MasterChef takes on their second mystery box challenge in episode 8

There are 17 chefs left in the MasterChef kitchen and for episode 8, it is all about another mystery box challenge. And it sounds like it will be all about birds.

With an episode title like, “Birds of a Feather Mystery Box,” you already know that this challenge is going to be interesting. And the fact that one regional team will have a major disadvantage to overcome means that it really is anyone’s game.

In honor of winning the last challenge, Jennifer gets to choose which team/region will be starting with a 10 minute disadvantage. Plus, it won’t just be one chef going home after this mystery box challenge. Each team gets one mystery box and in that box is a chicken, and the entire region has to use that single chicken, plus there will only be one chef butchering the team bird. And there won’t be any replacing that chicken if someone messes up the butchering of the meat.

MasterChef takes on a feathered mystery box for their second mystery box challenge

So which region is getting less time to cook? Jennifer ends up choosing the Midwest to lose 10 minutes.

With the other three teams cooking and butchering the chicken, then Midwest has to stand around and watch for a solid 10 minutes. And in the rest of the kitchen, each member of the different teams choose which pieces they want to use to bring their chicken dish to life.

Of course, even amongst the regions, there are so many different dishes coming together including a butter chicken, chicken teriyaki, Jamaican jerk chicken and even a chicken Marsala.

After a cook that was 60 minutes for everyone, except the Midwest (they had just 50 minutes), it’s time for judging. And there are definitely some cooks that are sweating this time around as some people ran out of time and couldn’t exactly finish their dishes.

Following their usual walkthrough of the MasterChef kitchen, who gets called up for tasting with the best dishes?

• Northeast: Brynn – Chicken Cacciatore
• South: Kendal – BBQ Chicken Breast
• Midwest: Grant – Chicken Marsala
• West: Kennedy – Crispy Chicken Thigh

So which dish came out on top? The judges chose Kennedy!

But now it’s time for the bottom dishes to be judged. And who is at the bottom?

• Northeast: Purvi – Butter Chicken
• South: Jennifer – Roasted Chicken Breast
• Midwest: Sarah – Chicken Roulade

After a chat among the judges, they have made a decision and not one but two people are going home. So whose time on MasterChef is at an end? Both Sarah and Purvi were sent home.