What Therese Lum Did With Her Unplayed Immunity Pin After Leaving the Masterchef Kitchen

It was a shock elimination that not even the judges in the MasterChef Australia kitchen saw coming — dessert queen and immunity pin holder, Therese Lum, was sent home during a massive pressure test set by world-renowned chocolatier, Kirsten Tibballs.

Despite Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen, and Melissa Leong’s attempts to get Therese to play her pin, she decided against it and was beaten out by the fierce competition of Dan, Brent, and Justin.

There was a stunned silence as the 31-year-old left the kitchen and not only was she the seventh eliminated contestant in season 13, but she became the third contestant in the show’s history to walk away holding onto an immunity pin.

“I’ve actually given it back,” Therese said in an interview with POPSUGAR Australia after her elimination. “I didn’t really want to stare at that thing every single day when I wake up.”

Therese was certainly one to watch in the MasterChef Australia kitchen, with many backing her to make it to the finals and while it was flattering, the pressure to meet those presumptions increased.

“There was an expectation to be met,” Therese admitted. “I did feel that every week that I had to bring something in. For me creatively, I didn’t want to also redo things I had done. So every week I was always trying to push myself. Is there a new technique? Is there a new flavour combination that I can bring to the kitchen that actually hits the brief? It was hard to keep up too.”

During a pressure test, it’s not only the recipe, the judges, and themselves that send contestants into meltdown but there’s also the added “noise” of the gantry.

“Sometimes they’re helpful but sometimes it’s just too noisy,” Therese said. “Especially when it comes down to the end of the cook and people are yelling at you to ‘get it on the plate’. You just have to try and block it out.”

Up next, Therese’s dream is to open her own cake studio and with pastry cooking like that, it’s going to be incredible.

Watch MasterChef Australia on Network Ten from 7.30 pm, Sunday to Wednesday nights.