MasterChef Nigeria: The spice runs out for Isabella

The heat was turned up in the MasterChef Nigeria kitchen as four home cooks battled for just three coveted places in the semi-final, with one contestant’s dream taken off the boil.

In a quarter-final packed with spice, pressure and a late immunity-pin bombshell, Isabella became the latest contestant to leave the competition which themed, spices the soul of Nigerian cooking.

The contestants were tasked with selecting their own spices and making them the true hero of a MasterChef-worthy dish. With a place in the Top 3 on the line, there was no room for bland ideas, safe cooking or half-measures.

But one major question hung over the kitchen, Favy still had the immunity pin, and this was her final chance to use it. Would she play it or risk everything and cook?

Favy chose to step up to the fire, and halfway through the challenge, the judges stopped the clock and served the contestants a twist they never saw coming. They would now have to make an extra dish. Sweet or savoury, but spices once again had to take centre stage. The contestants were given an additional 30 minutes, and suddenly the race to the semi-final became even more intense.

Favy felt the pressure immediately, as the twist unsettled Fads, who had found herself in the bottom several times during the competition, with the quarter-final which had become do or die. With just five minutes left on the clock, Favy made the biggest move of the night, played her immunity pin, and was safe. And for David, Isabella and Fads, the fight for the remaining two semi-final places became even tougher.

READ ALSO: MasterChef Nigeria: Favy rises above the pressure, wins ‘immunity pin’

At the tasting table, the truth was served hot, Isabella’s rice pudding failed to impress, with the judges saying it was not a rice pudding “in any way, shape or form”. Then came the moment every contestant fears, as Chef Eros removed his glasses to show he was not impressed. His verdict was brutal: the dish was not semi-final worthy.

David had a much better tasting. Chef Eros kept his glasses firmly on, and the judges agreed that David’s dishes were delicious.

For Fads, the stakes could not have been higher. The judges felt that her dishes were presentable, but at this stage of the competition, presentable was no longer enough. They questioned whether she had truly pushed the envelope. In the end, David delivered when it mattered most and claimed Dish of the Day, leaving Isabella and Fads in the bottom two.

After a tense final decision, Isabella’s MasterChef Nigeria journey came to an end, and keeping the lessons learnt and the experiences of the competition, she bows out, leaving the top three in one challenge away from the grand finale, but first, face one of the toughest tests of the season.

They must replicate signature dishes created by Chef Eros and Chef Stone, and one mistake could send a contestant home, as one perfect plate could also secure a place in the MasterChef Nigeria finale.