‘MasterChef Australia’ 2016 recap and spoilers: Returning challenger Theresa bows out of the competition for the second time

Three home cooks had their work cut out for them as they try to keep their place on “MasterChef Australia” Season 8. In episode 47 that aired on July 4, the contestants in the firing line cooked their hearts out to save themselves for another day.

Their fate rested on the hands of judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston, who assessed the “MasterChef Australia” hopefuls’ take on a daunting dessert by guest chef Peter Gilmore. At the end of the cook, too much sweetness killed Theresa Visintin’s dish, and she was promptly sent home for the second time this season. An emotional goodbye ushers in an intense cook-off, as three other contestants vie for the next immunity pin.

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 Tuesday’s episode, featuring a monster immunity challenge. Brett Carter, Elise Franciskovic and Harry Foster battle head to head for a massive advantage that could be their ticket to the finale.

For the first part of the upcoming immunity challenge, it all comes down to what’s in the box, or rather, boxes. Whoever manages to stand out among the three gets the chance to compete with the chef to beat, Shannon Bennett. While he’s a friend and mentor to the contestants in the past challenges, this time, he’s going to be a fierce foe standing in the way to the highly coveted immunity pin.

Fans wonder whether Brett will manage to pull out another surprise, and score a triple victory. “MasterChef Australia” followers remember that in a previous episode, he achieved a rare feat of winning both the mystery box challenge and the invention test.

“MasterChef Australia” Season 8 recap

In the recently aired pressure test, Theresa battled it out with first-timers Mimi Baines and Trent Harvey. The judges announced that the guest chef for that night is Peter Gilmore from Sydney’s Quay restaurant in Sydney. He’s been in “MasterChef Australia” for a couple of times, and the contestants were awe-struck when he walked in.

Peter revealed what Theresa, Mimi and Trent had to replicate: a cherry-jam lamington. The dish looked deceptively simple – it actually takes 32 steps to prepare and another 17 steps just to plate it up. The complicated dessert consisted of lamington sponge cake with cherry ice cream, coconut cream base, whipped coconut cream, cherry jam and soft ganache covered with a smooth and shiny chocolate glaze and served with thin coconut shards.

When their two hours started, the three home cooks rushed to their benches and began following the recipe. They recognise that with such a dessert, all the measurements and timings have to be spot-on. However, getting those two right seemed to be the challenge for the evening, especially for Theresa and Mimi.

Mimi first hit a snag when she forgot to turn on the timer after putting her lamington sponge in the oven. Fortunately for her, Trent put his cake almost the same time as she did, so she used him as the timer. Mimi also made a massive mistake with the ratio of the coconut and as a result, when it was time to shave them, they were crumbling. She ran out of time towards the last part of the cook and decided to cut a few corners and follow her instincts instead of the recipe.

Theresa’s blunders, on the other hand, began when she took out the seeds of the wild cherries before weighing them. As a result, she had way too many cherries than the recipe required. Her cherry ice cream also took a long time to set in the churner, making it too sweet. When George and Peter came over to check in on her, they tasted the ice cream and Peter just commented, “Interesting.” Theresa was confused if his comment was good or bad. During plating, she also added too much jam, which threw off the balance of the dish.

Unlike the two ladies, Trent was cool and calm throughout the cook, efficiently moving from one step to the next. This can be considered surprising, especially since this is his first pressure test. His dish was the first thing tasted on the judges’ table. Peter said that it’s a pretty good effort and overall a very good job. Gary raved about his coconut shards and said the only difference between his dish and that of Peter’s was the texture.

When it was Mimi’s turn, she forgot if the dessert required a generous amount of coconut shards. She decided to play it safe and held back on putting too much. The judges criticised her plate’s appearance, commenting that it doesn’t look great. Peter also wondered why she put too little shavings. However, when they tasted the dish, they commended her for the shards, ice cream and jam. The judges said the balance is just right and all the elements of the dish were really good. Peter also praised her successful efforts of rescuing her coconut and lamington sponge despite committing errors earlier.

Theresa was the last contestant to be evaluated. The judges admired the presentation of her dish, especially the chocolate glaze. When they tasted it, however, they were stumped with the lack of balance in her dessert. The sharpness just wasn’t there, Peter said, and the jam and ice cream were too sweet. For making those critical missteps, the judges announced that it was Theresa’s turn – again – to go home.

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