Crank up that heat

Having bitched just last week about the unfairness of the MasterChef NZ team challenges, I was both stunned and pleasantly surprised this week to see a team challenge that was actually designed to see the contestants judged and eliminated as couples.

Masterchef Couples has, at long last, discovered the secret ingredient and finally perfected a recipe.

With just eight couples remaining it was fitting that, over two nights, their challenge would be to prepare and serve an eight course degustation dinner.

Missing from the menu, however, was one of the judges, Ray Vinnie. I'm only guessing, of course, but I think he may have taken time out to enrol his wild and over-animated eyebrows in an obedience masterclass. I was beginning to wonder if he treated them with Edmonds baking powder, the rise he gets from them is nothing short of spectacular.

Last week's two top duos, Karena and Kasey, and Jamie and Bec, were tasked with being joint team captains who were then charged with picking their preferred team mates.

All that remained to be seen was that awkward moment of discovering which duo would be picked last. Glyn and James were sure it would be them but the dubious honour went to Jenn and Elizabeth, who were understandably hurt and unimpressed.

Although a team challenge, each couple were responsible for putting out two dishes. The menu had to have a theme and the time limit between courses was 20 minutes.

Courses one to four seemed to wow the judges on all fronts -- presentation, cooking and flavour -- with the only negative coming from Jenn's tartar dish being under-seasoned. Bec and Jamie impressed with their use of molecular gastronomy, making it a close-fought race.

Cooking as couples but competing as teams made for an interesting dynamic. Most worked well together and were more than willing to lend a hand or offer advice to anyone who might need it ... all except Elizabeth, who thought she knew better, despite all seven of her team mates expressing concern over her jus.

It goes without saying that Jenn and Elizabeth were forced in to a cook-off with fellow team mates, the supremely confident Bec and Jamie, who openly said they felt safe.

A seemingly simple whitebait fritter saw Jenn and Elizabeth choke. A somewhat bitter Betty was quick to blame Jenn for their demise, accusing her of being more interested in making friends than good food.

On the upside, Kasey and Karena's team got the victory with the young team captains winning best dish for the third week running. Nice too, to see the new team of Jack and Cerry blending together well and putting up some impressive fare.

With just seven pairs left in the mix it's time to bring out the pressure cooker and crank up the heat.