The second group of “My Kitchen Rules” season 6 has commenced on Wednesday, with Sheri and Emilie kicking off the round. The QLD best friends treated their guests in their grannies-inspired Instant Restaurant “Finders Keepers.”

Emilie Biggar is the show’s first hearing impaired contestant. She was born deaf in her left ear and has some hearing in her right. She is a good lip reader, but, as she revealed to News Corp in an interview, she lost patience with judge Manu Feildel. The French chef’s heavily accented English had been a problem for the mum-of-one during filming as she couldn’t understand his “whispers and mumbles.”

Working back-to-back in the kitchen with Sheri Eddington also became a slight problem. As Emilie reads people’s lips, she couldn’t see what Sheri has been telling her when they were busy working in the kitchen. And then there’s the added stress that she felt while preparing food for their Instant Restaurant. Her hearing in her right ear totally disappeared during the show because of stress.

The “hot and cute” pair, as WA workmates Eva and Debra called them, have got everything under control until they started their main course. And sadly, some of their efforts just didn’t click with Manu and co-judge Pete Evans.

Entrée: Fish Tortillas

Their first dish looked delightfully retro served in a small basket. The fish was cooked well also, but that’s just about it. Manu was expecting to be taken to Mexico with a bite of the tortilla, but it didn’t have the kick that he was hoping for. As Pete told them, the dish wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as good as it should be. The girls played it safe and neglected to add the spices that would define a dish as Mexican.

“You have room for improvement in this dish,” Pete told them, adding that Sheri and Emilie should have tasted all ingredients together first. “It was like disappointing fathers,” Sheri said after hearing the judges’ critique.

The pair went back to the kitchen a bit deflated, but promised to do better in their next dishes. As the general consensus of their entrée was it lacked flavour explosion, they planned to add it in their main.

Main: Pork Belly with Horseradish Mash and Mum’s Essential Greens

Unfortunately, they ran out of the ingredient that would help them get the oomph that they needed. Their mash hadn’t enough horseradish, making it taste milder than wanted. The girls also couldn’t get their pork belly to have crackling skin in time. As a result, the guests waited a long time for the main.

The wait was justified, though. When Pete and Manu tasted the dish, they thought the pork was perfect. Pete just thought the greens needed more work. All the guests, except for crackle-hating Josh (who competes in the show with his mum Rose), attacked the crackle first, thinking that it was so good that it was worth the wait.

Dessert: Dunking Doughnuts

The doughnuts weren’t doughnuts but muffins. The girls were aghast to see the dough rose higher than normal in the oven, making their doughnuts look like punctured muffins.

Manu thought the doughnut was a bit dry, but he liked the sauces that came with it. Pete wasn’t so generous in his critique, however. He thought it wasn’t remarkable. This made Emilie tear up, prompting Pete to pause. He explained that it was his job to be critical.

The guests were also disappointed that the doughnut was baked not fried. Matt, who is in the game with his mate Rob, said that while it was commendable Sheri and Emilie took the healthy route, they are in a competition where delicious food is unhealthy.

Scores:

The first team of the second group was happy with how they were scored by the other teams. They got 27 over 50, which, in Sheri’s opinion, was good enough.

Both Pete and Manu gave their “pleasant but not amazing” entrée a 5 out of 10. Again, the amenable girls agreed with the score, saying they deserve it because they didn’t take Manu to Mexico with the tortilla. For the main course, Pete gave them a 7, taking into consideration the long wait it took. Manu also didn’t like the waiting time, but still gave the girls a higher 8 points. For the dessert, Pete thought they deserve 6, while Manu gave them a 5. Sheri and Emilie’s total score was 63.

How the other teams scored them:
Rose & Josh: 6
Matt & Rob: 6
Eva & Debra: 5
Vicky & Celine: 5
Carol & Adam: 5

UPDATE: Video added

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