy rich kid, and it’s going to be a real test to see if he can cook “everyday” food.

Most interesting to me was that last night took a strange turn in that it seemed like Joe was getting shut down. Usually he’s the one shutting the other two judges down, but there were a couple auditions Joe seemed excited about and got vetoed. First there was Christin and her sweet meatballs, about which I agree with Gordon and Graham, but then there was Edgardo. Edgardo made Dungeness crab that the judges all thought was good, and praised the purity of the flavors. Joe described it as “kind of amazing”, the the other two judges said it was too simple.

Wait, didn’t they just applaud Giuseppe’s dish for being simple and only using a few ingredients? Don’t know what Giuseppe had that Edgardo didn’t (an accent?), but Joe said he thought Gordon and Graham made a mistake. I think so too.

Tonight we get the basics testing that we did last season, narrowing the field even further. The tests look like chopping apples and cooking chicken, and twenty chefs are going home until we have 18 standing. Should be fun.

What do you guys think of the top 38? Give me your two cents!

If you’d like to follow JD’s TV stories from TTC and beyond, you can follow her on Twitter at @JDeckerTV.