MasterChef fans were left devastated following his elimination during Sunday’s semi-final episode of Back to Win.
And Reynold Poernomo has now spoken out about the tricky toffee apple challenge that sent him packing, explaining on Studio 10 on Monday that it was ‘ten times harder’ than anything he had tried to cook before.
The 26-year-old also revealed he was focusing his attention on his Sydney dessert restaurant, KOI, but admitted he was nervous about a potential second wave of COVID-19, which may force him to temporarily close the business once again.
Like a ‘marathon’: MasterChef’s Reynold Poernomo spoke to Studio 10 on Monday about the tricky toffee apple challenge that sent him packing during Sunday night’s semi-final
Reynold revealed that he was ‘stoked’ to have made it to the top three, especially as he felt he was under ‘a lot of pressure’ and only had ‘two to three hours of sleep the night before’.
He was especially happy about his plating, given that he’d struggled with the toffee apple challenge, which he likened to a ‘massive marathon’.
When asked about how tough it was to run a food business during the coronavirus pandemic, Reynold explained: ‘Before COVID hit I was going back every weekend to visit KOI and manage everything from Melbourne. It was hard.
‘When COVID hit, we had to shut our doors for a few weeks, and then we readjusted, and tried to revive it back into our operational hours.
The unknown: The 26-year-old also spoke about focusing his attention on his Sydney dessert restaurant, KOI, but admitted he was nervous about a potential second wave of COVID-19
Stressful: Reynold revealed that he was ‘stoked’ to have made it to the top three, especially as he felt he was ‘under pressure’ and only had ‘two to three hours of sleep the night before’. Pictured with Studio 10 entertainment reporter Angela Bishop (left)
‘It’s been tough, and I’m nervous about the second wave which might come!’
Reynold’s interview comes after MasterChef judge Melissa Leong shared a heartfelt tribute to him following his elimination.
The 38-year-old judge revealed she was excited to see where the chef would be taking his blinding skills next.
The final word: It comes after MasterChef judge Melissa Leong (pictured) revealed she was Reynold’s ‘tiger mum’ as she shared a sweet tribute to the evicted chef on Sunday
Sharing a lengthy post to her Instagram account, Melissa began: ‘You embody so much of what it means to hold the weight of family history and sacrifice, personal pressure and expectation with such strength, focus and honour.’
She continued: ‘Your youthful defiance is at times maddening to your MC tiger mum (that’s me!), but I know you have a great heart, a quick mind, and an endless capacity to learn and beat your best, every single day.’
Melissa went on to say that she was very proud of Reynold and that the sky’s the limit for him.
Kind words for Reynold: ‘… you have a great heart, a quick mind, and an endless capacity to learn and beat your best, every single day. ’,’ Melissa wrote
Reynold was sent home after failing to impress the judges with his toffee apple dessert.
Following the announcement, viewers were quick to vent on social media.
‘I for one put forward the motion that Reynold replaces Andy as a MasterChef judge for 2021,’ one fan wrote.
Devastated: The 26-year-old chef was sent home after failing to impress the judges with his toffee apple dessert
A second said: ‘I’m not tuning in tomorrow, my 13-year-old daughter is devastated. Just apologise and say Reynold is the winner.’
While a third announced it was ‘time to crowdfund a trophy for Reynold’, along with a crying face emoji.
‘I’ll be taking a trip down to Koi soon to witness Reynold’s genius creations and support a fellow Asian,’ wrote another.
The MasterChef Grand Finale airs Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Ten
Final: With Reynold out, Emelia Jackson and Laura Sharrad (both pictured) will compete for the title of MasterChef 2020