“I Can’t Do This” — The Feelings Khristian Fought In His Final MasterChef Episode

May 8, 2024

MasterChef Australia's Khristian — Network 10

Last night’s MasterChef Australia challenge may have been one of the toughest gauntlets in the show’s history. One of the new judges, Jean-Christophe Novelli, tasked Khristian, Sumeet, Mimi, and Snezana with recreating his famous ‘Jack in the Box’ dessert. Novelli’s Jack in the Box consists of multiple layers of whiskey-soaked brownies, a dark chocolate vanilla mousse, and a white chocolate crème. These layers are encased inside a sugar glass box and adorned with roasted hazelnuts. The contestant to make the weakest version of the dessert was to be eliminated.

According to Khristian, this idea of creating a Jack in the Box was daunting. In an interview with The Latch, he revealed that he had never made one before.

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“When I first saw it, I was like, ‘What the heck is this?’ From a distance it looks like a concoction, some kind of gizmo,” Khristian said. “But then you get closer, and you realise how intricate and how much thought has been put into it. When I was making it, I felt both fear and excitement. It was the most intense adrenaline rush ever.”

During this challenge, Khristian struggled to make the dessert’s sugar squares.

“Those sugar squares are one of the most intricate things I’ve ever worked with in my entire life,” Khristian said.

Additionally, while Khristian was making these sugar squares, he cut himself on a shard of caramel. It was at this point, Khristian felt compelled to give up. But after chatting with judge Poh Ling Yeow, his sprints were invigorated.

“I was standing there and I was like, ‘This is it. I can’t do this.’ And I think Poh, since she’s been in this position before, she came over to me and got on my level,” Khristian said. “She went, ‘You can do this, believe in yourself’ … I then had a realisation, ‘Great, it’s a hiccup. It’s something that’s stopping me now. But I can never let this defeat me.’ So I did my best to get the dish done.”

After getting a pep talk from Poh, Khristian put all of his effort and resources into finishing off his Jack in a Box. But while Khristian didn’t give up, the dessert he created was far from perfect. Once the cook was over, one of his sugar walls fell over. Additionally, Khristian forgot to garnish it with roasted hazelnuts. For these reasons, the MasterChef Australia judges eliminated Khristian from the 2024 competition.

**What Is Next for MasterChef Australia’s Khristian?**

While Khristian’s 2024 MasterChef Australia journey might be over, he still has some culinary dreams. He is currently planning on opening his own panini shop in Melbourne.

“I can see it in my head,” Khristian said. “I just need to find a way to make it a reality. I’ve done some market research around Melbourne, checked some of the new hotspots, and found some guys who are killing the game. I’m learning where I can squeeze into that mix.”

“But I also want to try to find a way to do what the likes of Jamie Oliver did for me. I want to find a way to inspire another generation of home cooks.”

MasterChef Australia 2024 airs Mondays though Thursday at 7.30pm, only on 10 and 10 Play on Demand. Miss an episode? Catch up on 10 Play.

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