Episode 18 of MasterChef South Africa Season 5
Episode 18 of MasterChef South Africa aired last week and of course I have to share my views. Having been part of the fourth season of MasterChef, I can’t help but compare while watching the show. Read my episode summary below.
Fun fact - my lighting company LLSA supplied all the lights in the pantry and around the studio, and we are mentioned as a sponsor in the credits.
Spoiler Alert
If you are behind, I recommend you stop reading now!
Click here read up more about the MasterChef season 5 contestants, or read the summaries from the previous MasterChef episodes if you’re trying to catch up.Want to Watch MasterChef South Africa?
MasterChef South Africa Season premiered on Saturday July 13 at on S3, and new episodes are aired every Saturday. From November, episodes will air at 8:30 pm every Saturday, with the rebroadcasts on Sundays on S2 at 6:30 pm and on Wednesdays on S3 at 6:00 pm.
Looking back - What happened on the previous MasterChef episodes?
Click here to jump straight to episode 18 and skip the summaries of the previous episodes.
In the first episode, contestants had to make a chicken dish with a sauce or a broth, but for it to be at MasterChef-worthy standard. They were given 90 minutes and their dish needed to include a mirepoix (a mixture of diced vegetables cooked on a low heat in oil or butter) and it needed to include a Bouquet Garni, which is a bundle of herbs. In traditional French cuisine this includes parsley, bay leaves and thyme but other herbs can be added too.
What was most shocking about this first episode, is that the contestants went down from 20 to 15 in one go. The contestants who were eliminated in the first episode were Lucas, Lesego, Robyn, Andrew and Ella.
In the second episode, contestants had to use the single humble ingredient of an apple, and think of the apple of their eye in their life when cooking. The contestants were allowed to make something sweet or savoury. No contestants were eliminated and Naledi won the mystery box challenge.
In the third episode, Naledi was up in the gantry as a reward for winning the mystery box challenge in the previous episode. The remaining contestants were challenged by guest judge Chef Nokx Majozi in a pressure test to recreate her signature Pepper Steak Pie. Tina, Bridget and Amo had made the best pepper steak pies, and Tina won the elimination challenge. Nash, Lona and Melanie found themselves in the bottom three and Melanie was eliminated.
In the fourth episode, the contestants were asked to pay tribute to and draw inspiration from the judges’ star signs when creating their dishes in this challenge. They couldn’t choose which judge’s star sign they were going to base their dish on, but it was an elimination based on chance as they had to choose a card in order to determine which protein they would be cooking. Chanel, Shreya and Zak found themselves in the bottom three. Zakariyya Ibrahim (Zak) went home as his curry failed to deliver. According to Judge Katlego, the lack of seasoning was his downfall and both the rice and carrots were overcooked, and the dish was not balanced.
In the fifth episode, guest judge Jackie Burger challenged the contestants to use fashion models and their incredible outfits to make their own creative interpretation of the outfits. Nabela, Ketsia and Tebogo were in the top 3 and Amogelang Maluleke (Amo), Tzu Ting Long (Tina) and Penny in the bottom, with Tina from Home Bao going home in the end.
In the sixth episode, MasterChef contestants competed in their first team challenge. The episode took place at Durbanville Hills wine estate. Contestants were welcomed to the award-winning Tangram restaurant by cellar master Pieter-Niel Rossouw and Head Chef Tamzyn Ehlers. Tebogo was Team Captain for the Blue Team (made up of Naledi, Chanel, Amo, Shreya and Nabila) and Nash headed up the Red Team which also included Penny, Ketsia, Nash, Bridget, Lona and Refe. Contestants needed to create a ‘Buffet of New Beginnings’ which was basically an interactive buffet table re-inventing old-style buffet combinations and pairing creations with wine from the Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve range. Ultimately, the blue team took home the victory.
The seventh episode saw Penny, Ketsia, Nash, Bridget, Lona, Refe and Nash battling it out against each other in a elimination challenge. They were given an hour to showcase their creativity by whipping up a gourmet meal from the judges’ typical month-end leftovers and were only allowed to use 20 classic frugal South African staples. Ultimately Ketsia’s flatbread and tuna salad dish did not meet the mark and she was eliminated from the competition.
