MasterChef Top 8 and Top 7 Episode recaps

I am catching up on my shows after being away... Here is two in one Masterchef recap.... Top 8 and Top 7 up next...

More...

Task - They are in the desert, the judges arrive on horseback.

Frank (Red) - Becky, Josh, Felix.

Monti (Blue) - Stacey, David, Christine.

Then Chef Ramsay had Monti and Frank swap teams... they were not happy.

So now Monti is Red with Becky, Josh, Felix while Frank is blue with Stacvey, David, Christine.

They have 90 minutes to prepare meals for 101 cowboys - first team to 51 points wins.

Monti and Red team discuss - Rib Eye Steak with mashed sweet potatoes and spicy green beans. Some fear peeling and mashing will be too time consuming. Despite team disagreements, they move forward with Monti's idea.

Frank is accepting teams ideas and they decide with NY Strip with garlic mash, corn on the cobb and Stacey's BBQ sweet, smokey, hot sauce.

16 oz delicious steaks ready to go. Red team is doing the dry rub while Frank takes control on blue and is pre-searing steaks. Monti assigns Becky to man the grill while she cuts veggies a point judges realize.

Christine is grilling corn, but the husks catch fire and her team mates aren't much help... I mean, she is blind... an amazing cook, but needs a little help with some things obviously.

Meanwhile red team has overcooked some steaks, they only get 105 to serve 101 so Monti is in a prediciment. Yet blue team is stacking steaks causing juices to leak and cooking to continue.

101 cowboys and cowgirls eat and rate the meals.

5 minutes into service red team is out of sweet potatoe mash.

Meanwhile blue is serving overcooked steaks.

In the end it is 36-51 with blue winning.

Back in kitchen it is pressure test and the Blue team is told to go into the wine room and pick one name to NOT participate in pressure test.

Monti says she is cooking regardless, she suggests Felix. Josh disagrees and says he did everything. Becky agrees everyone did everything. So Josh wants him, Becky wants her, Felix agrees with Monti that she (Felix) should be, in the end, no one can decide.

back in the kitchen cheg asks the chef to step forward, after hesitation, Felix steps forward, much to Becky and Josh's annoyance.

The test:

6 eggs, they must make one perfect of each egg: sunny side fried egg, soft boiled egg, poached egg, a 3 egg omlette. That means NO ROOM for error!!!

Josh, Becky, Monti head to their station ready to go. Monti calls eggs "big time bitches" needing to be timed to the second. She is right!

It;s an intense few minutes as they all cook and judges ask which egg they are most worried about, I am not a good cook and eggs even stress me out. My husband does most of the cooking - thankfully ;)

In the end, none of them do entirely well.... but Monti is safe first and then between Josh and Becky it is Josh that is sent home.

**Top 7 Compete**

Paula Dean arrives to do mystery box: A whole chicken, green tomatoes, collard greens, grits, blackberries, hot sauce, pepper jelly, bacon, cream cheese, and spices.

She wants them to put some "south in their mouth"

She also had letters and photos for each the homechefs from their families.

Time starts ticking and they are cooking like mad. In only 60 minutes it is interesting to see what they decide to try and make.

Results:

Three to taste:

-Becky - Oven Roasted Chicken with fried green tomatoes, biscuits and gravy with fried okra. - Paula loved it. The judges complimented her also.

-Frank - Chicken Roulade, pepper shutney and spicey potatoes. - Paula loves that he chose the dark meat which has most of the falvour, she thinks it is delicious but starts to choke after from spices. The judges compliment his technique.

-David - Pan Roasted Chicken with red pepper grits and shoestring onions. - Judges enjoy its flavour and Paula gives Ramsay crap for calling grits bland (he said David took a usually bland food and made it tastey ha ha) I agree, I hate grits, husband and kiddo love them though!

Winner of Mystery Box Challenge: Frank.

His advantage in next competition: He doesn't choose food, the judges have chosen Japanese food. (Sushi Platter) Frank's advantage is that he has immunity AND choose the pairs. (Yes, they will work in pairs for this competition)

They must make an exact replica - California roll, tuna sushi, yellow sushi, and many others....

One member of the losing team will be sent home. The pairs are:

-Becky & David

-Felix & Monti

-Christine & Stacey

60 minutes begins... however, the pair must not cook at same time and will switchw hen judges yell switch.

The pairs seem to communicate well at first, they need to tell each other what to do. David and Becky struggle the most, especially when Becky comes in and re does half of David's work.

In the end Christine and Stacey had the worst dish and Stavey goes home.