The reason given on the show was that the celebrity-chef judge did not appreciate the taste.

That didn't (and doesn't) make an awful lot of sense though, since they used the same spice in very similar quantities in another dish the week before, and were praised for that by the same judge.

So, everyone's best guess is that the "reality show" script writers decided it was time for them to go, to give more screen time to more interesting contestants...

It couldn't possibly have been something else about that dish that was different, or simply that they didn't think saffron went well with that one..?

We'll never know but I guess the friend finds more comfort in blaming the "system" than using it as introspection tool. But maybe they're right, as I said, we'll never know.