Who has been eliminated from MasterChef Australia 2024 so far?

In the gripping grand finale of MasterChef Australia 2024, Josh ‘Pezza’ Perry faced an intense showdown against frontrunner Nat. Both finalists tackled two final challenges, starting with a 75-minute cook featuring black peppercorns. Despite his nerves, Pezza held his own, with only three points separating them after round one.

The pressure mounted as they embarked on the final challenge: Clare Smyth’s intricate ‘Core-teser’ dessert. Pezza initially felt confident but hit a snag with the aerated malt puff, which refused to cooperate. Overwhelmed with doubt, Pezza persevered, driven by the support of his family and past contestants.

Though Nat ultimately claimed the title, Pezza reflected on his journey with pride. He appreciated his growth and the love from his community, seeing his second-place finish as a stepping stone. Pezza now looks forward to future opportunities, considering TV work or opening a restaurant in his hometown of Smithton, Tasmania.

Sav’s journey on MasterChef came to an emotional end just one challenge away from the grand final.

Tasked with creating a three-course meal for 20 diners, including the judges, she showcased her passion for Sri Lankan cuisine. Her menu included a kalu pol pork belly, ghee-poached lobster, and a tropical dessert inspired by childhood memories. Despite her efforts, time management issues led to her elimination.

Reflecting on her experience, Sav expressed immense pride and gratitude, particularly for representing Sri Lankan food.

“I just wanted to play a part in opening the conversation up, dispelling the myth that there are cuisines outside of Europe and outside of the Western world, they deserve to be celebrated just as much, there’s a lot of skill that’s involved in all of those as well,” she shared in an interview with 10Play.

Now, she looks forward to teaching others about Sri Lankan cuisine and spice work.

“Teaching people how to cook Sri Lankan food and spice work, the things I’m good at. That’s what I want to focus on,” Sav explained.

“If there is the opportunity to do stuff in Sri Lanka, there will be so many people that will jump on board and want to do projects with me, which very much is what I want to do as well. So, if you’re planning a holiday in Sri Lanka in the next year… I might be there!”

Harry Butterfield’s journey on MasterChef ended in an intense pressure test set by his food hero, Josh Niland. Despite his meticulous efforts, Harry struggled with time management and missed key steps, leading to his elimination. Reflecting on his experience, Harry shared his future plans, aiming to create ocean-to-plate content, offer cooking classes, and continue working as a private chef.

“I want to inspire young blokes especially to get into the kitchen,” Harry shared in an interview with 10Play, adding, “cooking helped me find a partner and I think it can be the same for other blokes.”

He hopes to inspire others to embrace seafood and sustainability, blending his love for cooking and fishing into a fulfilling culinary career.

“Just to try and get people to think differently about seafood, to incorporate it into their weekly diets,” he continued.

Mimi Wong’s journey on MasterChef Australia came to an emotional end during a high-stakes challenge to balance extreme flavours. Faced with bitter gourd, she aimed to tame its bitterness with a soft-shell crab slider. However, a mishap with her brioche buns forced a last-minute pivot to a crab don bowl.

Despite her valiant efforts, the dish lacked harmony, leading to her elimination. Reflecting on her experience, Mimi expressed pride in her achievements and growth, both personally and professionally.

“There is no way that I could have, in my own kitchen, let my brain go to the places that it did…the recipes I pulled out of the bag, it’s been pretty miraculous and spectacular,” she shared in an interview with 10Play.

Although her time in the competition is over, Mimi’s passion for innovative fusion cooking continues to drive her culinary ambitions.

“I’m young and, now there’s so much out there, I’m trying to navigate it carefully and find the people I can collaborate with that fit the best with me,” she explained.

Darrsh just missed out on the MasterChef Top 5 this year after Guillaume Brahimi’s pressure test. Contestants were asked to replicate the guest chef’s Royale of peas and seafood, not once but five times.

Ultimately, the judges felt that Darrsh’s platng was inconsistent. Plus, there were shell pieces throughout his crab meat.

“There’s disappointment, but there’s also pride. Top 6 is nothing to be disappointed about, and you get a bit reflective of the whole experience, meeting amazing people and trying not to be too hard on yourself,” Darrsh said of his elimination.

