The Second Chance cook is a regular addition to MasterChef Australia, and sees eliminated contestants return for a challenge, with the winner earning a white apron once again and rejoining the competition.
This year, it took place in Episode 30 and eliminated contestants Lydia, Miin, Jack, Bella, Alita, Megs, Belinda, and Lucy all returned to try and earn a spot back in the competition. The dish that won redemption for Bella was called ‘Nonna’s garden’, a dessert with capsicum sorbet, chocolate and vergeoise cremeux, a chocolate soil and a fennel jelly.
However, while Bella rejoined the competition as a fully-fledged contestant, she was eliminated just six episodes later, during Curtis Stone‘s Meat Masterclass challenge because her steak was undercooked.
Given the track record of no contestants who have ever returned in the redemption round going on to win the show, fans are calling for a change by either moving the second-chance cook to later in the season, giving the cooks who excelled a chance to return, or scrapping it altogether.
“They did the second chance episode a bit too early,” one person wrote on Reddit. “Just scrap the whole thing, historically none of the comeback cooks ever won the show even when they returned for back to win as well,” another added.
A third agreed that while none of the returnee cooks have won MasterChef, some have gone far in the competition.
“I think historically it can [go] one of two ways, you can absolutely prove it was just a one-off and demolish the comp but miss the finale (Tamara, Sav, Courtney to an extent, Samira to an extent) or end up going home relatively quickly after (Bella, Brendan, Sarah).”
Another viewer questioned the round, and whether it was worth bringing Bella back.
“Bella must have the shortest total time in MasterChef kitchen, for someone who got to be in top 12? They really need to rethink the whole Second Chance,” they wrote.
Why some fans think Bella wasn’t worth of returning to the MasterChef competition
In light of Bella’s elimination during the June 22 episode, some fans have pointed out that they don’t believe she’s worthy of getting the returnee ticket because she’s a bit of a one-trick pony.
“I am most okay [with] Bella leaving, she literally cannot cook anything else except desserts. MasterChef is not her place to thrive, talented young lady though,” one Redditor wrote. Another said: “She is more suited for Dessert Masters given her skills but she needs to have her own pastry shop.”
Some other viewers thought Bella’s returnee’s position should have been given to another contestant.
“Lydia was robbed. She would have been heaps better,” they wrote. “Every time that she stuffs up I’m immediately thinking about how Lydia and Miin would do it justice. And it’s almost every challenge,” another said.
MasterChef Australia airs on Sundays at 7pm and Monday – Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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