MasterChef Finale Part 1 Recap: Jake’s Taco Steals the Show as the Final 3 Face Off
Spoiler Warning: This recap contains spoilers for MasterChef: Global Gauntlet Season 16, Episode 17, “Finale Part 1,” which aired Wednesday, September 9.
After weeks of challenges, eliminations and dishes inspired by cuisines from around the world, MasterChef: Global Gauntlet has officially reached its final showdown. Heidi Muston, Jake Kelley and Peter Egede entered the kitchen as the final three home cooks of Season 16, with $250,000, the trophy and the title of America’s next MasterChef on the line.
Of course, winning would require one final massive challenge. Gordon Ramsay, Tiffany Derry and Joe Bastianich tasked the finalists with creating a three-course menu consisting of an appetizer, entrée and dessert, with each dish inspired by their roots and their journeys through the competition.
Friends, family and previously eliminated contestants returned to watch the final three compete, giving the finale the big-event atmosphere it deserved. Unfortunately, FOX decided we only needed to see part of that big event this week, but we'll get to that later.
Peter Brings Nigerian Flavors to the Finale
The appetizer round gave each finalist 60 minutes to prepare three identical plates for the judges, and Peter used his opening course to showcase the Nigerian flavors that have helped define his run throughout the competition.
Peter served steamed red snapper with pepper soup broth, red pepper glaze and yam dumplings. The presentation immediately impressed the judges, while the cook on the fish and the refinement of the overall plate gave Peter a strong opening to the finale.
Gordon liked the textures and presentation, while Tiffany praised the way the fish, dumpling and broth worked together. There was one issue, however, as Gordon found the broth slightly too salty.
It wasn't enough to take away from what was otherwise a successful appetizer, but we're at the point in the competition where something as small as slightly too much salt could matter. Peter still walked away from the first course looking like a serious threat for the title.
Heidi's Black Cod Gets Mixed Reviews
Heidi went in a different direction with chili-marinated black cod accompanied by mango salsa, fennel salad and peri-peri cream sauce. Her fish was beautifully cooked, and visually there was plenty happening on the plate, but the judges weren't convinced everything surrounding the cod worked quite as well.
Gordon felt the fish became lost underneath the other elements, while Tiffany wanted more of the peri-peri cream sauce to help bring everything together. Joe was even more critical of the composition, comparing what Heidi presented to a well-dressed salad.
The good news for Heidi was that the main component of the dish wasn't the problem. She proved she could cook the black cod properly, but the judges wanted the rest of the plate to complement it rather than compete for attention.
That left Heidi with more criticism than Jake or Peter received during the opening course. With two dishes remaining, there is still plenty of time for her to recover, but she didn't get the clean start she probably wanted.
Jake's “Kraken” Taco Makes a Big Impression
Then came Jake, who served a dish called “Kraken,” featuring ruby prawn and octopus in a taco with avocado crema and aguachile rojo sauce. After watching Jake steadily grow throughout the season, this felt like the kind of dish that showed exactly how far he has come.
The judges were clearly impressed. Gordon praised the taco as one of the most impressive he had tasted, while Joe felt Jake successfully tapped into modern Mexican cuisine. Tiffany loved the char on the octopus and the overall experience of eating the dish, although she did note that his tortilla was slightly dry.
That was a relatively small criticism compared to the reaction to the dish as a whole. MasterChef didn't officially declare Jake the winner of the appetizer round, but if we're judging purely by the comments at the table, he certainly seemed to leave the first course with the most momentum.
Peter wasn't far behind him, which makes the battle between those two especially interesting heading into the next courses. Heidi has some ground to make up, but one appetizer isn't going to decide a three-course finale.
The Entrée Round Begins And Then FOX Makes Us Wait
With the appetizers finished, the finalists immediately moved into their entrées. Gordon described the second course as the heart of their menus, putting even more pressure on Heidi, Jake and Peter to show the judges who they are as cooks and why they deserve the title.
The pressure started building quickly, particularly for Peter as he encountered trouble while working with his steaks. It looked like we were finally getting into the real meat of the finale, literally and figuratively, when the episode ended before any of the entrées reached the judges' table.
And this is where we have a small complaint for FOX: Did this really need to be stretched across two weeks? A two-hour finale airing in one night would have worked perfectly here. We already spent the hour getting invested in the finalists' menus, watched the entire appetizer round and then started the entrée cook, only to stop right in the middle and be told to come back next Wednesday. There's nothing wrong with giving the finale room to breathe, but making viewers wait an entire week for the second half feels unnecessary when FOX could have turned the whole thing into a two-hour finale event.
At least the first hour gave us something to debate while we wait. Jake appears to have the early edge after his impressive taco, Peter is right there with him, and Heidi needs her entrée and dessert to make a stronger statement after the mixed response to her appetizer. More importantly, all three finalists are still alive in the competition. The entrées will finally reach the judges in Finale Part 2, followed by dessert and the crowning of the Season 16 winner.
MasterChef: Global Gauntlet concludes Wednesday, September 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
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