MasterChef Australia is back in 2026, and it’s promising to be a massive season with numerous high-profile guest judges from Robert Irwin to Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
As it premieres, we will share recaps of each episode here, from the cook highlights (and lowlights), guest judges, and who was eliminated…
Meet the contestants here and past winners here.
If you missed last night’s episode or just want to quickly catch up, follow our episode recaps below.
MasterChef Australia at 7 pm Sundays and 7.30 pm Monday and Tuesday on Channel 10 or stream on-demand on 10 Play.
Here’s the recap of the latest episode of MasterChef Australia.
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD
Episode 11
It’s an elimination tonight, so the pressure is on for the six contestants cooking.
When they arrive, the judges show them a wall of their family photographs. This week has been all about family favourites, and that’s what the photos depict: cooking memories with their families.
What’s the challenge?
They must make a dish that represents a family tradition in 75 minutes.
What do they make?
Lydia
She made avgolemono soup, an egg and lemon broth with chicken mince balls, chicken skin and halloumi.
“I’m very proud to give you this dish because it is a dish that you cook for your loved ones,” she says. “I do love you all. I still have to pinch myself to remind myself where I am.”
“That woman is unbelievable,” says Jean-Christophe
“I will remember this and crave it,” says Poh.
Bella
She made an apple and cinnamon entremet
Sadly, she made a few mistakes in her cook. There was too much gelatin in the dessert, so she had to literally cut it out of its mould using scissors. However, it has defined layers, and Poh says she’s balanced the flavours well. That being said, Andy says it “doesn’t taste amazing” or have an “awesome texture.”
Alyona
She made a “celebration cake”, her family’s take on a honey cake.
The judges commend her layers and the subtle honey flavour.
Pat
Pat made a prawn bisque and fondant potatoes.
Jean-Christophe calls it inviting and seasoned perfectly.
Olaolu
Olaolu again embraced his Nigerian roots with a spiced plantain cake that is inspired by Nigerian street food with roasted peanuts, salted chantilly and ginger custard.
“I absolutely love this,” says Andy. Jean-Christophe goes further and calls it “epic” and “perfect”.
Hannah
She made a sticky date pudding with ginger ice cream and orange and butterscotch sauce.
Sadly, Hannah had some issues during the cook and isn’t confident in her dish.
“The pudding itself sauce is lovely…but the butterscotch is not a butterscotch,” says Poh.
Jean-Christophe describes it as an emulsion sauce. The ice cream was the judge’s favourite on the plate.
Who goes home?
One dish made the judges feel like one “big happy family”, and that was made by…Lydia! Her dish is named the dish of the day.
Unsurprisingly, Bella and Hannah’s dishes were the bottom two today.
Sadly, Bella is the one who is going home because there were flaws in most of her elements.
“Cooking with this amazing bunch of people has just been so inspiring, I’ve enjoyed every moment,” Bella said on her elimination.
“I know you are going to be a superstar,” says a teary Poh. “And I want you to promise me that you’re not going to let this moment define you, it’s what you actually do after this,” she says before asking for a hug.
“I’ve learned so much from this experience,” Bella said afterwards. “Poh made me promise that this is only the beginning and I’m going to keep that promise.”
Episode 10
Tonight is the season’s first team challenge. Each team has three members. In tonight’s challenge, the teams have to make a family feast consisting of two mains, three side dishes, and a dessert. But they only have 75 minutes to get that all done.
The two teams that make the least impressive dishes will go into the next elimination.
Most teams pick their leaders easily, but the pink team (Lydia, Pat, and Olaolu) haven’t. Andy and Jean-Christophe tell them they need someone to steer the ship so they know they aren’t going off course. Pat takes the reins, despite being a bit introverted. He takes to it like a natural.
What do the teams make?
Turquoise team – Dot, Miin, Alita
They made spiced ribeye, lemon and garlic chicken skewers, cauliflower salad (Dot’s mum’s recipe), a Middle Eastern pilaf, a baba ghanoush, yoghurt and tahini sauce, and a Dubai chocolate-inspired pavlova.
