NARRATOR: Previously on MasterChef Australia...
(CONTESTANTS SQUEAL)
Surprise!
...a week of wonder...
Oh, my goodness!
...got the creative juices flowing.
CATH: It's our chance to actually surprise the judges this time.
MELISSA: Amazing.
And... It's Nelly Robinson!
...a Pressure Test inspired by Peter Rabbit.
Oh, look at that!
...was the end of Ralph's MasterChef story.
Thank you so much, guys.
Whoo! Whoo!
Then a caffeinated cook...
MALISSA: Today, with coffee, it's all about balance.
...gave them two shots at immunity.
THEO: Immunity is more important than ever
because there's only eight of us left.
And Malissa beat the chef
and won a fairytale ending.
Congratulations, you win the pin!
Tonight, our top 8 face an elimination.
ADI: The competition is getting harder and harder.
The odds are just getting narrower and narrower.
And it's an absolute feast for the senses.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
RHIANNON: Oh, black-apron day. CATH: I know.
BRENT: I always smile on... RUE: It's like a nervous smile.
(GIGGLES NERVOUSLY)
Top 8, I just can't believe it.
I'm feeling really lucky that I'm still here.
But it's also elimination day.
RUE: Oh, my gosh.
CATH: We are all really good cooks,
but it just comes down to what happens on the day.
ANDY: Hey! Ooh!
Morning!
Damn! ANDY: Come on down!
Wait till you see what we've got in store for you.
ADI: Behind the judges there's this weird scientific lab set-up
of a lot of colourful Petri dishes.
I've looked at a couple of Petri dishes
under the microscope in my time,
but I didn't expect to see them in the MasterChef kitchen.
Morning, everyone. How you feeling?
CONTESTANTS: Morning. Good.
Yeah? MAN: Great.
Yeah? Yeah.
This competition, it is a marathon, not a sprint.
Just like in a marathon, you need to keep a clear head,
pace yourself
and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
And before you know it, you'll be crossing that finish line
and one of you will be lifting that trophy.
You've just got to stay ahead of the game.
RHIANNON: Yeah. CATH: Mm.
Theo, how you feeling?
I'm feeling alright, but, um...
...just looking behind you now, though, it looks...
I don't know what's going on. It looks like a lab or something, yeah.
So I'm a bit nervous now.
I may have failed science in high school a couple of times,
so I could be in big trouble.
(CHUCKLES) Not book-smart, that's for sure.
OK, this is a taste test, but not as you know it.
(EXHALES)
It might look like these dishes
are filled with all sorts of weird and wonderful caviar,
but, actually, each dish contains a specially flavoured pearl.
CATH: A pearl.
Oh!
These pearls have all been created by distilling individual ingredients
down to their purest flavour.
We've taken everything else away.
No aromas, no textures.
Interesting.
In this taste test, it is your job to identify
the ingredient encapsulated in the pearl
by just flavour alone.
It's so interesting.
So one by one, you're gonna step forward
and taste one of the flavoured pearls.
We're gonna start with simple flavours first,
the ones that are easy to identify,
but they're gradually gonna get tougher and tougher as we go along.
If you guess that flavour correctly, you'll stay in the game,
if you get it wrong, you fall into round 2,
from where someone will be eliminated.
The taste test will end after four cooks have guessed incorrectly.
Got it? Yeah.
You got it? CONTESTANTS: Yes!
Alright.
ADI: The competition is getting harder and harder.
One slip-up on the day, it's enough to send you home.
I don't even want to take the chance.
I just want to be safe in round 1.
Who's gonna go first? Well, I reckon the way you walked in will do.
Which means, Theo, you're up first, mate.
Let's go. Go, Theo!
All ready, mate?
THEO: I think I've been preparing my whole life for this challenge
because I've eaten a helluva lot of food.
Remember, we're going from easiest to hardest
and we're starting right here, OK?
I like to think I have a good palate. I know flavours.
I am pretty good at picking up on particular ingredients.
But when it's under pressure like this,
it's so hard to just focus on what's in front of you.
You can eat as much of that as you like.
(CONTESTANTS LAUGH)
Get into it.
I know what this is, but my mind is playing tricks on me.
What are you tasting?
A lot of bitterness.
Which means... Coffee.
Coffee.
Correct.
Ah!
Whoo-hoo!
Rue, come on up.
MALISSA: Go, Rue!
My track history with taste tests
has been absolutely horrible,
so this is going to be hard.
Rue, historically, you've been quite nervous about taste tests.
How are you feeling about this one?
Nervous. (LAUGHS) Nervous?
What are you tasting?
Oh, my gosh.
The first taste I get is like a hint of coconut,
but I can barely taste anything.
I'm doubting myself a little bit.
Oh, honey, come on.
Remember, your gut instinct is usually right.
I'm going to go with coconut.
You are correct.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
I'm still in the game - look!
Oh. It plays with your mind.
Oh, my gosh. Wow.
I was so unsure.
Rhiannon, let's go. Go, Rhi!
(APPLAUSE)
This taste test is so deceivingly hard.
They've taken away all your other senses,
so you can't see it, you can't feel the texture,
you don't really know what it is.
It's, basically, you're going in blind.
Mint. Straight up?
Straight up.
Easy as that. It was mint. Oh!
That just makes it so much harder. Mm.
You're gonna start second-guessing yourself.
Vanilla.
Boom. (LAUGHTER)
The simplest thing can turn out to be so difficult.
Vanilla. Vanilla.
So far, everyone has been safe.
I just hope it's something that I immediately know.
Thank you.
There's no smell, but it's bright green.
It's a very earthy, robust herb,
something I would use in a roast.
I'm thinking it's thyme, but it could also be rosemary.
I can identify them both separately if I'm looking at them,
but now that I'm just eating this pearl gel in my mouth,
I'm like, "God, which one is it?"
I just need to pick one, and pick the one that I'm slightly more sure of.
Thyme.
Unfortunately, thyme is incorrect.
OK.
