Cardozo’s instincts are good

The MasterChef Canada home cooks are all feeling the pressure of the competition

Danielle Cardozo of MasterChef Canada relaxes for a moment during a cooking demonstration. — Marie Milner photo

Viewers of MasterChef Canada can see that the pace of the competition is hard on the contestants. Danielle Cardozo said that by the time episode five was being filmed, she was feeling tired and emotionally depleted. The stress of missing her children and the pressure of being in front of the camera all day and studying culinary technique at night were taking their toll.

For the burger challenge Cardozo again second-guessed herself, choosing a blend of lamb and bison over her first choice, elk. Her burger was stuffed with feta cheese, sundried tomatoes and herbs, placed open faced on a grilled pita and served with a cucumber slaw.

The judges said her burger wasn’t enticing enough, and Cardozo ended up in the bottom two.

Cardozo said that after over-thinking and second-guessing herself for the second time, she made the conscious decision to follow her instinct for the elimination round, and chose to cook a sophisticated version of pork with applesauce, using the required beer and apples.

Her instincts were good, earning her the distinction of being one of the top two cooks in the challenge and the honour of being a team captain for the next competition.

“It was the boost of confidence I needed at that point,” said Cardozo. “In real time, I was getting extremely discouraged. I was starting to feel like maybe the competition was a little beyond me. I really needed that win.”

She said that as soon as she knew she would be leading a team in the next challenge, her mind went into overdrive.

“At this point in the competition,” she said, “you have gotten to know strengths and weaknesses, you know who will respect you as a captain. I knew who Dora was likely to pick. I knew I would  have to get extremely creative.  Will I get the teammates I need to be a success? Will I lead us to victory, or into a pressure test? Will my teammates respect me as a captain, or will they start making their own decisions?”

We’ll find out next week.