TV Review: MasterChef, episode 10

Fiery German chef Volker Marecek goes a step too far when he insults one of the contestants. Photo / TVNZ

One of the fun parts of watching an elimination show like MasterChef is trying to second-guess the producers.

Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall as they and the judges wrangle over how to manage the eliminations: do we keep the crowd favourite (or the one everyone loves to hate) for a few more episodes, even though their cooking skills are clearly reaching (or have passed) their limit?

Will we create a challenge that will really sort the in-your-face cry-babies from the cool, calm quiet ones? How many times can we cut to The Personality to get the colourful quotes before it becomes obvious Simon Gault needs a better scriptwriter?

This week we were down to five intrepid souls and, honestly, I'm struggling to name my final two. I truly have no idea what's happening next week, let alone who'll be in the final episode.

Not because I don't have favourites, but because there's always a twist in the tale. This week's competitors showed how savvy they - and we - have become as they tried to guess their next challenge. Would there be a black team of old faves (Cam? Fiona?) to meet them?

As their bus turned into the Langham Hotel driveway our stoic cooks knew it would not be for the hotel's famous High Tea and a spa pampering.

They all remember the "scary German", executive chef Volker Marecek bawling out the hapless crew last season.

When Simon, Ray McVinnie and Josh Emmett announce that the challenge is to serve five famous chefs with the high-end room service menu, Stu rightly picks it won't be club sandwiches, burgers and fries.

Well, not quite.

One of the dishes, Jax's as it happens, is indeed an Angus beef burger in an onion brioche, with homemade ketchup and hand-cut fries. Not Macca's then.

Stu gets the pan-fried flounder with a beetroot risotto and caper butter sauce, Tracey Lee the rib-eye steak, Nadia the chicken breast with capsicum marmalade, red grape salad and potato rosti, while poor Michael gets a salmon tortellini with a crab and avocado salad and lime "air".

We can see he senses impending doom as pasta was his downfall back in the early days.

This is when wannabe chefs really get the pressure of a real commercial kitchen, and they are far enough along in their wisdom to realise that the seemingly generous three hours they have to do their prep and have their "mise" in place is only barely going to be enough.

When they get their call from the guests in the glamour suites, they have only 20 minutes to finish their dishes and deliver them to the mystery chef guest and judges Josh and Ray.

This is not the weekend/day to make German jokes, but suffice to say that Volker is straight from central casting. He has not got any softer since last season and berates the cooks who dally, who butcher (or, more aptly, don't know how to properly butcher or fillet) their key ingredient.

The man has eyes in the back of his head, jumping from snapping at Michael for not wearing gloves to Stu for unskinned fish, while making Tracey Lee re-roll her quenelles. Stu and Jax put their heads down and know that beetroot not finely chopped enough or brioche not in the oven soon enough will not do.

Volker obliges with shouts of "You think this shit I can serve my customers", "we are not in a kindergarten" and "this is crap and now you give me this shit".

But he takes one step too far when he "insults" Michael by charging "Don't be a woman" and Jax snaps at him. "I can't believe I said that out loud," she gulps, but standing up to the bully seems to earn her a bit of respect, albeit grudging, from Volker.

Michael's tortellini has the double sin of being tough and flavourless, but it is Tracey Lee who creates the unforgettable TV moment, tipping over her trolley as she charges from the kitchen.

Predictable tears and flagellation, but her work, while not great, isn't bad either and she lives to fight another day.

Once again, Stu, closely followed by Jax, nails the challenge, and with point-scoring this time there is less chance for fiddling with the results.

Michael's dismal 16 out of 40 sees him heading for the door, missing out on next week's thrilling challenge in Melbourne.

Here's hoping the final four make the most of Australia's capital of food, as it's too close to tell who'll be here for the finals.

Three gals and a boy. Who figured that? Catherine Smith is deputy editor of Weekend Life and a member of the Food Writers' Guild.

What: MasterChef.

When: TV One, Sunday nights.

* Catherine Smith is deputy editor of Weekend Life and a member of the Food Writers' Guild.