Ben Starr

The Ultimate Food Geek

Tag: mystery box

  • MasterChef recap: Prawns and Sweet Corn

    Please note that my blog is not endorsed or approved by MasterChef and they would prefer you didn’t read it.  This blog contains opinion only.  I have no inside information about the judging process, only assumptions and uneducated guesses… Thanks to the very bizarre (and potently unfair) get-your-apron-back challenge, Josh is back, so we’ve got…

  • MasterChef recap: Stacey gets robbed

    Please note that my blog is not endorsed or approved by MasterChef and they would prefer you didn’t read it.  This blog contains opinion only.  I have no inside information about the judging process, only assumptions and uneducated guesses… 6 contestants are left, and today they get a day off.  They don’t have to cook. …

  • MasterChef Recap: Southern Queens and Sushi Teams

    We’re down to only 7.  And the mystery box on the stage is big enough to house an entire cow or side of beef.  And had the commercials not spoiled it, I’d have NO clue that it was a mere human standing inside.  I’m conflicted about the spoiling of the mystery box surprise…I’d have been…

  • MasterChef Recap: Urchins and Master-Baiting

    (This blog is not endorsed or approved by MasterChef and consists entirely of my own uneducated opinions.  I have no inside knowledge about how eliminations are made, or how judging takes place, for either last season or this season.  My opinions should not be treated as fact, or as any more valid than your own!)…

  • MasterChef: Bunnies and Pizza Stones

    (Please note that the following blog entry reflects my own opinions and is NOT endorsed or approved by MasterChef.  I have no inside knowledge of how eliminations are made or how food is judged, either for my season or the current one.  My opinions should not be treated as fact.) So we’re down to 11,…

  • MasterChef 3: Don’t Trifle with Walmart

    Today’s blog entry is brought to you by Walmart, a proud sponsor of MasterChef. (Just kidding!  Ha ha ha…  But please note that my blog is in no way endorsed or approved by either MasterChef OR Walmart, and my opinions expressed herein are ONLY OPINIONS.  I have no inside knowledge of the production of MasterChef,…

  • MasterChef: Shepherds Pie and Venison Backstrap

    Today will be the last mystery box of MasterChef. After today, the final 4 will be announced and will go head-to-head in the semi finals. I have not won a single mystery box in this entire competition. And when I analyze my competitors, this is what I think: Christian – Sure, he may be a…

  • MasterChef: Surf ‘n’ Turf and Childhood Faves

    Fresh off a group win normally means that a member from the LOSING team gets eliminated, and the winning team is safe from taking that hit.  However, due to exceptional soufflés created by Christian, Jennifer, Adrien, and Derrick last night, the judges couldn’t decide WHO to send home, and decided to send no one. So…

  • MasterChef Top 9: Scallops and Pigs

    I think, by now, we’ve established the fact that I hate mystery boxes.  So you can imagine that I’m less than thrilled that it’s time for another one. We lift our boxes and I see 3 massive, gorgeous scallops, still in their shells.  “Diver’s scallops,” announces Gordon.  That means these scallops are each foraged, by…

  • MasterChef: Giant Lobsters and $500 Truffles

    If I’ve learned anything on MasterChef, it’s that you can be on top one day, and out the door the next.  So even though I’m coming off a pretty triumphant week, winning the catfish challenge, being a team leader, and making a 6-layer pumpkin carrot cake that Gordon Ramsay said was one of the best…