Hayden in shock MasterChef elimination
"Series favourite" Hayden Quinn, 24, has been sent packing from MasterChef Australia in a shock elimination.
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“Series favourite” Hayden Quinn, 24, has been sent packing from MasterChef Australia in a shock elimination.
The lifesaver has long been considered the “golden child” of the series, with his talent, good looks and media coverage.
But the elimination now throws the contest wide open in the run-up to the season finale.
Quinn faced a tough battle last night, up against formidable opponents in Michael Weldon and Kate Bracks.
After losing a group challenge the three had 90 minutes to cook whatever they wanted from an open pantry.
His sesame encrusted coral trout, with Tapioca Pearls and Garlic Cream was ruled inferior to Michael and Kate’s dishes.
“Walking into the kitchen with Michael and Kate standing next to me was always going to be a hard situation – they’re two of the best cooks in the competition I reckon,” he said.
“Maybe I cooked a too simple dish, but in hindsight I wouldn’t have done anything differently,” says Hayden. “I just did what I think was right.”
He was dish was criticised for being too salty.
“I kept thinking, ‘Oh well, at least it was Kate and Michael that beat me’,” he laughs. “I was happy with where I got in the competition – I was excited yet sad at the same time; I’d done so well but there were a lot of ‘what ifs’ and wondering what it would have been like standing at the finale. It hit me a few days later. Instantly, you’re just thinking about going home.”
Many fans of the show had expected Quinn to take out the series title, already criticising Producers for showing him favouritism. But the shock elimination mirrors that of 2010 favourite Marion Grasby in the contest’s closing stages. It’s likely to see ratings drive up as viewers are left to watch Michael, Kate, Ellie, Dani and Alana.
“When people expect you to win and keep telling you that they want you to win, it obviously puts a little more pressure on you to reach those standards,” he says. “You can only do the best you can. I achieved everything I wanted to, but I would’ve liked to win a team challenge. But I learnt so much, grew as a cook and experienced so much.”
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42 Responses
Hmm… How long before he joins Bondi Rescue?
Hayden has been off his game lately. The other night in the QANTAS challenge he half burnt a fish and the other part was raw. So there goes the theory that the judges want him through.
Ellie is getting through because she is in the winning teams and she was on a roll in New York.
I would love to see Alana, Michael and Kate in the top 3. I have nothing against Ellie and Danni but I just think the other 3 are stronger cooks. It would be great to see Michael win.
I did feel for Michael last night when he came home and he is the only guy left with 4 other women. I guess some would also say he is lucky. But for once there isnt an obvious standout on who will win.
Well seeing the faces that both judges pulled while tasting his food, it wasn’t that much of a surprise elimination
Frankly i think he deserved to go home, in the lead up to the qantas challenge he cooked a perfect fish (After being told about the weight to keep it even), during the qantas challenge he screwed it up, then in the elimination he cooked a perfect fish again.
Hayden will have a media career – for sure!
Whether it is a cooking show or a role on Neighbours is anyones guess.
And yes – he will be more successful than whoever wins the series.
I can’t see many people rushing to buy a cookbook from Dani or Ellie.
Seriously – Dani couldn’t make a BLT the other day and Ellie didn’t know how to read orders until George helped her!
The final 3 better be Alana, Kate and Michael – but I doubt it.
i wouldnt compare his elimination to marion’s; hers was genuinely shocking because she was far and away the best cook in the comp, maybe even all 3 seasons combined. (masterchef all stars??)
haha ndro777!!
not really a shock because he was generally crap at group tasks, but i dont think he deserved to go home before dani and ellie, heck even alana who is so boring.
boo hoo for michael last night, if he was so sad to see hayden go maybe he should have left instead.
i hope for a kate/michael final 2 with kate winning it.
Your prediction yesterday was right David!! I barred watching the show after Wednesday nights result and re all the favouritism concerning Dani and Ellie – so I am glad I didn’t watch it !!
“I’ve never cooked with brains before”
Classic Dani quote from last night…
Mmm I have a sneaky suspicion Hayden started to believe all the hype and started to act accordingly. Last week or so I got the feeling he sort of looked down on the others, maybe it was just me…
Not overly sad to see his back.
I wish him luck in his future endeavours.
fair go, he’s been struggling visibly the last three or four weeks. Remember it was his effort alone in NY that put he and Dani into elimination against Sun. It was his efforts alone in the Qantas lounge that put he and the two others into last night’s elimination.
Marion last year was dominating and clearly the best cook … that was the shock. From memory she basically had a clean sweep of wins in the London/ Paris two weeks.
Interesting too many of the critics of the women and “favouritism” are also rooting for Hayden … based on looks!
Never seen this show. Is it any good?
Shocked to see him go, I picked him to win from the promo’s early on. Hayden will go on to be more successful than the winner anyway. Not fussed who wins now, none of the remaining contestants have the personality to sell a brand, or have any longevity in the food industry,so Hayden wins!
The look on the girls face when Michael came back and realised Hayden had gone was priceless. At least now Dani can concerntrate on her food rather than eye-candy.
Enjoy watching Hayden’s way of expressing himself on the screen. Regrettably he has to leave at this stage of the competition.
I believe there was too much pressure on him as the judges kept on ‘ interfering’ while he was cooking. And that pressure was reflected in his responses.
Who took away the metal rod with a flat end for keeping the fish fillets in the frying pan? That was devastating. Qantas kitchen staff was under no obligation to let Hayden know he needed one? If he had produced a slightly better fillet dish, it would have been the red team in the blues.
We have not heard the last of Hayden.. and I must say, what a lovely guy!
And Ellie is still in ?
Herald Sun says that Hayden’s trout dish failed to impress the judges, which seemed to suggest the whole dish was a failure. In fact, both Gary and Matt Moran loved the trout. It was the salty daikon relish, which Hayden forgot to wash after pickling, that led to his elimination.
Well that puts paid to anyone who claimed the show’s outcome is rigged. It really is anyone’s game.
I’m surprised he got dumped as I was certain he would make it to final three, such was the attention given to him on the show. I’m not that enamoured of him as a cook, I didn’t think he was anything extraordinary, certainly not in the class of Marion Grasby, that’s for sure. I note from the epilogue last night that he is “in talks with a tv production company,” Gee, surprise, surprise, another reality tv person leveraging a television career off the back of their fifteen minutes. Yawn. I’ll bet he’ll start cropping up on 7pm Project, Can of Worms, TBYG, stuff like that.
Sad to see him go but he went off the boil weeks ago. The 2 more consistent cooks beat him last night, Hayden seemed to make it up as he went on.
I do have to wonder why Matt Moran didn’t taste everything on the plate though, if Gary had not tasted awful salty what ever it was, Hayden may have survived.
Maybe the producers read all these Blogs and he was sacrificed, I bet he has a short career in TV, when he will get found with the lak of talent he has
Yeah, shock!!! A coincidence that last year’s favourite, Marion, got eliminated at about the same stage?
Just adds to the competition is fixed argument.
Firstly why is it a shock?
It’s a competition & someone has to go.While i have not been an avid watcher of the show his plate of food looked very unappetising compared to the others.
No doubt Hayden is one nice guy & will go places & good luck to him,but surely the best cook of the bunch should win & he clearly was not.
His emotions showed he is a geniune & humbled human being.