During the time auction challenge, it was home cook Lachlan that was unfortunately eliminated. Although he had the most bountiful ingredients to work with and the most time to cook, the judge’s felt his dish felt short. To celebrate his time on the show, he shared a beautiful Instagram post summing up his experience.

“Where do I even begin to start?,” he shared.

“A journey like no other has come to an end but it will only open new doors and new adventure I could never of dreamed of before coming onto @masterchefau.

“It has been the most exhilarating experience of my life week in week out, cooking cooking and more cooking. It’s was a pleasure waking up everyday and coming into the @masterchefau kitchen it felt like a space where I could grow and really push myself like never before.

“To make it into the top 10 and finish 7th is such a fantastic achievement from an over the fire home cook.”

No one was more shocked than Sumeet when the judges revealed they were bringing back an original MasterChef challenge: The Invention Test.

Sumeet said, “That rocked my boat a little bit,” as she was expecting a normal challenge.

Contestants were asked to ‘reimagine’ bacon and eggs, and Sumeet settled on a bacon, egg and blue cheese stuffed naan.

Sadly though, because she used frozen eggs, her dish was inconsistent – meaning Sumeet was sent home.

“When they revealed that it was my time to go, the most pronounced emotion that I felt was gratefulness. That’s the honest truth,” Sumeet said.

When Hugh Allen returned to the MasterChef, he set his ‘Banksia Pod’ dessert as a pressure test for Sav, Pezza and Alex.

And ultimately, Alex was the one sent home.

“The minute I saw the dish I was wigging myself out,” Alex said. “It was just a tragedy from the get-go.”

While she was obviously “disappointed” to be eliminated, Alex was proud of her efforts and for making it to the Top 10.

Now, Alex is working as a pastry chef and is lining up a few demos and events for the near future.

Poor Gillian spent her final week on MasterChef feeling non-step stressed. That’s because it was guest chef Adriano Zumbo’s Sweet Week and, as Gillian put it herself, “Desserts aren’t my thing.”

For the final challenge of Sweet Week, Gillian made a coffee creme caramel but ultimately, it was over-baked.

“I think you can see the moment that my heart shatters into a million pieces. Honestly, I couldn’t have been more proud of myself at the end of that week and… the elimination made me feel so heartbroken because I was so proud of all my efforts,” Gillian said.

“The fact that I tackled something that was pretty much destined for me to lose… it just felt like it wasn’t in my favour to win, and the one time I tried my hardest to study, practice, and be on top of that it still didn’t work in my favour,” she continued.

“It was, in all honesty, very deflating but reflecting back now it was the best week I’ve ever had.”

In a tricky challenge, where contestants were asked to “celebrate meat” while only using plant-based ingredients, Joe attempted to create a steak and jus with carrots.

Sadly, the judges weren’t too impressed by the ‘steak’ Joe made by thinly slicing carrots and rolling them into a roulade, and he was sent home – meaning he just missed out on being in the MasterChef 2024 Top 10.

As he didn’t feel confident from the very beginning of the challenge, Joe said, “To be quite honest, I wasn’t surprised,” of his elimination.

“Even though $250,000 would have been nice, the fact that I found that gold in myself by pursuing this, that to me is more worthwhile,” he added.

Guest chef Curtis Stone challenged five competitors to a cook-along elimination challenge. Sadly, it was Sue who just couldn’t keep up.

Initially, Sue was thrilled it was a cook-along rather than a pressure test but soon realised how difficult the challenge was. “It was quite traumatising, it wasn’t the fun cook I thought it would be,” she admitted.

Despite feeling”very sad” about leaving MasterChef, Sue is excited for what her future holds. For instance, she hopes to one day publish a recipe book and she’s already setting up bespoke dining experiences.

“It’s called Sue Chef – a bit of a play on words – and I’ll develop it into a whole lot of stuff… but the initial phase is going to be dining, making food and cooking for people in their homes.”

On Sunday night, guest chef Rick Stein challenged the cooks to create dishes highlighting seafood, starting with a raw seafood dish.

David admitted he was nervous, having never prepared raw fish before. His tuna with raspberries and apple purée dish was criticised for its imbalance, leading to a second round where he made hot smoked salmon with couscous and fennel salads.

Despite his efforts, David was eliminated. Reflecting on his journey, he said, “No regrets.”

Post-show, David secured a job at a French bistro and plans to balance this with clinical trial work, emphasising his love for learning and experimenting with food.

