Shreya calls it quits and Refe is eliminated
MasterChef South Africa Season 5, the pressure-cooker local version of the world’s most successful television cooking competition, has been a stir-fry of surprises. Besides the imaginative Mzansi-rooted curveball challenges testing the home cooks’ culinary prowess, several renowned chefs unexpectedly entered the MasterChef kitchen as guest judges.
Furthermore, the outcome of the challenges has been unpredictable week after week. Those whose mouthwatering meals often earned them a spot in the episode’s top three dropped to the bottom of the gourmet ladder, while those with disappointing dishes redeemed themselves with top-notch creations the week thereafter. Consequently, many contestants who produced winning dishes were chopped from the competition soon after their MasterChef South Africa victories.
However, nothing could prepare the Top 10 Season 5 contenders – and viewers at home – for the dramatic developments in the most recent episode. Jaws dropped when two of the show’s most popular home cooks exited the MasterChef kitchen on the same day!
First, Durban’s Shreya Beekhum broke the shocking news that she decided to end her MasterChef journey due to personal reasons. Then, with only nine cooks competing in the elimination challenge, Refe Zambila’s food dreams were burnt to a crisp when the judges – Zola Nene, Justine Drake and Chef Katlego Mlambo – announced that Thaba ‘Nchu’s bubbly accountant presented the least MasterChef-worthy plate of the day. Ironically, Refe, who picked up steam recently, thought her innovative fusion dish was tasty and would bowl the judges over. Sprinkling salt to Refe’s wounds, her meal was reminiscent of her childhood and spending quality time with her beloved grandmother.
Shreya’s sudden departure
When the Top 10 contestants arrived in MasterChef kitchen this week after Lona scooped up R50,000 with a cabbage creation and the judges advised Shreya, Amo, and Nabila to pull up their socks, they were rattled and confused by judge Zola’s opening words. Among them was someone who opted to leave the competition.
Shreya, who previously informed viewers that she had no idea how to bounce back after her cabbage food flop, took the floor. Her explanation? Her anxiety was starting to get the better of her, and coupled with unfortunate news from her family, her withdrawal was an act of self-love and self-care.
From the start of the competition, Shreya was transparent about suffering from ADHD and anxiety, which she usually soothes with the discipline of cooking or yoga. In one of the show’s most emotion-charged and intense moments to date, viewers saw a glimpse of Shreya’s angst when she cut her fingers badly and skipped the pie-making challenge, as she had to be rushed to the emergency room.
Despite her rollercoaster ride on MasterChef South Africa, hopping between the top and bottom-named meals, quirky Shreya was showered with positive attention from fans during her MasterChef South Africa stint.
Judge Justine sent Shreya off, noting it was a pleasure to have her on the show and that the judges respected her reasons for leaving, whatever they were.
A guest judge turns up the heat
The home cooks’ jaws dropped when the week’s guest judge, visionary restauranteur Alessandro “Alex” Mosupi Kojane, entered the MasterChef kitchen. However, his presence resulted in more pressure – particularly for Lona and Naledi. The Bloemfontein-born and Italy-raised Bryanston eatery, Gemelli, happens to be one of Naledi’s favourite hangouts. The mere thought of having to cook for her food icon turned Naledi into an emotional mess, while Lona gauged it was perhaps not the time to go the pasta route.
With Alex in the house, this week’s task was to prepare a homely, filling, family-focused meal combining the food heritage of Italy and South Africa from the countries’ wonderful ingredients in the Pick n Pay Pantry. But there was a twist: If they went with the obvious choice, pasta, they had to make it from scratch.
This instruction also unsettled some of the other contestants. Nabila and Chanel only made pasta once before, which took Nabila an entire day.
A disappointing pasta dish wrecks Refe’s MasterChef dream
Refe, having great fun in the kitchen this week, immediately decided to recreate the flavours of her granny’s much-loved Saturday meal – pap, wors, and sous.
By the time Refe presented her pappardelle and meatballs with a tomato-based sauce, with bone marrow, green peppers, basil oil, and roasted garlic, in the @home taste room, she believed that she covered all her bases, being proud of how everything came together.
Unfortunately, the judges didn’t share Refe’s sentiment. Zola raved about the sauce and texture of the meatballs and how it subtly represented the taste of boerewors, but the pasta was too thick and undercooked. Justine, loving pappardelle, was heartbroken that it ruined the Refe’s dish.
Eventually, Refe landed in the bottom three, alongside Nash and Chanel. According to the judges, Chanel didn’t grasp the relationship between Italy and South Africa with her Ricotta ravioli. Nash delivered divine sweet potato, but his oxtail was underdone and not seasoned sufficiently.
Refe and all her MasterChef South Africa friends were shell-shocked when the judges showed her the door. In her goodbyes, Justine commended Refe’s calm composure during the challenges, even singing at her workstation. “[The kitchen] is your natural habitat, but today wasn’t your cook. That pasta wasn’t good, my love,” Justine said.
Before this fatal day, Refe was regarded as a fierce competitor. She won the fridge leftover challenge when she “took bully beef to private school”, in Chef Katlego’s words. Her potstickers at the recent cabbage contest also earned her a spot in the top three.
Naledi will be on the gantry again
In the end, the initially flabbergasted Naledi made her food hero, Alex, proud by winning his week’s Italian cross-over challenge with a dish he said he would easily serve at his restaurant. The other two cooks in the top three were her fellow Alex fan, Lona, and the show’s oldest contestant, Penny.
Naledi’s triumphant meal also earned her a spot on the gantry, meaning she will take a breather at the next cook-off. This is the second time this honour befell Naledi, who also skipped the cook-off at the first elimination challenge.
MasterChef South Africa Season 5 is proudly sponsored by Pick and Pay, where fresh ingredients get centre stage. Due to live sport, the upcoming episode will air on Saturday, 21 September, at 20:30 on S3. The rebroadcasts are on Sunday, 22 September, on SABC2 at 18:30 and Wednesday, 25 September, on S3 at 18:00.