What happened last night on MasterChef Australia: Back to Win

MasterChef Australia has returned to our small screens for its 17th season. For those who missed the most recent episode, we have the recap of each episode of MasterChef Australia: Back to Win below, from the cook highlights (and lowlights), guest judges, and who was eliminated…

Returning favourites and previous winners are here, and they are (as the episode title suggests): Back to Win!

Here’s what happened in last night’s episode.

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Episode 15

Welcome to Sydney MasterChef fans! 

The contestants meet the judges underneath the Harbour Bridge with the Sydney Opera House in the background. And right next to them, Squire’s Landing, where today’s service challenge will be taking place. James Squire beers have been sponsoring various segments in the season thus far – we’ve spotted their beers in other service challenges in the MasterChef kitchen, so it’s not too surprising that they are the location, and what a fabulous location it is, right on the Sydney Harbour!

First things first, the contestants are divided into teams: Green, Orange, and Blue.

Who’s on which team?

Blue: Rhiannon, Jamie, Alana, Darrsh, Theo, and Laura.

Orange: Ben, Beau, Depinder, Andre, and Callum.

Green: Rue, Sarah, Audra, Tim, Samira, and Snez.

What’s the challenge?

Today, the contestants will be taking over the Squire’s Landing kitchen, creating classic pub grub feeds for the punters, which today are Surf Life Saving. The team have to create two dishes: one starter and one main. The judges what pub classics “revamped, restyled, and revolutionised.”

The dishes they have to choose from are:

Starters: wings, salt and pepper squid, or nachos.

Mains: chicken Parmigiana, roast of the day, or fish and chips.

However, there is a catch. Only half of the teams will be in the kitchen at one time. Three cooks start, and then the other three will come in to finish and plate.  

They have three hours to create their dishes, the starters have to go out after two and a half hours, and the mains have to come out thirty minutes after that. 

The team that makes the best meal overall wins immunity from Sunday’s elimination challenge. 

The cook highlights (and lowlights)

Orange team:

Callum, Beau, and Declan are in the kitchen first. They opt for a squid starter and fish and chips – with Declan on the team, they have to lean into their fish skills.

There’s no official team leader, but Callum does take charge. Despite that, they really come across as a cohesive team.

Unfortunately, the fire alarm goes off, and they lose some time and energy. Callum writes out the menu and handover notes and explains the state of play to Depinder, Ben, and Andre. 

Andre comments that the handover is perfect, so it’s up to them to take the challenge home! However, when service starts, he is still cooking the fish for the main, so Depinder takes the lead on the pass.

Green team:

Snez, Samira, and Sarah are in the kitchen first. Again, they don’t have a team leader, and unlike the orange team, who were immediately quite cohesive, the green team threw around a lot of different ideas based on the ingredients they have available – other teams apparently got in there first! A fact which has really thrown Snez. 

Because they can’t agree on a menu, and they are running out of time. 

They finally decide to go Mediterranean, Middle Eastern nachos and red snapper wings for main (as a twist on fish and chips). Andy queries their choice of wings for fish and chips, calling it a risk for them. So the team pivots and instead switches to do the Snapper Wings as the starter and ditches the nachos. Samira then offers to break down all the quails for them to do a twist on a roast of the day. 

They have to catch up on a lot of time, just when they start to get into a flow, the fire alarm goes off!

Samira does the handover for the green team to Tim, Audra, and Rue. They follow the instructions she lays out, but when they go to plate up the quails they see that they are overdone. That could lose them the challenge.

Blue team

Jamie is taking charge over on the blue team, they are going with a twist on wings for their main with spatchcock, which they are brining with James Squire beers, and for their main, they are making fish and chips. With him in the kitchen are Rhiannon and Darrsh.

There’s a lot of prep involved with their dish, and with the fire alarm going off, the rest of their team might have a lot of cooking to do when the switch over happens.

Jamie labels everything and writes up a handover list, which he runs through with Alana, Laura, and Theo when they come in. Laura is concerned about the amount of work that the three have a lot to do as both the wings and the fish have to be cooked to order.

“This could be a trainwreck,” says Laura. 

The dishes and the judges’ remarks

Orange team

Starter: Za’aatar salt and pepper squid with romesco sauce

“I really liked that,” says Andy, commending Declan’s “phenomenal” work on the squid.

Jean-Christophe describes it as “spectacular”, a “perfect little starter.”

Main: Kingfish wings, with zucchini fries and zucchini salad.

“This is the most original fish and chips that I have ever had,” says Jean-Christophe. “Every single thing on the plate is faultless. I think this is a miracle.”

“Probably the best pub meal I’ve ever had,” says Andy.

The orange team is on track to be the winning team today!

Blue team

Starter: James Squire brined chicken wings with roasted olives and parsley salad.

“It’s a beast of a portion,” says Andy.

“This is such a complete starter, the chicken is deep fried perfectly,” says Jean-Christophe. “If you don’t like it, you’ve got a problem.”

Main: Barramundi, James Squire Cider tartare sauce with a side of crispy roasted potatoes with creme fraiche and salmon roe.

“This is elevated pub food at its finest,” says Andy.

Poh calls the sauce “luscious” and the potatoes “decadent”.

Jean-Christophe calls the piece of Barramundi he had the best that he’s had in Australia and his life!

Green team

Starter: Snapper wings with harissa sauce, fried potato and grilled lemon

The judges love the look and, at first, commend how well the fish is cooked. Unfortunately, there are lots of scales on the snapper wings.

“Very very tasty…incredibly succulent and moist,” starts Sofia. “But I’m really frustrated…it was just mouthful after mouthful of scale.”

“It’s like they didn’t even look at the wings before they put them in that buttermilk marinade,” says Andy.

Main: Roast quail with baba ghanoush

“This is delicious,” says Andy. “However, it’s overcooked.”

Jean-Christophe calls the dish “pretty,” but disappointing.

The green team could be in trouble.

Who wins immunity?

Unsurprisingly, the green team is heading to elimination. Although their flavours were sound, there were scales in their starter, and the main didn’t feel like a classic pub roast of the day (plus it was overcooked). 

That leaves blue and orange.

Both starters were on par. So it came down to the mains. 

Both teams “gave us elevated pub perfection,” says Andy. 

But which was the best pub meal?… Turns out… it was the orange team!

So the orange team have immunity from Sunday’s elimination challenge. 

In the preview, we see what Fish King Josh Niland is coming to the MasterChef kitchen setting the challenge, so expect a lot of fish and not a lot of food waste. 

Next episode airs on 7pm, Sunday, 25 May on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 14

It’s dessert night in the MasterChef kitchen, and four contestants — Tim, Rue, Ben, and Jimmy — face a pressure test. It’s Ben’s third pressure test this season, but he’s got an immunity pin in his back pocket/on his apron.

Setting the challenge is two-time World Pastry Champion Steven He, who presents his whimsical, art-meets-childhood creation: Balloon Puppy, inspired by his daughter’s love of balloon animals. “This belongs in the Louvre,” says Tim, who’s a bit out of his element as the challenge is a pretty far cry from toasties.

The base is a layered entremet with chocolate sponge, shortbread, sour cherry compote, and white chocolate-black tea ganache. Rue calls it “Black Forest with a twist.” 

The puppy itself is crafted from eight chocolate egg shells, two spheres, and airbrushed details.

Tim and Jimmy have never tempered white chocolate — so the pressure’s on. They’ve got three hours. The least convincing puppy goes home.

The cook highlights (and lowlights)

Jimmy

Jimmy hasn’t faced a pressure test in nine years, and last time, he admits he lost his head a bit, so the nerves are real.

He carefully reads through the recipe but soon falls behind, missing a step and having to restart his sour cherry compote. By the time he gets to tempering white chocolate — a first for him — he’s very behind and his mix is slightly too warm. However, he continues to press on.

Jimmy assembles his cake last. His chocolate shells release fairly easily (with a few bangs of the palette knife), but when he tries to spray his entremet, the spray gun fails. With time running out, stress mounts and his shells begin to crack.

He manages to place a rough puppy figure on top of the entremet (which is lacking its spray finish). Now it’s up to the flavours to save him.

Ben

Ben calls it a challenge worthy of a MasterChef finale. He kicks off smoothly with the black tea ganache and cherry compote, but his white chocolate is two degrees too warm — a small margin that could cause big issues.

He’s the first to assemble his cake, but disaster strikes when his chocolate won’t release from the moulds. With time slipping away, he retempers — fast. This time, it works. He assembles and spray-paints his puppy with time to spare.

Sizing up the others, Ben decides to keep his immunity pin in his pocket.

Rue

“Desserts are my thing,” says Rue, but says she’s not going to be too “cocky”. Still, she’s dreading the white chocolate tempering, and when the temperature won’t drop, she has to start over. The delay costs her, and she rushes her layers more than she’d like. Her entremet goes into the freezer third.

Luckily, taking her time with the tempered chocolate pays off — her moulds release with ease. Rue finishes assembling first and gets to work spray-painting. 

However, at the last second, disaster: she drops the puppy’s head and ends up serving a headless puppy cake.

Tim

Tim admits he’s no pastry pro — his kids are lucky to get a Woolies mud cake — but he’s giving this challenge a red-hot go. Tempering chocolate is his “greatest fear,” and without it, there’s no puppy.

To his surprise, the process goes smoothly. He even calls it “kind of fun.” 

He assembles his entremet without issue and gets it into the freezer second. His moulds are a bit tricky, but they eventually pop out to applause from the gantry.

The final result? A slightly rough, abstract “robot dog” but a dog nonetheless.

The dishes and the judges’ remarks

Ben

In my opinion, it resembles more of a rabbit as opposed to a puppy, but it’s something!

“That is pretty bloody perfect,” says Sofia after Steven cuts through the entremet to reveal the layers.

Poh agrees and describes it as a “stellar job”.

“All the layers are very clear,” says Steven.

Looks like Ben is safe.

Jimmy

He’s missing the colour on the entremet, and the puppy is looking more like a seal pup as opposed to a puppy dog. But he kept pushing throughout.

“It looks like a potato ready to sprout,” says Andy.

However, when they cut into the entremet, the layers look great. 

But how does it taste?

“The cake is delicious…the cherry compote is super reduced and it’s also quite thick,” says Andy.

Steven says that the balance of the flavours in the ganache isn’t correct, it’s white chocolate forward, and he can only taste about 10 per cent of the black tea.

Tim

Andy describes Tim’s puppy as something out of Star Wars, and I have to agree.

The layers are defined, but Sofia remarks that the cherry layer is “quite uneven”. He didn’t halve the cherries and changed the overall experience compared to Steven’s creation.

However, Jean-Christophe calls it overall “lush” and highlights the temper of the white chocolate.

Rue

The decapitated dog cake. Rue says she feels “deflated” with her dish. However, the judges reassemble to dog and they all remark that it would have been very close to Steven’s had it not broken at the last second.

Jean-Christophe says that Rue’s chocolate temper is the best they’ve seen all day. 

However, Sofia was missing some of the shortbread in her piece, but loved the “luscious” and “fluffy” ganache. Steve agrees and also says that her cherry compote is a bit out of balance, thanks to Rue using the whole cherries. So her balance and precision were off today.

She could be at risk.

Who leaves MasterChef: Back to Win?

The judges name Ben’s dish as the dish of the day. He has survived three pressure tests and still has his immunity pin.

