Sweet Week on MasterChef has come to a bitter end with Jackie Yu being sent home.
On Monday night’s elimination episode, the contestants took part in an Ice Cream Taste Test, which sent the four home cooks who guessed incorrectly into an elimination.
This meant that Jackie, Aaron, Annabel and Casper were given 75-minutes to cook the judges a delicious dessert using only the ingredients found in round one’s ice creams.
Sadly, Jackie was sent home after she served a brown butter financier and cinnamon ice cream, but the cake was still raw inside. “It was a mistake that we could not look past,” judge Jean-Christophe Novelli told the group.
Hearing the news of her elimination, Jackie burst into tears while admitting she was just happy to make the top 12. “When I saw the line-up, I thought I didn’t have a chance,” Jackie said in a tearful goodbye. “Thank you all for having me.”
Jackie’s elimination divides MasterChef viewers
Over on Reddit, fans were divided by the decision, with some believing it was not Jackie’s time. “That was unfair. I did expect Jackie to go, but not this week,” shared one MasterChef viewer.
However, others believed Jackie’s luck had run out. “She really had nine lives in this competition,” another weighed in.
On X, fans were also scrambling over Jackie’s elimination, with some saying they were shocked and “thought she’d be in the top five” and another recalling the brilliance of her immunity-pin-winning bulgogi philly cheesesteak sandwich.
Meanwhile, a fair few viewers shared the opinion that it was the 31-year-old’s time to go. “Jackie was always at the bottom and she just didn’t stand out. I didn’t see her winning at all. Bound to happen,” said one.
“It’s a shame Jackie wasn’t strategic tonight- I’m sad she’s going home,” another added.
Jackie’s strategy heading into MasterChef Australia
Speaking to WHO, Jackie revealed that she never really had a clear strategy to win the competition, but instead had a far more “wait and see” approach.
“I had no strategy at all. I think going on to the show, I was honestly just trying to make it in,” she told us. “I didn’t even think I would…make it in. So, my strategy is firstly to get in the show, and then we’ll see what happens from there.”
Jackie also admitted that her time in the competition was super stressful as the challenges were even harder than they appeared on TV.
“You see the challenges when you’re watching it and you get set these 60-minute, 75-minute challenges, but when you’re there and you’re doing it, it’s like time just disappears so quickly and you feel like you haven’t even started cooking and it’s already time to finish,” Jackie said.
“It’s pretty crazy. Big stress.”
Jackie’s secret trick to staying on MasterChef
Jackie also revealed to WHO that she had a superstition she followed for eliminations.
“I would do this funny thing where I would check my astrology reading for that day and it would say what my lucky colour was,” she said.
“And so on that day, if it was a cooking day or an elimination day, I’d wear that colour and then I’d be like, ‘OK, I’m going to be safe today.’ And I didn’t think it would work, but once it really did work. And I was like, OK, I’m going to keep doing this every time now. That’s why I’m just wearing these basic colours every day. There’s truth to that.”
What’s next for Jackie after her MasterChef elimination?
Jackie previously worked as a recruiter in the tech space, but she’s ready to realise her dreams of building a career as a food content creator. Jackie told New Idea that she plans to pour all her creative energy into her cake Instagram page bb.flambe.
“Beyond that, I’m passionate about community and eager to work with cooks who are doing something personal and authentic with their food, highlighting different cultures,” Jackie said.
“There’s so much cooking out there that deserves a spotlight, and I’d love to build on the community for this – through social media and physical pop-ups and experiences.”
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