Tag Archives: Amanda beck

MasterChef SA Season 2 episode 28: Finale sees Kamini Pather controversially crowned winner by a ‘fraction’!

September 12, 2013

There should have been no winner of MasterChef SA Season 2 episode 28 and the Finale of this reality TV cooking show last night, with both contestants making unforgivable mistakes in what was meant to be the pinnacle of the cooking competition! As a winner had to be chosen, the judges announced Kamini Pather as the winner, beating Leandri van der Wat by a ‘fraction’ of 6 out of 100 points.

The episode commenced with a very quick overview of the previous 27 episodes, highlighting Kamini’s near perfect past in being ‘top of the class’ (was this a predictor already?), and Leandri’s growth and top praise she received from Chef Prue Leith in particular. The two Finalists arrived at the MasterChef SA kitchen at Nederburg on a very rainy day, and were surprised to find all fourteen the other MasterChef SA Finalists there, as well as their families. Kamini’s mother Anthea and brother Neelan were present, as well as Leandri’s (and Seline’s) father Neil, aunt (her ‘second mother‘ Leandri said) and sister Nadine. Chef Pete Goffe-Wood said that it was the biggest Continue reading →

MasterChef SA Season 2 controversial final week: what lies ahead in episodes 27 and 28?

September 10, 2013

No matter what happens in the MasterChef SA Season Finale tomorrow evening, the choice of the Season 2 Masterchef SA winner will be controversial, if the outcry on Social Media about Kamini Pather being allowed through to Top 4 and Top 3 is anything to go by, even forcing M-Net to issue a media release about it!

Food blogger Kamini Pather was the clear leader until episode 24, rarely putting a foot wrong, and only landing up in two Pressure Tests. It is clear that her strength is creatively meeting cooking challenges, and that she is less good in having to replicate dishes of visiting chefs, which was her downfall in two episodes last week. She is seen to be aloof, some seeing this as arrogance. She was a winner of the bell, and Food and Wine Pairing Master Class at Nederburg, for the best Signature Sandwich in episode 5. She was the joint winner with Tiron Eloff of the Coffee Invention Test in Ethiopia and received a MasterClass in the Jemma Valley. Went into her first (Vegetarian) Pressure Test due to the injera challenge in Ethiopia in episode 21. Into the 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 dish in episode 26, yet was saved again. In a video interview after episode 26 a very tearful Kamini admits that her early morning yoga is ‘working less and less’, and that ‘the volume of tasks’ required when replicating dishes ‘is freaking me out’. She has the highest number of votes from readers of our blog.

Sisters Landri and Seline van der Wat have won increasing viewer support, for their wonderful supportive relationship, for being smart, for their cooking skills (Seline for baking in particular), for how well-spoken they are, in often making Continue reading →

MasterChef SA Season 2 episode 19: Finalists roasted in Coffee Challenge in Addis Ababa!

August 14, 2013

Despite a long tedious recap of last weeks’s episode 18, last night’s episode 19 of MasterChef SA was exciting and something different, being filmed in Ethiopia, a country in which coffee was first discovered, and it was fitting that the cooking in the episode focused on coffee.

The eight Finalists were very excited to see suitcases, and visas and passports to Ethiopia in their house, generating big hugs and lots of excitement. Sharing some of the tourist attractions of Addis Ababa, the Finalists went inside the Ethiopian Orthodox Church with beautiful interiors. Continue reading →

MasterChef SA Season 2 episode 17: Judges nuts about most coconut dishes, Tiron Eloff Coconut King!

August 7, 2013

An unusual Taste Test, which sounded easier than it was, was the start to episode 17 of MasterChef SA last night, when the nine Finalists were each given a bowl of fruit and some juices to taste and identify. This led to a Challenge using a fruit, with a winner of the Challenge potentially winning an Immunity Pin, and three Finalists going into the Elimination Test tonight.

We have seen Taste Tests on MasterChef SA before, but never with the Finalists blindfolded. Once they had identified the fruits on the basis of taste, smell, and touch, they had to hold up the whole fruit from the bowl for the judges to see. An avocado, plum, strawberry juice, grape juice, and red currant were the correct fruits tasted. Ozzie Osman won the taste test, being the last remaining Finalist, having correctly identified all five fruits. The prize was that he was allowed to choose one of three fruits as the core ingredient for the Invention Test, going into the Pantry with Chef Benny Masekwameng to choose between coconuts (whole, desiccated, milk, cream), peaches (fresh, dried, preserved), and figs (dried, fresh, preserved). He chose coconuts, saying they are part of his culture. The winner of the Invention Test would go into a cook-off against one of South Africa’s top chefs and should he/she win, an Immunity Pin would be won which would offer immunity Continue reading →