Being the first of the gatecrashers to cook is not an easy thing for us viewers.  We don’t really know if we like them or not and not really sure if being too snarky early on will bite us on the bum when it turns out they’re actually a good team.

Turns out Carly and Tresne are a good team.  Full of positive vibes, serenity circles made out of sale and positive thoughts and just general positivity.  There’s mood rings for every guest, an instant restaurant with the theme of ‘inspire’ and a 70’s inspired curtain made out of beads.

Kelly and Chloe are back (insert eye roll here).  They’re trying a new approach – to not be bitchy and distance themselves from David. It’s very much like in Mean Girls when Gretchen Wieners and Karen Smith sort of turned on Regina George.  There’s some new couples too.  A mother and daughter team and a married couple who enjoy food science.

Best Dish of the Night: I have to say, i’m kind of glad David is back for this round – especially when he uses words like “juzz” instead of “jus” (pretty sure Manu would have rolled in his grave for that one) or describing the pastry used for the beetroot tart entree as “tasting like an Anzac biscuit”.  We get a laugh, Harry and Christo get a laugh, it’s a positive vibe all round.

The Food Overall:  Impressive for a first round of cooking.  Beetroot tart with goats cheese and undressed rocket was more hit than miss and I liked Carly’s use of the floor vent to cool down the balsamic. The main of beef fillet and parsnip puree seemed to impress (the sheer size alone of the servings would have scored them high) and the caramel based desert was too sweet.

Speaking of which – do Manu and Pete know what a desert is? There’s a constant theme of “It was just too sweet” happening for most instant kitchens and i’m wondering if  a piece of toast soaked in vinegar would suffice?  I’m sure the food science couple could turn my vinegar toast into a decent desert.

The Final Result: Not a single travel story from Chloe!  Miracles do happen!  Oh, and Carly and Tresne are safe.  Total score of 74 will easily see them into the next round.  No real nasty scores – the benefit of being the first couple to cook – everyone is still trying to work out the other teams so scores are usually higher than average.

Next Up: KELLY AND CHLOE!  They’ve crashed and burned once before…will it happen again?