‘MasterChef Australia’ 2016 recap and spoilers: ‘Home and Away’ alum Theresa is back in the game, earns power apron

After narrowing the competition to just 12 contestants, “MasterChef Australia” Season 8 has decided it’s time to shake things up and give an eliminated home cook another shot. In episode 33 that aired on June 14, contestants who were sent home earlier have returned and whipped up dishes worthy of bringing them back to the kitchen.

Judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston, along with recurring mentor, Chef Shannon Bennett, determined who deserved another shot in the high-stakes culinary showdown. At the end of the cook, it was Theresa Vintin who was given the rare opportunity to redeem herself. In addition to getting another shot in the competition, the 44-year-old former “Home and Away” star also has won the power apron, giving her a massive advantage on the upcoming team challenge.

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 Wednesday’s episode, which focuses on a beachside challenge. The “MasterChef Australia” hopefuls will be divided into teams of two to battle it out in the upcoming task.

As if that’s not daunting enough, they’d have to work under the watchful eye of Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone, who advises them to listen and learn fast. However, not all contestants will heed his advice and it may turn out to be a lesson they’ll never forget. At one point in the trailer, Curtis doesn’t look happy at all and could not help but wonder what’s going on in the kitchen.

“MasterChef Australia” Season 8 recap

It’s halfway through the competition’s run, and the tough challenges are taking its toll on the remaining 12 contestants. Fortunately, they got a breather on the previous episode as they didn’t have to cook anything that day.

They were in for another surprise, and all were ecstatic to see the eliminated contestants walk back to the “MasterChef Australia” kitchen. Amid the hugs and tears, they realised that it’s time for Returning Contestants Challenge – those who were booted off before gets to score a second chance on the competition. After catching up briefly with the contestants, they got down to business. Each returning hopeful had to cook using ingredients chosen by the judges themselves. The ingredients included gelatine, rack of lamb, rosemary, Greek yoghurt, raspberries, dark chocolate, quinoa, fennel, green cardamom pods, lemon, botrytis wine and beetroot.

Anastasia Zolotarev, who’s still wearing the power apron, had the power to give one contestant an opportunity to pick an extra ingredient. After mulling over it for a few seconds, she chose Theresa, who immediately ran to the pantry and grabbed a coconut. Despite this advantage, Theresa soon suffered a setback with regard to her time management – a skill she said she already has improved under the tutelage of “MasterChef Australia” alum Reynold Poernomo. In conceptualising her dish, Theresa realised that she threw 10 minutes away.

Theresa was not the only one feeling the pressure. It was an intense cook-off with everyone deeply concentrating on their preparations. Each one was eyeing that spot back in the competition, and knew it was their only chance to do so. Apart from Theresa, Zoe Konikkos was also getting overwhelmed with the task. She was the latest to be eliminated from the competition, and she’s pulling out all the stops to walk back in. However, while preparing her dish, she broke her tempered chocolate and realised she didn’t have enough to start all over again.

Cecilia Vuong, on the other hand, was completely in her element. She was using so many impressive techniques to elevate her dessert plate, much to the delight and admiration of the other contestants up at the gantry.

When the 60 minutes was up, each returning contestant served their dish to the judges and Shannon. Everyone earned rave reviews for their plates, showing how much they’ve learned and improved since leaving the competition. The standout dishes included: Miles Pritchett’s beetroot parfait with nougatine wafers and a botrytis raspberry jelly; Charlie Sartori’s chocolate mousse sphere with raspberry gel and coconut crumb; and Zoe’s beetroot bavarois, puffed quinoa, candied fennel and tempered chocolate.

The judges also commended Nidhi Mahajan for her cardamom parfait, chocolate crumb and raspberry sauce, as well as Theresa’s brother, Jimmy Wong for his chocolate mousse dome with raspberries and rosemary sponge.

After all the dishes were tasted, it all boiled down to two contenders who plated up phenomenal desserts. Cecilia Vuong, who was returning to “MasterChef Australia” for the third time, did yoghurt sorbet with beetroot curd, cardamom, tuile and sugar swirls. She earned praises for her highly technical presentation and the dish’s taste.

However, it was Theresa’s dish, an ambitious winter-themed dessert plate inspired by her family, which was deemed the best for that cook. Her yoghurt rosemary snowball with chocolate raspberry balls made the judges swoon. They absolutely loved her plate, especially the beautiful combination of raspberry and rosemary. As a result, she was declared the winner. Apart from being back in the competition, Theresa also got the power apron, and George said she’ll learn about her power on the next challenge.

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.