Episode 4 of MasterChef South Africa Season 5
Episode 4 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.
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!
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.
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?
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.
Episode 4
In the fourth episode of MasterChef South Africa, the table in front of the judges showed a crystal ball and a treasure chest. In the background, three art canvases show symbols behind three different types of proteins: lobster, buck and fish, three as well as referring to the star signs: Cancer, Aries and Pisces.
As it turned out, these are the judges’ star signs:
Zola Nene is a Pisces. In an reel posted on the MasterChef South Africa Instagram page, she explains that she does love seafood and that piscerians in general love a Mediterranean diet. Zola’s most memorable seafood dish she ever had was a crab curry in Mumbai. It was so good that she almost missed her flight back to South Africa.
Justine Drake’s star sign is Aries. Justine loves all spicy food, from Thai tom yum to a Moroccan harissa or a delicious Indian curry.
Katlego Mlambo is a Cancerian. He loves comfort food and his favourite dish is his Gogo’s chakalaka, ipapa, lamb chops.
“After a bad day, after a good day. It’s the one meal I can eat Monday to Monday, seven days a week, three times a day, and still, I can’t get enough of it.”
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.
The Bottom Three
Chanel, Shreya and Zak found themselves in the bottom three. Shreya was surprised, and said: “I did feel confident in my dish today. I actually thought my prawns were cooked because I added them at the end and I just wanted them to be perfectly cooked but sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them to. I think having my injury in the previous challenge, I don’t know if it threw me off but I definitely was still nervous coming into the kitchen today. I’m going to continue just being me, putting my heart on the plate, trying my best and doing what I am doing from today which is learning from my mistakes. I think that’s the most important part.”
Chanel felt it coming: “When I heard my name being called, I wasn’t really surprised because when I saw the judges cutting in my lamb I could see that it could’ve done with a lot more cooking so I wasn’t surprised that I’m in the bottom three because it definitely wasn’t my best dish. I definitely am going to to take myself out of the bottom three. I’m positive that the next challenge I’m going to give it my all and ja hopefully I can turn things around.”
Zak was ultimately eliminated, with Katlego making the bomb shell announcement: “A good curry can take you to the north, west, south and east. But I think today the lack of seasoning was your downfall. The rice was overcooked, the carrots were overcooked, and everything was not balanced. And this is why Zach will be saying goodbye to the MasterChef kitchen.” Zak fortunately was not easily defeated however, as is evident from his positive perspective after being eliminated: “I just think you know we give up too easily and that’s the biggest way to lose in any aspect of life. This is a competition and 0people are still going to be eliminated. It’s not the end, it just builds more character. I have a mindset where failure is not an option. And this is not failure. It is a competition. Because in competitions you can still compete again. But I think taking what I’ve gained so far, it’s not the competition in itself, but the people, the exposure and the experience is far more valuable than just winning. I’m not leaving this competition as a loser, I’m definitely a winner. “ His closing words as posted on the MasterChef SA instagram account are awe-inspiring, and I fully agree with his perspective.
“I am disappointed in myself, but someone has to go home.”
The Winner of the Challenge
“But there was one dish that out of the three of you really stood apart. And that dish was our masterpiece from the lovely Bridget.”
MasterChef South Africa episode 5 (next week)
Looking ahead, the preview of the fifth episode of MasterChef South Africa gave us a hint of what the next episode will be about.
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 4 - Paying tribute to the Judges’ Star Signs (this page)
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, 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.
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).
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