Unfortunately, Jimmy’s dish was the most different from Steven’s. His dish’s flavours were out of balance, and his puppy did not look like Steven’s either. And so he’s going home tonight.

“I’m gutted,” says Jimmy. “But what an absolute privilege it has been to be a part of this amazing experience.”

“I will not be stopping. I will continue to fight for the things that I love.”

Audra is in tears and says, “I fell in love with him the moment I met him. He’s just such a generous spirit. He’s always smiling, such a wonderful cook and he’s got such natural instincts, and everything comes from his heart. I think he’s incredible.”

“I may not have won, but I am so glad that I came back,” Jimmy says on his departure. “This experience is irreplaceable.”

“I have a renewed vigour for being a cook, being a food photographer, I am super proud of myself.”

In the next episode, the contestants are heading to Sydney. Looks like it will be a service challenge, but with a fire alarm twist.

Tune in tomorrow night to see what happens!

Next episode airs on 7.30pm, Wednesday, 21 May on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 13

It’s Monday Mystery Box time — but, as with many challenges this season on MasterChef: Back to Win, there’s a twist. These aren’t boxes with lids to lift — they’re boxes to unwrap.

Inside, the surprise is bigger than expected: each box is made from the ingredient the contestants must cook with: paperbark, vine leaf, lotus leaf, pandan, corn husk, cabbage, betel leaf, banana leaf, and parchment paper. The cooks quickly realise the challenge is to create a dish wrapped in one of these edible (or cookable) coverings.

The Challenge

The garden is open, as is the pantry — where all the wrapping ingredients are available. The cooks have 75 minutes on the clock. The pressure’s on, with the bottom four dishes headed to tomorrow night’s pressure test.

But the real challenge? The contestants won’t know how well their wrapped creations have cooked until the judges unwrap their “presents.”

The cook highlights (and lowlights)

Laura is embracing native Australian ingredients, leaning on her experience at Orana. Lemon myrtle coral trout in paperbark. She’s even grilling the fish head and pippis on the hibachi before dropping them into the stock to add a smoky element.

Rue decides to make a fish parcel with barramundi. However, the fish is half her size, and butchering it takes time. She only has 35 minutes left for her sauce — cutting it fine. Her fish hits the cooker with 10 minutes left. With two minutes to go, she spills her sauce all over the counter and floor! There’s just enough left for the judges, but it’s not ideal.

Theo cooked dolmades on his last time on MasterChef, but they didn’t hit the mark. Today, he’s again aiming for redemption. He’s using a pressure cooker to improve his chances, but Poh worries his cabbage leaves may be too delicate. When he opens the cooker with minutes to spare, they look perfect to him.

Ben is making fish and grapes with vine leaf and verjus. He’s using a water bath to avoid overcooking. The judges are excited, but when he checks the fish, it’s 10 degrees too cold — he accidentally turned off the bath! With four minutes left, he drops the fish into boiling water, hoping to recover.

Tim’s a sandwich guy — leaves and wraps aren’t his thing. But he’s thinking outside the box, making beef bulgogi wrapped in cabbage leaves, then crumbed and deep-fried. A kind of Korean chiko roll, which absolutely delights Andy.

The dishes and the judges’ remarks

Laura

Paper Bark and lemon myrtle wrapped coral trout with arrigal greens and smoked sauce

“I would order that over and over and over again”, says Poh. “It’s just so well put together.”

“It’s pretty incredible,” says Andy.

Sofia calls it a “quintessential Australian dish”.

Jamie

Tamales with banana leaf

“I don’t know if I’ve ever had good tamales, but when I tasted that, I was like I think this is how they are meant to be. ‘” says Poh. But wild that she hasn’t enjoyed a nice tamale before!

Rhiannon

Tapioca prawn dumplings with a chilli dipping sauce presented with a cute rap 

Sofia responds with a rap of her own: “Your take on prawn dumplings, I adore, I don’t think you’re in the bottom four!”

Samira

Egyptian mahshi rice and herb rolls

“This is you at your best,” says Andy.

Snez

Stuffed cabbage rolls

“The cabbage rolls, they are literally melt in your mouth,” says Poh. “This is exactly the sort of thing we want to keep seeing from you.”

Audra

Chicken wrapped in pandan leaf

“That was so delicious,” says Poh as she remarks that she was trying to stuff as much as possible into her mouth before she had to share her thoughts.

Rue

Barramundi en Papillote with a bouillabaisse-inspired sauce and a dill oil

Unfortunately, the fish is undercooked, “completely raw” Poh calls it. And so, they will not taste her dish.

Looks like she’s definitely in the bottom four today.

Jimmy

Otak-Otak, a fish paste inside a banana leaf made with prawns, bonito, and snapper flakes for texture.

The judges had high hopes for this dish, but unfortunately, those hopes were not met. Pohj says that otak-otak is one of her favourite dishes, the dish is more “fish heavy” as opposed to “aromatics heavy”. 

“It’s not that textural,” says Sofia.

He’s another one for the bottom four.

Theo

Dolmades, cabbage wraps with avgolemono sauce and tzatziki. Will it be redemption time again?

“They are so damn good,” says Poh. “They are the best dolmades I’ve had in my entire life.” 

Sarah

Tempera bettel leaf with chicken curry cooked in a lotus leaf

“Didn’t need the betel leaf,” says Sofia. Who liked it, but said it didn’t add anything to her curry in lotus leaf chicken.

Darrsh

Whole baked snapper with hoppers and sambal

“Fish is cooked so well,” says Andy, who also gave him some constructive criticism about his sauce (needed more salt).

Callum

Snapper wrapped in cabbage with pippi and finger lime sauce

Poh called his sauce “perfect”, but his cabbage was “leathery”, which threw off his dish’s balance.

Tim

Tim’s Chiko Rolls with beef bulgogi, cabbage rolls with gochujang mayo sauce

“I liked everything up to the cabbage,” says Poh, who said it was a bit over the top. 

Andy also says that there was just too much going on.

He could be in trouble.

Ben

Wrapped Barramundi in vine leaf with dill and verjus sauce and assorted grapes

Unfortunately, his fish is also under. The judges taste his dish anyway.

Andy says the dish is really interesting. Poh says that he could turn it into a great dish. 

He could be in tomorrow’s pressure test.

We didn’t see dishes from Depinder, Beau, Alana, or Declan.

Who is in the bottom four?

Unfortunately, Rue, Ben, Jimmy, and Tim are all selected to cook in tomorrow’s pressure test.

Ben still has the security of his immunity pin, but the rest will have to cook for their place in the competition.

Pastry chef Steven He will be in the kitchen tomorrow night! In the preview, it looks like the pressure test will be to recreate his balloon puppy cake. It appears very technical…the pressure is definitely on.

Next episode airs on 7.30pm, Tuesday, 20 May on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 12

Welcome to Showstoppers Week! And to another elimination around. 

Last episode, the green and blue team won the challenge, so tonight, Rue, Theo, Andre, Depinder, Beau, Snez, Tim, Matt, and Jamie are cooking for their chance to stay in the game.

Sofia explains that tonight’s challenge is to create “tableside theatre”, a way to add some flair to their dishes to “enhance” the dining experience.

Jean-Christophe, Poh, and Andy demonstrate their “finishing flair”.

Andy goes for a salt-baked mud crab, which he cuts into to reveal the layers of his dish. Honestly, not for me, seems like a lot of work. The crab meat looks great, though, and I would say it tastes amazing.

Next up is Poh, who makes 1000-cut tofu flower. She pours the broth over it and makes it look “alive”. Rue compares it to anemone you would come across while snorkelling. So points for appearance, but for me, I wouldn’t have been interested in eating it.

Jean-Christophe finishes up the demonstrations with a French dessert: crêpe Suzette, complete with flames! Caramel, crepes and flambed fruit? Top marks from me! 

The challenge

As Sofia explained that tonight’s challenge is all about “tableside theatre”.

The nine contestants must add a flair which adds to the dish, but not take it over. 

They have 75 minutes, and the person who cooks the least impressive dish will be going home. 

The cook highlights (and the lowlights)

Jamie is leaning on his bar experience, creating immersive cocktails in dish form. He’s serving a cheese course with a nitrogen “cloud” the judges must breathe in — very theatrical! Once his other elements are done, he tests the cloud machine. If it fails? “Shot of calvados!”

Fireman Beau is making ‘Home Among the Gumtrees’, a tribute to the Anzacs with a fire element. Fitting, coming from a firefighter. His rosemary twill represents gumtree bark and can burn in seconds, so he watches it closely as it cooks.

Depinder’s dish is interactive: oversized pani puri. It all hinges on whether her dough puffs up — and stays that way. If it cracks before judging, she’s got nothing to plate.

Rue is going galactic with a dish called “Dark Matter”: a tempered chocolate dome with mousse, served with coffee-flavoured dry ice. Sofia notes it sounds like a four-hour pressure test, not a 75-minute elimination. Rue knows she’ll need to pivot or push hard.

Matt’s dessert also nods to the Anzacs — a twist on bombe Alaska with coffee, rum and a dramatic tableside flambé. But Italian meringue takes time. In the gantry, Alana and Jimmy wonder if he’ll make it.

Snez is reimagining a picnic: chicken liver parfait and a dramatic bread “karate chop” in front of the judges. Her dish, served in a floral basket, looks stunning—but will the theatrics land?

Andre is giving a history lesson via food: the great fire of Rome, 64 AD. His dish resembles a deconstructed carbonara with guanciale and a semolina foam “fire extinguisher”. Dramatic? Definitely.

The dishes and the judges’ comments

Depinder

Raj Kachori 

She cracks it in front of the judges and explains each element as she goes. She literally covers it in yoghurt and chutney. Depoinder gets emotional as she describes her experiences with this dish throughout her entire life. 

“There is just so much going on,” says Andy. “ And it just works seamlessly…in looks, taste, and texture.”

Jamie

Comte custard, macadamia and pear sorbet with a flavoured cloud.

Tensions are high as Jamie starts making his flavoured cloud. He hasn’t used the machine before, so it could go terribly wrong. However, the bubbles rise to his delight and the delight of the judges and the other cooks in the gantry.

“You have nailed the brief,” says Andy before the judges even taste the dish.

His twist on a cheese course was loved by all the judges, not too sweet, “well-executed”. He’s definitely safe tonight.

Andre

Pasta Alla Carbonara with grappa he sets alight and then puts out with his semolina foam. 

Andre definitely brings the drama as he acts out being a fireman with the foam to the amusement of the judges.

An “arresting performance for all the wrong reasons,” says Poh. She describes his dish as “flawless”.

Tim

Gold Rush Campfire Beans” with cheese damper scones and red gum chips to create campfire smoke as he lifts the cloche. 

Jean-Christophe calls the dish “delicious” and “delighted” to be introduced to damper. 

Theo

Greek filo pastry tarts with semolina custard and a sugar top. He smashes one of the tarts to represent the practice of smashing plates, which is done for good luck in Greek culture. 

The judges love it and the dessert.

Snez

Picnic in a meadow with chicken liver parfait, lavosh bread, pickles, and chutney presented in a basket of foraged flowers.

However, despite the parfait and lavosh being delicious, Snez did not deliver on the drama. She could be in trouble.

Rue

Dark Matter: coffee and caramel entremet, hazelnut ice cream and dry ice as her added flair.

Unfortunately, the dry ice doesn’t manifest in the cloud of smoke that Rue had planned. And the tempered chocolate didn’t crack as she placed it on a soft ice cream. 

