The knives are out

Verena Mitchell and Tanisha Kemp of Masterchef NZ Series 5. Photo/Supplied

The knives came out this week in Masterchef New Zealand as our final four couples fought to slice, dice and carve their way into the top three.

Knowing they were heading to Bali, the duos spent hours studying and researching the local cuisine. If only it were that simple. The first challenge was at Club Med Bali. Being such a cultural melting pot, Indonesian cuisine wasn't the only thing on the menu, however, and our all female finalists fired arrows to decide the dishes they would cook.

Mother and daughter duo, Nikki and Jordan got lucky by default, landing themselves with the much sought after local cuisine. Jamie and Bec were thankful to get Chinese and oozed confidence. Karena and Kasey seemed comfortable with Korean, leaving local lasses, Verena and Tanisha with Japanese.

All four couples were given one hour and recipes. No amounts were given though. It would all come down a battle of the buds, taste buds that is, with every dish requiring that perfect balance of herbs and spices.

It was kitchen chaos with all four duos feeling the pressure. Benches resembled bomb sites and judge Josh blasted them for it. Despite having the advantage of cooking Indonesian food, Nikki seemed lost and a little too reliant on Jordan, always seeking her assurance. She appeared almost vacant at times and in desperate need of a Confidence Smoothie.

Things were not going well for Verena and Tanisha, either, who just never seemed to hit their stride. The consistently strong sisters found themselves at the bottom, for the first time, after serving Simon a side of dirt with his unwashed bok-choy Luckily, they were given one last chance to redeem themselves.

The second challenge took place at the Bumbu Bali Cooking School, where all four teams had to recreate an Indonesian tasting platter. Nikki and Jordan or more specifically, Nikki, got off to a shocker. Looking more lost than ever she made mistake after mistake and you couldn't help but feel bad for Jordan. Going home seemed inevitable, surely no one else could be having a worse day? Kasey and Karena were cruising along and in control and Jamie and Bec, though under pressure, remained focused and confident.

Verena and Tanisha, unfortunately, were falling apart, unlike their lamb, despite it's time in the pressure cooker. Burnt nuts made for a nasty satay and in a flash(of hot oil) their fate was sealed. Nikki and Jordan, were thrown a lifeline and scraped into the final three with Jamie and Bec in first place and Kasey and Karena a close second.

From flying high to flying home, our local ladies Verena and Tanisha went from never being in doubt to never standing a chance. It was a cruel twist of fate, but they have plenty to be proud about and we should be proud of them. That subtle hint of local flavour will be sadly missed.

No doubt the remaining teams will be cooking up a storm next week to make it to the final. Never mind the knives, the claws will be out for a culinary cat fight of epic proportions.