In 10 weeks we will know who our own MasterChef SA Season 2 winner is.  We are curious to hear who our readers think will become MasterChef SA Season 2, and why.

We ask you to send your nominations with a motivation via Comment to this Blog (please add your name and surname and e-mail address).  To thank you for your input, we will award one lucky reader a complimentary weekend of your choice location at one of our Whale Cottages in Camps Bay, Hermanus, or Franschhoek, subject to availability and inclusive of breakfast, but exclusive of other meals and transport, out of all of those entries correctly predicting the winner of MasterChef SA.

Whale Cottage Camps Bay is located 500 meters from Camps Bay beach and 25 restaurants on the Camps Bay Promenade.  It offers secure parking on the property, with seafacing double rooms, and single rooms facing the Twelve Apostles and Lion’s Head.  Half an hour from the Constantia Wine Route.

Whale Cottage Hermanus is located on the seafront, with a wonderful view onto Walker Bay, in which Southern Right whales and their calves frolic from May – November.  The region is also known for its excellent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines in particular, from estates such as Hamilton Russell, Hermanuspietersfontein, and Creation on the Hermanus Wine Route.

Franschhoek is best known as the Gourmet and Wedding capital of South Africa, and some of its wine estates (including Boekenhoutskloof, Chamonix, and La Motte) are recognised  as the best in the country. Whale Cottage Franschhoek is situated 200 meters from the main road in the village.

The sixteen MasterChef SA finalists are listed below, with a summary of their highlights and lowlights over the next ten weeks:

*   Tiron Eloff :  Into Pressure Test in episode 12, and did reasonably well.  Did very well in Andrea Burgener Pressure Test in episode 16, with best dish, which is to go onto The Leopard menu. Won Best Coconut Dish in episode 17, and did a cook-off against Chef Jackie Cameron from Hartford House, doing surprising well but not winning the Immunity Pin in episode 18.  Joint winner with Kamini of Coffee Invention Test in Ethiopia and received a MasterClass in the Jemma Valley.  Survived Vegetarian Pressure Test at Yaya Village in Ethiopia in episode 21. Eliminated in Chef Prue Leith challenge to create a dish with iconic South African ingredients of a Michelin star quality in episode 23. Twitter: @TironEloff

*   Karen Els : Top 5 dish in episode 7. Did well in her fish dish in the Pressure Test in episode 10, after not doing well in the Spice Test.  Won best dish in episode 11, and won a MasterClass in ice-cream making at The Creamery.  Into Andrea Burgener Pressure Test with Red Team in episode 16.  Into Bobotie Pressure Test in episode 18, and survived it. Into Vegetarian Pressure Test at Yaya Village in Ethiopia in spisode 21 and was eliminated. Twitter: @kelsfoodie

*   Khumo Twala : Into Pressure Test in episode 6. Made a perfect hollandaise sauce, and was allowed to join the other Finalists in episode 6.  Top 5 dish in episode 7. Was in the Spice Test in episode 10, but was allowed to join the other Finalists.  Survived the Pressure Test in episode 14, making Chef David Higgs’ macaroons and panna cotta.  Into Andrea Burgener Pressure Test with Red Team in episode 16, and eliminated. Twitter: @Simply_khumski

*   Shannon Smuts : Into Pressure Test in episode 6. Eliminated from MasterChef in episode 6.  Has opened her restaurant Pure Good in Cape Town. Twitter: @Shananigems

*   Ozzy Osman : Survived the Pressure Test in episode 14, making Chef David Higgs’ macaroons and panna cotta. Into Bobotie Pressure Test in episode 18, and survived it. Won best Month-end dish in episode 24, and was rewarded by a trip to Gansbaai to see sharks and had a seafood salad prepared for him by Seafood at The Marine in episode 25. Eliminated in episode 26, in a controversial judges’ decision, his Chocolate Handkerchief dish having been judged to be even less good than that by Kamini.   Twitter: @Oh_so_Ozzy

*   Leandri van der Wat:  Had to go into Bouillabaisse  Pressure Test in episode 8, and did very well. Was in the Spice Test in episode 10, but was allowed to join the other Finalists. Survived Pressure Test against Amanda Beck at Castelli’s in Addis Ababa in episode 20.  Did very well in Chef Prue Leith challenge to create a dish with iconic South African ingredients of a Michelin star quality in episode 23. Did so well in episode 26 in replicating Chef Richard Carstens’ Chocolate Handkerchief that she shot into the Finale for episode 28. Lost to Kamini Pather as winner of MasterChef SA ‘by a fraction’!  Twitter:@This_is_Leandri

*   Seline van der Wat :  Into Pressure Test in episode 6. Made a perfect hollandaise sauce, and was allowed to join the other Finalists in episode 6. Into Pressure Test in episode 8. Touch and go, but survived Bouillabaisse Test in episode 8.  Into Pressure Test in episode 25 for her poor month-end dish. Up against Kamini in semi-final in episode 27.   Lost to Kamini and eliminated. Twitter: @SelineVW