It is rosemary. Rosemary.
God, I second-guessed myself. It's OK.
I'm so sorry, Adi. No, it's alright.
That means that you're in round 2. All good.
Please step to the side.
MALISSA: Good job, Adi.
I did not want to be in round 2,
and now I'm the first person in round 2.
This is just not what I wanted in the slightest.
Sometimes it is the flavours that you know
inside out and back to front,
they are the most difficult to recognise
when you don't have a visual cue of what it is
and you don't have the texture of what it is.
Be careful before you give your answer.
Yeah, yep.
OK, good idea.
Brent, let's dance.
With, you know, someone gone in the first lap around the group,
I'm thinking, like, this might be really hard.
Go your hardest. Like, "Oh, God, am I next?"
It seems so familiar.
I can't put my finger on it.
It's sweet.
And all of a sudden
I'm just thinking of a bowl of porridge.
Honey?
Going with honey. Yeah.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Nailed it. Honey.
(EXCLAMATIONS AND APPLAUSE)
JOCK: Alright, Declan's your name, but are pearls your game?
That's what I want to know.
There's about 40 caviar balls in front of you.
They're all the same size.
Thank you, sir.
And it's so hard when, texturally,
you can't taste it in its, like, normal form,
and there's no smell.
I'm just gonna give it my best shot.
Love you closing your eyes. It's like you're having a dream.
Um...
It's a very subtle flavour.
It's, like, quite fresh, like aloe.
It's not aloe, but, um...
The taste is on the tip of my tongue,
but I don't have a clue what it is.
Bloody hell.
I'm gonna have to just go with the colour
that I know is a bit of a clue,
and I'm thinking maybe it's some herbs.
No, I'm just gonna have to go coriander.
That's my answer.
Declan...
...coriander is incorrect.
You are in round 2.
It is in fact - you're gonna kick yourself...
...cucumber.
Oh, bummer!
As soon as the judges told me it was cucumber,
I bloody knew it.
Cucumber!
Yeah. (LAUGHS)
OK, we've been through one round,
and already we have two in round 2, Adi and Declan.
Damn!
We're looking for two more.
Alright, now it's time for round 2.
Theo, you're up.
Ooh! Oh, that face isn't good.
Lychee. You are correct!
MALISSA: Well done, Theo!
Ready, Rue?
MALISSA: Come on, Rue!
Ginger?
Correct!
Oh! (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
Rhiannon. MALISSA: Whoo! Come on, Rhiannon!
Onion.
Boom! Onion. Oh, yes!
Oh, my gosh!
You are good, girl!
You are good.
My breath stinks. (BOTH LAUGH)
It's very concentrated. Oh, my God!
(JUDGES LAUGH)
Oh, my goodness. (LAUGHS)
Oh, onion breath!
Just got that. I told you.
I'm just waiting now - is there a garlic one? Imagine that.
No-one wonder you guys are so quick. It stank!
(RUE AND RHIANNON LAUGH)
OK, Cath.
(LAUGHTER) I told you.
Get as far away from Rhiannon as possible.
She's trying to put you off.
Alright.
CATH: Thank you. There you are.
Oh. Mm.
Oh, beetroot.
You're right! Oh!
JOCK: There it is. See?
So, Brent, we meet again.
CATH: Come on, Brent.
Mm.
Watermelon?
Correct.
It's like nothing, and then all of a sudden
something just goes, "There it is."
It's weird, isn't it?
JOCK: Stepping up a gear.
Alright, here we go, round 3.
Now we're onto the hardest level.
OK, next up, Theo.
Come on, Theo.
Two wrong guesses, looking for two more,
and now it's my third guess.
I'd better not get this wrong.
It's such a strong, strong flavour
that straightaway it hits me...
Oh, Jesus.
(SNORTS)
(CLEARS THROAT) It's chilli.
You're correct. (LAUGHS) It's chilli.
Ha. Righto. (COUGHS)
I am on fire, literally and physically.
Whew.
I've got 'em all right. Come on!
MELISSA: Rue.
MALISSA: Come on, Rue!
Theo goes before me,
and he's gotten it, he's safe.
I'm hoping this is a lucky tasting, and I'll be safe too.
Be calm. Yeah.
Be critical.
RUE: Straightaway I can recognise the taste.
Oh, my goodness. (COUGHS)
I can tell that there's a spice there. It lingers.
(LAUGHS)
I actually know what this tastes like,
but I don't know what it's called!
Wait! Wait!
It's just escaping my mind.
OK, work through it.
Where would you eat it? What would you eat it with?
I've actually eaten this stuff before,
but what the heck is it?
That's actually driving me nuts.
I'm thinking so hard. Nothing's coming to my mind.
Oh, I'm unsure, but...
...I'm going to say...
I'm really unsure.
Your answer is...
Jalapeno.
It's wrong.
The correct answer is wasabi.
Oh!
I'm kicking myself.
I'm so sorry, Rue.
That means you're in round 2.
Oh, my goodness. So hard.
Oh! JOCK: That's how easy...
Come on, Rhi.
Oh! Come on!
So, the timing isn't lucky.
Wow. I'll give you that.
You've done well. It's alright.
Oh! OK.
With Rue, Adi and Declan in round 2, we're looking for one more cook.
You ready, Rhiannon? Let's go, Rhi-Rhi.
All I can taste is onion.
Even though I had all this onion in my palate,
they're so concentrated in flavour, these pearls, it was instant.
Cinnamon.
Straight up.
That's just what I taste.
Well, you nailed it, so well done.
Whoo! Thank you very much.
You're a master at this. It's amazing.
Quick and decisive.
Alright, Cath.
Go, Cath. Let's go, Cath.
Go, Cath!
CATH: Thank you.
So there's, yeah, one spot left
to go into round 2.
I don't want to be that person.
I'm actually feeling really nervous.
This is an odd taste.
(TENSE MUSIC)
I get this sweet, earthy flavour.
It's really familiar, but I'm not sure.
Some critical thinking going on there.
