“My Kitchen Rules” has a new team in danger of being eliminated. On Monday, SA sweethearts Annie and Lloyd received the lowest points of the group so far after their “Mystic Hollow” restaurant floundered.

With all the guests expecting fashion designer Annie to take over the theme of their Instant Restaurant and give it an all-pink scheme, the young couple definitely surprised everyone with their fantasy motif composed mostly of wooden brown and green. Their fellow contestants expressed their bafflement over the theme but they liked it all the same.

“I’m surprised. I think there’s more of Lloyd than Annie in this,” Lynzey, who is in the competition with her Texas dad Robert, told the group. This sentiment was echoed by everyone at the table. Annie and Lloyd then handed them each a “potion,” a drink that no one appeared to like.

Upon learning what’s included in the menu, though, the guests got more confused. As VIC socialites Ash and Camilla noted, the theme and the menu didn’t seem to match.

Entrée: Beef Madras Coconut Buns with Yoghurt Dipping Sauce

Even before serving their entrée, Annie and Lloyd knew it wouldn’t be any good. The buns didn’t come out right from the oven, and some of them didn’t even look perfect. The beef also didn’t absorb as much flavour as they had expected. So it was no surprise that judges Pete Evans and Manu Feildel weren’t so kind in their feedbacks.

“It was hard to swallow, hard to chew, hard to eat,” Pete said of the coconut buns. The couple were crestfallen, going back to the kitchen a bit deflated.

Main: Sea Bream Baked in Parchment with Saffron Rice

The big mystery of the main dish was if Annie and Lloyd were going to serve a whole fish or just a fillet. The couple earlier had a problem with finding small enough fish in the grocery, then encountered another problem with preparing the fish in the kitchen. They ended up with whole fish with the lower part cut off.

With more than two hours already passed after the entrée, Annie and Lloyd were panicking because the fish weren’t cooked yet. Rather than let their guests wait for a few minutes more, they served the fish as they were, just partly cooked.

“I’m struggling,” Manu told them. He said half of his fish was not cooked, and its top hasn’t got flavour. Pete, on the other hand, got a fish that was cooked well but tasted bland. The saffron rice was lacking in flavour as well, while the salad was uninspired.

Already disheartened by their entrée’s critique, Annie and Lloyd got even more devastated upon hearing the judges’ feedback on their main dish. They went back to the kitchen low in spirit, with only their dessert to look forward to.

Dessert: Rosewater Mousse with Almond Tuile and Crystallised Petals

Again, the couple were disappointed with what they were serving their guests. The dessert, which Annie had called a “diva” earlier, didn’t look as fabulous as they thought it would be. The crystallised petals also weren’t crystallised as they opted to serve fresh edible flowers instead after an unsuccessful attempt using egg wash and sugar.

But as underwhelming as their dessert looked, it was actually the best dish of the night. Unlike the first two that looked perfect on plate but were bland in taste, the rosewater mousse delivered the right flavour on a simple plate setting.

“It’s a winner for me,” Manu complimented the dessert. Pete’s only criticism of the dish was that the petals weren’t crystallised as promised, “but they didn’t even need to be on the plate.”

Mother and daughter team Gina and Anna once again have scathing remarks about their competition’s efforts, while couple Kat and Andre, who had the lowest score, were in full force in bringing the other couple down.

Scores

Walking back to their Instant Restaurant, Annie and Lloyd’s only wish was to beat Kat and Andre’s score of 58 to save them from elimination. They were aware that their only saving grace of the night was their dessert, but they were still hoping that they could survive this round.

Pete and Manu were unforgiving with their scores for the entrée and main, giving the loved-up couple respective 3 and 3 points for entrée and 3 and 2 points for main. For dessert, however, the renowned chefs were more generous. Pete gave them a 7, while Manu handed them an 8.

The guests, underwhelmed with what they have been served, collectively gave Annie and Lloyd a 19. Only Jac and Shaz were kind enough to give them the highest point of 6. With the overall score of 45, Annie and Lloyd were saddened to learn that they were in the bottom of the leader board, and therefore was at risk of being eliminated. Kat and Andre, on the other hand, were beyond ecstatic.

Here are the scores given by the teams:

Robert & Lynzey: 4
Ash & Camilla: 4
Jac & Shaz: 6
Gina & Anna: 3
Kat & Andre: 2

Last Team of Group 1 Plus Elimination

On Tuesday, the last remaining team of group 1, Gina and Anna, would at long last showcase their talents in the kitchen. In the same episode, a team would be eliminated before the next group of teams arrives on Wednesday.

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