In the eight episode contestants were asked to embrace the air fryer revolution and use it as their main cooking method to reinvent a classic potato dish to a modern bistro-worthy delight. Nash, Chanel and Lona cooked the top 3 dishes and Bridget, Tebogo and Naledi found themselves in the bottom three. Chanel won the challenge with her potato dauphinoise with chorizo caramelised crisp and a little bit of lemon and she was given the opportunity to win an Immunity Pin. She did need to beat Herman Lensing at his game - Herman has published several cookbooks and three with air fryer recipes specifically so he is South Africa’s leading expert on cooking with air fryers. This is when mysterious guest rode in on a Pick ‘n Pay asap! scooter… me!
I took two paper bags out my Pick ‘n Pay asap! scooter, one with a “Land” and one with a “Sky” sticker on them. With that, the judges left to the back and I was left to be the referee for the challenge. Chanel chose “Sky” and needed to cook with duck, whilst Herman Lensing was given lamb.
Lona's winning dish
With the ninth episode we reached the halfway mark of the competition. The top 10 walked in in white aprons and were challenged with making a plant-based dish using the humble cabbage as the hero ingredient. Amo, Nabila and Shreya found themselves in the bottom three, but were safe from elimination due to it being a non-elimination challenge. Refe, Chanel and Lona were in the Top 3 and Lona won 50,000 rand to the best dish.
In the tenth episode, Shreya announced that she would be leaving the MasterChef kitchen without participating in the next challenge. She had been struggling with anxiety throughout the competition, and after receiving “some unfortunate news” from her family, she left, calling it “an act of self-love and an act of self-care.”
After Shreya walked out, the the MasterChef contestants welcomed celebrity chef Alessandro Khojane, “Sotho Italian” (owner of Gemelli in Bryanston). Contestants are given two hours to create an Italian-South African dish. Naledi won the challenge with her chicken roulade and Refe goes home.
In the eleventh episode, Naledi spent the challenge on the gantry after winning the challenge in the previous episode. As the contestants soon found out, it was a A Mystery Box Team Challenge. They were divided up in teams of two, with Chanel alone in the yellow team after Shreya had pulled out of the competition in the last episode. To even things out, the judges brought back Refe, who was only just eliminated one episode prior. Each team is provided a different meat parcel and they are each tasked to making 1.5 kgs of wors, cooking it on the hibachi, and serving their with modern side dish of a heritage starch and a tasty sauce or gravy. Last but not least, they are required to make a true South African delicacy: skilpadjies. All of this, needed to be done within the 2.5 hour time frame. The wors needs to be made the old fashioned way: using a manual meat grinder found in their mystery boxes. In the end, the Green Team made up of Nabila and Lona took home the victory. This means that they will be safe from the next challenge, spending it on the gantry, and can’t be eliminated from the competition during the next episode.
In the twelfth episode, Penny, Chanel, Refe, Amo, Bridget, Nash and Naledi had to pass a blind taste challenge. After being blindfolded, they were each given a variety of ingredients which had been cut into identically sized cubes. Penny, Chanel, Bridget, Amo and Refe make a mistake whereas all of Naledi’s guesses are correct. As a result, Naledi gets to join Nabila and Lona on the gantry and also can’t be eliminated from the competition during the next challenge. They have to create two tiny dishes: an amuse bouche, usually served at the beginning of the meal as a gift from the chef to awaken the pallet, and a bonbon (or a friandise, or mignardise), usually served at the end of a meal. Their sweet dish had to contain chocolate and they needed to make six of each.
Amo’s savoury tart with caramelised onion purée and quail breast was criticised for the crumbly and overcooked pastry, and he was eliminated from the competition.
Justine and Zola burst out laughing after Nash says he is absolutely not confident with cooking fine dining.
In the thirteenth episode, Chanel watched from the gantry whilst the remaining seven contestants (Nabila, Lona, Penny, Refe, Bridget, Nash and Naledi) had to replicate Chef Moses Moloi’s “Enchanted Forest Elegance” in two and a half hours. There are quite a few techniques in the intricate dish and the contestants visibly struggled with the race against time. The episode is action-packed: Bridget cuts her finger, Lona struggles to switch on his Taurus Kitchen Machine and Nash doesn’t start plating until the countdown begins. This as it turns out is his downfall. Managing to put just one or two elements on the plate was not enough and Nash was eliminated from MasterChef season 5.