That's good. It's really playing with my brain.
Mm.
(TENSE MUSIC)
There's one spot left to go into round 2.
I don't want to be that person.
I'm actually feeling really nervous.
(TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES)
Some critical thinking going on there.
That's good. It's really playing with my brain.
Mm.
"This is an odd taste."
And then, "Ha!"
Carrot.
Of course it's carrot.
Oh, thank goodness, hey?
Good on you, Cath.
Oh, it's amazing.
Breathe.
Brent, you're up.
Go, Brent!
The flavours of these pearls, they're getting more difficult.
It's a pretty one, isn't it? It is.
Subtle, that's all I'm tasting. Subtle.
JOCK: Don't overthink it.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm...
I'm trying to think it.
I'm getting a flavour that...
...I can taste it in all these different dishes,
but I just cannot pick what it is.
(WHISPERS) Drives you crazy.
Work it through.
Oh!
You nearly have none left. Yeah, I know.
I've got one more spoon left of these pearls,
and my mind is absolutely blank.
I'm just really confused.
Answer time, dude. Let's go.
You have no more pearls to consume.
Brent, I need an answer. I'm sorry, mate.
(TENSE MUSIC)
I was going to go turmeric.
Turmeric is your answer? Yeah.
Turmeric...
...is incorrect.
Yeah.
So sorry, Brent. You're in round 2.
The correct answer was saffron.
Oh! Saffron!
Yeah, not turmeric. Saffron.
Oh! Oh, man, like, I'm gutted.
I really would have loved to be safe,
keep this thing safe for another week.
Theo, Rhiannon and Cath, congratulations, you are safe.
Oh! Oh! Whew.
You may head up onto the gantry.
But you know what? You've got to do this.
You've got to go into the eliminations.
I haven't been in a second-round elimination this season yet.
I've got the safety of the pin, so let's do it.
That was hard. It was really hard.
Declan, Brent, Adi and Rue,
today is all about stripping things back to their purest form.
In round 1 you tasted ingredients
that had been stripped back to their purest flavours,
and in this round we would like your dish to be inspired by something...
...very simple and pure.
And that is...
...colour.
CONTESTANTS: Oh.
CONTESTANTS: Oh! (BRENT LAUGHS)
Yeah! Look at that! Look at that!
It's a rainbow.
This is like being back in the club,
all these lights flashing.
(LAUGHS) It's beautiful. I love it.
In a moment, these light boxes will cycle through a series of colours.
Whichever colour the box in front of you stops on
is the colour that your dish will need to highlight.
OK. Ooh.
Whatever you end up with,
that colour needs to be front and centre of your dish.
Wow, that's awesome.
ADI: This is a really interesting challenge,
'cause often when you're cooking, if anything, I'm trying to introduce
lots of different types of colour into my food.
I'm just trying to think of something I can make
that's really monochromatic.
Like, I could do a pumpkin curry, which is all orange,
or I could do a dessert that's all orange.
OK.
Declan, what are you hoping for?
Um, green.
Yeah, like, match my eye colour.
CATH: Oh, how nice!
Declan, your colour is...
...red!
THEO: Oh! Red's good.
ADI: Red's good. Red's good.
Brent, your dish colour is...
Yellow.
That's alright.
Like saffron.
Like turmeric.
Too soon? (LAUGHTER)
It's all good.
Adi, your colour...
...is green.
OK. Oh, nice!
OK.
And Rue...
...your colour is orange.
OK, yeah.
For this round, you'll have 75 minutes
to cook us anything you want.
We want your dish to be inspired by your colour.
But it also has to be delicious, right?
OK.
Because you know how it goes -
the least impressive dish at the end of this round
will send its maker home.
So, you four, good luck.
75 minutes starts now.
Go, guys! Go! Good luck! Go!
RUE: Today I got the colour orange, and I can cook whatever we like,
so I'm thinking I need to play a bit to my strengths,
which is dessert.
Oh.
Mm! Interesting.
But I am cooking against Brent, Adi...
Whoops! ...and Declan.
Look, they're all really good cooks.
Where's the corn?
And Brent has a pin.
That scares me, I'm not going to lie.
Looking through all the fresh produce,
obviously there's oranges, you know?
But I feel like if I went with oranges,
then the things that I'm going to do
is the things that I already do all the time.
Prosciutto, um...
RUE: It's that thinking of what I can do with flavours,
and I want to do something unexpected.
But I'm wondering if today's the right day to take a risk.
If I make the wrong decision,
I could be going home.
OK.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
RUE: Today I got the colour orange, and I want to make a dessert.
Thinking of what I can do with flavours,
orange is in carrots, way predictable.
I want to do something unexpected.
OK.
And then I see some apricots.
That's it.
They look orange to me.
(CLATTER) Ooh.
I have not really worked with apricots.
CATH: Come on, love, come on!
But I just want to showcase different flavours,
different things that go together
that I've been learning whilst I'm here.
Keep going, Rue-Rue.
I'm nervous, but I'm thinking,
"OK, I have to really back myself up today."
I'm hoping that the risk that I take will pay off.
Mel goes with his bench. Look at her with the yellow on.
You're matching Brent today, Mel.
MELISSA: I know, right? Yeah!
So, you know, bit of bloody serendipity, as they say.
Um, you know,
saffron, yellow, got me into this shemozzle,
and now yellow is going to get me out of this shemozzle.
It's a funny feeling,
because this year I haven't been in this position yet.
I haven't been in a second-round elimination.
But I'm gonna just focus on being calm through this cook.
I've got a plan.
This dish is gonna be quite simple.
Um, nothing, like, crazy.
It's gonna be refined.
You know, I'm just gonna stick to things I, you know, flavours I know.
So today I am cooking a charred octopus.
It'll be sort of braised in turmeric.
Nice yellow curry sauce underneath.
A salsa in there too.
I'm excited.
Yeah, it's good.
Well, round 1 was all about flavour.
Now round 2, it's all about colour. I'll start today.
