“Masterchef Celebrity Uruguay” has a new champion: Colo Gianarelli beat Eunice in a dramatic final

Masterchef Celebrity Uruguay has, from today, a new famous master of the kitchen: in a dramatic definition, Eduardo “Colo” Gianarelli was crowned the champion of the Channel 10 program and, by decision of the jury, was imposed on Eunice Castro in a close duel.

Minutes after 11:30 p.m., the jury read the votes live, thus closing an excellent season of the culinary reality show.

Gianarelli won 250,000 pesos in cash, a 0K car, a cooking course in Crandon, a three-day trip to El Celler de Can Roca and, of course, the trophy that confirms him as the great gastronomic star of 2022.

The broadcast had everything that could be expected from such a special instance. That included strong emotions and a lot of nervousness, but also special visits, illustrious presences and even gala costumes.

The emotion was noted from the first minute. After the introductory talk with the two finalists, the jury gave way to the relatives of Eunice Castro and “Colo” Gianarelliwho could not contain her tears when she saw her little sons Felipe and Lorenzo in the kitchens.

To counteract the intensity of that first meeting, several of the participants who were part of it entered the place, probably the best season of Masterchef Celebrity Uruguay. There they were, for example, Abigail Pereira with a stunning red dress; Ronnie Arias with all her affection and charisma, and Luana Persíncula with the effusive energy that characterized her time in the contest.

Luana had a hard time taming that whirlwind of personality when Ximena Torres, Sergio Puglia and Laurent Lainé welcomed an invited international jury specializing in master chef: the Italian Donato de Sanctis. The singer threatened to jump from the balcony to hug him while she confessed her love to her screams.

De Sanctis was in charge of revealing the traditional slogan of the defining test: a three-step menu had to be prepared —starter, main course and dessert—, with free slogan and in 120 minutes.

It was a vertiginous and dramatic definition like few others. While Colo worked orderly and concentrated, precise —so much so that she cut her hand and while she received assistance, she continued cutting onions with the other—, Eunice had the most unsuccessful night of her time at master chef. She was restless and upset from the first moment and it showed in the many insults she heard her say. Accidents happened.

It happened to him, it must be said, everything. He forgot to separate whites from yolks in a preparation, he burned himself, it was difficult for him to detach a dough from the wrapper he had used, a sauce fell on the floor and when it seemed that the panorama could not get worse, it fell to the ground the platter in which he had the rotolo that he had designed as the main course. He had cut a portion before and that allowed him to continue in the race.

The atmosphere around him was one of tension and anguish. The faces of his companions said it all, and the reaction of Donato De Sanctis too. He tried to decompress as much as he could and threw salt on the floor of his workspace to prevent the participant from slipping. It is a tip to write down.

After the stress, Eunice was the first to go to the front with her appetizer, some flirty phyllo handkerchiefs that wrapped a duo of cheeses with fig chutney. The combination of flavors was described as “sublime”, beyond that they pointed out some problem in the crispness of the dough. Torres encouraged her: “Pulilo so that it becomes the entrance of your life. It has a lot of potential.”

El Colo had faith and offered a fainá with blue cheese, arugula, caramelized pears and sliced ​​almonds, that is, gourmet fainá. They considered it an innovative and rich entry, beyond some details.

At the time of the main course, Eunice presented the rugged, and very successful, rotalo with spinach and ricotta. “I would have loved to work with her there,” the Italian said passionately. “Here there is soul, there is seasoning, there is a desire to win. The classic plating, simple, surprisingly ordered seeing your table. You did it very well,” she summed up. “It’s a great job,” said Lainé.

El Colo, then, delivered a loin at low temperature in tannat sauce, with cabbage and string beans that came out, said the invited jury, “good enough.” The Dale driver that goes! He explained that for the final, he decided to make a menu marked by the ingredients that his son likes. The return was good, although there were quibbles with the Brussels sprouts.

And so came the instance of dessert. Eunice made a “citrus galaxy” of sablé dough that was her, she explained, a way to close a menu marked by her family history, which traveled from Rivera to Tacuarembo. What they told him was that the idea was very good, but the execution was not: a metallic taste overshadowed everything.

To close, Colo brought a chocolate and red fruit tartlet that he decorated with a somewhat explosive siphon. She looked flawless and the taste of chocolate was “a cloud,” De Sanctis told him. “It’s an excellent job.”

Although the latter seemed to tip the balance in favor of Gianarelli, the truth is that the different returns had left it quite even. But by 11:36 p.m., when Puglia opened the envelope on the live broadcast and finally revealed the mystery, that feeling was confirmed: the Colo became the new winner of Masterchef Celebrity Uruguay, news that celebrated with tears, euphoria and sensitive words for Eunice Castro, who found in the kitchen the best way to return to television. It was part of the seasoning that made this a remarkable year of master chefwho said goodbye but already promised to return.