Season 5 of MasterChef South Africa is coming to an end and of course I have been sharing my views with episode summaries each week. Granted, some weeks I've been running behind a bit in writing the summary blog post, but I have been glued to my TV each Saturday! This is an overview of all the episodes, in case you missed a few.

The special guest for the episode is Chef Gregory Henderson. contestants are asked to cook a celebration dinner to commemorate 50 Years of SA Chefs (their Golden Jubilee). Their two-course menu needs to have a golden thread running through the dishes.

As the contestants walk into the MasterChef studio, they see big towers filled with cream puffs. The special guest for this episode is Pastry Chef Jared Melamed, who tasks them to recreate his signature patisserie Tarts au Choux Noisette.

In episode 17, Chef Vusi Ndlovu was a guest judge. The remaining MasterChef contestants (Chanel, Nabila, Lona, Penny, Refe, and Bridget) were challenged to create a spicy African-inspired dish.

In episode 16, the top six remaining MasterChef contestants (Chanel, Nabila, Lona, Penny, Refe, and Bridget) go to Bertus Basson’s restaurant Clara’s Barn.

In episode 15, the six remaining MasterChef contestants (Chanel, Nabila, Lona, Penny, Refe, and Bridget) are pushed to their creative limits. The contestants are tasked to surprise the judges with a dish “that is steeped in illusion, deception, secrets and masquerades between savoury and sweet”. Their dish must also include a molecular gastronomy technique. 

The MasterChef challenge of the week is 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

Episode 13 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. Chef Moses Moloi is the guest judge and the contestants have to replicate his dish “Enchanted Forest Elegance”. This breathtaking creation consists of mushroom ragu and featuring a blend of king oyster, shiitake, and butter mushrooms. 

Episode 12 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. The competitors are lined up with blindfolds on and Katlego stands in front of them with a small plate with a cube of an unidentified ingredient. One by one, the contestants smell and taste their mystery ingredient, and guess what they have been given.

The contestants are 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.

This episode is all about a fusion of two of my favourite cuisines as contestants will be asked to combine the culinary traditions of Italy and South Africa. The MasterChef contestants welcomed none other than celebrity chef Alessandro Khojane, also known as “The Sotho Italian” and owner of Gemelli in Bryanston. In a surprise twist, two contestants leave the MasterChef kitchen in this episode.

With episode 9 we have reached the halfway mark of the competition. The top 10 walked in in white aprons for a non-elimination challenge, but one that came with quite a twist in the form of a cash reward of 50,000 rand to the best dish.

The eight episode of MasterChef South Africa saw me riding in on a Pick ‘n Pay asap scooter! I’m sure it looked like a smooth ride to you but let me tell you, it was not easy at all! These electric motorbikes really have some oomph and I struggled to stay upright on the slippery studio floors.

The sixth episode of MasterChef South Africa was the first team challenge of this season. Whilst a team challenge was my worst type of challenge when a contestant on MasterChef South Africa season 4, it is a great way to find out who’s cut out for the kitchen. A team challenge teaches you to work together with others, and cook at scale.. The episode took place outside of the studio, at Durbanville Hills wine estate. Contestants were welcomed to the award-winning Tangram restaurant by cellar master Pieter-Niel Rossouw.

The fifth episode of MasterChef South Africa episode 5 showed the judges Justine Drake, Zola Nene and Katlego Mlambo dressed in all-black. The contestants are surprised, when the lights dim and the MasterChef kitchen turns into a catwalk, with fashion models wearing incredible outfits strutting in. Up next, Zola welcomes the guest judge - Jackie Burger.

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 third episode of MasterChef South Africa episode 5 started off with work stations filled with air mail boxes. Each contestant had their own box with ingredients, as well as an envelope that contained the recipe. They also had a takeaway box that included -as it later appeared- a sample pepper steak pie to see and taste.

The second episode of MasterChef South Africa episode 5 started off with a beautiful display of apples. Tebogo clearly was not too thrilled and worried about the prospect of being asked to make an apple tart.

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.