MasterChef Legends: Let the home cooks eat cake!

The ranks of the home cooks competing on MasterChef Legends are down to 14 with the elimination of Elyce last week. Some contestants probably thought now that the first week of actual competition was in the books, things would get maybe a bit easier from here on out.

Turns out they were very, very wrong. Because with this week’s legend being none other than confection queen Sherry Yard, that meant one thing. Desserts.

Of all the “legends” MasterChef has brought out this season, Sherry Yard is the first I was genuinely excited to see. The woman has forgotten more about baking than most people will ever know – so she knows her stuff. Plus, I was a huge fan when she was on the late, lamented Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition so any chance to see her on TV again is welcome.

But getting back to the home cooks. As you might guess, having to prepare a restaurant-worthy dessert was enough to send most into a panic. Other than a few, most admitted they don’t bake on any regular basis and when you have Gordon Ramsay saying over and over (and over) “This is the season of Legends!” it’s enough to rattle anyone’s cage.

(Seriously. If I have to hear Ramsay or Joe Bastianich or Aaron Sanchez say one more time how high the standards are this season or how it’s a season of legends I may rip my ears off. We get it guys. Relax and unclench.)

Most of the MasterChef Legends contestants rose to the challenge.

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While some cooks definitely buckled under the pressure, most did better than I thought they would. In fact, the judges picked four dishes to try instead of the customary three to pick the winner of the week. It came down to Lexy and her molten lava cake, Tay and his pineapple upside-down cake, Anne who made a olive oil rosemary cake and Michael, who went outside the box a bit with his cannoli cake.

In the end the judges gave the win to Tay, saying his cake was light, full of flavor and easily the best of the night. But considering how nervous the other three were going into the challenge, I’d call it a win all around.

With the winners out of the way, it was time to crush someone’s dream of winning MasterChef. The bottom three includes Abe and his under baked pomegranate tart, Annai and her avocado cheesecake that never quite set and Matt and his “great idea, lousy execution” black garlic chocolate cake.

Once the debate was over it was Annai who was told to surrender her apron. Two consecutive trips to the bottom three and sloppy baking was just too much to overcome.

Next week MasterChef Legends welcomes Michael Mina to the kitchen for the first Mystery Box Challenge of the season. And what season is it? Let’s all say it together: it’s a season of LEGENDS!

What did you think Guilty Eats Nation? Did Annai deserve to go home or do you think it should have been someone else? Leave a comment below and let us know or join the conversation on our Twitter and Facebook pages.