Nabila's Dish
Nash' dish
MasterChef South Africa Season 5 Episode 13 - Nash is eliminated from the competition
In the fourteenth episode, the top 7 contestants welcome a guest judge: head chef of The Pot Luck Club in Johannesburg, Ebie Du Toit (@chefebiii). Chef Ebie challenges the MasterChef contestants to make a bougie brunch spread consisting of three dishes: a brunch classic with a twist, a reinvented classic cocktail presented as a dish, and a fresh take on avocado toast. Their dishes must appeal to the demanding millennial brunch aficionado and so contestants are reminded to apply both their technical and plating skills. They are given two hours and an open pantry with all ingredients from Pick ‘n Pay available to use. Refe makes the dishes of the day and Bridget, Naledi and Nabila end up in the bottom three. Naledi is eliminated from the competition.
Bridget's dish
In the fifteenth episode, the top six contestants cooked in a non-elimination challenge, diving into the world of molecular gastronomy. They had to craft dishes that not only taste incredible but also surprise and deceive the judges, using elements of illusion and secrecy. Penny and Refe had the bottom two dishes, and Bridget had the top dish of the day.
In the sixteenth episode, the top six remaining MasterChef contestants (Chanel, Nabila, Lona, Penny, Refe, and Bridget) go to Bertus Basson’s restaurant Clara’s Barn for a team challenge. The Blue Team takes home the victory, and all Blue Team members get a R50 000 cash prize.
In the seventeenth episode, Chef Vusi Ndlovu joins as a guest judge. The contestants were challenged to create a spicy African-inspired dish. Chanel makes the Top Dish, and Penny is eliminated from the competition.
MasterChef South Africa Episode 18
It’s the last challenge before the semi-final and it is another elimination challenge.
As the contestants walk into the MasterChef studio, they see big towers filled with cream puffs. And this does hint towards the challenge of the day; it is all about choux, which South Africans know as cream puffs or éclairs.
The judges welcome the special guest for the episode Pastry Chef Jared Melamed (@jaredmelamed).
Who is Jared Melamed?
Chef Jared is the owner of La Tarte Pâtisserie in Sandton and won Best Pastry Chef at 2024 Luxe Restaurant Awards.
On the episode Justine asks Chef Melamed what drew him to patisserie in the first place:
“From a young age I always liked sweets and as I got older I liked the finer things about sweets. ”
Pastry Baking Skills
According to Chef Melamed, there are three elements that every pastry chef should be able to make:
“Those three are essential to any pastry chef.”
The first one he mentions is crème pâtissière or crème pât, which is a pastry cream, and the applications are endless.
The second one is pâte à choux or choux pastry which was invented in 1510.
Last but not least, there is pâte sucrée which is also known as shortcrust.
Jared Melamed’s Pastry Dishes
Up next, Jared Melamed shows off some of his creations, that he serves at La Tarte Pâtisserie in Sandton:
Miss Noisette (Hazelnut praline, chocolate mousse, premium dark chocolate & dark mirror glaze)
Madame Mango (with pâtr sucrée sablée, mango confit, mango crème diplomate & white chocolate)
Paris-Brest Crown (with hazelnut praline & choux au Craquelin)
Tahitian Vanilla (with pecan praline, Tahitian vanilla mousse & white mirror glaze)
Tarts au Choux Noisette (with pâte sucrée, crème pâtissière, choux pastry, chocolate & hazelnut praline)
This last one is Jared Melamed’s signature patisserie, in which he has incorporated the pâte sucrée (shortcrust) at the bottom, the crème pâtissière (pastry cream) in the centre with the hazelnut praline lieing at the bottom. On top of that, pre-baked into the shell, is the pâte à choux or choux pastry.
The Challenge
The challenge is about the finer elements of Chef Jared Melamed’s creations. He wants to push the contestants to their limits and so they are tasked to replicate Jared Melamed’s signature patisserie. They are given the recipe and three hours to complete it.
“Everyone can read a recipe, but can you follow a recipe, that’s what I am looking for.”
Jared Melamed reminds the contestants on numerous occasions to read (and follow) the recipe. He advises that they should follow each of the steps with great precision, and he reminds them that timing is key.
The Contestants’ Experience with Baking
I am definitely not a baker and this challenge reminded me of the confectionery challenge we had to complete in season four: in which I completely and utterly failed. Luckily for me, so did my fellow contestants struggle and so I made it through to the next round, as in MasterChef you don’t have to have the best dish of the competition, but you cannot have the worst dish in that challenge.
