MasterChef's severed finger contestant makes bandaged comeback
BBC's cooking contest welcomed back Charlotte for a second go after she left the tip of her finger attached to a knife in a gruesome accident.
What did you miss?
MasterChef welcomed back an injured contestant who severed her finger earlier this week - but was given a second chance at kitchen success.
Charlotte turned viewers' stomachs earlier in the week when she cut her finger so badly just minutes into the first task that she left part of it on a knife.
But the vegan amateur chef returned on Thursday to have a second go at cooking the same dish, making it all the way to the quarter finals despite working with a heavily bandaged finger.
What, how, and why?
One MasterChef contestant suffered a kitchen nightmare earlier this week when she severed her finger right at the beginning of her first task, leaving a lump of flesh on a knife in grisly scenes.
But Charlotte's MasterChef dream was not over as she made a triumphant return to the programme on Thursday night even though her injured finger was wrapped in a large bandage.
She had another go at making the pot sticker dumplings and crispy chilli peanuts that she had been aiming for on her first go, this time impressing judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace with her flavourful chilli sauce.
Charlotte said: "I feel more nervous this time round and I don't know why. But now that I'm back, I do have something to prove. I just want to show them what I'm all about."
"I'm good, feeling well. I'm so happy to be back," she told the judges, as the cameras focussed in on her bandaged finger.
However, it didn't hold her back as Charlotte won a MasterChef apron after just the first task and despite disappointing the judges with her first dish in the final round, her dessert was such a success that she was put through to the quarter finals.
One viewer joked on X: "Charlotte sticking one and half fingers up to the rest." Someone else added: "Don't let her near a knife."
Joining her amongst the other quarter finalists was Vera, who did such a good job of her squid ink and prawn pasta dish and panna cotta dessert that previous champion Natalie Coleman, one of the episode's guest judges, said that she would offer her a job in her own restaurant.
What else happened on MasterChef?
The series' final heat got a bit repetitive for contestant David when he ended up cooking the same ingredient in all three rounds.
He had chosen squash as his everyday ingredient to feature in the first task, which he cooked in a variety of ways including as a ravioli filling.
But as David didn't impress enough to win an apron straight away, he had to cook again in the second task - which saw each contestant given a butternut squash to make a dish from.
"I didn't want to see squash again for quite a long time after that first round," he said. "It's like riding a horse, I guess - you've got to get back on the squash."
David cooked a squash puree for a third time in the final task, but it accompanied some very raw lamb which ultimately saw him sent home from the competition.
MasterChef next airs on BBC One at 7.30pm on Friday.
