MasterChef Celebrity Legends drops repesca for first time and expels Bibiana Fernández
On Monday, 12 October, judges announced that no expelled contestant will return to the kitchens this season. Actress Bibiana Fernández became the sixth contestant to leave after a three-minute laser-course test and a dessert challenge set by chocolatier Álex Madrigal.
Judges scrap the repesca
On Monday, 12 October, the TVE show reached the midpoint of its season with a sixth episode. Judges Jordi Cruz, Pepe Rodríguez and Marta Sanahuja first recalled the five contestants already sent home: Mala Rodríguez, Ruth Lorenzo, Pocholo, Manuel Díaz 'El Cordobés' and Juan José Ballesta. They then announced that there would be no repesca, the second-chance round that brings expelled contestants back. When Anabel Alonso asked whether the contestants were problematic, the jury replied with irony that they already had enough trouble with them. María Escoté asked whether this was the first time the format had done this, and Jordi Cruz confirmed it.
You are making history, contestants.
- Judges announce no repesca, the first time in MasterChef history
- David Bustamante wins the green pin, and Paz Vega takes the immunity pin
- Blue team wins the olive oil menu challenge, and the red team goes to the elimination
- Bibiana Fernández is expelled as the sixth contestant
Plant Forward test and the green pin
The first challenge centred on Plant Forward, a culinary trend that prioritises plant-based foods over animal protein. Working from mystery green boxes and with help from chef Andrés Benítez, the contestants prepared dishes that the judges assessed. Escoté, Paz Vega, Juan Betancourt, Marina and David Bustamante stood out, but Bustamante won the first green pin in the format. The pin gives him 20 extra minutes in a future elimination test and unlimited entries to the supermarket during that cooking. Paz Vega took the immunity pin from Juan Betancourt. When Segura suggested that the decision meant no two contestants would be expelled on the same night, Bustamante answered 'No des ideas'.
Ronda outdoor test
The contestants then travelled to the Ronda mountain range in Málaga, where they cooked a four-course menu designed by chef Dani Carnero, with olive oil as the central ingredient. The test took place at the El Toro oil mill, a 19th-century space redesigned by architect Philippe Starck. Bustamante and Paz Vega captained the blue and red teams, and had to give orders while perched in an olive tree. The blue team, made up of Bustamante, Santiago Segura, Juan Betancourt, María Escoté and Edu Soto, won, and Betancourt donated the 4,000 euro prize to the association Apanate. The red team of Paz Vega, Anabel Alonso, Bibiana Fernández, Flo and Marina Rivers had to wear the black apron after a day of culinary mishaps. In the same test, Pepe Rodríguez removed a badge that Anabel Alonso had given Flo, saying 'This does not represent you.'
Elimination and expulsion
Five contestants wore black aprons for the elimination: Bibiana Fernández, Paz Vega, Florentino Fernández 'Flo', Anabel Alonso and Marina Rivers. Before cooking a complex dessert by Álex Madrigal, they had three minutes to pass through a laser course and gather ingredients and utensils, and anything they did not collect was out of reach during the cooking. Marina Rivers replicated the dessert with near-perfect precision, and Jordi Cruz praised her. Fernández needed a few minutes' rest during the test. Flo, Anabel Alonso and Paz Vega were saved, and Fernández was left alone before the verdict and expelled as the sixth contestant.
You have such a gift, and you are so good at this.
Farewell and precedent
Fernández accepted the decision calmly and left a farewell speech for her fellow contestants. She called her time on the show 'a gift, from companions, chefs and team'. The verdict also settles a question the format had not faced before. In MasterChef 8, the seven expelled contestants, Sito, Adrienne, Mónica, Rosa, Saray, Fidel and Sonsoles, cooked again, but none regained a white apron. This season has no such round at all. Guests in the episode included Mariló Montero, Gabriela Hinojosa and Daniel Illescas.
A lady always knows when she has to leave a party.
Asked about the experience, she said: 'I have been very lucky to be able to be here.'
