‘MasterChef Australia’ 2016 recap and spoilers: Miles Pritchett’s luck runs out; judges predict Elena Duggan could be this season’s winner

Another emotional elimination loomed over the 30^th episode of “MasterChef Australia” Season 8. On June 9, the losing team from the Chinese New Year challenge cooked their hearts out to impress judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston. In the end, Miles Pritchett’s background with Japanese cuisine failed to make his dish shine, and he was sent packing.

It was unfortunate for the 46-year-old park ranger, because the upcoming episode offers a massive advantage. The power apron is back, and whoever wins the highly coveted item could change the entire game.

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, featuring the power apron, which gives a “MasterChef Australia” hopeful the power to change the competition. With a power so big, the contestants scramble to work hard for it. They’ll push the boundaries to produce phenomenal cooking, with the help of one of the country’s top chef.

It’s something to watch out for, especially since it was “MasterChef Australia” 2015 winner Billie McKay who won the power apron last season. It would be interesting to see whether such victory would be replicated this year.

“MasterChef Australia” Season 8 recap

At the start of the challenge, Chloe Bowles struggled to decide whether she’ll play the immunity pin. Amid her confusion, she turned emotional and in the end, she chose not to risk her spot in the competition and used her advantage.

Left on the firing line were Miles, who battled it out with Matt Sinclair, Mimi Baines, Zoe Konikkos, Elena Duggan and Harry Foster. They were subject to the “lucky dip,” where they would choose a hero ingredient from one bag, as well as a type of cuisine from another. The home cooks had 75 minutes to come up with a dish that would save them from elimination.

Some contestants were pretty happy with what they picked, including Elena who got Spanish and pork, Harry with Indian and shellfish, as well as Matt with Lebanese and beef. Miles seemed to have hit the jackpot when he got Japanese and fish. Having lived in Japan for five years, he has a solid background on the country’s cuisine. His son is also a chef in a Japanese restaurant. Everyone expected him to do well, but when the task started, he struggled with filleting the salmon. George described it as cringe-worthy, and even told Miles, “Your filleting scares me.”

Zoe, who picked American and fruit, chose to cook pumkin pie. The contestants at the gantry wondered if pumpkin is a fruit. Zoe insisted that pumpkin is scientifically a fruit since it has seeds. While she’s confident with her dish, the judges questioned her prep time. With only 40 minutes remaining, she still hadn’t done the pastry, which Heather Day said should be done for over an hour.

Among the contestants, it was Mimi who picked the toughest combination: Thai and lamb. Completely frazzled, thirty minutes easily flew by and she hadn’t decided on what to cook. George proved to be her saving grace, and she ran off to the pantry to catch up.

At the end of the cook, the judges praised Harry’s keralan prawn curry and Matt’s braised beef shin with smoked eggplant yoghurt. They deemed Elena’s Spanish pork and rice the tastiest plate of the night, and one of the best dishes they’ve ever tasted in “MasterChef” history. At the judges table, they couldn’t help gushing over Elena’s plate, and George even said that she could be the “MasterChef Australia” winner.

Over on those who didn’t do too well, the judges thought Mimi’s Thai lamb salad with Thai chilli Sauce lacked crunch which could have added complexity to her dish. Meanwhile, Zoe’s cold pumpkin tart with bacon and maple ice cream equally had a cold treatment for having the wrong texture of pumkin filling.

The two ladies were saved, however, because the worst dish in that particular challenge belonged to Miles. While he had a creative plate of salmon two-ways with tempura and miso soup, the judges believed that he should have concentrated on the hero ingredient and had taken more care of the salmon. His over-complicated dish cost him his spot in the competition, and he was promptly eliminated.

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.