A former contestant tells Yahoo Lifestyle how he thinks the competition has become easier.

MasterChef's Jean-Christophe Novelli / Ben, Jamie and Sarah.

MasterChef viewers were baffled watching Monday night’s Mystery Box challenge. Photos: Channel 10

This year’s season of MasterChef Australia is well and truly heating up, with some viewers describing the remaining contestants as the strongest top 7 they’ve ever seen. Ahead of the much-anticipated finale later this month, the cast tackled one of their final Mystery Boxes in Monday night’s episode.

While the reality series has seen some wild and wacky Mystery Boxes over the years featuring different themed ingredients, the contestants were simply tasked with cooking a dish that includes garlic. As an added twist, they were told 30 minutes in that they had to add a herb from their ‘Mini Mystery Box’.

The challenge received a mixed response on social media, with many people admitting they were “disappointed” by how easy the brief was.

“Way too simple a challenge for top 7 even with the twist. MCAU really needs to pick its game up on this,” one person wrote, while another added, “Seriously, it’s top 7 and the challenging ingredients are garlic and herbs used in every cuisine? And don’t forget this is Back To Win”.

MasterChef's garlic Mystery Box / Callum Hann.

The contestants simply had to cook a dish that featured garlic and a mystery herb. Photo: Channel 10

“Channel 10 spent all their budget on Qatar, so we’re getting garlic and herbs for a Mystery Box,” a third remarked, followed by someone else who said, “This is the most basic a** mystery box in MasterChef history. I’m sure the dishes will be great, but what the hell.”

“Ooh, garlic. Famous for being hard to pair with ingredients to make food. Good choice, producers,” one sarcastic viewer commented. “How on earth will the contestants figure out how to pair herbs with garlic? You don’t see that a lot.”

Although some people complained that the “easy” Mystery Box allowed contestants to stay in their comfort zone, many were thrilled that Sarah Todd challenged herself and made a savoury spin on a vanilla slice using pastry, chicken jelly, and garlic cream.

“I think Sarah is a true example of a MasterChef being able to pull flavours together,” a fan shared, with another adding, “What a crazy genius. This is what MasterChef is about”.

“I love Sarah, she stands out above the rest because she always challenges herself. Never sticks to her comfort zone, unlike other competitors,” a different user replied.

 

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Viewers might assume MasterChef has become more challenging over the years as the culinary world has evolved; however, season one finalist Chris Badenoch tells Yahoo Lifestyle this isn’t exactly true.

“The cast has a hell of a lot more equipment, time and scope [now]. We had no equipment – not enough for everyone, that’s for sure!” he details. “Everyone now is set up to succeed and to show off their skills. In season one, it felt like we were set up to fail, and only a few would fight their way through it.

“I remember when Gary [Mehigan] would actually call a dish ‘crap’. Now the judges seem complimentary toward everyone. Bring back the carnage!”

Chris, who came second on MasterChef All-Stars in 2012 and returned for Back To Win in 2020, points out that the challenges are now “a lot more vague” with a larger scope and more straightforward premise than when he first competed.

“Season one was hyper-specific, with so many more constraints. No time to plan, no time to shop, no time to cook, no time to think, and no equipment,” he shares. “Make an Italian dish with rabbit, you have one minute in the pantry, everything in the pantry has been moved around, one hour to cook, and you have maybe one pot and one frypan if you’re lucky – and no fridge.”