“Tastes bloody good,” says Sofia. Andy adored Dot’s mum’s cauliflower salad, “it needs to be my recipe!”
Purple team – Emily, Aaron, Lucy
They made ABC soup, cucumber salad, Cantonese-style steamed snapper, lobster noodles, fragrant rice and mango and coconut sago dessert.
Poh says their Chinese family feast is all so nostalgic for her. Andy comments that the lobster cook is the best he’s tasted, “A+++,” he says.
Pink team – Lydia, Pat, Olaolu
They made a scotch fillet steak, sumac and lemon roasted chicken, kale, orange and grape salad, roast eggplant, beetroot hummus, stonefruit crumble and a creme anglais.
“It looked really inviting, but I was looking for a bit more,” says Andy, more lift, fresh herbs, seasoning and lemon.
Red team – Petro, Vinnie, Jackie
Mediterranean feast of lamb cutlets, pan-fried whiting, confit garlic hummus, charred fennel and radicchio and orange salad, roast potatoes, and an orange and olive oil sponge with lemon thyme anglaise.
“I think this is a really well-thought-out feast, “ says Poh.
Brown team – Grace, Casper, Luke
Australian surf and turf: whole split lobster, twice-cooked crispy lamb, confit cabbage, chips, side salad, and apricot crumble.
Lobster was a little over, and the lamb should have been ribs, says Andy.
Orange team – Kanika, Annabel, Jack
Indian feast with butter chicken, spicy chickpea curry, mint coriander chutney, mango chutney, yoghurt raita, lachha paratha, and kheer for dessert.
“Great flavours, it feels like this was made by an Indian family,” Sofia tells the Orange team, to the delight of Annabel and Jack, who haven’t cooked Indian cuisine before.
Navy team – Hannah, Bella, Alyona
They have made a “Modern Australian Feast” with roast chicken and yoghurt dressing, roasted snapper with herb sauce, roast potatoes with hazelnuts, broccolini, honey-glazed carrots, and a ricotta, orange and olive oil cake with orange and nutmeg icing.
Poh wonders if they had “a few too many sauces”. But she says Bella’s cake is one of the best they’ve had so far.
Who goes into the next elimination?
The two top teams were Turquoise and Purple. But two teams are going into the elimination round. They are the Pink and, surprisingly, the Navy team (despite their excellent cake).
In the preview, it looks like family recipes are the focus of the elimination challenge.
Episode 9
When the contestants arrive tonight, the judges are also wearing black aprons. It’s an elimination masterclass.
This week is all about family favourites. Yesterday was breakfast, and today is dinner. The judges each cook their own quick carbs that are frequent dishes in their homes when they are short on time during the week.
What’s the challenge?
The contestants have to make their own version of one of the judges’ quick carbs in 36 minutes.
They can choose between Jean-Christophe’s pilaf, Andy’s flat bread, Poh’s noodles, or Sofia’s potato latkes.
Andy’s flatbread is the clear favourite among the contestants, with the majority incorporating it in their dishes.
Who leaves MasterChef Australia?
The time crunch got to a few of the cooks. However, the dishes that impressed the judges the most were made by Annabel, Lucy, and Petro.
Sadly, going home tonight. The bottom three are Olaolu, Belinda, and Vinnie. It came down to the quick carb choice and how well it was executed. Unfortunately, the judges sent Belinda home.
“It’s been fantastic,” Belinda said of her time, and her fellow contestants blew her away. “I’ve been watching MasterChef since series one, and now I’m on the show, so you know, dream accomplished. I’ve learned that I would like to now take my cooking to another level. I don’t think you’re ever too old to start again. I’ve had eight career paths, so let’s make number nine.”
Episode 8
It’s a white apron day in the MasterChef Australia kitchen, and another guest judge.
“Hey, babe, what do you want for breakfast?” says a voice off-screen. It’s Andy Hearnden, aka Andy Cooks, the New Zealand chef who has gone globally viral for his online video content. He starts all his recipe videos with the line “Hey, babe, what do you want for…”.
Grace calls him the “Gordon Ramsay of TikTok.” He was recently awarded TikTok Food Creator of the Year.