“You are very good at those dark chocolate caramel flavours,” says Sofia. “You’ve not pulled off the dry ice.”

Rue could be in trouble as well.

Beau

Home among the Gumtrees with black tea ice cream, Anzac biscuit, plum jam and rosemary twill. His added flair was smoking gum leaves to immerse the judges in a scene.

“This is the best plate of food you’ve cooked by a country mile,” says Andy.

“I’m blown away,” says Sofia.

Matt

The Rising Sun, Anzac biscuit bombe Alaska

Unfortunately, his meringue split as he didn’t have enough time for it to cool. The resulting dish is “a bit wet” and “overly boozy”.

Matt could be in trouble.

Who leaves MasterChef Australia?

The three top dishes today were from Beau, Depinder, and Jamie, who Poh says brought “flavour, flair and all the feels.”

Matt, Rue, and Snez were all singled out as the bottom three dishes. The result was not unanimous, according to Andy. It came down to flavour. And so, the judges decide to send Matt home.

“I loved it even more the second time around,” says Matt. “It’s liberating coming back.”

“I’m sad to be going home, but it’s been an amazing experience… As a dentist, I’m going to be leaving with a smile!”

Next episode airs on 7.30pm, Monday, 19 May on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 11

Bonjour tout le monde! Hello, everyone, welcome to France! Tonight on MasterChef, they are bringing some French flair to the kitchen.

It’s not very subtle, from the flags adorning the gantry and walls, the statues, and even the MasterChef sign is in red, white and blue.

Poh does her best French impression as she introduces Jean-Christophe to the kitchen and announces that today is a French restaurant service challenge.

Jean-Christophe is having the time of his life, completely in his element. It’s set to be a fun episode.

The Challenge

The Michelin-star winning chef will be running the service challenge, and who are they serving? Teachers! 

The contestants are split into four teams: brown, green, grey, and blue. 

• Brown: Ben, Rue, Theo, Andre, and Depinder.
• Green: Laura, Jimmy, Samira, Alana and Rhainnon.
• Blue: Audra, Sarah, Declan, Darrsh, and Callum.
• Grey: Beau, Snez, Tim, Matt, and Jamie.

Each team has to serve two courses of French cuisine, a dessert and a main. One of which must be classic French style, and one that’s French with a twist. 

The two top teams will win immunity from Sunday’s elimination.

The cook highlights (and lowlights)

Green team:

Alana is chosen as the team captain. For their main, braised fennel and seafood bisque and bread with tarragon butter. Jean-Christophe gives Jimmy a little wine lesson, and they switch out a Sauv Blanc for a Pernod. 

They go for a twist in their dessert, an apple tart tatin, but with modern elements and native Australian ingredients. 

Alana notices that the grey team and sees they are also working on a tarte tatin, so it will come down to their twists and which is more impactful.

Grey team:

Beau is the team captain for the grey team. We haven’t seen much of Beau this season, so it’s nice to find out more about the home cook turned firefighter. He calls himself an “underdog” compared to the other cooks in the challenge, however, he can operate well under pressure, which could give him an edge. 

They have a very similar idea to the green team, with a twist in their dessert, and the dessert is an apple tarte tatin! However, when their apples come out of the oven, they are quite dark…but they do taste great. 

Coq au vin for their main, which the judges think might be too time-consuming for the allotted cook time. Despite that, the chicken does come out looking nice, however, the stock for the sauce is way too salty. If they reduce it down as planned, it will not be edible. Therefore, Beau decides that they are going to make a rue using the stock instead. Still a French classic.

Blue team:

Audra is a natural choice for a team leader as she has worked in many restaurants. They are going for a bouillabaisse for their main with Indian spices. Sarah is leading that as she cooks in a French style with Indian flavours. Should be perfect! Callum and fish man Declan are breaking down the fish for the stew. 

Darrsh is creating a classic French dessert, Paris-Brest. He cooked one before on MasterChef, which Jean-Christophe said was one of the best he’s ever eaten. He just needs to recreate and scale it up for the service challenge!

However, there’s a slight snag, he notices that the brown team are also creating the same dessert. 

Brown team:

Theo is the team captain, he reckons, because he can speak French, has a French fiancée and lived there in the past.

Their team are making a bouef en crout, similar to a beef wellington, with a twist of using black garlic puree and a classic Paris-Brest. Jean-Christophe points out that black garlic might not be a big enough twist for the challenge. And Poh and the other judges reckon they won’t have time to cook all the elements in the dish. 

The energy in the brown team is a little hectic, thanks mostly to Andre, who is leading the main cook, but they are getting it done. But they might not have enough time to rest the meat. However, it comes out looking nice; let’s hope the judges agree.

The dishes and the judges’ remarks

Blue team:

Main: Kerala Style Bouillabaisse

“That is good,” says Poh.

“I think it is the perfect twist, but it’s not overdone,” says Andy.

Dessert: Paris-Brest

“The choux pastry is fantastic..the filling is so yum,” says Poh.

However, the filling is a lot richer than the Brown team’s take. 

Grey team:

Main: Coq au vin with Paris mash and baby onions

“It’s a really beautifully balanced sauce,” says Poh. She continues that the mash is “luscious”.

Dessert: Apple tarte Tatin with lemon myrtle ice cream

“Pastry is perfection, but the apple is pretty intensely caramelised…,” says Poh, but the lemon myrtle ice cream is out of balance and very heavy with the lemon myrtle. 

Brown team:

Main: Boeuf en Croute with black garlic puree.

“I don’t think it’s balanced,” says Sofia. “It’s incredibly salty.”

Andy reckons this was a case of one too many cooks in the kitchen working on different elements without tasting them all together. 

Dessert: Paris-Brest with hazelnut praline

“Delicious”, says Andy. 

“Light as a feather,” says Poh.

And Sofia said it could have been the best one she ever had. Hard to beat! 

Green team:

Main: Seafood bisque with crunchy roll and braised fennel.

“Beautifully cooked lobster,” says Andy, who describes the broth as luxurious.

Sofia and Poh also loved it. 

Dessert: Apple Tarte Tatin with anise myrtle ice cream with fingerlime caramel

“That ice cream is so refreshing, and it balances everything out,” says Sofia. 

Which teams have secured immunity?

As aforementioned, the top two teams from today’s challenge will be exempt from Sunday’s elimination round. But who has scored immunity?

First up, the green team! The bisque and “bloody tasty” tarte tatin won it for them.

Second team, the blue team! “Excellent” twist on the main and Darrsh’s aris-Brest secured the win for the blue team.

However, Tinder and Rue got a special shout-out for their Paris-Brest. 

And so, the green and blue team (plus Ben) can rest easy, they are safe for another week. 

And what’s happening this Sunday? In the preview, it looks like an exciting and, dare I say, dramatic? The judges are looking for showstoppers! 

Next episode airs at 7pm on Sunday, 18 May 2025, on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 10

Curtis Stone is back in the MasterChef kitchen! And fun fact, this is Curtis’ first time setting a pressure test on MasterChef. Plus, knowing Curtis Stone, it’s going to be a meaty dish! However, although it’s a pressure test, the cooks are wearing white aprons, meaning no one is going home.

Tonight, the contestants are cooking for immunity.

But, this season the contestants are Back to Win, so you know there is going to be a twist…no recipe!

The Challenge

Tonight, the cooks must recreate Curtis’s pork loin with beurre monté, braised fennel, pistachio dukkah, and carrot puree.

However, as aforementioned, there’s a major twist: they have to cook without a recipe!

Thankfully, Curtis demonstrates how to make the beurre monté and cook the pork loin. The contestants have to mentally take note of each of the steps; no notes are allowed here.

The contestants will have an hour to recreate Curtis’s pork loin dish. All the ingredients they need are on their benches. They’ve been shown how to make two elements…they will just have to figure out the rest. 

Whoever creates a dish that most resembles Curtis’s will win immunity from the next elimination challenge.

The cook highlights (and lowlights)

Ben wants to ensure he has plenty of time to finesse his dish, so he decides to multitask and cook everything at once. It’s a risky strategy, but he’s determined. And in fact it works! Ben gets all his elements done with time to spare for plating. The only issue is that the caramelisation on his pork doesn’t quite match Curtis’s.

Jimmy is very deliberate with his cooking, making sure he’s ready with each element before moving on. However, that strategy means that he doesn’t get to his fennel until he has about 15 minutes left of cooking time. It could be what causes him to lose immunity…

Andre started pretty chill and has quickly ramped up in speed. His cook is a little frantic, to be honest.

“Even exercising, I don’t sweat that much,” he says to the camera in response to his sweating from nerves and the heat of the kitchen.

However, he is absolutely having a great time in what he describes the “chaotic cook of Andre.” Just as he says that, he forgets to strain his carrot sauce for the puree, instead adding all the liquid to the blender, essentially making a nice carrot soup. Oops.

Snez takes a different route from the rest of the contestants. She decides to start with her veggies, as she says they will take longer to cook than the pork.

Unfortunately, the pork needs to be cooked in the buerre monté! She isn’t sure that she will have enough time for the sauce to reduce and cook the pork…we shall see.

“Definitely stuffed it up,” she says as she whisks her beurre monté. She calculates that she will have about three minutes to finish the sauce, slice the pork, and plate.

The dishes and the judges’ remarks

Curtis confesses to the judges that none of the contestants are cooking the dish the way he would. But will they taste similar?

Ben

“You’ve pulled it off, you should be pretty stocked,” says Andy.

“The absolute highlight of your plate right here is the fennel; it is magical,” says Curtis. “It is a great plate of food

I think you are amazing,” says Jean-Christophe, who definitely has a kitchen crush on Ben.

Jimmy

“I think that you made a really good attempt,” says Curtis. “I think you’ve gotten really close.”

He praises his beurre monté. But Poh remarks that his fennel is under. And Sofia and Poh both comment on his carrot sauce, which is a more “rustic” take on Curtis’s dish – he added meat juices.

Andre

“The flavour of your sauce is divine,” says Curits, but his pork is just on the cusp of a perfectly cooked.

Sofia says that some cooks are better at following recipes and some are better at creating their own dishes…and Andre is definitely better at creating his unique dishes!

So, he’s probably not winning today!

Snez

“There’s a nice char on the pork fillet,” says Curtis. “That pork is really beautifully cooked.”

“Close to pork of the day,” adds Andy.

The carrot puree and the fennel were fantastic. However, the beurre monté is out of whack because she didn’t have enough time to reduce. Despite that, her dish is the one that looks the most like Curtis’s. 

Who wins immunity?

The two dishes that really impressed the judges were made by Ben and Snez!

“They were a delight to eat,” says Poh.”But one was just that much closer to Curtis’s in look and in taste.”

And that dish…was Ben! 

He has already won an immunity pin, and now he’s immune from the next elimination. Could he be an early contender for winning the entire season?

Tomorrow night, there will be another opportunity for the contestants to win immunity from the next elimination round. In the preview, it looks like Jean-Christophe is taking over the MasterChef kitchen and turning it into a French restaurant. Could it be a service challenge with a French twist? Turn in tomorrow to find out.

Next episode airs at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 14 May 2025, on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 9

New week and a new theme. However, the episode opens not with a mystery box as expected, the contestants are greeted with a line-up of LG’s Knock Knock fridges in the MasterChef kitchen. Turns out the challenge is mystery fridges! 