I'm wearing, you know, a yellow blouse,
so if I was assigned yellow, like Brent is today,
I might do, like, a yellow fish curry,
really drive the turmeric and really make the basis of the dish
a beautiful, delicious, aromatic, punchy curry.
If I picked yellow... Yeah?
...today, I'd do a banana souffle.
Ooh!
I'd paint some yellow stripes up the side of the ramekin
so when it came up, you had some nice clear visual recognition,
and you think 'yellow' when you eat banana as well.
Yes.
So I think hit the brief first and foremost.
Second of all, souffle, 'cause I know nobody else would do it.
Getting strategic.
Is there any one that you wouldn't want
out of these four colours?
Hm. I'm not mad on orange...
Mm. ...I've got to say.
I was gonna go red. Red, chilli, easy.
Romesco, tomato.
Yeah, it's just a personal opinion. Yeah, alright, sorry.
(ALL LAUGH)
RHIANNON: Let's go, cheer squad. MALISSA: Come on, let's go, Declan!
(CHANTS) Let's go, Declan. Let's go! Whoo-whoo!
Look, it's tough being in another elimination.
Tomato paste, sesame, pepper.
But I've worn a black apron enough to know
I need to give it my all like I have the last couple of cooks.
Alright.
I've been working harder than ever, practising and studying
and researching,
and that's just what I want to show the judges today.
Gonna do a Thai-style dish.
It's traditionally called khao moo daeng,
and it's sort of a red braised pork.
Khao moo daeng,
it's pretty much like pork, rice and a chilli sauce,
but I'm doing my own spin on this dish.
I want to show to the judges I've learnt techniques.
So I'll have my pork, red broth and the really punchy red sambal,
and then I'm gonna do rice noodles.
I'm gonna pass them through a potato ricer
and hopefully just get
these awesome, stringy, chewy noodles.
It's a very tricky process.
Has he got food colour in there? Oh, he does, yeah.
If they want red, I'm gonna be giving them red today,
so using the red food colouring,
it's actually, like, one of the traditional ways
of getting that red colour into the meat,
and then it's gonna go in the pressure cooker,
braising for about half an hour
before finishing it off in the fryer.
Oh, Declan. Look at Declan. (MALISSA LAUGHS)
I've done myself a mischief and bloody didn't put my gloves on,
and my hands are stained red,
but it's not gonna change the flavour of my dish.
So... Nurse to bench 3, please!
(LAUGHS) Come on, Adi! Run, run, run!
CATH: You got the green lid on there. She got something green?
She's got no ingredients.
What are you doing, Adi?
ADI: Not sure yet, love.
OK, good luck.
I'm still really unnerved going into this cook.
I've got green. It's not the colour I initially wanted.
And it's hard to shake that off.
It's looking like quite the colourful cook. One hour to go!
Whoo-hoo! Come on!
(GANTRY CONTESTANTS CLAP) MALISSA: Come on, guys!
Whoo!
I just feel like the warmer colours, like the yellows and the oranges,
were probably more suited to my type of cooking.
Um...
I have no idea what I'm cooking.
(WHISPERS) Green chillies.
So I'm grabbing green herbs and vegetables.
Come on, Adi! Come on, Adi!
I am so nervous at the thought of going home,
but my brain is blank.
THEO: Go, Adi. MALISSA: Come on, Adi.
(CLOCK TICKS)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Would you have gone sweet or savoury?
Um... Depends what colour, I guess.
I think I would have gone savoury with yellow.
Yep, same.
Sweet with orange. Yeah.
Savoury, red.
And sweet with green.
What is she making?
She needs to move faster.
ADI: We've got 75 minutes to make a dish inspired by colour.
I've got the colour green,
but I'm struggling to formulate a clear idea of a dish.
(WHISPERS) It's alright.
You're OK.
As much as you try and say to yourself, "Stay calm,"
you know you could be going home,
and that plays on your mind.
I've just been having the best time in this competition.
I'm learning and growing.
To be here I've had to put my job as a doctor on pause,
and I've spent the last 15 years working really hard
at becoming a specialist,
and now I've just kind of upped and left that for this food dream.
I needed to do this.
It was this itch I had to scratch.
And being here has just solidified how much I love food,
and I'm not willing to let this dream end yet.
OK.
so if I'm gonna have any chance today,
I need to shake off the nerves.
Come on, Adi!
Running back to the pantry,
I'm just hoping some bolt of inspiration will strike,
and then it clicks for me.
Kingfish.
Whoop. Oh.
It's a beautiful neutral fish
that can take on so many different types of flavours,
I think it's gonna pair beautifully with a green sauce.
Oh! Oh, it's huge!
Nearly bigger than you! I know.
That's huge. It's a kingfish.
I'm gonna cook a dish that I really enjoy eating.
I'm gonna make a Middle-Eastern-style kingfish sashimi,
make a green sauce, like, a zhoug.
I honestly love raw kingfish so much.
Go, Adi. Come on, Adi. Come on!
I want to go as far as I can in this competition,
so hopefully the judges love it the way that I do.
BRENT: Dunkaroo, dunkaroo!
Brent. Hello, Brent.
G'day, g'day. Yellow.
Colour me sunshine, mate.
What are you cooking? Um, so, I've got octopus in there.
Yeah.
I've got some turmeric in there.
I'm trying to stain the octopus.
Yep. Nice.
Yep, and then I'm gonna make a yellow curry sauce
which will then go with the charred octopus at the end,
salsa in there too.
I'm loving this, like, you're at home here.
Yeah.
All you've got to do is make it yellow.
Just got to make it yellow. Do you think the pin's safe?
I think at the moment I'm feeling pretty confident.
'Cause you've got to think,
a pin is for when you come up with a challenge
you're uncomfortable with.
Yeah.
But you've always got to think about the worst-case scenario,
which is you going home.
Yeah, 100%, yeah.
Don't be afraid to use it if you need to.
You got this.
I've worked hard to get that pin,
and I really want to keep it for, you know,
when it gets to those really... pointy end of the season.