As the contestants start with the challenge, their comments make it sound like they are in a similar position:
“I made choux once and it was not a success and I didn’t try again. ”
“I made a choux pastry once and it was in home economics so it was a long time ago. It was like the sole of your shoe. ”
Refe and Bridget on the other hand, seems to be more confident, as they really enjoy baking:
“Some people go to the gym to blow off some steam, I bake. It’s my free therapy. ”
“This is my type of desert. When it comes to stress management, I love baking. ”
The Judges’ Commentary
As usual, while the contestants are working their way through the cook (Lona’s Caramel crystallises and he has to make another one, Refe didn’t take the skins off the almonds and is advised by Jared Melamed to start again), the judges are softly speaking amongst each other about where they think each of the contestants are at. One of the judges comments that they’re surprised that nobody has tasted the dessert or even cut it in half, as they were each given an example of Jared Melamed’s Tarts au Choux Noisette to replicate. Jared is particularly flabbergasted and says that if it was him doing the challenge, he would’ve tasted every element separately with different spoons. “Every flavour I would’ve dissected.”
“We’ve got three hours but I feel like I need three days. ”
By the looks of it, the contestants have bigger fish to fry though. Lona misread the recipe, and while he was supposed to put paper lining on his shortcrust, he forgot to do so and put the baking beans straight onto the pastry dough: “It looks like a cheese eaten by a rat.”
Justine, always the empathetic judge tells him that he shouldn’t stress about it too much as they are going to be filled.
Ultimately, it is clear that the aim of the challenge is to separate the wheat from the chaff as next week is the semi-finals.
Presenting their dishes to the Judges
At the end of the three hour challenge, each of the contestants present their version of Jared Melamed’s Tarts au Choux Noisette to the judges. Refe has done well and gets positive feedback. Bridget’s dessert has chocolate dripping a little bit on the sides but it’s “quite good” otherwise, although Justine “can’t find the hazelnut” and Katlego finds her dessert “quite salty.”
Chanel, walking into the judges room hopes the flavour in her dessert is noticed, as there are a lot of elements and components, and to combine them all into one dessert was tricky. Unfortunately her choux was “very raw” and gave the judges an eggy taste in their mouth. Nonetheless, Jared Melamed called it “a good attempt” and pointed out that “the glaze was pretty good”. Justine accurately summarises this as “she didn’t fail but she didn’t shine”.
Naledi did very well in the challenge “I thought that was a superb effort” and particularly the look of her dessert was appreciated, as “we eat with our eyes,” although the hazelnut was slightly on the bitter side.
Last but not least is Lona: “I just had to put myself in my own corner. Today was just one of those days where at some point I was giving up. Wear your big boy socks. Work with what you’ve got. I hope the flavour is there.
The judges emphasise with Lona’s feelings: “We all know how hard it is when you’re not happy.”
Sadly, it looked burned and not at all like what Chef Melamed had put forth. Visually it wasn’t there and the crème pât was overworked.
Top Dish
Nabila is called forward and the judges tell her that her dessert caused a lot of debate in the tasting room. Her crème pât was silky, creamy “like the milky way” and her pastry crumbly and absolutely perfect. Justine believes that Nabila’s creative artistic background assisted her in succeeding in the challenge. Thus Nabila earned the bake of the day.
Bottom Dishes
Justine called Lona forward, and she didn’t mince her words: “Lona, it wasn’t your day my love. You burnt the pastry, undercooked the choux pastry and the crème pate. It was a tiny bit grainy and we were missing the flavour of hazelnut.”
While Refe was also asked to step forward - she could soon step back again: “You are safe.”
Justine rightfully referred to Lona as “the cat with nine lives,” to which Zola responded: “The flirting continues.” There is clearly a lot of banter that has gone on both during the episodes as well as behind the scenes, but ultimately, all the judges are visually sad to see Lona go. Zola’s voice also broke and she spoke to his positivity and warm energy: “You didn’t flirt with me but it’s ok.”
MasterChef South Africa Top 4
With Lona eliminated, this leaves Bridget, Refe, Chanel and Nabila in the competition, battling it out to be crowned winner of MasterChef South Africa seaon 5.