The Challenge

As aforementioned, the task is mystery fridges. But how does that work? There are four fridges for the cooks to choose from. However, the twist is that they won’t know what kinds of ingredients they have until after they have chosen the fridge, and then they get to knock on the fridge for its contents to be revealed. An overt but fun product placement. 

It’s implied but not outwardly stated that the judges have selected the ingredients for the fridges next to them. So, the contestants gravitate towards the judge’s fridge whose cooking style is most similar to their own. 

Which fridge do they choose?

Jean-Christophe: Snez, Laura, Samira, Andre, Rue, Alana, Ben, and Matt.

Poh: Audra, Darrsh, and Depinder.

Andy: Jamie, Beau, Callum, Rhiannon, and Tim.

Sofia: Declan, Jimmy, Sarah, and Theo.

What’s inside the fridges:

Jean-Christophe: Rinds! Think orange rinds, pork rinds, and the rinds of cheese. The contestants were expecting foie gras, caviar, and other delectable French ingredients. This could be trickier…

Poh: Pastry offcuts. One of which is made with blue cheese, so strong flavours.

Andy: Herb stalks. Jamie grimaces in response.

Sofia: Leftover pickle juices. “Really scraping the barrel, eh?” remarks Theo in response. 

If it’s not been obvious to you yet, it’s clear the task is to reduce food waste in the kitchen. 

“While some may see these ingredients as scraps, we see them as shortcuts to flavour town,” says Poh.

The challenge is to use these nifty leftover cooking items in a unique way to create a stand-out dish.

They have access to the pantry and garden, and 75 minutes to cook. 

The best four dish makers will be cooking in tomorrow night’s episode for immunity. 

And the top dish’s maker will score a $5000 LG voucher to stock their dream kitchen. 

The cook highlights (lowlights)

The cooks are very much on board with the concept of today’s challenge, as they all hate food waste and recognise it is a big problem.

Andre has decided to get a bit “wacky” with his dish, although to me just sounds delicious: tortellini en brodo but inverted, instead of meat-filled tortellini, he’s making an orange zest and parmesan filling and a clarified broth made with quail. Andy warns him not to be too convoluted and make sure it’s balanced and tasty.

Jimmy is cooking a dish that is inspired by his mother’s pickled cucumber salad with scampi, swapping out some elements for Sofia’s pickling juices. 

“Food and family is always a part of our DNA,’ says Jimmy. “Mummy, this is for you!”

Snez is very excited about the challenge, she even has a compartment in her fridge at home that she keeps stocked with rinds. So this challenge should be right up her alley. 

Audra went with Poh’s dessert offcuts, and is planning to make a cardamon ice-cream…that looks like a chicken schnitzel. 

Darrsh also chose Poh’s fridge, he opted for the blue cheese tartlets offcuts. She warns him that because they have been worked on already, they could shrink a lot in the oven. And she’s right! He has to shave them down to ensure they “look nice”.

Ben’s cheese sauce is punchy, it’s apparently taking over the kitchen with its smell. He’s planning to serve it with quail, and could overpower everything else on his dish. Balance will be key for him. He adds some cauliflower leaves (another frequently leftover ingredient) to add some new textures and flavour balance.

The dishes and the judges’ remarks

Snez:

Pasta Veil with sautéed mushrooms, parmesan pomme puree, chicken and pancetta broth, orange rind salt, and smoked yolk.

“This is a masterpiece as a dish,” says Jean-Christophe, praising her choice of ingredients and how well everything is cooked.

Jimmy:

Scampi Asian salad with nam jim and pickled cucumber.

“That is a plate full of just OMG mate”, says Andy. “No matter what you try…you just get a slight hum of the pickled ginger juice.”

Audra:

Cardamon and cinnamon kulfi

“I think you’ve done a fantastic job,” says Poh. 

Tim:

Thai green curry scampi

“That’s my favourite curry I’ve had so far in the MasterChef kitchen,” says Sofia. High praise!

Samira:

Chicken kabsa with mint and tomato chilli salsa

“I love it,” says Jean-Christophe. 

Laura:

Tortellini en brodo

“The broth is deep, it’s rich, it’s just a really perfect dish to go with today’s challenge,” says Andy.

Alana:

Burnt orange peel sorbet, with a fennel namelaka and a white chocolate shard.

“It’s fresh, it’s colourful, it’s just perfect,” says Jean-Christophe.

Ben:

Pan-roasted quail with cauliflower puree, cauliflower leaves and pancetta, and quail jus. 

“I absolutely love your dish, I think it is very well executed,” says Jean-Christophe.

Sofia loved his decision to include the cauliflower leaves to add another layer to the dish. Top marks.

Rhiannon:

Lamb gozleme with pickled coriander stems, with herb stalks in the mince and in the yoghurt

“Is it up there with one of the tastiest things we’ve had today?” Andy asks. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, definitely!”

He describes the pickled stems as genius, a great use of a leftover ingredient.

Declan:

Okonomiyaki with coral trout and a dashi

“I think it was really ambitious,” says Poh. “The okonomiyaki alone is really salty and the dashi just feels a little bit off-whack.”

Darrsh

A blue cheese and beetroot tartlet

Unfortunately, the tartlet’s thickness varied in places and gave an unpleasant mouthfeel and didn’t allow the other ingredients to shine, according to Poh.

Theo

Ginger pickle pork skewers with dill pickle and brioche.

“The dill was a weird choice,” says Poh. And Andy found his brioche quite “dense”.

Callum:

Coriander and parsley noodles with coriander and chilli tamarind sauce with lobster.

“You definitely have a knack for flavours…everything is actually well-balanced,” says Jean-Christophe.

“So creative and so well executed,” says Andy.

Andre:

Tortellini en brodo (inverted): with Orange and parmesan tortellini with pancetta rind and quail consommé and saffron.

“This is a magical piece of yourself”, says Jean-Christophe. “Your pasta is impeccable…your broth is well-balanced.”

“It’s dishes like this that prove that you are back to win!,” says Andy.

So he pulled it off!

We didn’t see the dishes from Beau, Matt, Rue, Depinder, or Sarah.

What were the winning dishes?

The top four dishes were made by, to no one’s shock, Andre, Jimmy, Snez, and Ben.

But who wins the big prize? Andre! He did all three ingredients in Jean-Christophe’s fridge justice. 

Tomorrow night, the four winning contestants will be going head to head in a pressure test set by the one and only Curtis Stone! With a twist: no recipe!

Next episode airs at 7.30pm on Tuesday, 13 May 2025, on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 8

Tonight we have the return of a classic MasterChef challenge: the one-inch cube taste test. However, as it’s MasterChef: Back to Win, they are throwing in a curveball. 

If you don’t believe that people eat with their eyes, this challenge could prove you wrong!

The challenge

As aforementioned, the task is a taste test. Food items are cut into cubes in an attempt to conceal or camouflage them. The contestants are then blindfolded, and one by one, they have to taste and guess what the item is. If they are correct, they are safe for another round. If they are wrong, they go into the elimination cook.

However, there is a twist. Tonight, instead of the cooks tasting for individual immunity from the elimination cook, they will be divided into teams. Furthermore, they have to decide who from their team will represent them in the challenge, as only one person from each team will taste. And the pressure is on for them, if they get just one cube wrong, their entire team ends up in round two, aka the elimination cook.

“No pressure, right?” says Poh to the contestants who are already sizing up their fellow cooks.

That is everyone except Theo, who won this week’s pressure test, so he is safe from the elimination cook.

The three teams are:

• One: Steph, Snez, Jamie, Andre, Matt, and Tim.
• Two: Audra, Depinder, Jimmy, Samira, Beau, Sarah, and Alana
• Three: Callum, Rhiannon, Laura, Declan, Ben, Darrsh, and Rue

And their tasters are Jamie, Audra, and Laura. Both Laura and Audra have done this challenge before, but it’s Jamie’s first time.  

The Taste Test

As always, the tasting starts off with easier food cubes to taste.

Round one: First up, for team 1, Jamie tastes a “tacky and rubbery” black cube that he says smells like nothing. He correctly guesses it as liquorice. Audra says “ew” as she feels hers. She correctly guesses tomato! Laura’s first one is an easy taste. She sniffs it and smiles. “Definitely chocolate.” Correct.

Round two: Jamie’s next one is also an easy one for him: apple! Audra swiftly and correctly guesses her “favourite fruit in the world”: mango. Laura also gets watermelon correct in seconds.

Round three: Jamie is up again, gets a slightly soft yellow cube and then laughs as he tastes it. It’s his “son’s favourite ingredient at the moment”. He often finds his son’s bite marks in it in the fridge: butter! Audra gets ginger correct. Next up, Laura gets a suspicious-looking white morsel. “That feels really odd”, she says. Not much of a smell, and it feels “fake”. But then she tastes and giggles, it’s mushrooms!

Round four: Jamie easily guesses pineapple. Audra correctly guesses pork. Laura correctly describes her cube as Parmigiano.

Round five. Things are getting trickier for the testers. Jamie’s is smooth, but wet and sweet. He immediately thinks of fruit. But can’t seem to narrow it down. He thinks it’s a stonefruit and guesses plum… unfortunately, he is incorrect: it was a strawberry! 

So Jamie and his team are going into the elimination cook.

The elimination cook challenge

The contestants can cook whatever they want using the ingredients from the cube taste test. However, there are no herbs, no sugar, and no condiments. Plus, the pantry and the garden are both closed. They have 75 minutes. The least impressive dish will send its maker home. 

The elimination cook highlights (and lowlights)

Matt is heading down the Italian route and has decided to make a mushroom tortellini. His cook is relatively straightforward. 

Andre gets creative and conceptualises a fun trofie dish inspired by Twisties using carrots and corn. At one point, he kneads his two pasta doughs with both hands simultaneously! 

Jean-Christophe and Poh come over to admire him rolling his trofie, which Jean-Christophe describes as “fantastic”.

Snez is going for a “gutzy dish from her home town” using fennel, pork and orange. 

“It’s either you love it or you hate it,” she says as it’s 90 per cent fennel. Sounds like it could be risky, Snez! She realises that even her sisters hate this dish (which is her mum’s speciality), but she has no time to change it.

Tim is going classic with pork and apple, using pork belly and an “awesome apple sauce” with pickled apple. Unfortunately, when the pork is cooked, the skin is nowhere near crispy enough. So he decides to cook the skin in hot oil to get it crispy.

Jamie is feeling embarrassed and guilty after failing the taste test. His confidence is shot. However, Jean-Christophe gives him a pep talk, which switches him back on. He decides to cook duck a l’orange. Unfortunately, he overcooks his duck. He doesn’t have enough time to cook and rest another duck breast, but he gives it a go anyway! He gets his second one done in time, but didn’t have enough time to rest. 

Steph is “feeling good”. She loves to create easy, family-friendly meals on her Frugal Foodie online account. So, she’s going to channel that today using pork belly with an Asian-style caramel. She’s using belachan (fermented prawn paste), which Poh warns her is quite powerful, so balance will be key to a successful dish. 

The dishes and the judges’ remarks

Snez

Koromac with fennel and potato stew with freshly made bread, and a bed of smoked pancetta.

Andy has a big reaction as he tastes. Sofia appears to love it as she mops it up with the fresh bread and drinks the broth from her bowl. 

Well, sign me up to the small percentage of people who love that dish,” says Andy. He loves it!

“It is smoky, sweet, aniseed deliciousness.”

