MasterChef Australia viewers horrified by 'cruel' detail in pressure test: 'Next level'

MasterChef Australia has been showing off the stunning sights of Hong Kong this week as the remaining contestants continue to push toward the grand finale. In happy news for the aspiring chefs, their time in the glamorous Asian city will only feature pressure tests to win immunity from Sunday's elimination.

In less happy news, they'll need to survive the elements before heading back to Sydney. While fans of the cooking competition have appreciated seeing the beautiful scenery that Hong Kong has to offer - with one fan even saying on X that they were now very keen to visit - they were less than appreciative of the conditions under which the contestants had to cook.

Monday's challenge consisted of having to recreate Chef Vicky Cheng's Michelin Star radish dish from memory - a test that was surely made more difficult due to having to cook outside in the freezing cold. In fact, Harry mentioned in the episode that his hands were so frozen he was finding it hard to work.

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Viewers slam lack of concern for contestants' wellbeing

It was a detail that many viewers found troubling and they shared their thoughts on social media.

"You'd think that step one of organising a cooking tour of Hong Kong in winter would be securing a kitchen to cook in," said one person on Reddit.

"Wonder if they prioritised being outside to capture the scenery rather than be in a kitchen or if it was what sponsors wanted," mused another with someone replying, "They certainly haven't prioritised the quality of the cook, or the welfare of the contestants."

"I think it's cruel to make them cook outside in this weather. They all look so cold, hands would be freezing," echoed another viewer.

The sympathy for the contestants continued as people wrote comments such as "Why oh why are they cooking outside? I get it that it’s picturesque, but seriously it looks ridiculously cold" and "The judges looking all warm and rugged up in their coats, whilst the contestants (Harry in particular) are freezing."

"Really, this challenge is next level. It’s almost as if they threw everything at these contestants to see who would break first," another viewer added. "The lack of a recipe for a Michelin dish is crazy enough then they have them cooking outdoors and in the freezing cold where their hands are going numb."

Viewers point out unfair discrepancy

Referring to a shot of Mimi, Nat and Harry waiting to have their dishes tasted - and looking very forlorn as they did - one viewer wondered, "Is there nowhere indoors they can wait??"

On X, it was more of the same as fans were baffled with why the cook couldn't have happened indoors - especially in a metropolis as vast as Hong Kong.

"I really don't understand why they insist on outdoor cooking. Surely in a city of thousands of buildings, they could find somewhere indoors," one person wrote.

"Apparently, there’s nowhere in Hong Kong where they can cook inside," quipped another.

"So they've gone from cooking outside in the stinking hot heatwave in Melbourne to cooking in the freezing cold in Hong Kong. Trying to cook with numb fingers would be hard," said a third.

Despite the freezing conditions, all three of the contestants did a great job of recreating Chef Vicky's dish, but it was Nat who received the biggest of thumbs up from the judges - along with a job offer from Chef Vicky himself.

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Nat, who is a firm favourite to win, revealed to the judges that the challenge had inspired her even further and she was now certain that she was going to be a chef - and even hoped to work in a Michelin-rated restaurant in the future.

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