Today, Andy is doing a masterclass with the contestants for “three levels of eggs”. He starts with a classic French omelette, then the tornado egg (a Melburnian brunch staple, that’s a kind of play on omelette and scrambled egg), and finally omurice, a technical Japanese omelette.
What’s the challenge?
They have to cook their “ultimate breakfast”, sweet or savoury. But the twist, the judges are only tasting the 12 most appealing dishes, and the top four will be immune from the next elimination.
And Andy is keen to try something he’s never had before.
What dishes do they taste?
The first dish belongs to Alita. She’s made a Peruvian cachanga with tahini yoghurt and chorizo ‘nduja compound butter. Poh says it’s seasoned to perfection.
Aaron’s dish is next up; he’s made a spin on a traditional congee. Andy says the amount of flavour is “unbelievable.”
Emily’s next with a bak kut teh (pork rib dish) with meat bone tea. Poh says she’s done a really good job. Casper made Korean-inspired fried chicken and waffles; Sofia says it “just works so well”. Jackie is up next, but Andy says that her crepe cake’s flavours are not balanced.
Vinnie’s fried gnocchi eggs benny are next. He had a few accidents in the kitchen today (and has the bandages on his fingers to prove it). Poh says that she loves how he includes nods to his heritage in his dishes, but that the dish was too rich.
Annabel is next with her prawn and scallop toast. She’s a massive fan of Andy Cooks, but she’s not confident in her dish. Andy points out that she’s left out her aromatics.
Bella serves up her carrot and cardamom cake that’s made to look like a fried egg on toast. Andy Allen calls its flavours unexpected. Jack is next with his luscious apple tart tatin with a pancake base. Andy Cooks says he’d go back for seconds. Hannah is next with her Dutch baby with lemon yoghurt cheesecake filling. Andy Cooks calls it “bang on”.
Dot is next with Turkish eggs. Sofia calls it a “tasty little situation.”
The final dish the judges choose belongs to Kanika. She’s made uttapam, a South Indian pancake.
“I haven’t held back on my spices,” she warns Andy Allen.
“I’m hallucinating, but I love it,” he remarks of her dish. “It is such a good breakfast.”
Who wins immunity?
Aaron’s congee is the dish of the day. He’s safe from immunity. And joining him are Kanika, Alita, and Dot.
Everyone else is up for elimination. In the preview, they learn hacks from the judges and are tasked with making a “midweek wonder” in 30 minutes.
Episode 7
Maggie Beer is in the house! Very exciting for the contestants (and viewers at home, you know we are huge fans of the legendary cook), but also sad as we will be saying goodbye to one of the contestants tonight.
Luke, Jeff, Jackie, Pat, and Vinnie are taking part in this season’s first pressure test.
“An icon of the Australian food scene” and a “trailblazer”, says Andy of the Maggie.
“I never feel more welcome than coming through that door,” she said as she walked in to thunderous applause. “At my age, it’s pretty good.”
“I’m pretty starstruck to be honest,” Luke says, who is positively giddy about having Maggie Beer in the kitchen.
What’s the challenge?
Tonight they are making pies! Maggie reveals her “fabulous” guinea fowl and mushroom pie and an apple-and-sage pie. Maggie doesn’t have a sweet tooth, so she says a “sweet dish has to have a savoury element.”
Both pies are made with her signature (and versatile) sour cream pastry.
We love sour cream pastry at The Weekly. If you are looking for some recipe inspiration, for a classic savoury pie with a sour cream twist, we adore this patchwork chicken and leek pie, and for something sweet with a touch of savoury, you can’t go wrong with this apple and brie tart.
There’s a twist to today’s pressure test. They aren’t making the pies; they are making her sour cream pastry. They can make any pie that they choose, so there’s no strict recipe to follow. The pies must be the same size as Maggie’s, and they must also make a sauce and a side dish.
Maggie gives some pie-making tips
Maggie is always a generous cook, both with what she serves up and with giving advice.
“I don’t have rules about how I do things,” she says, instead letting the ingredients dictate her process.