Steph

Pork belly with belachan caramel sauce and coleslaw with celeriac, fennel and green apple. 

“Good texture on the sauce,” says Jean-Christophe.

Unfortunately, the belachan “overpowered” her caramel sauce, according to Andy.

Even worse, the piece of pork she chose for her dish was on the fattier side of the pork belly. Jean-Christophe was really not impressed. She could be in trouble.

Tim

Pork & Apple: pork belly, apple and fennel sauce, a parsnip and apple puree, and pickled apple.

Unlike Steph, Tim’s pork belly selection is much better received by the judges

“He has absolutely redeemed that crackling,” says Poh.

Jean-Christophe also described the parsnip sauce as “exciting”!

Andre

Twisties: Carrot and corn trofie and carrot puree with peanut verde and lime buerre noisette

“It looks stunning,” says Andy. “I hope it tastes as good as it looks.”

“It’s like a flashback to me,” says Jean-Christophe. Andre’s technique brings him completely back to his childhood. “It is immaculate.”

Matt

Potato and Bacon tortellini with a mushroom cappuccino broth

“The pasta work is well done,” says Andy. “ The tortellini are so spot on.”

The broth was boring and one-dimensional for Poh and Jean-Christophe. And there are no interesting textures according to Sofia.

“It’s quite dull,” finishes Andy.

Matt could be in trouble as well.

Jamie

Duck l’orange with orange jus, celeriac 

“I think Jamie’s actually pulled it off,” says Sofia. His sauce is “silky smooth”.

“It was so delicious,” says Poh. Her duck wasn’t rested, but the cook was great. 

The other elements of his dish saved it for Jean-Christophe.

Who was sent home from MasterChef?

Surprisingly, the judges sent Steph de Sousa home from MasterChef. 

Her slaw was refreshing and crisp, but the fat in her pork was not rendered, and the belachan overpowered her caramel sauce. 

“I’ve had the best time,” says Steph. “I’m just really happy to have this experience again.” In her words, he came, she cooked, she conquered, well, not quite.

However, the now famous cookbook author has many other feathers in her cap, from her cookbooks, her website and colourful online presence. Read more about what she has going on here. 

MasterChef: Back to Win will be back on Monday, and in the preview, it looks like the one and only Curtis Stone will be back in the MasterChef kitchen this week!

Next episode airs on at 7.30pm  Monday, 12 May, 2025, on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 7

It’s the third day of Legends Week, and Shannon Bennett is in the MasterChef kitchen. 

Last night, we said goodbye to Sav, and tonight the cooks will be battling it out to see who will not have to cook in Sunday’s elimination challenge.

The cooks walk into Shannon, cooking up a storm at the top of the kitchen. Shannon has been a longtime feature on the show. He’s been a mentor, he’s set challenges, he’s been a guest judge, and he’s seen as a great teacher to the contestants. And the feeling is mutual with the guest legend, at one point he calls Declan his “second son”.

At first, it appears that Shannon is just sharing some tips as he deep fries scallops and fries up black pudding. But he starts to mention that he’s “rushing”, to which Laura asks, “Why are we rushing?” 

It turns out he’s setting expectations for tonight’s challenge: 20-minute cook!

The Challenge

They can cook whatever they want in the 20-minute timeframe. The pantry and garden are open. Whoever cooks the best dish will be safe from elimination on Sunday night.

Because they can cook whatever they want, but that short timeframe means they have to concentrate on flavour and technique to impress the judges. The challenge is forcing the cooks to be creative and think on their toes. I reckon we’re going to see some of the best (and worst) dishes of the season tonight.

The Cook Highlights (and Lowlights)

There’s an immediate, frantic rush to the pantry. With only 20 minutes to cook, we get to see more of the contestants – and their backstories.

As a young mum, Depinder is used to whipping up quick, nutritious meals. Alana’s in the same boat – she usually has just 15 minutes to cook for her kids, so 20 is “a luxury”!

Poh challenges Jean-Christophe to make moules marinière. He tosses off his blazer and dives in, though he gets distracted sniffing pantry ingredients. Will he finish in time?

Callum goes rogue, attempting a soufflé – a 45-minute dish – plus sorbet. “I’m starting to think making a soufflé is a really stupid choice,” he says. But he nails it, and the judges eat it straight from his bench, still warm from the oven.

Most contestants opt for seafood, quick and reliable, or raw dishes. Theo leans into his dough skills with traditional Greek loukoumades, a dish he’s made countless times, just not this quickly.

Beau, barely seen until now, creates an elevated fish and chips with tuna ceviche. Declan is sweating through his shirt, prompting Andy to joke, “Makes me think you’re trying to make Dad proud.”

Some stay cool; others, like Audra, greet the judges with a panicked “Ahhhh!” Even Jean-Christophe feels the heat – but loves the adrenaline. “Sense the energy and enjoy it,” he says.

He finishes just in time, presenting seafood marinière in a huge bowl, complete with camembert and straws so the other judges can slurp up the sauce.

“That is fantastique!” says Poh. His chef and judging credentials remain intact.

The Dishes and the Judges’ Remarks

Callum

Lime and passionfruit soufflé with a mango and coconut rum sorbet

“I absolutely adored the flavours, says Jean-Christophe. 

Shannon compliments his technique and the balance of flavours. 

Theo

Loukoumades with mandarin, lemon, thyme and honey syrup and mahlab glaze (made with ground cherry pits).

The judges literally clamour to get more of Theo’s loukoumades. 

“They are absolutely banging,” says Andy. “ A beautiful crisp shell and super airy.”

“Fantastic, mate,” says Shannon, short and sweet!

Laura

Prawn cocktail with single-serve prawns on a dainty leaf of lettuce for each judge.

“Laura, guess what?” asks Andy. “It’s a perfect prawn cocktail.”

Sarah

Coconut beurre blanc, seared scallops and cabbage

“Ooh la la,” remarks Jean-Christophe. “I love the combination of the raw, the cooked, and this fantastic original beurre blanc.”

Jamie

Kingfish kinilaw

“You needed to pack a lot into that crudo,” says Poh. “And you did!”

Alana

Panfried flounder with a zhoug sauce and crispy saltbush

Unfortunately, she missed a couple of bones, which she confessed. Normally, that would mean that she would be at the bottom of the task. However, the sauce is beautiful. So much so that Jean-Christophe licks it off his hands.

“It is delicious, such a beautiful plate of food,” says Poh.

Shannon says the fish is cooked perfectly. 

Samira

Kibbeh nayyeh (traditional Middle Eastern raw meat dish)

“I loved it,” says Shannon. “It tells a story on the plate and a bit about you, too.”

Snez

Uštipci doughnuts with grilled plum sauce and mascarpone

“Ten for the plum sauce,” says Andy. However, the doughnuts themselves needed a little more air.

Ben

Beef carpaccio with beer-battered oysters.

“I think you cooked the oysters perfectly,” says Sofia.

Jimmy

Kingfish 

“Really really clever,” says Poh, who also remarks that the flavours are singing.

Andre

Ajo Blanco: prawn crudo with a squid ink crisp.

“That is an absolute banger,” remarks Andy. 

“Amazing,” adds Shannon.

Declan

Kingfish crudo with a tomato verjuice consommé

“That looks amazing, son,” says Shannon. 

“Harmonising that dish together works really well,” he adds after he’s had a taste. “I really like it. I was worried because it just didn’t look like you, but it actually tastes like you.”

He had some constructive criticism, but really, the judges loved it.

Beau

Tuna ceviche with horseradish, celery heart, chilli, avocado and potato chips on the side.

“A great idea,” says Andy. “I just think you just needed like 25 per cent more of like the power.”

Rhiannon

Prawns and noodles

“Excellent noodles, delightful broth…the prawns…they’re really under,” says Poh.

Audra

Grilled prawns with tamarind and chillies

Andy found that the dish was missing some acid or lime.

“It’s there, but it’s not there.” 

Depinder

Coconut fish bream parcel with cumin rice and coconut chutney

“Smells incredible,” says Sofia

The cook on the fish is perfect. The spices and aromatics are perfectly balanced.

“This is the type of food that I love,” says Jean-Christophe.

Shannon said it’s ready to go on a restaurant menu.

We didn’t see dishes from Darrsh, Rue, Tim, Matt or Steph.

Who won the challenge?

The top four dishes were from Alana (surprising given the fish bones), Andre, Depinder, and Theo. 

“It was so tough to choose a winner,” says Sofia. “But there was one dish that had us fighting over the last morsel.”

Who’s that: Theo! He’s safe from elimination on Sunday.

He sends a thank you to his yaya, who used to make the loukamedes when he was growing up.

On Sunday, a legendary channel is coming back: the cube taste test…with a twist.

Next episode airs on Sunday, 11 May, 2025, on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 6

Tonight is the first pressure test of the season! Taking part in the challenge are Darrsh, Ben (who has the security of his immunity pin), Sav, and Sarah (who was ill earlier in the week and so was placed in the pressure test).

Sav’s pressure test from her last appearance on the show sent her home. She says that that knowledge does weigh on her. However, the one thing she has never done in the MasterChef kitchen is give up. 

Bec was also sent home on a pressure test, but he isn’t too concerned thanks to the shiny immunity pin on his lapel.

It’s Legend’s Week, remember, and we already know from last night’s teaser that tonight’s legend will be setting the challenge: Kirsten Tibballs.

She has set more challenges in the MasterChef kitchen than any other cook in the history of the competition. She is dessert royalty, the chocolate queen! And her challenge tonight is a doozy.

The Challenge

As aforementioned, the pressure test is set by the chocolate queen, Kirsten Tibballs.

“This is the most technical dessert I have ever created,” Kirsten says. 

Tonight they will be making her Chocolate and Coffee Caviar, complete with a chocolate teaspoon and chocolate mini toasts. 

It’s a chocolate lid, using a mould made from a caviar tin. When you cut through, you see a chocolate cake with a chocolate, coffee, and masala soak, then a mascarpone cream, followed by a coffee and chocolate mousse and then coffee caviar. On the side, there’s the chocolate spoon and mini toasties. 

Kirsten actually created the dish and gained immunity in the MasterChef kitchen while on Dessert Masters.

“Detail is everything, it needs to look and taste just like Kirsten’s. The person whose dish is the most dissimilar to hers will be going home. 

The Cook Highlights (and Lowlights)

Darrsh

“I look at the recipe and it is a book. There is literally a book on my bench,” says Darrsh. He’s planning to take the instructions step by step as they come and not read ahead. 

Darrsh follows his instructions to a tee. He even, at one point, advises Sarah to put her moulds in the fridge – if they stay out too long, they may not come out of the mould. His tempered chocolate moulds come out perfectly! 

He is methodical and follows each step. The only small thing he missed was slightly melting the edges of his chocolate tins so that the edges are crisp. Otherwise, his dish should be perfect.

Sarah

Sarah is a big fan of Kirsten’s, so she’s thrilled she is there, but wants to impress the chocolate queen. 

She does have some difficulty getting the chocolate tins out of their moulds – likely because she didn’t put them in the fridge soon enough. However, with a bit of ease, they eventually come out. 

She again struggles with the coffee pearls. She isn’t sure how, but she gets the formula wrong and they don’t form correctly. Finally, when she goes to plate her dish, she accidentally slops some chocolate mousse on the plate! 

We reckon Sarah could be in trouble.

