There were three challenges in this episode, and in each challenge the lowest-scoring team was sent home. The nail-biting action in this Wild Card episode saw these teams compete against each other in a frenzy of cooking fun to nab that final spot in the second round of the competition. At the end of the three challenges, there was one last-standing team who will proceed to Round 2: Colourful Tangy Twist!

The four teams were tested on their skills and teamwork in their first Wild Card challenge: Mayonnaise made from scratch. Little Cooks and Big Cooks worked together in this challenge to emulsify the oil, egg yolks and vinegar. “The whisking process needed some muscles, but I didn’t have a problem with that… I’m a police officer!” said El Shaddai’s Mmanoko as she showed off her muscles.

Unfortunately Zilda and Elif of Purple Pumpkin were the last to finish the first #CloverLBCO Wild Card challenge and were sent home. El Shaddai, Colourful Tangy Twist and Sisters in Action proceeded to the next challenge: home-made smoothies. This challenge was all about taste, with the best tasting smoothies proceeding to the next challenge. Each team included Clover’s Amasi in their mixture to add some variety to the fruity smoothies. Colourful Tangy Twist mixed Clover’s Amasi with Clover’s Mmmilk as well as Clover’s The Classic Yoghurt to give it a colourful, tangy taste.

Smoothies must have the right consistency – not too thick, and not too thin. Sadly, sisters Denga Mudau and Vongani Mabasa (Sisters in Action) received the lowest score out of the three for their smoothie, and they were sent home.

“Our experience on Clover’s Little Big Cook Off was fun,” Denga from Sisters in Action concluded, “I got to know my sister a whole lot better. We are not leaving the kitchen, we will definitely be practicing to get better.”

For the final challenge, El Shaddai and Colourful Tangy Twist had to make a family favourite, the scrumptiously cheesy Macaroni and Cheese. Chef judges Martin Kobald and Coco Reinarhz joined forces with the top two teams, with Martin giving hints and tips to El Shaddai, and Chef Coco helping out in Colourful Tangy Twist’s corner – what was the catch? Both judges could only help their teams with one hand behind their backs. Brenda of Colourful Tangy Twist said during the challenge, “Coco has such energy in the kitchen! He was giving us high-fives and cheering us on the whole time.”

“I can finally understand how challenging it is for the teams in the kitchen,” Coco commented afterwards, “It’s really stressful in there, making sure all of the ingredients are cooked to perfection, while sticking to the time allocation, and making sure it is presented well. I’m very impressed by the way these teams are handling the pressure!”

Because Chefs Coco and Martin helped the teams, they could not judge the final dishes, so Zuraida had the honours. To stick to the mystery, the culinary creations from ‘Team A’ and ‘Team B’ were placed in front of Zuraida, only she didn’t know which dish was made by which team. As always, the scoring was as simple as the five senses (sight, smell, sound, touch and taste), and the judges kept an extra eye out for teamwork and creativity.

In the end it all came down to one deciding point to decide the neck-to-neck race. Team A, Colourful Tangy Twist, managed to lock in that final score with their Smoked Chicken and Mushroom sauce Macaroni & Cheese. This mother and daughter team will proceed to the second round of #CloverLBCO, while we say goodbye to the bubbly energy that El Shaddai brought to the Way Better™ kitchen.

“It’s fantastic to have won the Wild Card challenge and to be back in the game. When we started out, we didn’t have such great teamwork, but we certainly improved on that very quickly!” said Elenor, Little Cook of Colourful Tangy Twist. She was most proud of her work in the mayonnaise challenge.

In case you missed it, catch up on #CloverLBCO episode 5 and get hints and tips from Chefs Martin Kobald and Coco Reinharz on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_cWq5Z2wOz81Jy3hPEheXg

For recipes prepared in the Wild Card episode, along with others from the show. Tell us who your favourite team is on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Clover.WayBetter) and Twitter (@CloverLBCO) using #CloverLBCO.