Too Much of a Good Thing? Plating Plight Plagues The Night on MASTERCHEF CANADA: BACK TO WIN

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede The five remaining competitors on MASTERCHEF CANADA: BACK TO WIN got a sugary blast from the past in a new episode that aired Sunday, May 2 on CTV, and is available for catch-up on the all-new CTV.ca and CTV app. Andrew Al-Khouri, Andy Hay, Mai Nguyen, Christopher Siu, and Thea Vanherwaarden were shown the various and delicious title-winning desserts that had crowned champions in previous seasons of MASTERCHEF CANADA. Season 3 winner Mary Berg made a guest appearance not only to present her own dessert, but also to provide encouragement. But this wasn’t a replication challenge; rather, it was an inspiration challenge. Each cook had to take the ingredients, or the concept, from one of the desserts and give it an exciting new spin. SPOILER ALERT: Details of what occurred are about to be discussed. Coming off her victory in the previous episode’s challenge, Mai got first choice, and selected Mary’s dessert from Season 3. Christopher, who was saved from elimination due to a last-second twist in the previous episode, had to deal with the disadvantage of picking last. But the turnaround for Christopher this week was nothing short of remarkable. His ‘banana split’ gâteau St. Honoré with assorted cream puffs on a banana financier tart prompted these words from Chef Claudio Aprile: “This is not the best-tasting dessert I’ve had this season … it’s the best in seven seasons.” At the other end of the scale, Mai struggled with the plating for her cornbread cake with blueberry mousse and corn custard. Chef Alvin Leung observed, “When you look at it, you don’t see dessert, you see a whole meal.” He described the taste as “very pleasant, but is it legendary? No.” Following the judges’ consultations, Aprile said, “Desserts are often the great equalizer in this kitchen, the thing that brings the mighty to their knees, and tonight that was the case once again.” Chef Michael Bonacini concluded, “We all agreed that one cook had a particularly tough time. We have no choice but to say goodbye to Mai.” With the second-last episode of MASTERCHEF CANADA: BACK TO WIN airing Sunday, May 9, at 9 p.m. ET on CTV, here’s what Mai had to say about her plating plight, and more. Q: You mentioned in the episode that you had way more confidence this season than you had in your original season. How did that manifest itself, and how can you use that to your advantage moving forward? MAI: “To me, confidence comes from relevant experience and personal growth, and I feel like I have gained that since my first time on the show. My confidence manifested itself through assured actions and not second-guessing myself constantly, like I did in my first season. Moving forward, I would like to continue learning and fine-tuning my craft, because that’s how I gain my confidence, through repetition and knowledge.” Q: Putting aside your own improvement, do you think the challenges were generally more difficult this season than in your original season, or was it the other way around? MAI: “I definitely think that the challenges were much more difficult this season. The judges knew that we are no longer home cooks, and the challenges reflected that. Thinking back to the seafood replication challenge, I’m shocked that we were able to recreate all the different dishes and components in an hour.” Q: The judges had an issue with the presentation of your dessert, and you admitted that you thought it looked “a bit clunky.” So looking back, what do you think you could have done differently? MAI: “I should have basically shrunken the serving size I presented. I already knew this when my dessert was on the plate, but with 30 seconds left, there was no way I could have replated in that short amount of time. Sometimes the concept you have in your mind works out on the plate, and sometimes it doesn’t. In real life, you’re able to correct for situations like this. But in the MASTERCHEF CANADA Kitchen, you don’t have time for trial and error, or for replating. But also looking back, I would have created a different dessert altogether!” Q: If a friend of yours is interested in applying for MASTERCHEF CANADA in the future, what’s the most important piece of advice you can give them? MAI: “I would tell them to cook from their own unique perspective, and stay true to who they are. Also, to just have fun, because if you aren’t having fun, you’re doing it wrong.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv