The two arrived in the MasterChef kitchen on the Nederburg wine estate in Paarl, to be met by their fellow contestants from the season, as well as representatives from Lewis’ charity, Food and Trees for Africa, and Forrest’s charity, Villa of Hope. Judge Benny Masekwameng informed the contestants that this would be their final opportunity to significantly increase their charities’ bank balances: the runner-up would receive R100 000 on top of their existing total, and the winner would add R150 000 to their total.
For their first challenge of the finale, Forrest and Lewis had to cook a seafood dish for eight special people – their fellow eight contestants. This round would not be scored by the MasterChef judges, but by their peers only, in a secret vote. Lewis decided to make a seared tuna dish with roasted strawberries and gorgonzola, while Forrest got adventurous with a salmon trout ceviche and an avocado sorbet. After tasting both dishes, the eight other celebrity contestants cast their votes and handed them to the judges.
It was then time to turn up the heat with a Pressure Test like no other. Forrest and Lewis had to replicate a recipe for a saddle of lamb with a pistachio and dried apricot stuffing and a jus, accompanied by sweet potato dauphinoise and roasted cauliflower with breadcrumbs and pine nuts: a complex dish with many subtle elements. It turned out to be an incredibly stressful and emotional two hours and 15 minutes, especially for Lewis, but in the end they both plated and served complete dishes for the judges.
After some serious deliberation, the judges were ready to announce the scores from both challenges, pointing out that MasterChef had already changed Lewis and Forrest's lives by turning them into superb cooks over a period of just a few weeks. The blind taste test done by the eight other celebrities revealed that Lewis scored 15 out of a possible 25 points, while Forrest scored an impressive 22 out of 25 points overall, meaning that he went into the Pressure test with a clear points advantage.
Revealing their pressure test scores, the race became incredibly close, as Lewis received higher marks than Forrest from both Benny Masekwameng and Pete Goffe-Wood. With just three points separating them, Reuben Riffel revealed that he scored Lewis 21 out of 25, and Forrest 20 out of 25. Forrest beat Lewis by a mere two points to clinch the coveted title.
For more information on Celebrity Masterchef South Africa, visit their website. Alternatively, connect with the show via Facebook and on Twitter.