My Kitchen Rules episode 28 recap: Luciano and Martino lose out to Zana and Gianni

MKR lost one of its most skilled teams on Monday night, with loveable Italians Luciano and Martino going head-to-head with villains Zana and Gianni.

MY KITCHEN Rules lost one of its most skilled teams on Monday night, with Luciano and Martino eliminated in a three course cook off.

The loveable Italian pair were up against this series’ villains, Zana and Gianni, after both teams were slapped with low scores in last week’s Olympic Park challenge.

Both teams inclusion in the elimination challenge surprised everyone, given they both finished at the top of their instant restaurant rounds with two of the highest scores ever given.

Luciano and Martino started off strong, impressing Pete, Manu and the four guest judges with their entree of stuffed calamari with marinara sauce and cuttlefish ink risotto.

“Stuffed squid on its own is challenging for a lot of people but then to combine that and throw a risotto on here as well? You know what, I can’t fault this dish,” Pete said.

“I can’t fault this dish” ... Pete praises Luciano and Martino’s entree.

Zana and Gianni’s entree of Montenegrin pizzette with caramelised onion and goats’ cheese didn’t pack the same punch, with some of the judges finding the loads of garlic overwhelming.

“I definitely think it’s a flavour bomb. The olives with the capsicum and the tomatoes, there’s a yoghurt sauce in there that’s coming through,” Pete noted. “But it just hasn’t hit the heights for me, as team one (Luciano and Martino) have.”

But the controversial couple came back swinging with their main of white bean stew with Balkan sausage.

“I think it’s full of flavour and you can’t stop eating it,” Manu said.

“I’d rather eat this dish than the lasagne because, straight of the bat, you’ve got that flavour,” said guest judge Colin, comparing the dish to Luciano and Martino’s less successful main of seafood lasagne.

The undercooked seafood in the lasagne and the lack of sauce let the boys down.

Zana and Gianni impressed with their traditional main.

While Zana and Gianni had their fellow contestants divided on their dessert of pistachio and walnut baklava with honey whipped ricotta, they proved them wrong. Some thought it would be too sweet and others questioned the possibility of making filo pastry from scratch in the small amount of time. But they succeeded.

“The fact that they made their own filo, that’s incredible,” guest judge Liz Egan said. “I don’t know how many people would ever attempt that. And it’s delicious. It’s a perfect dessert for me. I love it.”

Luciano and Martino also mesmerised the judges with their visually stunning chocolate and red wine pear cake.

“There’s definitely a lot to love about this dessert,” Pete said. “First off, the presentation — top marks. The little drink on the side? I think it detracts from the dish. But all in all, what a wonderful way to finish a three course meal.”

But it wasn’t enough to save the boys.

With each judge giving the two teams a score out of ten for their three course meal, Luciano and Martino’s grand total score of 41 fell short of Zana and Gianni’s score of 45.

My Kitchen Rules continues Tuesday night at 7.30pm on Seven.

Zana and Gianni remain in the competition.