Sav 

Tempering chocolate is a tricky process. Kirsten warns that that is the biggest pressure point of the challenge. If it’s too thin, the chocolate will crack. But if it’s too thick, it won’t be a nice eating experience.

“I don’t have a comfortable relationship with tempered chocolate,” says Sav. 

Sav can’t figure out how to get the chocolate tins out of the mould, and when she attempts… cracks start to form. 

“Have you read your recipe?” Kirsten asks. And lo and behold, Sav missed that she had to put her moulds in the fridge. She decides not to give up and retemper the chocolate. 

Because Sav had to retemper, she is very behind. With 30 minutes left in the challenge, she hasn’t demoulded her tin, sprayed it, or made the coffee pearls. A lot to get through…And, when she attempts to demould again…the tin base cracks.

She patches together with guidance from Kirsten and frantically gets everything together on the plate

Ben

Tonight is also the first time that Ben is attempting to temper chocolate…in his life.

“Oh, that doesn’t look good,” Kirsten says of Ben’s attempt. He rushes to try again.

Turns out Ben may have a way with tempering chocolate. Ben’s mould comes out to applause from the gantry. Plus, his toasts are great, and he easily pulls ahead of the rest. 

“I am having a blast,” he says to Kirsten.

His elements are good. The only thing is his caviar tin is a tad more yellow than gold. He has tons of nervous energy and is wildly shaking while he plates his dish. However, he gets it together. He has a look at everyone else’s progress and decides not to use his pin and back himself. 

The Dishes and the Judge’s remarks

Ben

“I go so much right, but I know the colour’s wrong,” Ben says.

The judges agree that the colour is off, but his layers are perfect. They admire the thinness and snap of his chocolate tin. 

“That is as fine as yours,” Poh says to Kirsten.

“That is going to be tough to beat,” says Kirsten. “He came out of nowhere, and all of a sudden had a finished dish which is pretty damn impressive.”

Ben is safe!

Darrsh

He is worried about how his dish looks, but the judges are so impressed with his layers and the pearls.

“I think Darrsh has nailed it,” says Jean-Christophe

“Those flavour components were really sensational,” says Kirsten. 

Darrsh is safe!

Sav

She knows her dish doesn’t look like Kirsten’s, she is just hoping the flavours and textures stack up. 

“It’s kind of a disaster and a triumph,” says Poh. She has all the elements, but not executed well.

Jean-Christophe calls her toasts “superb”, but the chocolate thickness throws off the dish. 

She’s in trouble.

Sarah

Last up is Sarah, who had trouble with the pearls and the mousse.

“The tin looks money,” says Andy. “It looks so good.” But makes comments about how she’s hidden the gooier pearls.

 Her toasts are a bit inconsistent. Her pearls are wet. But her tin is dubbed the tin of the day!

She’s in trouble, too.

So, who is the bottom dish of the day?

Ben’s dish was named the best of the bunch! Identical to Kirsten’s, as Andy says. 

Because the dish is all about the tin, Sarah is safe as hers was perfect. 

Furthermore, Darrsh’s layers were executed perfectly. 

And so, unfortunately, Sav’s dish was deemed the most dissimilar to Kirsten’s, and she is sent home!

Tomorrow night, another legend is heading to the kitchen: Shannon Bennett.

He’s setting the immunity challenge. Can’t wait to see it. 

Next episode airs on Tuesday, 6 May, 2025, on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 5

It’s a mystery box episode! 

The episode opens with a look back on the iconic dishes the cooks have created in their previous seasons. Will they have to recreate a dish? Nope, Peter Gilmore set all the challenges where the dishes were created.

Theo starts to worry as it was his Peter Gilmore pressure test which sent him home on his last season.

 Laura and Callum both lost their respective winning spot thanks to Peter Gilmore’s challenges. 

Andy shares that this is “Legend’s Week.”

“We are packing every day with star power,” says Andy. “And we’re kicking it off with the first mystery box of the competition set by one of the most celebrated legends of all.”

Enter: Peter Gilmore. 

Peter is a mainstay in the MasterChef kitchen. We were bound to see him, it’s great to see him so early in the season!

The Challenge

What’s in the box: Free range chicken, baby squid, lemon, eggplant, cherries, spring onion, vanilla, oloroso cherry, prunes, dark chocolate, leeks, kombu, and gochujang (Korean chilli paste).

They have 75 minutes and must use one of Peter’s “legendary ingredients.” The pantry and garden are closed, but they can use the staple ingredients under the benches. 

Whoever makes the bottom three dishes will be placed in tomorrow night’s pressure test alongside Sarah. The loser of that challenge will be sent home. 

The Cook Highlights (and Lowlights)

Sweet

Having Peter Gilmore in the kitchen gives returning contestants a rare chance to rewrite history.

Callum draws inspiration from Peter’s iconic Snow Egg — the dish that ended his MasterChef journey — crafting a cherry and sherry dessert. He’s not playing it safe either — his dish includes a delicate sugar disc the judges must crack open to reach the dessert.

Rue is also going sweet, with a refined Black Forest Gateau in Peter Gilmore’s signature style. She’s channelling “Minimalist Rue,” avoiding overcomplicating her dish with too many elements from the mystery box. But simplicity comes with risk — any imperfections will be obvious, and the judges worry it won’t stand out among the other Black Forest-inspired creations.

Audra’s one of them. She’s making a “Black Forest-ish” chocolate marbled chiffon Swiss roll with oloroso and vanilla prunes. Tension spikes when she rolls her chiffon sponge — if it cracks, that’s the end of the dish. Andy even has a sticky beak from way across the kitchen while Poh watches up close. But it doesn’t crack!

Depinder takes a bold swing with a gochujang ice cream, paired with lemon curd and gochujang caramel. Balancing sweet, spicy, and citrus is no easy feat — Peter calls it “brave.”

“It’s either going to be sensational, or it’s not,” he says. Off-camera, he confides to Sofia: “You’d need to be a genius with flavours to pull that off.”

Savoury

Sav is making a dish she calls “Textures of Squid”, it has pickled squid, squid noodle, and crispy fried squid and then something delicate that is a bit “PG”, aka Peter Gilmore. But the baby squid proves tricky, and the delicate prep gives her grief.

Squid also haunts Theo — it was the ingredient that knocked him out last time. Now, he’s debating whether to cook it again and “get those demons off my back.”

It’s a sore spot in his MasterChef memory, but this cook offers a shot at redemption — not in Peter’s eyes, but in his own..

“It’s good that you’re facing your demons,” Peter tells him, encouragingly.

“Why not face things head-on?” Theo replies. “I’m back to win.”

Dessert king Darrsh is stepping out of his comfort zone with a savoury dish. With no one going home tonight, he’s using the moment to prove, as Andy puts it, that he’s “more than just a tart shell and what’s inside” — although, point of order, savoury tarts exist, Andy!

But Darrsh starts to stress about time — will his chicken cook through in time? Serving raw chicken is a surefire way to end up in the bottom three.

The Dishes and the Judges’ remarks

Callum:

Cherry, Sherry & Olive Oil: A prune, olive oil and lemon parfait with sherry syrup and a sugar glass shard. Which snaps perfectly.

“That is exactly what you promised

“I love the theatricality,” says Peter Gilmore. “I think you’ve done really well.”

“A dessert is about something that’s really joyous,” he continues. “And that ticks a lot of boxes for me.”

“This is unbelievable, vibrant, sharp, sweet, fresh…Hmm, I like you,” says Jean-Christophe before he gives him a hug. He upgrades it to “I love you” by the end of the exchange. Could we be seeing an early contender for the MasterChef title??

Depinder:

Gochujang choux bun with gochujang ice cream, lemon curd and drizzled with gochujang caramel.

“Depinder, you know what, you’ve pulled it off!” says Peter! “Actually, it’s really delicious, I really like it.” 

So, can we call Depinder a flavour genius now?

Snez

Sweet pita with cherries and ice cream.

“Classic dishes are a classic for a reason,” says Peter. “And when you nail them, which you have, they’re a very, very nice thing to eat.”

Rhiannon:

Egg noodles with fried squid and a thick gochujang sauce.

“You’re noodles are amazing,” says Andy. “They cling onto the sauce, and there’s so much going on [in the sauce].”  He says that her superpower in the kitchen is building flavour.

Tim

Roast chicken, smoked eggplant puree, and a sherry jus.

“That breast is cooked so well,” says Poh. “I loved the smoky eggplant.”

Laura

Squid noodles, spring onions poached in kombu stock.

“It almost squeaks good job,” says Sofia.

Steph

Pepper pavlova and a sherry cherry.

“I love the chewiness of the pav…with the pepper, you actually got the balance right,” remarks Peter. 

Theo

Burnt leek and squid fritters with gochujang mayonnaise.

Is it redemption time? Poh questions Theo’s choice to deep fry the chiffon pastry.

“And you think that worked?” she asks a stressed but determined Theo.

“Cuz it did!” Well done, Poh, on pulling a fast one on Theo and the viewers at home. 

“They are like the lightest, fluffiest, most unexpected texture for something that’s a fritter,” says Poh. “So good. With a beer, perfect!”

“Theo, I think you and squid are friends again,’ says Peter, who welcomes Theo’s hug. 

Yay for redemption and for backing yourself. 

Jamie

Charcoal chicken, gochujang and oloroso sauce with leeks.

“It actually has a lot of complexity,” says Sofia. “And together with those sweet leeks, the whole thing is just roasty toasty supple deliciousness.”

Alana

Cherry, sherry, chocolate and caramel.

“You have a lot going on there,” says Peter. “I find the overall dessert is too impactful and for me, way too sweet.”

Ben

Baby squid fettuccine with a kombu lemon and sherry emulsion.

“The pasta didn’t have enough structure for Andy, who also said “I actually would’ve gone for a thinner shaped pasta” because there’s not a huge amount of flavour of his sauce.

Sav

Textures of squid: a pickled squid, squid noodle and a tempura with squid tentacles paired with a gochujang and leek top oil and an oloroso sherry and chicken broth. 

Unfortunately, the portion was too small for the judges to properly taste each of the elements. Although the oil was lovely, Sofia says, “It’s just too small.”

Rue

The flavours of Black Forest with chocolate crèmeux, cherry jam, pickled cherries, and vanilla ice cream.

The judges love how it looks. But does it stack up with flavour?

“What you’ve done is exceptional,” says Jean-Christophe. “If you cook savoury dishes that way, you are a threat.”

Audra

Marble Chiffon Swiss Roll with stewed oloroso and vanilla prunes. 

“I think the whole thing is just absolutely yum,” says Andy. 

Darrsh

Cherry-glazed charcoal chicken with smoky eggplant with cherry and prune puree, and chargrilled lemon.

“I reckon that’s raw,” says Andy after cutting into the piece. Therefore, the judges can’t taste it, they call the puree “exceptional”. Disappointing for Darrsh, looks like a pressure test for him. 

We didn’t see the dishes for Andre, Beau (who we haven’t seen much of this season thus far), Matt, Jimmy, Declan and Samira. Plus, Sarah is still off sick.

The winners (and losers)

“I’m always impressed with what you guys come up with, and really overall very impressed with the level of passion, and I just wish you all the best in the rest of the competition,” says Peter before leaving the final say to the judges. 

The “great” dishes picked out by judges were Rue’s “so refined” Flavours of Black Forest, Theo’s “fluffy fritters and mouthwatering mayo,” Audra’s “amazing” Swiss roll and Depinder’s “got you dang delicious” gochujang ice cream and caramel.