MasterChef South Africa Episode 19
Looking ahead, the preview of the nineteenth episode of MasterChef South Africa gave us a hint of what the next episode will be about: As the contestants walk into the MasterChef studio, they see a whole bunch of golden ingredients such as honey, yellow peppers and waterblommetjies. The guest chef for the episode is Chef Gregory Henderson who is also known as ‘the forage chef’. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s going to ask the contestants to prepare. This will be the semi-final, so the pressure is on!
Who will win MasterChef South Africa season 5? Time will tell…
MasterChef Season 5 Episode Summaries
Click here read up more about the MasterChef season 5 contestants, or read the summary from the previous MasterChef episodes if you’re trying to catch up:
Episode 1 - Twenty MasterChef contestants cook a chicken dish, but only 15 remain
Episode 5 - Translating Fashion into Food with guest judge Jackie Burger
Episode 6 - Buffet of New Beginnings at Durbanville Hills wine estate
Episode 8 - Potatoes, Air Fryers, an Immunity Pin and two Special Guests
Episode 11 - Heritage Trinity: Wors, Skilpaadjies on the Hibachi and a Starch
Episode 12 - Life’s Tiny Pleasures - a Taste Challenge and Micro Fine Dining
Episode 13 - A Pressure Test cooking Chef Moses Moloi’s “Enchanted Forest Elegance”
Episode 15 - Savoury and Sweet Surprises using Molecular Gastronomy
Episode 16 - A Restaurant Takeover - Bertus Basson’s Clara’s Barn
Episode 17 - African Inspired dishes with Guest Judge Vusi Ndlovu
Episode 18 - Jared Melamed’s Signature Patisserie (this page)
Lona’s MasterChef Compilation
Following Lona’s elimination, this celebratory video was shared on the MasterChef SA Facebook page which really shows his quirky side:
I am sure Lona will still make it far. He has a lot of talent, and the right attitude - two key ingredients (see what I did there?) to become successful at whatever he sets his mind to.
Radio Interviews with eliminated MasterChef Contestants
As has happened with contestants who were previously eliminated, Lona also appeared in several radio interviews to talk about her MasterChef journey. I have linked some of these interviews below:
Lona’s interview on ‘Weekend Breakfast with Gugu Mhlungu’
Lona was interviewed on ‘Weekend Breakfast with Gugu Mhlungu’ on 702 on November 10th 2024. You can listen to the radio interview below:
Lona’s interview on ‘Lunch with Pippa Hudson’
Pippa Hudson also interviewed Lona on Cape Talk. The radio interview took place on November 11th 2024. You can listen to it below:
After episode 8, when I featured in a surprise appearance I also gave a few radio interviews:
More MasterChef Episode Summaries:
Want to Watch MasterChef South Africa?
MasterChef South Africa Season premiered on Saturday July 13 at on S3, and new episodes are aired every Saturday. From November, episodes will air at 8:30 pm every Saturday, with the rebroadcasts on Sundays on S2 at 6:30 pm and on Wednesdays on S3 at 6:00 pm.
Or click here read up more about the MasterChef season 5 contestants.
About Shawn Godfrey
Photo credit: Niki M Photography
Shawn Godfrey is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw his business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep him sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join him, he starts his instagram account The Roasted Dad.
Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim Shawn (encouraged by his wife Lianne) enters MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when Shawn gets selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, he decides to go all in. Leaving his 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, he battles it out and comes back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in his pocket.
It all started with an Instagram account, but The Roasted Dad is so much more now. Shawn has stayed his entrepreneurial self and whilst he hosts Private Dinner Parties and Cook-with-Me Demos, does Restaurant Take-Overs, he still runs the lighting company and several other businesses.
On his blog, Shawn shares Restaurant Reviews and Accommodation Reviews, and gives an insight into the wild and wonderful life he leads together with his wife Lianne, and their three children Aiden (6), Olivia (4) and Harvey (2).
Sign up to the newsletter below to be kept up to date with events, new recipes and reviews, or contact Shawn to chat about recipe creation, restaurant takeovers and public speaking events.
I think this was the first time I was referred to as “former MasterChef SA winner” and technically, it’s not true. The top ten MasterChef SA season 5 contestants are still battling it out and the season’s winner will only be crowned later this year. So until then, I’m going to claim my spot as current MasterChef winner, even though season 4 aired a few years ago.