She tells the cooks that when they are adding liquid, never put it all in at once.
“Every flour is different”, she says. “Even the humidity can affect it.” She also advises them to “chill chill chill.”
What are the cooks making?
Everyone is going savoury. Pat has an advantage, his fiancée found Maggie’s recipe “quite a while ago”, and they use it at home for sweet and savoury pies at home!
However, Pat’s going a bit rogue and making a recipe that he’s never made before, a Sri Lankan chicken curry pie with mango chutney. But he has a good luck charm, a little turtle that his daughter also uses for luck. He ends up with more time than expected and so creates some pastry leaves as a nice little extra.
Jackie is also making something she’s never done before, a Lo mai gai or glutinous rice and chicken pie!
“You’re pushing me out of my comfort zone,” Maggie jokes with Jackie.
Vinnie is making a lasagne-style pie with his nonna’s ragu recipe. However, Maggie and Poh advise Vinnie that his idea for a gremolata as a sauce doesn’t hit the brief. So, he listens and decides to put his bechamel that was going to go inside the pie as the sauce.
Luke is making a classic beef bourguignon, mashed potatoes and a horseradish sauce. However, his filling takes longer than anticipated, and he ends up falling behind the rest and not being happy with his pie.
Jeff is a confident baker, but has never made a sour cream pastry before. He’s making a Hong Kong-style chicken pie with Asian veggies on the side. However, he takes his time scoring the crust and is the last to get it into the oven.
Who goes home?
The judges and Maggie adore Pat’s dish, no complaints, only compliments. Jackie’s dish puzzles the judges. They prefer the filling on its own, well, except Jean-Christophe, who actually really likes it.
The judges also love Vinnie’s pie and love that he put the bechamel on the outside, but Sofia thinks it’s too rich. The judges like Jeff’s scoring work, but note there are some cracks on the side, and the base is uncooked. Maggie says his top pastry was the best of the five, but agrees with Sofia that there is too much spring onion.
Luke shares with the judges that he’s worried about his pie. He didn’t think the pie got enough time in the oven. But Maggie commends him for getting it out in time. However, he needn’t have worried, the judges love it! “What the hell is going on?” says an amazed Jean-Christophe. Maggie is likewise thrilled for Luke.
The judges decide to send Jeff home.
“Jeff, your dream doesn’t end now, it’s only starting, says Jean-Christophe. “You will always be a MasterJeff.”
“I’m proud of what I achieved,” says Jeff. “I’ll always be part of MasterChef.”
Episode 6
Tonight, the contestants are greeted with jars of cereal. Does it mean a breakfast challenge? Create your own cereal challenge? Nope. It turns out the judges are bringing back a classic task: the MasterChef Invention test!
Using cereal as the inspiration, the cooks can create whatever they want, sweet or savoury or both. The bottom five dishes will put their makers in the next episode’s elimination.
Despite the contestants all being very creative and inventive, Pat and Aaron both decide to make a raw protein dish with a tartare.
“Hopefully, the best tartare wins,” says Aaron. Sadly, Pat’s tartare isn’t where he wants it to be. He calls it “mediocre.”
Elsewhere, Luke’s fried chicken is “terrible” as his cornflakes aren’t adhering to the meat.
Who goes into the elimination?
There are some criticisms of many of the dishes. The judges describe Vinnie’s cannoli as a bit “grainy”; Jean-Christophe also says that Jeff’s dessert is a little soggy; Jackie’s use of cocoa powder “overpowers” her dish, according to Poh. And a couple of other dishes are called not inventive enough to keep them out of the bottom five.
However, the judges are amazed by Casper’s pannacotta, which is made to look like a bowl of cereal. He’s shaping up to be a huge contender this season.
And Aaron’s cornflake steak tartare “smashed it out of the park,” says Sofia.
Whereas Pat’s is called just “okay” by Andy, who gives him some constructive criticism on his dishes.
Luke’s dish is likewise found lacking.
