Episode five of Joy Prime’s Big Chef was an emotional rollercoaster as young chefs Efa and Ilham exited the kitchen; saying goodbye to the remaining 10 contestants who made it to the next phase of the show.

Mawudem, on the other hand, beamed with joy after carrying the “star kiddie chef of the day” title with his sumptuous meal.

The contestants of the biggest cooking reality show in Ghana, Big Chef, took the Fortune Rice Challenge to another level.

Tensions rose as all 12 contestants were informed of the first eviction of the season.

The judges tasked the 12 contestants with preparing any meal of their choice with a secret ingredient. This episode's key ingredient was Fortune rice.

Contestants were given 5 minutes to select ingredients of their choice from the open market and 30 minutes to complete their task.

Chef Yvonne, CEO of Elfreca Restaurant, who was a guest judge on the show, encouraged the contestants to work within the time frame and impress her with their cooking and plating skills.

Chef Kofi Agyekum also reminded them to put in their maximum effort because two people will say their goodbyes at the end of the episode.

Occasionally, both judges stepped into the kitchen to make sure contestants were following the kitchen rules and applying more creative ways to enhance the look and taste of their meals.

When the 30-minute cooking time came to an end, the judges summoned the contestants to present their meals for their verdict.

After tasting every contestant's meal, the judges crowned Mawudem the Star Kiddie Chef of the Day. They admitted that his “Emokpl3 with garden eggs stew was well cooked and garnished beautifully.

Unfortunately, Efa and Ilham’s journey came to an end after being evicted by the judges. Both judges, after keenly studying each contestant's ability to work within the time frame while producing good meals, concluded that although Ilham and Efa did well, they did not explore their full potential in the kitchen.

The kitchen was left in a gloomy state as these two contestants bid their final farewells to the remaining ten contestants.

Chef Kofi Agyekum applauded them for their effort and advised them not to give up on their dreams of becoming professionals in the kitchen.

“Your 4th and 5th weeks weren’t bad at all. Both of you seem enlightened, but the performance wasn’t really good. So both of you should go back home, and learn more. You can join us in season 4 when you hear the announcements,” he added.

The other 10 contestants were advised to learn more new recipes and creative ways of plating, as the stakes of the competition would keep getting higher. Failure to do so will only lead to eviction.

Who will woo the judges with their recipe and emerge as the star kiddie chef of the day in the next episode?

Join the host, Michelle Agyekum, this and every Sunday at 5:00 p.m on Joy Prime to watch more captivating episodes of Big Chef.

This season of Big Chef is proudly sponsored by Fortune Rice, Frytol Cooking Oil, Indomie, Tasty Tom, Flora Tissues, Kiki Juice Drinks, Makana Market, and Aromes 3 Lions.

Joy Prime TV is on DSTV281, GoTV124, and HD+102.