The MasterChef competitors are “Fish Out of Water” with latest mystery box challenge

It’s time for the next mystery box challenge of the MasterChef United Tastes of America season. And this time it is all about the fish.

For this week’s “Fish Out of Water” mystery box challenge, it’s an out of the ordinary challenge as each box has a different fish under it. And the chefs won’t know what they are making until they lift their boxes.

As an added challenge, the two winners of the last challenge have the power to actually swap fishes on their competition, even as they get to avoid this week’s mystery box. Reagan got a Sardine, while Kennedy got a Salmon. James got a Mackerel, Lizze got Red Snapper, and Wayne got Catfish. Basically, this is a challenge that we can’t wait to see in action.

So what ends up happening with the swapping? MD has Grant (seabass) switch with James (mackerel), while Sav has Kennedy (salmon) swapping with Reagan (sardine)! It was clear that our immune chefs were doing what they can to eliminate some competition!

MasterChef takes on a very special mystery box challenge revolving around a variety of fish

With all of these fishes being whole, our MasterChef cooks have to break them down and remove the bones before they can really get started on their actual dishes. And considering Reagan is allergic to fish, this adds a whole different element of stress to watching her prep the fish!

Honestly, this might be one of the most challenging mystery boxes these chefs have seen, simply because of how much work goes into just getting their fish ready to cook. And since they only have 60 minutes for this challenge, there is a lot of pressure on everyone to get things done quickly and concisely.

But there were also some interesting and even fun moments, such as watching Lizzie learn how to open a bottle of wine or when Joe and Aaron walked around offering tips and tricks to Brynn and James to help them make their dishes better.

In the final few minutes, it feels like a mad dash to get everything finished and on the plates. But after an intense 60 minutes, which of our cooks will the MasterChef judges call up as being part of the top three?

• Wayne – Blackened Catfish with Spicy Potato Hash, Remoulade, and Pickled Green Tomatoes
• Kolby – Harissa Spiced Halibut with Squash & Carrot Puree and Tabouleh
• Kennedy – Fried Sardines with Herb Panzanella and White Wine & Raisin Sauce

There were some great comments from the judges for all three chefs. So which of our MasterChef chefs has the best fish dish and earned both an advantage in the next challenge and the immunity pin? That would be Wayne!

Of course, we also need our bottom three dishes as well. So who did the judges call up?

• Grant – Pan Seared Mackerel with Sauteed Kohlrabi and Mackerel Mousse & Potato Souffle
• Lizzie – Pan Seared Red Snapper with Orange & Saffron Sauce, Couscous, Charred Bok Choy and Orange Supremes
• James – Pan Seared Striped Bass with Pickled Romanesco, Parsnip Puree, Sauteed Mushrooms and Roasted Tomatoes

It was a rough judging for the bottom three. And sadly, the chef going home is James.