MasterChef contestants Larissa and Steph were faced with their worst nightmare when their oven caught fire during tonight’s Invention Test.
The pair, who were serving up pork belly, were forced to evacuate their food truck as a result – leaving them devastated.
“We were so upset,” Larissa, 22, tells TV WEEK. “We did all that hard work for nothing. It was really scary. I was in so much shock that I didn’t even move straight away. I was paralysed, I was so scared. It was very dangerous.”
Steph and Larissa were forced to evacuate their food truck during the Invention Test after a fire broke out.
(Image: Network 10)Larissa blames herself for the mishap.
“I felt responsible because I’m the one that jam-packed all that pork belly in there,” she explains. “I felt bad for Steph, because I knew it’d bring us [our score] down.”
Thankfully, the judges – Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston – were understanding of the situation and reassured the girls.
“They just said these things can happen and were very comforting,” Larissa says.
But the question remains: has Larissa cooked with pork belly since?!
“I haven’t looked at it for months!” she laughs. “I’m traumatised!”
Larissa is proving to be a contender for the MasterChef crown.
(Image: Network 10)Despite the fire incident, Larissa is proving to be one to watch in the competition.
Her food dream is to open up a “rustic wine bar restaurant serving food from local farmers”.
“I want to support the farmers that live in my area,” she says. “I feel as though they don’t get the recognition they deserve. I don’t want food that is too refined; it needs to be wholesome and delicious!”
MasterChef Australia, Monday to Thursday, and Sunday, 7.30pm, 10