Unsurprisingly, given the judges’ commentary, the three dishes at the bottom are Darrsh’s (undercooked chicken), Sav’s (too little on the plate), and Ben’s (pasta undelivered).

Sofia shares what the pressure will be tomorrow: “Today you were just using a legend’s ingredients, tomorrow you will be recreating a legend’s dish, and it’s one hell of a masterpiece.”

In the teaser, the one and only chocolate queen, Kirsten Tibballs, will be setting the pressure test. Can’t wait to tune in.

Next episode airs on Tuesday, 6 May 2025, on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 4

Tonight is the first elimination episode. While Pete left earlier in the week due to his cancer diagnosis, tonight marks the first departure after a cooking challenge. No one wants to be the first one out — but someone has to be.

The cooks enter the kitchen and spot something unexpected: the MasterChef trophy. Have we skipped ahead to the grand finale?

As they watch, a projector plays footage of their past appearances — highlight reels, emotional moments… and their eliminations. Suddenly, the trophy’s presence makes sense. They’re back to win it. But tonight, one of them will fall short again. It’s a sobering reminder — and let’s hope this emotional rollercoaster isn’t a regular feature. Our nerves won’t cope!

Even Poh gets reflective. Like the contestants — and fellow judge Andy Allen — she began her journey in the MasterChef kitchen.

 “So formative for me, for my identity,” she shares. “I came in, aged 35, grown ass woman, still trying to prove I’m not just what I look like.”

The judges encouraged her to embrace her heritage. “It was a penny-drop moment. From then on, I haven’t looked back.”

Andy reflects on his own transformation:

“It’s not just about the food. That’s maybe 25 per cent of it. This place teaches you how to laugh, how to grieve,” he says, referencing the loss of fellow judge and friend Jock Zonfrillo. “It’s the lessons you take from these four walls that make you a better cook.”

But now, it’s time to get down to it.

The Challenge

The cooks are asked to create a dish that represents who they are now.

They have access to the pantry, the garden, and all the equipment and 90 minutes to complete their dishes. 

Whoever cooks the least impressive dish will be the first contestant eliminated.

Sarah is sick today and can’t cook, so she’s not here tonight. However, because she’s missing the elimination round, she is automatically placed in the pressure test. 

As Audra won the last episode, she is safe from the cook (and elimination) tonight, so she will be watching from the gantry. 

The cook highlights (and lowlights)

Rue decides to cook a version of one of her first dishes on the show: a Swiss roll. This time, it’s a Yule Log — an elevated version, she says. But while the flavours are great, it might not freeze in time in the blast chiller. She pivots to mini versions that set faster. Good thing too — her Yule Log doesn’t set! She’s gutted, but the minis save her.

Laura is making a double-filled ravioli doppio: one side with braised tarragon and leek, the other with lobster mousse, served with a watercress emulsion and buttery shellfish sauce. The twist? Everything’s pureed. Her daughter Florence is on a puree diet, and Laura’s life revolves around pasta. The dish is a perfect symbol of her journey as both cook and mother.

Rhiannon wants to show how much she’s grown since her last time in the competition. “I’m living my actual dream, and I’m nearly fifty!” she says.

Her first gig after MasterChef was a dumpling class for kids. Now, everyone in Townsville asks for her dumplings! She’s honouring that with coral trout dumplings, using the whole fish — something she’d never have tackled before in the MasterChef kitchen.

Tim’s daunted by the sheer talent in the kitchen. His dream was to start a toastie business — and he did, with Tim’s Toasties. Tonight, he puts his reputation on the line with a Dr Pepper barbecue pulled beef cheek toastie.

Cath is keen to show her growth too, tackling a Japanese dish “with a Cath twist.” There are lots of elements, and Jean-Christophe warns her not to overcook her delicate mushrooms.

The dishes and the judges’ remarks

Steph

Spiced Orange: bottom layer is a ginger and orange curd, Steph’s whole orange blender cake, pistachio, saffron and cardamon kulfi and garam masala orange and cardamon syrup.

Steph shares with the judges that three years ago she quit her job as a chef to care for her sister who was dying, and that’s why she started creating content online. She credits her sister, her now “Guardian Angel”, for all her successes. 

 Sofia can relate to Steph’s journeys as her dad had the same disease as Steph’s sister. She says that when someone you love passes, you absorb part of them and you become their “living memory”. It’s a beautiful moment, will the dish match the emotions?

“It’s delicious, it’s textural and it’s got spice and the crunch of the nuts”, says Sofia, and she wants “more, more, more” of the syrup. 

Andy adds that her kulfi is “dynamite”. 

Darrsh

Sri Lankan spiced pears: poached in cardamon syrup and tossed through a tamarind butternut sauce,

“It’s just brilliant,” says Jean-Christophe. “Fantastique!”

Callum

Three dish platter: Scallops with ndjua butter, farmer’s cheese with a tomato peach and crispy shallot dressing, tuna with a blackberry ponzu.

“All three dishes were really cohesive,” says Poh. All the elements worked perfectly off one another for a balanced dish overall.

Depinder

Thali curry platter: with jeera rice, Shahi Paneer and Tawa style Chicken Maryland, yoghurt and flatbreads. 

“I love it,” says Sofia.

Tim

Forrest Gump Toastie: Dr Pepper barbecue pulled beef cheeks, roasted garlic and jalapeno mayo, mozzarella and vintage cheddar, and extra BBQ sauce for dipping.

“What I love is the braised meat,” says Andy. “But, it’s quite sweet.” 

“It’s so rich all the way through,” says Poh. “I was looking for a bit of respite.”

“It’s a huge gamble,” says Sofia. “I’m not sure it’s paid off.”

Rhiannon

Coral Trout Wontons with a Thai Coconut Curry Broth

“That is delicious,” says Poh. “Everything on that plate is just so incredibly tasty.” 

“So good,” echoes Andy. “You smashed it.”

Jean-Christophe can’t comprehend her modesty, 

Samira

Shakirya (a yoghurt coriander soup) with lamb shank and pilaf.

She restrained the garlic a bit as she thought a yoghurt dish might be a bit too different for the judges. However, they said she should have gone all out. 

“You should’ve gone full pelt,” says Poh. “I wanted to experience the full cultural experience”

Andre

Soft polenta with bugs, blue crab, a bisque and crème fraiche and champagne foam. 

“Polenta. Seafood cooking. Spot on,” says Andy.

Declan

Murray Cod, with a Thai seafood bisque.

As an Asian style dish, I don’t think it’s hitting hard enough with the aromatics,” says Poh. 

Matt

Prawn tortellini with a prawn bisque topped with roe.  

Jean-Christophe throws his spoon down, shakes Matt’s hand and kisses him on the cheek.

“It is close near to perfection,” he says. 

Cath

Japanese mushrooms, grilled on the hibachi, smoked soy cream, pickles, and shiso dipping sauce.

“The mushrooms, you chose beautiful produce…but they’re burnt,” says Sofia. 

Andy says all he can taste is the burnt bits.

Snez

Spanakopita spiral with homemade ricotta (which she made during the cook time) and gardens greens and salted butter. 

“You’re really leaning into all this generational knowledge and you can tell the technique is in your veins,” says Poh.

Sav

Prawns in July: creamy lentil fritters with a whole prawn each 

“Sav, you can safely unclench,” says Andy. “ Looked a picture, and tasted just as good.”

Alana

Cool, sweet and fizzy: an ice cream sandwich with cucumber and mint ice cream with a Kataifi (shredded, vermicelli-like pastry) drenched in syrup 

“That is so delightful,” says Poh. “ It hits the spot on so many levels.”

Ben

Pan-fried snapper with miso and orange reduction.

“Your fish was cooked to perfection,” remarks Jean-Christophe. “It is gastronomical. You’ve got something, mate.” 

Jimmy

“Tooth-Tissse”: inspired by his new career in food photography. It is seared toothfish with tomato dashi, pickled daikon and Neptune’s beard (seaweed).

“Superbly cooked,” says Jean-Christophe. “So well executed.”

Laura

Lobster and leek doppio ravioli with a watercress and shellfish sauce, fresh samphire and fingerlime, which she lovingly calls: “Pasta and Purees”, inspired by her daughter. 

She brings up Jock, whom she worked for, who she says taught her a lot. Laura says that she met her husband because of him. She shares that she didn’t know whether it was the right choice to come back after Jock’s passing. Andy hugs her and assures her she made the right decision. 

“Can we eat the dish, please?” Andy asks, breaking the tension.

After eating, Andy says there is so much of “our good buddy” Jock in her dish. 

“I find it hard to fault anything in that bowl,” says Sofia. “Take off the black apron.”

She discards the apron and heads up to join Audra in the gantry. 

Rue

The backup: Black sesame ganache, coconut sponge, white chocolate, yuzu and mango confit.

“It looks totally dodgy,” says Poh. “But then I tasted it. And the black sesame and the yuzu … it is a magic combination.”

“So well balanced,” echoes Andy. “I’m a happy man.”

“The backup has saved you,” says Sofia.

We didn’t see the dishes from Beau or Jamie and Sarah is off sick.

The results: who is going home?

Laura, Rhiannon, and Jimmy cooked today’s top dishes.

Three dishes are at the bottom: Tim, Samira, and Cath.

Tim took a big risk, Samira held back, and Cath burned her mushrooms, and it turns out that was what led to her elimination. 

“You are an amazing cook,” Andy reminds her. “Hopefully, coming back has reminded you why you said yes a second time”

“It was joy,” says Cath. “That’s what food does for me.”

“I haven’t been here long, but it’s been a beautiful adventure.”

Next episode airs on Monday, 5 May, 2025, on Channel 10 and on demand on 10play.

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Episode 3

The first person to leave the challenge is a blinder: Pete has decided to leave the challenge for “personal reasons”. He is currently undergoing cancer treatment, so chances are it’s related to his personal health.

Back to tonight’s episode, Poh lifts Gordon’s cloche to reveal Gordon’s challenge: Gordon’s favourite late-night dish. In true British fashion, it’s a classic: beans on toast. However, it has that “Gordon Ramsay elevated flair” with the addition of a runny duck egg, chunky bread and special seasoning.

The challenge tonight is to cook their favourite late-night dish. They have 75 minutes, and the best dish will score a spot on Gordon Ramsay’s menu at his new restaurant in London!

The Cook

As aforementioned, the challenge is to cook their favourite midnight snack and thereby share their creativity and their personality with the judges.

So when it comes to late-night snacks, there are a lot of different ideas. Some people instantly think about a dish they’d have on a late night out with their mates (hello Declan’s kebabs), some think about blending cultures (like Audra’s Indian and Japanese dish inspired by her and her husband’s heritage), some think about something sweet and cheeky to enjoy at home (like Darrsh’s native Australian s’mores), and some think about a dish they serve to others (Andre’s spicy assassin pasta that he serves to his workmates). And some, do something fun like reimaging a dish, like Laura’s twist on vegemite on toast by making a vegemite ice cream!

We get a look into what Depinder has been up to since her last MasterChef journey, including her new supper club series, which focuses on sharing regional Indian style cuisine. So her dish is inspired by late-night street eats from India: butter chicken that is literally chicken marinated in butter with beautiful spices. The judges point out that she may not have time to cook the chicken…

The dishes and the judges’ remarks

We won’t cover all the dishes (watch the episode for full details), but in this recap of MasterChef Australia, we’ll share the highlights (and lowlights).