*   Neil Lowe : Into Pressure Test in episode 6. Made a perfect hollandaise sauce, and was allowed to join the other Finalists in episode 6. Top 5 dish in episode 7.  Did not do well in Spice Test in episode 10, and had to go into Pressure Test, which led to his elimination.  Twitter: @NeilLowe

*   Kamini Pather : Winner of bell, and Food and Wine Pairing Master Class at Nederburg, for best Signature Sandwich in episode 5.  Joint winner with Tiron of Coffee Invention Test in Ethiopia and received a MasterClass in the Jemma Valley.  First (Vegetarian) Pressure Test due to injera challenge in Ethiopia in episode 21.    Into Pressure Test in episode 24 for her poor month-end dish. Poor performance in Gâteau Pressure Test, yet was (controversially) saved by the judges in episode 25.   Poor performance in Richard Carstens’ Chocolate Handkerchief dishin episode 26, yet was saved again.  Into semi-final against Seline in episode 27.  Winner of MasterChef SA Season 2 against Leandri van der Wat, despite huge controversy.   Twitter: @KaminiPather

*   Joani Mitchell: Top 5 dish in episode 7. Was in the Spice Test in episode 10, but was allowed to join the other Finalists.  Into Andrea Burgener Pressure Test with Red Team in episode 16, her first. Into Bobotie Pressure Test in episode 18, and eliminated.  Twitter: @joanimitchell04

*   Mary Martin : Into Pressure Test in episode 6.  Highly praised for copying Chef Andrew’s warthog loin in the Pressure Test in episode 6 so well. Into Pressure Test in episode 8. Knew her cheeses well enough to get out of Bouillabaisse Test in episode 8.  Eliminated in the Pressure Test in episode 14, not replicating Chef David Higgs’ Macaroon and Panna Cotta dish well enough.  Twitter: @mary82jn

*   Sanet Labuschagne  : Into Pressure Test in episode 8. Knew her cheeses well enough to escape the Bouillabaisse Test in episode 8. Was in the Spice Test in episode 10, but was allowed to join the other Finalists. Into the Pressure Test in episode 12, and was eliminated.  Sanet has opened her ‘Cooks in Action’ cooking school, which was her dream she spoke about on MasterChef SA. Twitter: @ZanLabz

*   Tumi Moche : Into Pressure Test in episode 6. Made two errors in Pressure Test in episode 6, but went through to episode 7. Into Pressure Test in episode 8. Forgot to add calamari into his Bouillabaisse, and had to leave the show in episode 8.  Twitter: @BoitumeloMoche

*   Amanda Beck :  Into Pressure Test in episode 8. Knew her cheeses well enough to get out of Bouillabaisse Test in episode 8. Survived the Pressure Test in episode 14, making Chef David Higgs’ macaroons and panna cotta.  Into Andrea Burgener Pressure Test with Red Team in episode 16.  Eliminated in episode 20 in the challenge against Leandri van der Wat at Castelli’s in Addis Ababa.   Twitter: @quirky_mandy

*   Jason Steel :   Did not do well in Spice Test, and therefore went into the Pressure Test in episode 10.  Despite never having made risotto, he survived the Test.  Into the Pressure Test in episode 12, and did best of the three Finalists.  Survived Vegetarian Pressure Test at Yaya Village in Ethiopia in episode 21. Survived Chef Prue Leith challenge to create a dish with iconic South African ingredients of a Michelin star quality in episode 23.  In what viewers are criticising as a very biased decision, Jason was eliminated in the Gâteau Pressure Test in episode 25.  Worked at La Colombe as a waiter, and now at The Test Kitchen.  Twitter: @jasonsteel100

*   Herman Cloete  :  Voted top dish of the day in episode 7, winning a MasterClass in plating from Chef Chantel Dartnell at Restaurant Mosiac at The Orient, which he visited in episode 8.  Eliminated in the Pressure Test in episode 14, not replicating Chef David Higgs’ macaroon and panna Cotta dish well enough.  Twitter: @cloeteherman

For an overview of what is lying ahead for Season 2 read here. For behind the scenes information on the filming of Season 2 in January read here.  For an overview of episode 1 of Season 2 read here. For an overview of episode 2 of Season 2 read here, for episode 3 read here, for episode 4 and episode 5 here.  Enter our competitions, to predict the Finalist who will be eliminated in the Pressure Test, and which Finalist will win MasterChef SA Season 2.

We look forward to your predictions of the winner as a Comment to this blogpost – please keep them coming!

POSTSCRIPT 11/9:  Congratulations to Caroline Clark for winning our MasterChef SA competition, being the first person to vote for Kamini Pather as the winner of Season 2 of MasterChef SA!.

MasterChef SA Season 2. Tuesdays and Wednesdays 19h30 – 20h30.www.masterchefsa.dstv.co Twitter: @MasterChef_SA.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.comTwitter:@WhaleCottage whalecot@iafrica.com