So who’s in the bottom five? Heading into tomorrow night’s elimination are: Pat, Jackie, Jeff, Luke, and Vinnie.And in the preview, Maggie Beer AO is setting the challenge, and it’s pies! Perhaps they will be tackling a sweet and a savoury option like her blue cheese tarts (recipe here)
Episode 5
Black aprons are on as tonight is our first elimination this season!
The episode opens with four windows looking into each of the judge’s own kitchens. The windows start to play video footage of the judges in their homes, including Sofia giving her partner a kiss as they cook breakfast together. Next is Andy cooking something for his partner (who has just had their first baby!). Then, Poh is shown cooking moon cakes in her kitchen under the watchful eye of her dog, whom she gives a big cuddle. Finally, Jean-Christophe and his family are shown cooking tomato soup together.
The elimination challenge
The windows were a hint. They’ve seen a window into the judges’ lives, so they have to cook a dish that gives the judges a look into their own lives. Whoever cooks the bottom dish will be going home.
During the cook, Grace nearly sets off the smoke alarm when she puts sugar on her super-hot cast iron. But it’s intentional…she says as she backs herself. However, I feel sorry for Dot, who is getting the smoke right in her face.
Later on, while chopping shallots for her duck pancakes, Jackie slices her finger with the chef’s knife. It costs her precious time and adds to the stress of the elimination challenge. Sadly, although she gets it out of the oven in time, she doesn’t manage to get her duck on her dish.
Bella’s dish tonight is inspired by her friend Amalie, who died recently. While telling her story, the judges are clearly moved. After tasting her dish, which they say is incredible, Jean-Christophe leads them into a group hug to support Bella.
Emily also blew the judges away to the point where Jean-Christophe tells her to take off the black apron. She’s safe!
And Grace gets her vindication when the judges love her dish! So the smoke was worth it.
Who goes home?
Obviously, Jackie’s dish is missing the duck, but hers isn’t the only dish that misses the mark. Belinda’s vanilla beef cheeks don’t land for Poh, Hannah’s ragu is a little tough, Kanika’s dish is too tame on spice (she made it milder for Andy, which he didn’t agree with as it misses the brief), and Megs’ prawns were undercooked.
In the end, the bottom two are Jackie and Megs.
“It came down to what we could eat and what we would eat again,” says Sofia and for that reason, Megs is sent home.
Episode 4
We finally have the top 24, and we have our first-ever mystery box of the season. But they’re a little different tonight. The boxes are shaped like little houses, the houses and the country-style kitchen are a “clue”, says Poh.
The mystery box has been set by two special guests, ultimate home cooks, according to Poh.
“She’s an incredible home cook, and he’s an Australian rock icon,” she concludes.
It’s Jane and Jimmy Barnes!
Belinda is a massive fan (she’s seen him perform four times!). Whereas Luke, one of the youngest contestants, has no clue who they are.
The happy couple have two cookbooks to their name. They are also avid home cook and grow the majority of their produce. Apparently, their love of gardening and cooking exploded during COVID, and it has resulted in a whole new career.
In a poignant moment, Andy asks Jimmy about his relationship with Jock, a fellow Scotsman.
“He was so passionate and enthusiastic,” reminisces Jimmy.
“He made us eat ants”, Jane interrupts, to laughs from the homecooks.
What’s the challenge?
Underneath the boxes’ roofs are ingredients that the Barneses would use at their home, including spatchcock, mulberries, cavola nero, Dutch carrots, thyme, rainbow trout, and Edinburgh rock (a Scottish treat that Jimmy enjoyed as a child), and so much more.
The top dish will be saved from tomorrow night’s challenge.
The catch, the judges will only be tasting the ten “most appealing looking” dishes, explains Sofia.
As the cooks are crafting their dishes, Jimmy says to the other judges that he wants to be able to taste the produce, but Jane wants to taste the layers.
About halfway through the cook, Jimmy adds a twist: Whisky marmalade. If the cooks use it, they get an extra 15 minutes. If they don’t, they don’t get the extra time.
They all give it a taste, and someone asks if they don’t use it, can they bring it home? A few decide to incorporate it into their dishes, both sweet and savoury. Only one cook, Grace, decides not to use the marmalade.
What dishes do they taste?