I had a lot of goals set this time around.
I want to win this thing.
These, that and that.
MALISSA: Come on, Rue!
Work fast! Ooh!
OK.
So, today my colour is orange.
I am making a lemon verbena parfait
with... with an apricot coulis
and some compressed apricots.
I have not made this dish before.
I've made elements of the dish, different elements,
but this exact flavour, no.
Crazy, but, like, you know, that's the challenge,
and I love that.
(LAUGHS) I am challenging myself.
THEO: Go, Rue! RHIANNON: Come on, Rue.
So, Rue's cooking a dish which features apricots.
There is a huge risk
with cooking with something
that you've never really cooked before.
Oh, my God, live on the edge, girlfriend.
No, thank you, not for elimination. I'm playing it safe in these things.
MALISSA: Come on, get that parfait on.
RUE: I need to start on the lemon verbena parfait
because I do know that it needs a lot of time in the freezer.
RHIANNON: Is that the passionfruit ones, Rue?
Um, lemon verbena.
I will infuse my lemon verbena leaves into the milk-and-sugar solution,
and whilst that's happening, I start my compressed apricot.
I popped some thyme in the bag,
so whilst it cooks, I want that thyme to infuse in the syrup
and... we get some goodies, hopefully.
I do not want to go home. I'm not going home.
I'm not. (LAUGHS)
I refuse.
Well, not everything is sunshine and rainbows.
This could be your last cook in the kitchen.
45 minutes to go.
JOCK: Let's go!
(JUDGES CLAP)
CATH: That's it, Adi, well done.
Declan's just chucking chillies. Oh, my goodness!
You've caught me red-handed, so... (LAUGHS)
Talk to me about your dish.
So, it's not a traditional Thai khao moo daeng.
You've got Declan's version of it today.
I'm gonna be doing it with noodles.
I just want to make the most of this 75 minutes...
Excellent. ...and give this a crack.
How are you feeling?
Just most worried about the noodles.
Um, so, yeah,
I haven't done a backup option.
But if you back yourself, then back yourself.
Yeah, thank you, Mel. Alright. You've got this.
Thank you.
Alright, come on, Deccy.
My noodle mix.
So, you've got your rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum.
That's the go, Dec. That's it.
Oh, sheesh.
I'm gonna pass them through a potato ricer.
The tricky thing is that it all comes down to texture.
If my ratios are off, my noodles will break up in the water.
Are you gonna maybe put rice on as a backup?
Pardon? Consider rice as a backup?
What's the time?
Yeah, it would be a lot easier to do rice,
but I've got to prove that I deserve my place in this competition.
I'm just a 25-year-old tradie from the Northern Beaches.
This could set me up for my future.
OK.
He's gonna put it in the water.
Right.
But, yeah, I guess all eyes are on these noodles now
and if they're gonna work out.
Oh! This is it now.
Oh, scary.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Alright.
Are you gonna maybe put rice on as a backup?
Pardon? Consider rice as a backup?
If my ratios are off, my noodles will break up in the water.
Oh, scary.
Let's go, Deccy! Declan, give us some noodles!
Let's have a look!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Well done, Declan!
It's satisfying to watch, and it's even more satisfying to do.
Thank God.
Bloody wizard you are. Oh, Declan, that's awesome.
Yeah, happy with the noodles.
I've just really got to work on my chilli paste to go with my pork.
There's no time to relax or take it easy.
I'm gonna need to sort out my sambal.
I'm just really concentrating on getting this balanced enough.
I'm just gonna motor.
I feel like I'm, if I'm not sweating,
I'm not working hard enough.
Turn it down to 130.
I've been cooking as fast as I can.
I'll go the other side.
My tapioca crackers are in the oven.
I put my sashimi to the side, and now I've gotta work on my zhoug,
which is the main green element to my dish.
Zhoug is a really deeply herby condiment
from the Middle East
which is full of parsley and coriander,
it's got spices in it, acidity.
It's always really punchy.
I'm just trying to really balance this zhoug out now,
so it's obviously very herby.
I want this to be really nicely balanced and really flavoursome,
because I'm gonna cover my sashimi with it
so that it's got a little bit of time to infuse the flavours.
So, it's got acidity coming through,
a little bit of sweetness from the honey.
It's seasoned.
Slight bitterness to the herbs. Yeah, no, I'm happy with that.
Go, Adi. Go, Adi.
Thanks, guys. Come on, Adi!
(TENSE MUSIC)
Rue, is your syrup on?
Sorry? Is your syrup on?
Yes. Yes. Yes.
I have my compressed apricot in the sous-vide.
Yum!
I have the lemon verbena leaves infusing in the milk
for my parfait.
I am trying to work so quick
because I know how quickly time goes in this kitchen.
CATH: What's the next step, Rue?
I'm just blitzing my coulis.
My coulis needs to be a bright orange,
because I just want the parfait
to be in a sea of orange, bright orange.
But this mixture is looking way too thick.
THEO: Oh, she's watering that one down a bit more.
What's that, Rue?
Um, some plum liqueur. Mm.
So, I decide to use a Japanese plum liqueur.
It's quite strong.
But I'm hoping that it will just enhance the apricot flavour.
Is it yum, Rue? It's yum. Yeah.
MALISSA: Rue, you've gotta get your parfait in, quick.
Oh, shit.
And someone yells out, "Rue, don't forget your parfait."
I'm like, "Oh, no."
Oh, my God, Rue.
I'm so focused on this coulis
I've completely forgotten about my parfait.
Have you tasted it? Yes.
Taste good? Tastes like lemon verbena.
Beautiful.
But I am feeling pretty confident that will be enough time to set.
I've made it a few times and it's worked quite successfully for me.
Good job, Rue.
JOCK: You've got 20 minutes to go. Come on!
Yes! Yeah, go, guys!
Come on!
Oh, yeah, Declan!
Whoo!
I've started my curry sauce.
The octopus looks like it's starting to turn a little bit yellow,
which is really good, which is what I wanted.
