25-year-old Amogelang “Amo” Maluleka from Pretoria was eliminated from MasterChef South Africa Season 5 this week when six of the remaining nine home cooks were tasked to tantalise the judges’ taste buds with two tiny dishes, with six portions each.
While the pair who won the Heritage Day Challenge, Lona and Nabila, earned themselves a safe spot on the gantry, Naledi joined the duo after a surprise mini challenge at the start of the episode. This marks the Muldersdrift homemaker’s fourth stint on the gantry, skipping the high-pressure action in the kitchen. “They should just put a luxurious chair there for me,” Naledi quipped, but added, “I’m grateful for going to the gantry when it matters most.”
In the taste-off, nailed by Naledi, the blindfolded contestants had to identify small portions of flavour-bursting ingredients presented to them by one of the show’s judges, Chef Katlego Mlambo.
Despite correctly guessing that he was tasting fresh cheese from the Pick n Pay Pantry, Amo named Parmesan instead of Cheddar. So, he had to cook off against Bridget, Chanel, Nash, and Penny, who were also off the mark with the morsels they sampled.
The contestants concurred that this week’s main challenge was the most difficult one to date, all fearing it would be their last day in the kitchen. Inspired by social media’s Dollhouse cooking trend, they had to showcase their culinary craftsmanship with two plates of bite-sized delights teasing opposite sides of the palate spectrum. The first serving had to be an amuse-bouche, that off-the-menu starter with which chefs surprise their guests. The second ask was sweet after-dinner delights with an element of chocolate – dainty bonbons, friandise, or mignardise.
home cooks had to salvage several flops – and fast! Besides not being au fait with the techniques required to sculpt such delicate delights, working with chocolate was a foreign concept to most of them.
Chanel attempted to make crispy wonton cones for the first time, confessing that they came out “wonky” and looked like little Harry Potter hats. But she realised that time was of the essence and opted to move on to the second dish. However, Chanel reckoned the judges would comment that her planned pint-sized bonbons were grub for a giant.
Nash, also out of his comfort zone, decided to make a prawn starter – a brave step considering that he is allergic to shellfish – and by the time he had to present his two plates to the judges, he feared that the results were far from what he had in mind. Meanwhile, Penny panicked when she couldn’t find the kitchenware – until kind-hearted Amo rushed in to assist her. Furthermore, Bridget had to reinvent her sweet treat after struggling with the silicone mould, and it was tough for Refe to transition from her usual rustic style to fine-dining.
Still, Amo’s kitchen mishaps outweighed everybody else’s. Although his perfect pastry wowed the judges at the pie challenge earlier in the competition, the dough for this week’s planned savoury tart with caramelised onion purée was way too soft and buttery. He simply had to redo the pastry, which gulped up much time.
Making matters worse, Amo struggled to unmould the chocolate for his bonbons. Fighting back, he decided his only option was to put it back into the fridge and sprint to his work station to plate at the start of the judges’ 10-second countdown. Amo nearly didn’t make it.
Once the MasterChef South Africa Season 5 judges evaluated all the dishes in the @home taste room, judge Justine Drake asked Chanel to step forward. Justine then sullenly broke the news that Chanel would not be cooking in the MasterChef kitchen the following week. The wind was taken out of Chanel’s sails until she heard the second part of the strict judge’s announcement, “Because you will be on the gantry!”
The judges agreed with Chanel about her wontons being “wonky”, but everything else she presented was world-class.
This week’s bottom three home cooks were Amo, Penny, and Nash. Penny was devastated that the judges implied that her after-dessert dessert was pedestrian and had to be consoled by her fellow contestants. Nash also admitted that being in the bottom three knocked his self-confidence.
Amo’s lousy day in the kitchen continued with the judges’ final feedback. They were not impressed with the pastry Amo redid. It was burnt, overcooked and too crumbly. The chocolate’s density was also problematic, but Chef Katlego loved the bonbon filling. Tragically, there was no pistachio filling in judge Zola Nene’s bonbon.
Justine praised Amo’s positive attitude when saying their goodbyes: “ You have an incredible talent, and you’re so kind to your fellow contestants. Helping Penny today when the time was so pressurised was one of the most lovely things to see anyone do. And that love, passion, and generosity speak volumes of the man you are.”
MasterChef South Africa Season 5 is proudly sponsored by Pick n Pay. The premiere episode is screened on S3 (formerly on SABC3) on Saturdays at 18:30, and the popular show is rebroadcast on SABC2 on Sundays at 18:30 and S3 on Wednesdays at 18:00. If you have missed an episode, you can also catch up on the cooking action on the SABC+ App.