‘MasterChef Australia’ 2016 recap and spoilers: Cecilia Vuong exits the competition for the second time

It was a rainy elimination day on Network Ten’s “MasterChef Australia” Season 8, which perfectly set the mood for the contestants on the firing line. On June 2, the show’s episode 25 featured another intense pressure test to determine who’s not strong enough to stay in the competition.

Judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston subjected the “MasterChef Australia” hopefuls to a brand new challenge in order to weed out four home cooks for round two. At the end of a challenging cook-off, time worked against Cecilia Vuong and she fell short in serving a dish worthy enough to save her for another day.

It’s too bad for Cecilia to miss next week’s episodes, especially since the amateur chefs would get to meet Australia’s favourite foodie, Maggie Beer. The 71-year-old culinary icon sets her foot on the “MasterChef Australia” kitchen to up the ante of the challenges.

Spoiler Alert! This article contains "MasterChef Australia" Season 8 spoilers. Read only if you want to know more about it.

Network Ten posted a sneak peek of Sunday’s episode, wherein the special guest for the week is introduced. Maggie Beer, dubbed the queen of home cooks, walks into the kitchen to the delight of the contestants. She brings in the boldest ingredients in the invention test, and with her presence, the amateur chefs have no room to play it safe.

With great risks come great rewards, and Magie is seen gushing on some of the dishes that tickled her taste buds. The contestant with the winning dish on the upcoming episode will receive an advantage that will definitely change how the game is played.

“MasterChef Australia” Season 8 recap

After losing at the team challenge at Hellenic Republic, Zoe Konikkos and her group headed to the “MasterChef Australia” kitchen for another dreaded pressure test. At the beginning of the challenge, the judges asked Matt Sinclair whether he’s going to use the immunity pin he won previously. Not wanting to risk elimination, Matt decides to play the pin and was instructed to go up to the gantry with the other contestants.

The remaining contestants faced a blind taste test, where they had to correctly name various ingredients cut into one-inch cubes. Cecilia was up first, and she was able to easily identify apple. The other amateur chefs breezed in through the early rounds, managing to recognise the ingredients accurately, despite not seeing them.

However, as the challenge went further, it also got more difficult. Mimi Baines was the first to stumble after mistaking mango for nectarine. Cecilia followed suit when she thought the ingredient was chicken but it turned out to be ham. Heather Day and Elise Franciskovic rounded up the group headed for round two, after wrongly identifying lemon and lamb, respectively. In the next round, the four women had to cook a dish that heroes the ingredient they got wrong – all well within 60 minutes.

Among the four women in danger of elimination, Mimi was the most poised and collected. Her display of grace under pressure worked for her as her mango jelly and custard with spiced nuts earned praises from the judges. They raved about the dish’s sophistication, as well as the harmonious play of techniques resulting to a beautiful and tasty plate.

Over on the other bench, Heather’s dish did not look promising. She encountered trouble when she found out that her bread crumbs were not sticking to her calamari. Fortunately, she managed to salvage it using flour. When the judges took a bite of her lemon crumb calamari with lemon pepper dressing and lemon mayo, they agreed that Heather’s calamari was spot-on. However, lemon dominated too much of her plate, and it provided no relief for the judges’ palette.

During preparation time, Elise nailed most of the elements of her dish, except her sauce, which became too salty. She knew she was in trouble, and she was right. Whilst the judges generally praised her lamb cutlet with caramelised onion, her pumpkin puree was way too salty.

Early on in the challenge, Cecilia already hit a snag after taking too long to think about her recipe. Whilst the other home cooks were chopping away and preparing their dishes, she’s still in the pantry choosing her ingredients. Fifteen minutes behind her competitors, the 31-year-old teacher knew that time was not her friend that day, and even Matt was worried for her. However, when she finally was able to identify what she’ll cook, Matt said her crunchy, creamy and delicious recipe is genius. Cecilia made ham and cheese croquettes with Caprese salad, which she hoped was enough to survive the elimination. Whilst the judges said the plate looked prettier than expected, there was not enough of the hero ingredient, which was ham.

Amid Cecilia’s tearful goodbye, the judges told her that it’s even harder for them to bid her farewell than it was the first time. She first joined “MasterChef Australia” back in 2014, but was forced to do an early exit upon the doctor’s advice. The mother of two who hails from Victoria suffered a head injury in 2013.

Find out what happens next week to “MasterChef Australia,” and stay tuned for episode spoilers. “MasterChef Australia” Season 8 airs every Sunday to Thursday at 7.30pm on Ten.