And then I'm just onto my salsa right now,
which is gonna be very yellow as well.
The salsa, I've got to keep it yellow, but I also want, like,
that refreshing flavour,
'cause I've got quite a heavy-hitting curry sauce.
It's a tricky one, because what can I get that's yellow
that will provide me
with that refreshing pop sort of flavour that I want?
So basically I think if I put corn and pineapple on the hibachi,
get that smokiness through it,
and the sweetness will start to come out,
they're gonna marry up beautifully.
And with a nice charred, pickled octopus -
oh!
OK, let's get this cut up.
It's good. I'm actually really enjoying this.
'Cause it's sort of a puzzle, you know?
It's a big yellow puzzle.
I'm trying to do all the pieces together.
I feel now I've really found my groove,
found, like, my lane that I love to cook in,
and I think it's starting to, you know, show on the plate.
CATH: Smells awesome up here, Brent.
You've definitely hit the yellow brief.
MALISSA: Good job, Adi.
Hello, green goddess.
Yes, green goddess. Green everything.
How is your dish going? Look, it's good.
I've got my sashimi in the fridge.
I've got this dressing, like, a zhoug dressing.
I've got the tapioca cracker,
and I'm just gonna do a little avocado mousse,
just whipped-up avocado and sour cream,
and I'm gonna plate it pretty.
Good. Yeah.
Um...
This needs to be amped up and balanced a bit more.
OK, OK, yeah. Sure, I can do that.
Making it zingy. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
What makes a zhoug the best thing ever to slather over everything
is that it has heat, it has acidity...
Yes, yes.
...as well as that beautiful savoury characteristic to it too.
Absolutely. I think you can tweak this one.
Alright, I'll do that. OK?
Thank you.
Salt.
Oh, my God. That's what happens...
...when you're frantic.
Just when I feel like maybe I'm on top of things,
I feel like I'm not on top of things,
judges come and tell me to adjust something,
so just gonna work as hard as I can.
I am so nervous today,
and then to hear that the zhoug could have more in it,
it's just making me feel so uncertain.
I've already slathered a lot of the zhoug that I'd made before
on my kingfish, but that's OK, we'll get it done.
We'll just have to get it done.
I need to rush, but I don't want to rush.
I'm at risk of going home today.
It's all kind of getting to me.
Um, what do I do?
If there's ever a day to show us your true colours,
today is that day.
Five minutes to go!
Come on, Declan! Go, Rue!
Come on! Come on!
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
CATH: Oh, look at that! Look at the octopus!
(CATH GASPS)
Hey, Brent, that looks awesome!
Yeah, octopus is, yeah, really good.
It's tender. They've got a little tiny chew.
Checking the octopus, and it's perfect.
It's ready to get on the hibachi.
I'm tasting the curry sauce,
and it is flavourful and delicious.
And salsa is refreshing, it's sweet,
it's got hints of smoke through.
The cook couldn't have went any better.
This is you. This is you playing at home.
Yeah, yeah.
(TENSE MUSIC)
But the pin does funny things to you.
Like, it starts to self-doubt you.
All these thoughts are just racing around my head.
(APPLAUSE)
Good, Brent?
Yeah.
I don't know whether to play it or not.
Oh, it's bad now.
RHI: He's worried about his pin. THEO: Yeah, I know. But it's good.
So hard.
Getting all the way to the top 8, even getting a pin.
You know, work so hard to get here, and then to go home with a pin?
It'd break my heart.
How you feeling? Trust your gut, Brent.
There's four minutes left,
and I don't know whether to play the pin or not, so...
...I am a little bit worried at the moment.
Um...
What are you thinking? Um...
To pin or not to pin? Yeah, I know.
You happy? Yeah, I think...
I'm... I'm happy, yeah, but I just don't know what...
Then this is the point where you tell me, "I'm not playing the pin."
(TENSE MUSIC)
Mouth-watering, I think. Make a decision, mate.
Come on, Brent!
Come on, Brent.
There's a chance that there's three amazing dishes behind me
and I go home with a pin.
(CONTESTANTS YELL)
CATH: What are you doing, Brent? What are you doing?
Come on, Brent!
(GANTRY CONTESTANTS SHOUT AND CLAP)
BRENT: There's four minutes left
and I don't know whether to play the pin or not, so...
Me, personally, I'd play it. Huh?
I'd play it.
Are you happy? Yeah, I think...
Uh... um... I'm happy, yeah, but I just don't know what...
This is the point where you say, "I'm not playing the pin."
THEO: Make a decision, mate.
Come on, Brent.
There's a chance that there's three amazing dishes behind me
and I go home with a pin.
Nah.
I don't know where I am right now.
I am using the pin, I'm keeping the pin.
Are you playing it or not?
Nah.
Confidence.
Ooh-whee!
I've just gone to grab it
and I've just gone, "Back yourself."
I'm not using it.
I'm... I'm literally not using it.
This is my style of cooking. Um...
I think it tastes great, so, yeah, you know what,
back myself, go for it.
It's up to the judges now.
CATH: Come on, Declan!
Looking beautiful!
Where's my spoon?
My sambal is a rich, beautiful, red colour, yeah.
It's smelling really good.
I taste it and it tastes amazing.
Yum! Yum!
And now it's time to plate up.
Noodles in the bowl and they're looking epic.
CATH: Oh, Declan, look at that!
I'm slicing my pork.
Yummy. Yummy, yummy, yummy.
Pouring that beautiful red broth.
I've shown plenty more techniques.
You know, the... the twice-cooked pork belly.
Um, the noodles.
Balancing out a broth and... and pounding out a chilli sambal.
I'm super proud of what I've done.
I just hope that the judges are gonna be impressed.
(APPLAUSE)
MALISSA: Come on, Rue! Two minutes left.
OK. You need to hurry.
Yeah. OK. Come on.
RUE: Two minutes to go and I think everything's looking OK.
My coulis tastes like apricots,
but with, like, you know, just a punch from the plum liqueur.
