‘MasterChef Australia’ 2016 recap and spoilers: Theresa’s modern take on old recipe gets lost in translation; messy plates send her to elimination challenge

It’s day four of the pop-up restaurant challenge, and the four remaining contenders for Heston Blumenthal week knew the task ahead is going to be massive. In episode 44 of “MasterChef Australia” Season 8, which aired on June 29, the home cooks who were still in the running faced an ultimate throwback: using recipes from ancient history, they needed to serve their own up-to-date versions of those dishes.

The “MasterChef Australia” hopefuls took inspiration from the past to convince Heston, as well as judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston to save their future in the competition. Unfortunately for Theresa Visintin, her fate turned out to be bleak, and she joined the others who are in the firing line. She’ll have to cook her heart out to fight for her spot in the competition, as she’s up against some of this season’s frontrunners.

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 Thursday’s episode, focusing on the elimination challenge. It’s back to black, as the contestants on the chopping block wear the dreaded black apron. They walk in a dim kitchen, but amidst the darkness, they see a splash of colour. Each home cook has to pick a colour and create a dish inspired by that hue.

At this stage of the competition, there’s definitely no room for error. Based on the trailer, it looks like Chloe’s going to make a fatal mistake that could cost her a spot in the top nine. “I’m going home,” she says to the cameras. However, fans wonder whether Theresa would be going home for the second time -- she was eliminated before but got another shot in the competition during the returning contestants challenge.

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

“MasterChef Australia” Season 8 recap

The backdrop of the final Heston pop-up challenge is Ripponlea, one of Melbourne’s most beautiful and historic establishments. The ancient feel of the estate was a clue to what’s in store for Theresa, Mimi Baines, Harry Foster and Elise Franciskovic. They were told that their cook for that day would use recipes from another era.

Each contestant will be assigned a course, which they have to serve to 10 diners plus Heston and the judges. Mimi got to cook the first course, followed by Theresa. Both were assigned a savoury dish. Elise and Harry would serve the next two courses which would be desserts.

When Mimi’s two hours began, she was feeling quite confident that the recipe won’t be as difficult as the contemporary ones. However, she was stunned to see that the recipe is written in old English. She took a long time deciphering the dish, and in the beginning it looked like she was falling behind. Heston and George had to come over and help her, and with their tips she was able to decipher what the ingredients were.

It was Therese’s turn to open her recipe and while she was taken aback herself, she soon found her groove and immediately thought of her dish. However, during the preparation, Gary questioned her cooking method considering the time constraint and the fact that she hasn’t done it before. Despite Gary’s skepticism, Theresa went ahead with her plan.

The two home cooks with the sweet dishes ploughed on their recipes confidently. It seemed like the challenge was custom-made for Elise, given her strengths in desserts. Harry, on the other hand, was buoyed up with his win from the last pop-up challenge and knew what he was going to make from the get-go.

Despite being anxious after seeing the guests walk in, Mimi stayed cool and collected when she plated her dish. When she served her salmon with peas and almonds and beurre blanc sauce, the judges looked pleased with the presentation. Her dish also scored well in terms of taste – Matt deemed it a bright, light and vibrant dish, while Heston commented that it’s definitely modern. Gary said Mimi’s plate was a super success as all the elements in her recipe were used well.

If Mimi was calm over on her bench, Theresa was the complete opposite. When she took out her chicken from the sous vide machine, she found out they weren’t cooked so she had to pop them back for another 10 minutes. Then, when she tried to deep-fry the chicken, it burst so she had no choice but to sear it on the pan. This took more time and Matt went over to her area, breathing down her neck. While Theresa was able to plate up all the elements on her dish, she had to rush through it, resulting to messy and uneven proportions.

Despite its unrefined look, the roulade of chicken with hazelnuts, leeks and raisins made by Theresa still received praises from Heston and the judges. George, however, said that while it’s a good dish, he got too many raisins which meant that the ratio of ingredients on each plate was wrong.

Among the four, Elise’s preparation ran the smoothest. She was definitely in her element and her confidence translated to her dish: fennel nougat on a tart base with apple jelly. Heston said it’s fabulous and delicious, while each judge had their favourite elements.

Over on Harry’s bench, he wasn’t quite satisfied with his dish and believed it should have something to take it up a notch. He tried to make chocolate snow with red wine but it didn’t work. At the last minute, he thought to liquid nitrogen some fruit and smash it up to make a confetti for some theatrical effect. His orange and coffee trifle with fruit confetti earned good reviews from the judges. Heston appreciated the frozen fruit confetti. However, Matt pointed out that the coffee flavour made it taste more like a tiramisu rather than a trifle.

At the end of the cook, Elise’s dessert was deemed the best of the night. The judges even told her it could be her signature dish. She was called to safety, along with Mimi and Harry. With all the dishes so brilliant, the judges said it all boiled down to the preparation. They based their choice on who had the most trouble in the kitchen. Among the four, it was Theresa who simply lacked organisation and time management, sending her straight to the upcoming pressure test.

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 Ten.