Masterchef Recap: Shooting Their Bolt

Despite the pall of gloom hanging over all after the tragic departure of Lynton, the Masterchef crew decides, against all available evidence, that life must go on. The contestants are taken outdoors, where lethal insects, deadly pollution, and skin cancer lurk around every corner. Even worse, they’re in St Kilda.

There are tents set up and a full kitchen. It’s just like being in Masterchef HQ, only less convenient. Andy begins by informing them that though they might think they’re hot shit, they ain’t all that. Today’s task will be to cook a barbecue for 1200 people. This sounds difficult, but will be made easier by the fact that it’s St Kilda, so nobody will be expecting anything good.

Melissa, who has stolen a hat from the set of Anne of Green Gables, splits the cooks into three teams: orange, purpele and yellow. Simon is made captain of the orange team in recognition of his experience captaining a team to a humiliating defeat in his previous appearance on the show. Captain of the purple team is a woman called Tracy, who just arrived on the show that morning. Seriously: do you remember anyone called Tracy? Exactly.

Jock lays down the rules: they must make two savoury dishes and one dessert, and they must include a barbecued element — this is probably why they’re calling it a “barbecue”.

The challenge begins. “We all turn into Usain Bolt running up to the coolroom to check out the proteins,” says Courtney. There was a Usain Bolt reference in yesterday’s episode too…