And I have that thyme flavour in the compressed apricots.
This parfait has come out in one piece.
And I'm thinking, "OK, I think everything's coming together."
But I am worried because I have not really used these flavours before.
I am just hoping
doing this risky business I did pay off.
One minute, guys! Let's go!
Oooh-whee! Come on!
(TENSE MUSIC)
ADI: I am so frazzled,
I wanted to have all this time for plating
and I'm rushing to even get a complete dish.
I'm just using the fish that I have.
I've just sort of removed some of my older zhoug off it.
I didn't change my zhoug too much.
It's just got a bit more heat and bit more acidity in it.
This is not where I wanted to be. I just have put something down.
I haven't had time to even taste it all together.
So, I'm worried.
MALISSA: Come on, Adi! You're nearly there!
JOCK: Alright, gantry, you ready?
Here it is. 10...
ALL: 9, 8, 7,
6, 5,
4, 3,
2, 1!
That's it! (CHEERING)
Holy shit! MALISSA: Well done, guys!
Whoo!
Whoo-hoo! Whoo! Well done!
(CHEERING CONTINUES)
CATH: Oh, that was awesome, Brent.
BRENT: I've balanced everything to... as much as I can.
So, yeah, it's up to the judges now.
Yeah. (LAUGHS)
I'd hate to go home with a pin.
Um...
Oh, shit. What have I done?
ADI: Go, Rue-Rue.
RUE: I am happy with my dish
and I think I have hit the brief
with using orange as my inspiration.
There is a lot of flavour.
But I've not really cooked with apricots before.
I just hope the judges will also think that it tastes good.
Hi, Rue! Hello.
Hello, Rue. Hello.
Rue, what did you make us today?
I made a lemon verbena parfait with an apricot coulis
and some compressed apricots.
When I thought of orange,
I wanted to, um, think a little bit outside the box.
I thought if I used an orange, it would be quite straightforward.
And I thought, "OK, let's think of... something else that's orange."
And I went with apricots. (CHUCKLES)
OK. We'll taste now. Thank you. OK. Thank you.
ANDY: Thanks, Rue. Thanks, Rue.
Disappointed for, uh, for Rue.
Um, the... the parfait's a little bit soft, which is a shame.
The flavour's nice.
It's got a really mild, beautiful, lemon verbena note to it,
and the compressed apricots, you know, they've got a nice flavour.
There is just a hint of thyme in there
which goes beautifully with the lemon verbena.
The coulis - um, that plum liqueur really drives this coulis.
It is so jarring.
And... and I think she's just poured...
I think it's volume on the plate, though.
Yeah. Don't you reckon?
Yeah. I think that.
I would've loved her to cook the booze off. Like, it's... it's boozy.
- Yep. - And, yes, a lot less on the plate.
Um, I think she's got to the point
where that's her orange element, you know.
She had to commit to it. Yes, the apricots...
It's really boozy and out of balance.
Yeah. I like that she thought out of the box.
I just wanted to love this more than I did.
Is she safe as houses? I...I'm not sure.
(SIGHS) OK.
NARRATOR: In the mood to cook?
Grab your aprons and try these delicious MasterChef-approved recipes
on 10 play.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
DECLAN: I'm super proud of what I've done,
but I'm nervous because I know it's not a traditional take
on a Thai khao moo daeng.
So I really hope I've elevated my dish enough
to save myself from elimination.
JOCK: Declan. MELISSA: Hi, Declan!
Hello. Hi, mate.
Hello.
Look at that!
Would you like to tell us what you made us?
This is my take on a Thai khao moo daeng.
So, how did you go about being assigned the colour red
and then interpreting that into a dish?
Um... instantly, um, like, that red braised pork came to my mind.
Traditionally, khao moo daeng is served with rice,
um, the chilli sauce on the side and the pork.
But I just sort of wanted to elevate that a bit.
I love noodles and I thought, you know, I could use that with the pork
and then just this beautiful chilli paste.
So, I'm proud of this.
OK. Thanks, Declan. We'll taste. Alright.
We'll let you know. Thank you.
Thanks, Declan.
Smells epic. Looks good. Incredible.
Thank you.
The lovely thing about what is going with Declan is that
you can see he's growing when he's thinking about food.
The pork belly's nice.
It's beautifully cooked in the pressure cooker.
But the sambal is probably where, you know, it sets the dish alight.
It's super zingy and fresh and spicy and sour and sweet.
Yeah.
Brief ticked. A delicious bowl of food.
And I really hope that this is, you know, the evolution of Declan.
I loved this dish of food. It makes me really happy.
I think the noodles are perfect.
They have great density to them.
They're long, you know,
they haven't sort of broken apart because the dough isn't right.
He knows what he's doing. I'm really, really pleased for Declan.
I'm just so surprised that Declan can go from an elegant fish dish
and then swing into something like this
which is just... polar ends of the spectrum.
Both in cooking, in technique, in flavour. Everything.
I mean, the broth - executed beautifully.
Like, Declan's...
As you said, he's thinking about food these days.
ADI: What I have plated up is not what I had in mind.
I wanted this to be beautiful and balanced.
I was a bit stressed and I took too long to come up with something.
I'm hoping that I've managed to get some flavour in there,
but I'm really worried about my zhoug.
Adi. Adi.
Hi, guys. How you going?
(DEJECTEDLY) Oh, yeah, you know.
Right. What have you cooked?
I've made a Middle Eastern-inspired kingfish salami
and tapioca crackers.
It's green, for starters.
That is one thing I will give myself.
You seem a bit dejected. Yeah, I am.
It's rushed, which I think shows in the plating.
And I don't think it will be as balanced as I wanted it to be.
So I'm disappointed.
Ohh, no.
It's, like, I've wanted to do this for so many years.
So I think if this was the end, I'd... I'd be disappointed.
Righto. We'll taste now. Thanks, guys.
Thank you. ANDY AND JOCK: Thanks, Adi.
