The first episode of MasterChef South Africa season five was a long-anticipated one! Having been part of the fourth season of MasterChef, I can’t help but compare while watching the show. 

A 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.

Want to Watch MasterChef South Africa?

MasterChef South Africa Season premiered on Saturday July 13 at 7:30 pm on S3, and new episodes are aired every Saturday.
If you miss it an episode, it will be rebroadcast every Sunday on S2 at 6:30 pm and on Wednesdays on S3 at 6:00 pm.

Episode 1

The Challenge

In the first episode of MasterChef South Africa season 5, 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 theyr 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. 

Contestants had full access to the MasterChef pantry, which was stocked with Pick n Pay produce. 

Memorable moments

When Zola asked “What’s worse than a raw potato?” And Justine answered “A raw chicken”. They are very right! Gordon Ramsay’s “It’s raw!” immediately springs to mind and I’m sure this was in the back of the contestants’ mind as well - as their worst nightmare!

Whilst a fairly straightforward challenge, don’t forget that this was the first time in the MasterChef kitchen. At all times, you have multiple cameras from different angles on you, and you are asked questions during the cook which can distract you from your train of thought. The pressure definitely got to Lorna, who was drenched in sweat but in the diary room explained this as “I sweat more when I do what I should be doing”. 

Naledi definitely has a very special person rooting for her - her sister is Ontiretse ‘Onti’ Molloyi, who competed with me in MasterChef 2022! It showed on this episode, how this also has added some pressure for her. Fortunately, like she said on the episode, chicken is a staple in the home so she could make her sister proud!

Ela was doing the right thing in prioritising a clean station. Few will know that the judges take cleanliness of the station into account when scoring the different dishes. A funny moment on the episode was when Ella asked judge Justine to crack a wishbone with her. Whilst Ella wished to stay in the competition, the bone cracked in Justine’s favour who did not share her wish. Sadly (*spoiler alert*) it was Ella’s first and last episode on the show, if I were superstitious I would say it was due to the wishbone not cracking in her favour! 

Hibachi Grill

I loved that Tebogo was using the Hibachi Grill. In MasterChef Season 4, I became known as the ‘equipment guy’ as I never shied away from trying out new techniques with the awesome kitchen equipment I had at my disposal. While on MasterChef, I won some kitchen appliances, and even after the show aired, I have done a few product exchange / content collaborations that have resulted in my kitchen cupboards being stocked with some of the best cooking appliances like the Taurus “Foodie” Digital Kitchen Machine available at @home, which I use at least once a week to make sauces, soups and other emulsions, as well as the many Everdure by Heston Blumenthal outdoor cooking appliances that I was given after shooting content for EI Online over the last few years, and let’s not forget the Instant Pot (Duo 7-in-1 Smart Pressure Cooker and the Instant Vortex Plus Airfryer. All of these pieces of equipment make cooking so much fun - I’m definitely a ‘gadget guy’, and a risk taker at times, and it looks like Tebogo may be too! 

David Higgs 

Lesego quotes David Higgs, owner of Marble restaurant in Johannesburg (Cape Town restaurant coming in November 2024!) as well as My Kitchen Rules SA judge, who once said in an interview that cooking is 90% common sense and 10% skill - and I fully agree, most people think it’s all skill but actually, a lot of it is experimenting and learning on the go. If it’s too thick, add more liquid. If you taste it and it seems to be missing something, it’s usually salt or it needs something acidic like lime juice or lemon zest. 

Asian Heritage or French Cuisine?

Back to the challenge, I was really impressed by Tau Ting Long (Tina)’s decision to not do Asian. As you may know, Tina is the founder of Home Bao, a frozen dumpling Asian grocery store. To take a risk, can often pay off, but can also backfire. And as Tina admitted on the episode, it was only her second time cooking the proper French way. But I’m glad to see she managed to make it through this first round! 

Eliminations

I think what was most shocking about this first episode, is that the contestants went down from 20 to 15 in one go. That must’ve been nerve-wracking! *Spoiler Alert* incoming - the contestants who were eliminated in the first episode were Lucas, Lesego, Robyn, Andrew and Ella. 

Lucas’ chicken dish was “solid,” but “slightly overcooked,” according to the judges. Fortunately Lucas showed true humility in both victory and defeat and he said he will always keep cooking. Lesego  was visible disappointed, saying she “wasn’t able to show [her]self”. Robyn’s plate was “striking” but the lack of seasoning ended up being her downfall. Andrew’s interpretation was loved by the judges, but his broth was too fatty and the wrong consistency for dish. Perhaps we will see Andrew back on MasterChef though, as he said he “will try harder next time.” Last but not least, Ella. My first impression of her was that I thought she would go far. But unfortunately, at MasterChef, you are only as good as your last dish. The judges loved her Greek inspired lemon chicken, but the skin was burnt and the garnish lacked finesse. 

The MasterChef white apron

What was different about this first episode of season 5 when compared to season 4, was that contestants were asked to bring and wear their own apron. Ella wore an apron belonging to her dad, Tina wore her home bao-branded apron which will I’m sure bring some additional followers to her Instagram profile (and hopefully customers buying her frozen dumplings in these tough economic times). 

At the end of the episode we got to see a preview of the next episode, where the contestants reveal “something special under cloches” - their white MasterChef aprons! It also looks like they’ll be cooking with apples. I think if I were on the show I would need to attempt to make my wife’s famous Dutch Apple Pie - the crust is like shortbread and it’s just so delicious! I can’t wait to see what the contestants end up putting on their plates. 

As closing words in this MasterChef episode 1 summary, I’m going to quote judge Justine Drake, who said “savour the moment. There’ll be trial and tribulations and test and it isn’t going to be easy”. Having been in their food steps on MasterChef season 4 in 2022, I can only agree. And to the contestants who were eliminated in this round, Lucas, Lesego, Robyn, Andrew and Ella, quoting Justine once again: “Don’t give up on those dreams. You can realise them.”

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 (this page)

• Episode 2 - The MasterChef contestants cook for the the Apple of their Eye in a mystery box challenge

• Episode 3 - Chef Nokx Majozi Signature Pepper Steak Pie

• Episode 4 - Paying tribute to the Judges’ Star Signs

• Episode 5 - Translating Fashion into Food with guest judge Jackie Burger

• Episode 6 - Buffet of New Beginnings at Durbanville Hills wine estate

• Episode 7 - Leftovers and South African staples

• Episode 8 - Potatoes, Air Fryers, an Immunity Pin and two Special Guests

• Episode 9 - Cabbage, cabbage, cabbage

• Episode 10 - A fusion of South African and Italian

• Episode 11 - Heritage Trinity: Wors, Skilpadjies 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”

Want to Watch MasterChef South Africa?

MasterChef South Africa Season premiered on Saturday July 13 at 7:30 pm on S3, and new episodes are aired every Saturday.
If you miss it an episode, it will be rebroadcast every Sunday 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

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).

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