MasterChef fans baffled by 'tedious' challenge involving headphones

MasterChef judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace
MasterChef's headphone challenge did not impress fans... (Image credit: BBC)

MasterChef fans were critical of Thursday night's episode, after a challenge involved diners wearing headphones for an "immersive" experience.

The pressure is on in the MasterChef kitchen as we're getting closer to Finals Week, with the remaining amateur cooks working hard to show off their skills and impress the judges.

On Thursday's episode, contestant Terri cooked a 'snowball' dessert of rice pudding in a white chocolate coating, giving it a winter theme. While the diners enjoyed the dessert, they were given headphones with "wintery sounds" to create immersion.

A note next to the dessert read: "We hope that by putting you mentally into a cold place, your enjoyment of this snowball will be enhanced."

Terri's dessert went down well, and the diners commented on how it had helped them to enjoy the dessert in a new way, revealing: "It makes you feel so cold you’re craving something warm to heat you up."

Even judge John Torode was impressed, saying: "Wow, that is so good. An extraordinary flavour of rice pudding inside but a shell of white chocolate."

However, despite the high praise from judges and diners tucking into the sweet treat, viewers were not impressed by the use of headphones and were quick to brand the challenge "tedious" and "pretentious".

Describing her cooking, Terri explained: 'My cooking style is classic Irish / British / French food with a modern twist using flavours from around the world, in particular Japan. 

"My food is inspired by places, people, ingredients, and experiences. I love trying a new dish in a restaurant and recreating my own version of it."

A social media clip told us a little more about what went into Terri's dessert including spiced apple compote, alongside the rice pudding and white chocolate that aimed to feel cold when people were eating it.

The next episode is also set to be an interesting one, with the cooks asked to make something that is "theatrical and fantastical". Meanwhile, John and Gregg need to figure out who is worthy of Finals Week.

But who will be lifting the coveted MasterChef trophy? We'll have to wait and see.

MasterChef continues at 8:30 pm on Friday, May 26 on BBC One. Previous episodes are available on demand via iPlayer

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Now she works for our sister site TechRadar in the same role. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress