In the second episode of Viral Wonder’s Week, the pressure of eliminations loomed over the contestants as their invention skills were put to the test. However, after one cook was sent home at the end of the night, fans are questioning whether she was set up to fail.
In Monday’s episode, the Foodtok queen herself, Victoria Minell, challenged the hopefuls to use one of her five chosen viral ingredients – cucumber, burrata, pistachio, rice paper, or gochujang – in a dish that was creative and different.
With culinary masterpieces ranging from creative ice cream combinations to prawn crackling, every budding chef gave it their all, with one earning immunity until the end of the week, and another cooking their last meal for MasterChef Australia 2026.
In the end, it was Alita who was eliminated after serving up a dumpling lasagna with burrata, which, unfortunately, soaked through.
The result had fans up in arms about one key detail that has been a longstanding question for the show for years: what happens to the dishes that are tasted last and are cold…and does this impact the judge’s decisions?
After the verdict tonight, many fans are leaning towards the conclusion that it’s “not exactly even odds.”
“The dish has lost structure though, the burrata melted through the lasagne and made the meat soggy,” one fan commented online in response to Alita’s elimination. “Wouldn’t have happened if it was served immediately.”
Why was Alita eliminated from MasterChef Australia?
During the episode, contestants were given 75 minutes to create a dish that featured one of Victoria’s chosen viral ingredients.
Alyona impressed the judges and celebrity guest so much with her risky (but apparently delicious) sour cream and avocado ice cream with a pistachio topping. This earned her immunity until the end of the week, allowing her to breathe easy.
Meanwhile, Alita and Vinnie were the contestants who fell short as Vinnie “the panini guy” couldn’t get his bread done in time, and Alita’s lasagna dumplings produced a texture and flavour profile that resulted in Poh telling her that she was “in trouble”. Not what you want to hear!
Ultimately, what Alita feared most came to life. Her burrata – added to the dish when it was too hot – melted too much into the dish and ultimately turned off the judges, sending her home.
What was interesting about the elimination was that fans could predict it from a mile away.
As Alita was plating up her dish, she spoke to the camera about worrying that the burrata would soak the dumplings. Sure enough, by the time it was Alita’s turn to have her dish tasted, the burrata had more than enough time to soak into the dumplings, leaving some to wonder why the judges couldn’t have tasted her dish sooner, or implemented other measures to give her the best chance at success.
“They let people doing desserts keep their cold elements in the freezer and plate them while presenting, they should do the same for savoury dishes that have different temperatures,” one fan commented in critique of the MasterChef format.
“One loses temp while one loses structure. Not exactly even odds,” another viewer agreed.
While the behind-the-scenes making of the show wouldn’t have intended to set Alita up for failure, many fans have been questioning for a while whether the time it takes to run the show gives some contestants an unfair disadvantage.
“The dish had other flaws but [the wait time] definitely made it worse,” one fan argued, claiming that Alita’s elimination was unfair.
“She chose to make that call though,” another fan disagreed. “She could have left it on the side and then plopped it on top when serving like how people do with their sauce.”
Fans believe Alita was ‘robbed’ by Vinnie
However, in the end, fans feel “robbed” by Alita’s elimination and Vinnie scraping through.
“Alita has to feel robbed by Vinnie and his store-bought bread,” one fan wrote online.
“Hmm at least she tried to do something new while Vinnie made yet another sandwich,” another viewer agreed.
“That’s ridiculous. At least She tried something different,” another fan commented. “It should’ve been pantry bread.”
“I’m sorry but what? Alita’s gone?” another viewer questioned. “Over store bought bread.”
Does wait time affect the judges’ opinions about the food?
One of fans’ many burning questions about the show is whether the food is *actually* served cold after the contestants have to wait for the judges to taste other meals before theirs.
Current contestants, Dot McHugh and Lydia Kamperos, told WHO that the wait time was something “to consider if it potentially went cold.”
“But it’s all about the flavour,” Dot said. “And the flavour’s there whether it’s hot or cold.”
Lydia agreed with Dot, saying that she didn’t think “the judges ate the food at the optimal temperature.” However, this didn’t impact the result in her eyes.
“Because there are just so many tastings to get through and so many comments and feedback,” Lydia told WHO. “You just had to trust their palettes and just because it wasn’t piping hot, they could still pick up on the flavours.”
So, whether the wait time led to Alita’s elimination or not, it’s safe to say that MasterChef Australia has been running for almost two decades on this tasting format, and it’s still yet to let down contestants and their experience on the show.
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