ok almost got rid of all the deadwood and should know the name of everyone that is left now. who are your predictions for the final 3 and for the winner.

obviously no spoilers from anyone who already knows

i'll go with anastasia as the winner, with matt and zoe as the other two in the final 3

I'm not feeling this series to be honest, I find that I am not as invested in the contestants as I have been each series up to know (apart from the dreaded series where Emma Dean won) it just feels like all they do is make desserts and the more or less the same ones! Parfait S, custards, meringues. I loved watching the previous series for the ingredients they used to use and how creative they were with them, maybe it's just me but it doesn't seem to be the case this season.

I've felt the same for the last couple or so of series, although I get more invested when the numbers are whittled down, probably to the final 10 and I can get a handle on them better. I preferred it when we saw some of what went on in the house, partucularlybwhen they were waiting to see who was coming back after an elimination. I got much more of a sense of who they were and that made it easier to care about who won. After the dreaded series 5 and Emma Dean, even though they backtracked and went back to having people who could actually cook it seems to have lost something for me. I do still enjoy it but I don't watch it with my full attention any more

It could just be MasterChef fatigue, of course. Nothing stays fresh for viewers for ever, I suppose.

I think that my problem is that there are still quite a few in it that shouldn't be. Brett should've gone already, as should Mimi (she's good but she panics too much). We've also had a lot of dead wood and there's the prospect that any one of them could come back (Conn, Theresa, Jimmy, Charlie) when we have redemption week - and face it, that will happen.

I think that they need to shake it up a bit - do something a little bit different, give them more of a challenge. One thing that I love about Top Chef (yep, I really do watch a lot of cookery programmes) is the pop-up restaurant week. I think that this would be a good test for them. I wouldn't say that it's got easier over time (because it hasn't), but I get the uncomfortable feeling that a lot of these contestants spend a couple of years practising before they audition, so we really are seeing incredible improvement in the standard of competitor year on year.

I want Matt to win - for me he's a standout in teams, and on his own. Think another issue I have is that there are more I don't like this year than do.

Apart from Matt, no-one really appears to be standing out for me. Won't be surprised if he did win it.

Still having a slight problem working out with the females whose who.

multi-quote post incoming!


Agreed, as previously mentioned I'm fed up with the competition being about people wanting to be pastry chefs. And I'm not even sure they all want to be pastry chefs, they just think it's easier to impress with a dessert.


Felt sorry for Elise, she was so excited to get what she thought was a huge advantage and it was really no different.


I thought Tracy did well. That much power is bound to get you bitched about in the house and she had to cope with all those big decisions.


That wouldn't be fair to Brett. You'd be better off coming in the bottom three, as fourth wouldn't have a chance at survival though the worse person would (maybe you were joking!).


smoking the goat

My top three would have to be Matt (he WILL cook wabbit, I know it!) Harry and ... I'll go for Elena I think, Risky move that last one, but she's had moments of brilliance

My top three to leave are:

Brett (he's got to go soon, right?)
Chloe (the tears damnit, the tears...she should have just used the pin and said "I'm using the pin" rather than some stupid nobility speech)
Karmen (just because I can add her to the list)

Excellent call there Raye, I could get on board with all of those. I would even put aside my irrational hatred of Elise just to get rid of the first two

But I guess we have to choose one of Elena, Zoe or Elise, so it's Elise to go for me

Wouldn't be distraught to lose Zoe but please not Elena!

I was, but if that were to be the 'power' it would be the fourth worst person who would make up the number, I imagine, just as it is if an immunity pin is played. And it did look as if he was in the firing line. So no more or less fair than that.

I don't expect it to be that, though, just because it is too much like using the immunity pin.

I'm not picking a top three. Kiss of death!

OMG both of those plates of food look like they aren't food - and I am not saying that as a compliment. Neither of those look at all appealing, just pretentious plates of stuff put together in a way that makes the diner think they are getting massive value for money.

Careful what you wish for, you could get Brett's fish and chips

However did Anastasia cope with all that incredible power? She must have needed a long lie down.

Elena pull it together!

It was really crap wasn't it?

I don't think Karmen's "well-meaning" advice is helping her. All the guidance from the gantry is probably distracting and also throwing you if you're working how you feel comfortable.

I think that even though Elena is a little behind, Elise is going to find that her discs of cake (I'd rather a cake thanks) aren't going to do what they're meant to.

I totally agree and remember Brett feeling overwhemled by the contanst 'push', 'move faster' comments etc..

The way Elise is cooking tonight she doesn't deserve to go through.

Well it looks as though Zoe is going to have problems with her syrup because that looks more like a thick toffee sauce (like you'd get on a banoffee pie) than a syrup...fantastic!

Hopefully, Elena's running late issues are going to actually mean she's doing things right.

It certainly does look like heavy-handed misdirection, doesn't it?!

Yes, though, the other girls have made some serious errors with their prep - what with Elise's cake not having the right texture courtesy of the fact that she chose to strain something that depended greatly upon having the right measurements, and then not cutting her peach slices thick enough so some of them are more char than peach for the butter...and then you have Zoe with her caramel sauce that is probably going to set rather than pour and lightly coat the beautifully perfumed stoned fruit.

Oh well, Elise should be the one that goes this time, I think.

The only question is will she have wizened old fruit slices?

I still hope they will be better than a thick lump of elderflower scented toffee at the bottom, or a solid bit of twice baked cake

I'd say so, she was quite sloppy in some of her prep. Going to be another close one, though, I bet.

Well Elise went for tears...bye bye (please). Anyone who cries like this should be sent home. Hopefully it doesn't give them pause to consider Elise shouldn't go home.

Sorry, I have had a bad week (and yes, I am aware it's only Tuesday) but these tales of woe are beginning to bug the proverbial off me.