A cake challenge sends some old contenders even lower in the rankings, and some new contenders emerging. Let’s rank these MasterChefs going into another dessert round with macaroons.
11. Bri Baker- Bri had a bad week with her bread challenge. Had an even worse week with cakes. She will NEED to nail her macaroons, otherwise, three strikes and she’s OUT.
10. Nick DiGiovanni- Nick emerged as a huge contender, but has been slipping since. I’m worried he’s peaked, and may just not be experienced enough of a baker to make it through these challenges involving baking. His dessert in the bread challenge sucked, his cake tonight sucked, and if his macaroons suck, he too could be going home. Like I said with Bri, it seems like the third strike might actually send someone home. Nick and Bri were my top two a few rankings ago, so to see them as the two most vulnerable, it just shows how unpredictable a season can be.
9. Noah Sims- If anyone has been most disappointing in recent weeks, it’s Noah. His grill challenge started the downward spiral, and his desserts haven’t stacked up either. He was a mess, and his opera cake didn’t have a good ganache. I don’t know what’s happening with Noah. I want to root for him so badly, but he makes it very difficult when he performs at such a low level. He’s still cocky, and I’m worried it’ll truly come around to bite him.
8. Subha Ramiah- Subha had a surprisingly good pineapple upside down cake. I think the judges know he lacks technique, which is why I don’t see him making it all the way to the end, but I think it’ll be enough to keep him around for a few more episodes. He just has a charm you want to root for.
7. Sarah Faherty- Sarah made a huge mistake in biting off way more than she could chew. But she still showed impressive elements, and I think the risk taking is what keeps her a strong contender in the end. This was a bad week, but she’ll bounce back.
6. Wuta Onda- Wuta has been coasting pretty consistently, and I’m really happy for him. His hummingbird cake, though unknown to me, looked decent, and while he wasn’t the top dog of the night, he for sure wasn’t the worst.
5. Micah Yaroch- Micah had a good week this week, and while he did fine, I think he was probably the least visible this episode. I still like him and think he’s definitely growing each week.
4. Shari Mukherjee- Shari is in her zone when it comes to baking, and it shows. Someone who I was convinced was one of the sure bets to not make final 10 is now showing so many impressive techniques, and I think she actually has a chance to go incredibly deep in the game. She brings such a positive energy and light to the kitchen, and if anyone has made me do a complete 180 on them, it’s Shari.
3. Jamie Hough- Jamie made a Black Forest Cake, which is the one I would have made too. I thought it looked absolutely splendid, and now that Nick tanked in a challenge, Jamie is the most consistent in terms of least amount of times on the bottom. Good for you Jamie!
2. Fred Chang- Fred continues to impress from a baking standpoint, and if anyone is going to put up dynamite macaroons, it’s him.
1. Dorian Hunter- The icing on the cake.
Dorian, Fred, and Jamie are starting to emerge as the top contenders for me, and going into top 10 week, I think they’re the safest three bets to make it there. A few weeks ago, I would’ve said that Noah, Bri, and Nick were safe for SURE, but they have been incredibly declining the past few weeks, and I think this is setting up a shocked for one of them to go. Or Subha, he’s always on the radar.
A cake challenge sends some old contenders even lower in the rankings, and some new contenders emerging. Let’s rank these MasterChefs going into another dessert round with macaroons.
1. Dorian —
2. Fred —
3. Jamie (+3)
4. Shari (+3)
5. Micah (-1)
6. Wuta (+2)
7. Sarah (-2)
8. Subha (+3)
9. Noah (+1)
10. Nick (-7)
11. Bri (-2)
Biggest Rise: Jamie, Shari, and Subha (+3)
Biggest Drop: Nick (-7)