Casper’s is the first dish the judges choose. His dish is a spatchcock with roast carrots, pickled mulberries and a tamarind caramel (which has the whisky marmalade in it). Jane Barnes calls it “next-level” and is inspired.
The next dish is Dot’s. She’s made a “Celebration of Carrots” with carrot ravioli with marmalade sauce, rainbow trout and a carrot top sauce. The marmalade and the fish, “surprises” Jimmy, but it works in his opinion.
Next is Alyona’s dish. She changed from trout to spatchcock mid-cook to use the marmalade. Jean-Christophe loves it and tells her he wants her bean sauce recipe. Jimmy is disappointed…but only because his portion was too small!
Jack’s mulberry sponge cake is next. Jimmy liked it, calling it moist. Luke’s carrot cake was also chosen. Jane Barnes tells him it was a great idea.
Pat’s dish was next chosen. He made fried spatchcock, and Andy loves it. Jimmy calls it fantastic. Hannah is next, and she made a butter cake. Jimmy calls it fantastic again!
The judges choose Miin next; he admits that his spatchcock may be underdone. But Poh cuts in and it’s “perfect”. She goes on to commend every element of the dish.
Next chosen is Alita, who made soufflé pancakes with a rockstar mulberry sauce. Andy calls it a “naughty” plate of food, Jane calls it a “perfect balance.”
The final dish belongs to…Annabel! She made a cured rainbow trout with mulberry and marmalade vinegar and chicken skin salt, plus some ricotta. Jean-Christophe calls it “just excellent.” Jane Barnes calls it the most delicious cured fish she’s ever had. Annabel is a fan of Jane’s, so that is huge to her.
Who wins immunity?
The judges call Alyona, Casper, and Annabel to the front. Sofia says it was close, but the one they couldn’t go past belonged to…Casper!
So he’s safe for tomorrow night; the season’s first elimination.
Episode 3
It’s the final chance for the remaining 20 cooks to earn a white apron and therefore their spot in this season of MasterChef Australia in 2026. However, with 20 cooks and only four aprons, the odds are not in their favour.
They have to cook a “showstopper dish” in 90 minutes. The pressure is really on. We get to meet more of the contestants, but trying not to get too attached! Like Grace, who believes that every cake is better with alcohol in it, she has a little taste test of liquors at her bench. But while she was doing that, her timer turned off, and so she has little idea how much time her cake has been in the oven.
There are lots of desserts tonight, including a very ambitious Bombe Alaska!
Who gets the last four aprons?
Like with the previous episode, the judges are very, very conservative with the remaining aprons. To be fair to them, they do only have four, and the competition is tough.
However, Jean-Christophe is so impressed with Petro’s bisque that he calls him over to shake his hand and slaps both hands on the table! He calls the dish “perfect”. But again, he has to wait until after the tasting to find out if he has an apron.
“You’ve got to risk it for the bisque-it,” he jokes to Andy, to laughs from the kitchen. Poh says to Andy, “Oh my God, he’s such a cute dork,” again fuelling my own suspicions that at least an on-screen romance could be brewing.
That being said, it’s not all happy smiles; some dishes have undercooked noodles or chicken or too many conflicting flavours.
The top four are: Luke and his Bombe Alaska, Lucy whose dish brought Jean-Christophe “back to Paris with one bite”, Grace and her fabulous fig cake, and the final apron (presented by Poh just to fuel rumours), Petro! She even repeats his own pun back to him.
Sad to see the rest go, but now we have the official top 24 of MasterChef Australia 2026.
Read more about the contestants here ahead of Sunday night’s episode with the one and only Jimmy Barnes. He’s now a “true blue foodie” and is bringing a secret special ingredient along with him for the challenge.
Episode 2
In last night’s episode, it was Group 2’s turn to cook for a white apron.
One surprising character is Vinnie, a nurse who has a dream to open up a panini shop (called Vinnie’s Paninis). He’s making his own bread, but Andy and Hean-Christophe baulk at his idea to “make a sandwich.” But maybe it will be the most incredible porchetta panini they’ve ever had. He is making the bread and the boccocinni from scratch.