Steve’s MasterChef Australia journey ended during an all-in elimination challenge centered on eggs. Despite feeling confident, his dish of tempura-battered soft-boiled eggs with asparagus and miso sauce didn’t come together as planned. Only one of his three eggs had the desired runny yolk, crucial for the dish’s balance.

Steve admitted that serving three eggs increased the risk, and the judges’ disappointment confirmed his fears. Reflecting on his experience, Steve shared his passion for modern Australian cuisine and hinted at future culinary endeavours, despite setbacks with his initial business plans.

Mum of two Snezana Calic sadly left the MasterChef Australia kitchen after failing to balance the flavours in Anna Polyviou’s Pressure Test.

On her time on the show, the finance professional is keen on a future in food.

“If I had never done this I wouldn’t even think about it, but the fact that I’ve done MasterChef and I’ve seen what it’s like when you do something you really love, I’m definitely keen to stay in the food industry,” she said.

Fan favourite Juan De La Cruz Torales Villarreal has sadly left the MasterChef Australia kitchen after mistakenly focusing on Vietnamese cuisine instead of the ingredient-based task set by guest chef Luke Nguyen. Despite his sad exit, Juan loved his MasterChef experience.

“MasterChef was the perfect combination of everything that I like, plus the opportunity to showcase the food that I love, and the food I want to bring into people’s homes,” he explained in an interview with 10Play.

“My whole plan now is to share all those recipes through my Instagram channel, promoting Argentinian, Latin and worldwide food — but gluten free versions.”

Marketing Coordinator Lourdes was eliminated from the MasterChef Australia kitchen in the Pressure Test at the stunning Black Cat Truffles in Ballarat, after falling short in the previous episode’s French-themed Mystery Box challenge.

Looking ahead, Lourdes is sure of her foodie future and looks to MasterChef alumni Poh and Emelia Jackson and their respective pastry businesses as inspiration.

“I’d love to do something like that because baking in my home kitchen is where I’m at my happiest and at peace. If I’m in that situation, that’s where I really flourish and it would show through my food,” she shared in an interview with 10Play.

Lily Davies sadly bowed out on Sunday night in a signature MasterChef challenge; the Blind Taste Test.

Despite her departure, Lily is keen and ready to get started on her food future.

“The wine bar/deli vibe is something I’m still really keen on but in the interim I’m going to try and do some pop-up dinners for charities that mean a lot to me, to lean into my nursing space and that do-good factor I want to keep up,” she said in an interview with 10Play.

The self-confessed Jamie Oliver super fan left the MasterChef kitchen after failing to recreate judge Jean Christophe-Novelli’s intricate ‘Jack-In-The-Box’ dessert. Speaking with 10Play after his elimination he had no hard feelings.

“Desserts are not my forte, as much as I love eating them and making them,” Khristian said.

“[But] it was a privilege to recreate [Jean Christophe-Novelli’s] dish.”

Self-described “Nonna’s boy” Jonathan bowed out in an elimination round task when contestants were asked to recreate one of Andy Allen’s mum’s favourite retro family meals.

In an interview with 10Play he shared: “I probably wasn’t in the best headspace for that [challenge]… I was really, really homesick. I wanted to be home and I think it came across in my food.”

“I don’t think I appreciated how much of a mental game [MasterChef] is,” Jonathan said.

“People have to give up so much to be there, you’re away from your family and friends… Unless you’re in a really good headspace and you can maintain that throughout the show, it’s very easy to come undone.”

Food Event Planner Steph Griffen made a simple mistake in guest judge Jamie Oliver’s challenge, which cost her MasterChef dreams. Contestants had to follow Jamie as he cooked his Dad’s signature ‘Trevor’s Chicken’ dish, without a recipe in front of them. Speaking with 10Play after the elimination she shared her experience.

“I think those nerves got the better of me, I was too much in my head,” Steph said.

“During the cook, I made one wrong move and I knew then I was screwed,” she continued. I was almost like, why even bother to continue?”

Primary School Teacher and foodie James Holmes was the first to leave the MasterChef kitchen. Reflecting on his time in the kitchen, James shared how he felt about the challenge.

“It’s a funny old thing to look back at because I was feeling great,” James said with a laugh. “I was so pleased with the dish, maybe I was more pleased with the completion of it and the enjoyment of being there.