The Finale is the twentieth episode of the sixth season of MasterChef. It was aired on September 16, 2015. In that episode, Claudia and Derrick faced off in the finale, cooked their three-course meal for the judges, and one of them was crowned the winner.
Plot[]
In the finale, Gordon along with Graham and Christina would challenge the final 2 home cooks to create a 3 course dinner, the two cooks in the finale were Claudia and Derrick who made it to the top two following the previous challenges with the 30 Chefs & 3 Courses respectively. All the contestants that had been eliminated in that season returned to cheer on for Claudia and Derrick in the final battle for the MasterChef Title.
Claudia's 3 course Dinner[]
Claudia's 3 course dinner was what won her the competition. For her appetizer, Claudia cooked a huitlacoche tamale with cactus salsa, avocado crema and pork skin chicharron. The dish was praised by the judges for having the right balance in richness, despite Gordon wanting a touch more of the Avocado Crema.
Claudia's entrée was a grilled swordfish with chickpeas, Mexican squash, and salsa Verde. Her Dish was cooked beautifully, with Graham even going as far as to say that she did the swordfish justice.
Claudia's dessert was hibiscus-poached pear with key lime flan and cinnamon brittle. The Judges note that it was a great finish to the 3 course meal; with Graham specifically noting that Claudia was able to overcome the hurdle that was the Key lime.
Derrick's 3 Course Dinner[]
While Derrick was a fierce competitor, his 3 course dinner didn't quite win him the competition.
Derrick's spiced pork belly with watermelon three ways was praised by the judges unanimously. His Entrée was a pan seared venison with root vegetables and puff pastry cage; which was also well received by the judges, although Gordon wished he had a touch more of the carrot puree. Finally, his Dessert was a lemon mousse in a chocolate shell with green tea cake and raspberry sauce. Whilst Christina & Graham praised Derrick for his efforts in creating the dish, Gordon criticized him for spending 15 minutes on the sponge cake when he could have scrapped it the second it started going wrong.
Choosing the Winner[]
Choosing the Winner this time around was especially challenging for all 3 judges as Claudia's and Derrick's 3 course dinners had some ups and downs that easily counter one another, making this a toss up for either finalist to win.
However, the judges decided that shouldn't be done and they ultimately decided that Claudia's dishes were better and she was declared the winner of the competition.
Trivia[]
- Title Reference: The title refers to the final episode of Season 6.