(ADI SNIFFLES)
Um... OK. Let's talk about how it looks.
MELISSA: I think she admitted she felt rushed.
The plate exemplifies that.
There's that, but, like, if this tastes epic, you forgive the plating.
The balance, that could be the deal-breaker.
It looks vibrant. And it is green.
It does... it does fulfil the brief in that regard.
But it... it... it's just let down in the fact that it isn't balanced.
If you put a zhoug on a plate,
it's boom, it's pow, it's whack, it's wow, you know?
It's... it's really...
A secret weapon sometimes. It is, you know?
And it really brings things to life
in a zingy, vibrant, delicious way.
And it should be... In your face.
It should be definitely in your face.
Yes.
I liked the tapioca crisps. They were nice and crunchy.
Um, the fish, I mean, you couldn't see it,
but it was beautifully prepped and sliced evenly across the plate,
but it was very hastily prepared in terms of the presentation.
But for me there's no getting away from the sauce.
It's just not a good version of it. Mmm.
The fish, I don't think she should have covered with zhoug.
You know, I really would have loved the contrast
of beautiful sashimi versus a really bright and fiery zhoug.
Not like it marinading in it
and then you kinda lose the beauty of... raw kingfish.
Yeah.
Danger zone. Mmm.
BRENT: Walking up to the judges,
I'm a little bit worried
and I'm second-guessing myself.
There's a chance that I might go home with a pin.
I'm wondering... have I made the right decision?
(TENSE MUSIC)
Brent. (BRENT CHUCKLES) G'day.
How are you, mate? Good.
He's nervous, I reckon. (CHUCKLES)
(SIGHS)
What have you cooked us, Brent?
Uh, so I've done you an octopus yellow curry with a yellow salsa.
Mate, you, uh, must be
reasonably confident, I'm guessing,
given you didn't play your pin.
Yeah, um, I am.
Also, at the same time, I'm sort of second-guessing,
but it's too late now.
So you are a bit worried!
(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY) Yeah.
I was about to throw the pin.
Alright, mate, we're gonna taste it.
Thank you.
Thanks, guys. Thanks, mate.
Colour brief - check. Yeah, massive, massive tick.
Go for it. Thank you.
You know, the guy knows his way around a piece of octopus. My God!
The octopus is perfectly cooked. It's...
And perfectly hibachi'd as well - the way he kept the tail ends
off of the edge of the hibachi so they didn't burn.
It is fantastic.
I'm so happy for him because he's... he's racking up
good cook after good cook after good cook now, you know?
Yeah. Yeah, I agree.
The flavours are considered
and they come together in the most beautiful way on the plate.
The curry, it has a richer texture to it
and also it's amped up with flavour.
I think it balances really well with the flavour of the octopus.
Then the yellow salsa. Like, you know, the corn is sweet.
And then the pineapple sour in it.
It just like... It just comes together so, so well.
The yellow salsa of dreams, that's what it's called.
I cannot believe that he was even thinking about playing his pin.
(LAUGHS)
Like, he's got to trust himself more because that is absolutely faultless.
(TENSE MUSIC)
RUE: Whew.
(EXHALES)
In round 1 today, we tested your palates.
And in round 2, we gave you a palette - a colour palette.
Everyone here hit the brief.
More than that, two of you really nailed it.
Brent, it's probably the best dish we've seen from you
in the competition so far.
Yay! (APPLAUSE)
And... Declan.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
THEO: Well done!
Fantastic red-hot sambal. Spot-on. Well done.
Ohh!
Well done, mate.
Good job! I'm coming through here.
Oh, my gosh! Not what I wanted.
Adi and Rue, sorry to say, but both of your dishes had flaws.
Ohh,
But the flavours in one dish worked well enough
to get it across the line.
Ohh.
The dish...
...and the cook who is safe from elimination...
...is Rue.
Oh!
Adi, I'm so sorry. It's OK.
Unfortunately you're going home.
That's OK.
OK.
(WHISPERS) Oh, my goodness.
(SIGHS)
(EXHALES)
Adi, you wouldn't know that you only came into food just a few years ago.
You've got such a deep understanding of cooking and cuisines.
And if you take that and run with it,
we know that you're gonna go far.
What's your biggest takeaway
from your time here in the MasterChef kitchen?
Ohhh! So much! I'm really proud of myself.
And I'm really grateful for this opportunity.
And it's been amazing to get to learn so much from you guys
and from you guys.
And, yeah, it's bizarre that I ever got to stand here and I got this far
and I think for someone who just started cooking a few years ago,
I did OK.
It just goes to show, if you put your mind to it, you can do it.
It'll be the same when you get out there.
Yeah. So, follow your food dream.
I'll do it. 'Cause I think you're gonna make it.
Thank you so much. For now, it's time to say goodbye.
Come on! (GIGGLES) Thanks, Jock.
Thanks for cooking. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Don't you dare stop. OK, I won't. (CHUCKLES)
Yeah, don't stop.
Thanks, Andy. Good luck.
Alright. Bring it in. (LAUGHS)
This has been a really huge journey for me.
(CATH SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) Oh, thank you.
And I'm really proud of myself
that I did something very different to my career.
Something that I'm very passionate about.
Being in this kitchen, it's just solidified that.
Thanks. Thanks. (APPLAUSE)
Ah. Oh.
And... I'll just take that with me forever.
Give it up for Adi, everybody! ANDY: Adi!
(APPLAUSE AND CHEERING)
NARRATOR: This week on MasterChef Australia,
one of them will win a guaranteed spot
in the top 5.
THEO: I wanna stand out. I want to be at the top.
And a lot can happen
as we near the pointy end of the competition.
RHIANNON: So awesome! ANDY: Ready to get your hands dirty?
(SIZZLING) Ooh!
Wow! (BLENDER WHIRRS)
So prepare to salivate.
(CRUNCH!)
MELISSA: It's magical.
Toothsome.
Juicy.
Intoxicating.
JOCK: Perfect.
I mean, really perfect.
Captions by Red Bee Media