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".
Headphones when eating to “create an immersive experience” … sorry but something so indulgent and pretentious about this! #MasterChef What has the world come to 😭May 25, 2023
“Here, you need headphones for this dish.”“Behave”#MasterchefMay 25, 2023
This #MasterChef meal looks INCREDIBLY tedious!May 25, 2023
Immersive eating….. #masterchef pic.twitter.com/KvDtqrFShnMay 25, 2023
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.
A floating snowball made of rice pudding? ❄ Not something you see every day, but Terri pulled it out the bag! See the rest of the #MasterChefUK Semi Finalists' amazing creations on @bbciplayer 👉 https://t.co/INSLCcJKdd pic.twitter.com/Qv070ktwCOMay 26, 2023
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.