Another contestant, Petro, is completely starstruck (perhaps lovestruck) by the presence of Poh. Could we have another MasterChef romance cooking? He really wants to impress the judges, but sadly, he scorches his trout’s skin on the hibachi and believes he’s lost his shot.
Who gets a white apron?
Just like the previous episode, if the judges are blown away, they will give them an apron on the spot. Otherwise, they have to wait until the end.
Dot is getting married in 32 days, she shares with the judges. Eek. She was quite calm during her cook, she said she went into some kind of “trance”. But even though the judges seem pleased, she doesn’t get the instant apron.
Pat chose to cook a roast dinner with a twist and wowed the judges, scoring the first white apron of the episode. Emily was the next to earn an apron with her herbal wonton soup.
Vinnie’s choice to make a sandwich is called “brave” and “crazy”, but it worked! He gets a white apron.
After tasting all the dishes, the judges award all the rest of the aprons. Hannah, Kanika, Aliana, Miin, Bella, Belinda, and Dot.
However, the rest of the cooks will have another chance to earn an apron in tomorrow night’s episode.
Episode 1
The episode opens with a collection of home cooks’ videos showcasing their recipes and dishes.
Then we meet the new crop of super-excited homecooks arriving after hours at the MasterChef garden, when all of a sudden the lights go out, and a video is projected onto the MasterChef building showing iconic cooks from the previous MasterChef seasons, from Sarah Todd to Reynold Poernomo.
The judges then arrive, and Andy Allen points out that all the cooks they saw in the video didn’t win the competition.
“I’m proof that you don’t have to win MasterChef to make your dreams come true,” says Poh Ling Yeow. “All MasterChef dreams start with the white apron.”
The challenge
So how do they get a white apron? Andy splits the cooks into two groups of 20. Group 1 is cooking for a white apron first.
There are only ten for grabs, so it’s a 50-50 shot to score a spot in the competition. In order to earn a white apron, the cooks have to present their “dream dish” to the judges. IT’s essential an audition challenge. If the judges like their dish, they will get an apron; if they don’t, the cooks will have another chance to cook tomorrow night.
Meeting the contestants
Jean-Christophe asks one of the cooks, Lydia (58), if she needs a tissue as she’s emotional, she responded: “I’m menopausal!” But also, this is a dream come true.
She says she is “downright excited to be doing this”. We see her absolutely charming application video, including her pantry (“organised chaos”) and her first-ever cookbook, The Australian Women’s Weekly Cooking Class Cookbook!
She got it when she was first married at 19 years old and says that it has the “best chocolate mousse recipe ever.” We’re probably biased, but…we agree! She’s not making the mousse tonight; instead, she’s opting for an octopus dish.
Like always, MasterChef allows the cooks to showcase the cuisines of their heritage. One of the other contestants, Olaolu Olorunnimbe, is passionate about bringing Nigerian cuisine to Australia. He moved to the UK as a child and tried to assimilate, but once he moved to Sydney after university, he embraced his heritage through his cooking.
Who scored a white apron?
If the judges love their dish, they will get an apron on the spot. Otherwise, they will wait to the end of the round.
Andy says that Lydia’s octopus dish is “perfect” and he wouldn’t change a thing. She is the first to receive a white apron.
As the judges go through the dishes, they are exceptional; however, the judges are being very conservative with giving out the apron.
However, Olaolu’s Nigerian dish is dubbed “phenomenal” by Sofia. Jean-Christophe calls the tripe and the plantain the best he’s had so far in his life. After receiving the judges’ praise, Olaolu starts to walk away, but they stop him. The gantry starts chanting “apron, apron, apron!’ Unsurprisingly, Olaolu is the second to receive a white apron.
Also, after calling Jackie’s cake “textbook”, the judges called her back to also give her an apron.
Jeff’s chicken and prawn dumplings also blow the judges away, and he gets an apron as well.
After tasting all the dishes, the judges award the final aprons to Alita, Jack, Annabel, Casper, Meg and finally Aaron.
We have the first ten contestants! However, the remaining cooks will have an opportunity to cook again later in the week…