Andre is first up with his Spaghetti Al’Assassin, aka spicy assassin pasta with burrata on top (to counteract the spice in case it’s too much for the judges!) Despite its appearance, Andre’s spicy assassin dish “told a story” to the judges. Jean-Christophe said he thinks he’s “mad” for doing something “quirky” and “bizarre”, but it works.

Darrsh’s Native Australian S’mores are dubbed a “celebration” by Jean-Christophe. It’s not too sweet, and the addition of native ingredients is described as “warming” by Poh.

Jimmy has the guts to serve Taiwanese dumplings to the “Dumpling Queen” Poh, but she loves them and calls them “really balanced”.

Depinder’s Aslam Butter Chicken was a risk with the short cooking time, but Jean-Christophe says, “I love it.” Furthermore, Andy says it’s “exactly what I’d go for” late at night at a deli.

Audra’s dish was another risk as it was her first time creating the dish! She calls it “The Magic to a Happy Marriage”, as it’s a marriage of Japanese methods and Indian flavours. Andy calls it “perfection”.

Jamie’s potato tortilla with mussels is also called perfect by Andy and a “winning dish”.

Laura’s dessert twist on Vegemite on toast is a definite risk with a Frenchman on the judging panel who has never eaten Vegemite before. Or maybe that could be a winning strategy? Turns out, yes, it was! He calls it “sublime”.

With so many great dishes, the judges appear to have to nitpick. Andy points out two mistakes: Declan’s shish kebabs are a little bit under, and Tim accidentally left a bit of lamb bone in Andy’s dish.

The Winner

With so much talent in a season with returning favourites, it can be hard to choose a winner.

The top five dishes chosen by the judges are from: Darrsh, Audra, Depinder, Sav, and Laura. However, there can only be one winner.

The winning dish was “ridiculously tasty”, says Sofia. “The key to a winning dish… is also the key to… a HAPPY MARRIAGE!” Yay for Audra! Her dish was not only a success, but it will be on the menu at Gordon Ramsay’s new restaurant in London!

The next episode is the season’s first elimination episode.

Tune into the episode on 7pm Sunday, 4 May, 2025 or stream on 10Play.

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Episode 2

Tonight, the winners from the first episode’s challenge, the green team, are taking part in an immunity challenge put to them by Gordon Ramsay. The winner of the challenge wins the only immunity pin in the entire season!

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In the challenge, the contestants have to cook along with Gordon. They have to cook two dishes: roast duck breast with parsnips for the main, and for dessert, a British pub classic: sticky toffee pudding. At any point, Gordon can send them up to the gantry, eliminating them from the challenge. The person whose dish most closely resembles Gordon’s in states and presentation will win the challenge.

Callum has a little bit of an advantage as he won a challenge set by Gordon in a previous turn on MasterChef Australia; he is also an experienced restaurant owner and successfully led the green team to victory on the previous episode. A definite contender.

The immunity challenge

We start with the sticky toffee pudding, and straight away, Rue makes an error and adds all the measured-out sugar into her pudding mix. Unfortunately, she realised when it came to making a nut brittle that she needed the granulated sugar for the brittle. As she tries to fix her mistake, she cuts her finger. The kerfuffle slows her down. After her finger starts bleeding again, Gordon sends her to the gantry.

Duck is a tricky meat to cook. Many of the cooks’ duck breasts are at varying stages of readiness. Audra then starts to fall behind as she is concentrating on the flavours and getting everything balanced perfectly.

When they come to finishing off the sauce, Ben realises that he accidentally left out the port wine from his sauce. He quickly adds it in…but it’s unclear if it has enough time to cook out and properly infuse.

Cath then starts to fall behind. As everyone starts to move on to deseset, her parsnip puree is still unpureed. And when she gets to it, she accidentally still have the parnsip mixture out of her blender. Gordon goes to check on her and points out her ducks are raw and sends her to the gantry.

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When it comes to blitzing the brittle, Callum’s blender gets stuck and won’t turn off, turning his brittle crumb into a brittle dust.

The cooks will have 20 seconds after Gordon finishes to finish their own dishes. As Gordon plates his dish, a few cooks race up to check what he’s doing as the closest to his dish will win the challnge

Rhiannion was doing well thus far, but when it came to plating she mixed up her sauces and initially put her jus on the dessert plate! A quick wipe down fixes that.

As the countdown starts, the cooks frantically pile all the elements on their plates. It is chaos. But even if they don’t look good, they should taste good!

The judge’s remarks

Callum is first up. Gordon likes his dishes, but does mention that he has too much sauce on his duck dish. The cook on his duck is “beautiful”, Gordon calls it “exceptional”, and his overall dish is a “good effort”. Jean-Christophe calls his dish “impeccable”, and Sofia echoes his comments. Andy calls out the brittle crumb as being too fine.

Next is Audra’s attempt. She missed the mascarpone cream on her dessert. She felt her instincts went out the door today. Unsurprisingly, the fat isn’t rendered on her duck, but Andy says it’s not too far off. However, her sauce gets a “brilliant” from Jean-Christophe. If the cook had been better, she would have been a contender!

Rhiannon had some nice aeration on the pudding, but needed more sauce and missed the mark on some elements.

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Matt is next, he’s duck is nowhere near cooked. But his pudding is one of the best today, says Gordon.

Darssh’s duck is also under, but his dessert dish gets great comments from the judges.

Finally, Ben is last up. The cook on his duck is “really good” says Andy, and Gordon calls it “exceptional”. So, his mixing up of wine and stock didn’t matter in the end. His dessert also gets an exceptional and his caramel sauce for the sticky toffee pudding is dubbed the best of the night.

Who wins the challenge?

It’s a toss-up between Callum and Ben, and everyone knows it.

Both delivered on taste. But only one was more similar to Gordon’s dishes: Ben!

Turns out the brittle crumb was Callum’s downfall. Now Ben as the security of the immunity pin, the only one this season.

Gordon also says his goodbyes, but he’s leaving something behind: the prize for the winner of tomorrow’s challenge hidden under a cloche…

Tune into the next episode of Masterchef Australia on 7.30pm Wednesday, 30 April 2025 or stream it on-demand on 10Play.

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Episode 1

Season 17 starts with a bang! After getting a heartwarming intro to some of the returning contestants (Declan, Audra, Theo, Laura, Callum, Sarah) the contestants head into the Masterchef kitchen and are greeted by a cross-armed Gordon Ramsay in a spotlight.

“This, right here, right now, is your chance to rewrite history,” Gordon says to the gathered contestants.

Then he introduces the judges, Andy Allen, Poh Ling-Yeow, Jean-Christophe Novelli, and Sofia Levin, and hugs Jean-Christophe, calling him “My brother from a different mother” and remarking that he’s just here so that Jean-Christophe doesn’t ‘f*ck it up.”

The challenge in this episode is a service challenge with Gordon Ramsay running the kitchen. The contestants are broken up into three service teams.

• Blue Team: Samira, Depinder, Theo, Jamie, Alana, Jimmy, Laura
• Red Team: Steph, Andrew, Sav, Pete, Declan, Beau, Tim
• Green Team: Rue, Rhiannon, Matt, Audra, Darrsh, Ben, Cath

The contestants thus far believe they are the only ones competing, however, there is a twist. Three returning legends of MasterChef Australia are back and will be captains for this episode’s challenge: Callum (Green), Laura (Red), and Sarah (Blue). All three have competed multiple times, and they have all placed second.

Service Challenge

They have to make a two-course menu: a main course and dessert. As an extra complication, they must use two ingredients that have to be used in the respective courses: carrot and corn. The three teams have to create 30 plates per service, so 60 plates overall, and have two hours to get it all done.

They are cooking tonight for front-line workers: “Who deserve nothing short of perfection,” according to Gordon, whose daughter Megan is a police officer and his son Jack is in the Royal Marines Commandos.

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The Green and Red teams choose carrot for the main and corn for dessert. The blue team is going with corn for the main and carrot for dessert.

On the red team, Laura and Andre used to work together, so she trusts him to sort the main while she leans into the dessert course. However, their ice cream doesn’t go in on time. The crumble burns, which Gordon finds before Laura does. And the sauce is off balance. Gordon advises Laura to step up and take charge.

Over on the blue team, Sarah is comfortable leading her team and is mostly keen to trust her team to lean into their skillsets. However, the first piece of kingfish dished up for Gordon is raw. He has a little bit of a strop and Jamie, who volunteered to do the fish, heads back to the stoves to fry more.

On the green team, Callum is in his element. Gordon comes over to provide some sage advice, and Callum eagerly accepts, “If Gordon says it, we do it.” However, cracks begin to show when it comes to the beef rumps. They are all different sizes, so getting the correct cook on them proves tricky. When Gordon is inspecting a dish, he points out to Callum that the rump in the dish is raw in the middle. The team decides to put the beef back in the oven to correct the cook.

The dishes:

Green Team:

• Main: Beef rump cap with carrot and macadamia puree, carrot top chimmichurri, pickled carrot and fried saltbush
• Dessert: Sweet corn pavlova cup with sweet corn ice cream, mango, popcorn crumble and passionfruit curd

Red Team:

• Main: Pork porchetta, spinach and parsley velouté, glazed carrot with brandy jus, slaw, pickled carrot
• Dessert: Corn ice-cream and buttermilk granita with orange cake, Geraldton wax oil and cornflake brittle and brown milk powder crumb

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Blue Team:

• Main: Searched kingfish with corn chowder dressed with popcorn.
• Dessert: Carrot halwa parfait, with a rough puff pistachio cream

The Judge’s remarks

Mains:

The green team’s main dish is up first. The dish gets a “Wow” from Jean-Christophe, who loves the colours and says it looks appetising. Andy remarks on the beautiful textures, colours, and flavours. Poh says it is perfectly balanced. Top marks all around.

Next up is the red team. The judges are instantly sceptical of the main dish as there are a lot of elements to it. Sofia says it feels “rushed; Andy adds that it feels like “seven layers off”, too much is happening, and nothing can shine.

Finally, the Blue team’s offering. Andy is “intrigued initially, but his fish is inconsistent (over not under). There are lots of elements, but unlike the Red team’s dish, it actually works. Poh’s dish was cooked perfectly, and she’s a fan of the seasoning and presentation. Jean-Christophe is impressed overall with the dish and calls it delicious.

Desserts:

First up is the red team. It doesn’t hit the mark for Poh. The cake was too bitter, nothing was balanced. Sofia mirrors Poh’s response, but adds that the granita is great, but doesn’t work with this dish. Jean-Christophe sums it up by calling the dish “corn-fusing”.

Next up is the blue team. The judges all love the look of the dish, and it delivers a “modern interpretation” of a traditional dish, according to Sofia. The team pivoted when Theo’s pastry didn’t work out and created a pastry crumb, which worked.

Finally, the green team. The judges are absolutely wowed by the dish. The look, the textures, everything. Jean-Christophe “loved it”, and Sofia gave it a 10/10.

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Who won the episode?

To no one’s surprise, the green team win the service challenge. Callum’s leadership skills were clear throughout, and the dishes were flawless.

The green team will be back to compete in an Immunity Challenge with Gordon Ramsay returning to set the challenge!

Tune in on Tuesday, April 29, at 7.30pm on Channel 10 or on demand on 10Play to find out who wins.

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