Another contestant was sent packing during Monday's episode of MasterChef Australia. Alita Harvey-Rodriguez, 40, attempted to recreate a viral dumpling lasagne, but her dish went disastrously wrong.
What Went Wrong
Alita presented the judges with ramekins filled with layers of rice paper and spiced beef. However, her melted burrata topping drenched the entire dish, leading to criticism. The judges compared the result to wet meatloaf and questioned her blend of Asian and Italian spices.
Alita admitted she was 'embarrassed' by her effort but vowed to continue pushing herself in the kitchen. The judges noted that too many elements in her dish had issues, ultimately sending her home.
Previous Elimination
Last Wednesday, the season's youngest contestant, Bella Di Conza, 20, was eliminated after her apple and cinnamon entremet dessert fell short. While the flavours worked for some judges, the texture of the gel topping and gluggy mousse were unimpressive. The presentation also suffered as Bella struggled to remove the entremet from its mould.
Judge Poh Ling Yeow was devastated, sobbing as she farewelled Bella. 'Bella, I am so broken-hearted for you right now. You are so young and you have so much talent,' Poh wept. 'I know you're going to be a superstar, and I want you to promise me that you're not going to let this moment define you.'
Judge Jean-Christophe Novelli also had kind words, comparing Bella to a younger version of iconic chef Mary Berry. Bella was gracious in defeat, promising not to give up her culinary ambitions. 'I've learnt so much from this experience. I am proud of the way I've shown up every day in this competition and pushed myself,' she said. 'Poh made me promise that this is only the beginning and I'm going to stick to that promise.'
