John Torode halts BBC Celebrity MasterChef task as star makes major error: 'Can't save this - start again!'

John Torode and Vito Coppola

MasterChef judge John Torode told Vito Coppola to re-start his dish following a crucial error

BBC
Olivia Gantzer

By Olivia Gantzer


Published: 05/09/2024

- 21:04

BBC Strictly star Vito Coppola was the contestant promptly collared by the MasterChef stalwart

The final heat week of Celebrity MasterChef continued on Thursday, with singer-songwriter Mutya Buena, Strictly Come Dancing star Vito Coppola, BBC Radio 2 presenter OJ Borg and make-up artist Dominic Skinner fighting for a place in the finals.

During the latest episode of the BBC favourite, judge John Torode, 59, was forced to get one celebrity to restart a dish as he admitted: "We can't save this".


The celebrities were the final group to take on the pairs challenge, which tests the famous faces' teamwork and communication skills.

"We are splitting you into pairs," Torode announced, adding: "The Blue team - Mutya and Dom, you are a team. And the Red team - Vito and OJ.

"Each team's challenge is to produce for us a dish, and we want two portions of that dish which need to be identical - not just the way they look but also in texture and in flavour. However, only one person on each team has the recipe."

Coppola and Borg had to rustle up two identical veggie burgers, comprising of a beetroot and chickpea patty, onion rings, spicy mayonnaise and a cabbage and coriander slaw.

Celebrity MasterChef

Celebrity MasterChef star Vito Coppola messed up his mayonnaise dish and had to start again

BBC

Detailing how to make the condiment, Wallace explained to the cameras: "Mayonnaise - egg yolks, salt, whisk that up together and then drip the oil in, bit by bit, while stirring vigorously."

Coppola and Borg were hard at work trying to create their dish under the strict time limit, with Borg instructing: "So I think a little pour, then whisk."

"I put a lot [of oil]," Coppola admitted after heavy-handedly pouring the oil into the jug, which turned out to be a crucial error. Borg replied: "OK... if it's split, I don't know if you can get the mayonnaise back again - I've got no idea."

"I think I've put too much," the choreographer reiterated as he attempted to fix the recipe but Torode soon intervened.

Vito Coppola

MasterChef judge John Torode told Vito Coppola to re-start his dish following a crucial error

BBC

Torode had spotted the blunder and was quick to warn Coppola he had no choice but to re-make the mayonnaise.

"So the problem is, this is finito," the judge informed Coppola

"We can't save this. So you have to start again - you need a clean bowl."

Speaking to cameras, Torode remarked: "Vito's messed up his first lot of mayonnaise. He rushed the first one, it's split. Absolutely gone.

"He couldn't save it so he had to start all over again. which means that now he's running behind."

Despite their setback, the team managed to get back on track and had two veggie burger dishes ready for the judges on time.

Vito Coppola

It was a race against time on Celebrity MasterChef when Vito Coppola had to re-make his dish

BBC

One more celebrity had to be eliminated, and the judges came to the decision Borg had to be the one to go.

"Thought so, thought so," the 45-year-old confessed after Wallace and Torode made the announcement.

"Listen, you guys are amazing - loved it, loved it, loved it," he told his co-stars. Wallace remarked: "OJ, it's great to have met you, sorry to see you go."

Speaking to cameras later, Borg stated: "My MasterChef experience - I would summarise it as this, 'cook, cook, cook, cry, cry, cry, goodbye.'"

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