As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and, sadly, that rang true for Wynona Davies who became the sixth person to be eliminated from MasterChef Australia 2021.
Having been tasked with creating a dish inspired by a famous food saying such as “cool as a cucumber”, Davies began making a confit salmon with pickled cucumber, before being spooked by Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo telling her they worried her dish would not meet the brief.
Enter the ill-fated cucumber granita which would see 33-year-old Davies exit the competition.
Prior to Sunday’s granita gaffe, Davies had been on a solid streak with the icy treat — having won one of only three immunity pins early on during a surprise visit from former winner Emelia Jackson. For Davies, the dish that won her that coveted pin was the one she was most proud of.
“That was such a nice moment, such an unexpected moment, for me to get a pin on my ice cream granita dish,” she told The Latch. “So I’m just really proud of myself for that one because I didn’t really expect it.”
That pin, incidentally, didn’t necessarily mean that Davies felt invincible. “You’re definitely still aware that anytime you could still be going home,” she explained.
“I mean having that pin I felt super lucky because I did have that to fall back on. But you still want to cook to your best ability every time and I tried not to think about the fact I had the pin, I just tried to put up my best dishes.”
For Davies, who resides on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, the element to filming an intense competition show like MasterChef that surprised her the most was just how well everyone bonded.
“I think it was so nice to see that everyone in production and the contestants all just got along so well,” she revealed. “Everyone had a laugh and it was just such a fun experience. It was a really nice family to be a part of.”
That family dynamic has continued since the cameras stopped rolling with Davies and fellow eliminated contestants Minoli DeSilva and Katrina Dunnett all forming a lasting bond. The trio even got together to watch Davies’ elimination episode with the aspiring chef enthusing that the two women had been “super supportive.”
As for what Davies thinks might have helped go further in the MasterChef kitchen, the 33-year-old named one dish in particular. “It made me realise if I had known how to do pasta better, it would have been a great staple to whip out at some point, but it’s not my strength. So it’s definitely something I need to get better at.”
In addition to perfecting her pasta, Davies post-MasterChef life will hopefully involve gaining experience in a restaurant while continuing to develop her food blog.
While she may not have walked away with the $250,000 prize money, Davies has her eyes on two remaining contestants who she believes can make it through to the end.
“Brent and Pete are my two top picks,” she said. “I want them to win and I think they can win so, yeah, definitely those two.”
Watch MasterChef Australia on Network Ten from 7:30pm, Sunday to Thursday nights.
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