NARRATOR: Previously on MasterChef Australia...
You are going to be making my...
..Jack In A Box.
KHRISTIAN: Wow!
Our very own Michelin-starred judge
set the bar high
for their first pressure test.
Oh!
And Khristian had to say farewell to the MasterChef kitchen.
Then, some incredible ingenuity...
SOFIA: It's just such a more-ish, fun plate of food.
That's a restaurant-standard dish.
..led to immunity for Lourdes.
Tonight...
..they're inches away...
..from elimination.
Well, good luck today, everybody.
Good luck. SUMEET: Good luck, guys!
Let's just pretend we're wearing white aprons!
Oh, my God, black apron again!
I just came out of the pressure test.
I'm glad that my journey's not ended yet.
You just never know, right?
'Cause a black apron day is anybody's day.
(CHATTER)
HARRY: Lots of little things.
ALEX: Oh, my God!
What is that?
Cubes!
Oh, boy, it's a one-inch cube.
Oh!
I'm absolutely crapping myself right now.
Oh, no!
In front of us is a whole podium of cubes.
There's a lot of colours.
Please don't let this be what I think it is
because I'm not ready for it!
Does this look familiar to anyone?
ALL: Yes!
Today is a MasterChef classic.
The One-Inch Cube Taste Test.
(EXCITED WHISPERING) (WHISPERS) One-Inch Cube Taste...!
Get your tastebuds ready,
because that's what's going to get you out of elimination.
GILLIAN: Oh, I'm freaking out a bit.
This Taste Test challenge,
I've watched it plenty of times before,
and I know how much of a mental game
it's going to be with your own self.
As you can see, today, we have gone all out.
This table has a whopping 100 ingredients on it...
(ALL GASP) Wow!
..all cut into bite-sized cubes.
Wow!
And trust me,
when things are in cube form,
it really messes with your head.
The pressure is on your palates
because, today, you'll be tasting all of them...
..blindfolded!
ALL: Argh! Oh, no!
No!
Oh, I am so excited to see your faces. Ha-ha-ha!
Alright, here's how it's going to work -
we have arranged these so they start off nice and cruisy,
but, as the game progresses,
it'll get tougher and tougher and tougher.
One by one, you'll step up to the plate,
we will bring you a cube to taste,
you'll need to identify it,
and if you guess correctly, you stay in the game.
But if you guess incorrectly, game over.
The first six incorrect guesses, are to go through to round two,
where someone will be eliminated.
So, shall we decide the order? Yeah.
Who's going first? Yeah.
This is going to be a scary one.
Once you get your number, kind of shuffle over
to where you think you'll be in the order.
What people don't realise, I think, is how much you rely on
the foods you like and dislike by what you see.
So, joke's on us!
We don't get to see a thing, which is going to be so difficult.
Righto, crew, it's time to lock in.
You got your blindfolds on.
This could determine your fate in the MasterChef competition.
Let's do the One-Inch Cube Test.
First up, Lily.
Go, Lily!
LILY: Oh, God, this is it!
I'm like, "Come on, Lil,
"just don't mess up the first one! Don't mess up the first one!"
Because if you mess up the first one,
see ya, you're in bottom six and you're cooking.
Oh! I know!
Ra! Don't do that!
Who is that? It's Sofia... Maybe! Come on!
Oh! Oh, I go up. Oh, you want to go up by yourself?
Well, no, I didn't... I thought I sat down!
No!
I actually feel really nervous.
To have your eyes covered is gonna be really strange.
Oh, my God, I'm so shaky!
Plus, knowing it's in a one-inch cube,
there's not many foods
that you really eat in a one-inch cube.
Righto, Lil, do what you got to do.
OK, it smells kind of familiar, but I'm also like,
"Lil, take your time."
It's a little bit, like, moist...
..but also chalky.
I think I know what it is.
Banana.
Lil, banana?
Yep.
Correct. Well done.
(CHEERING)
Up next is Sumeet.
Come on, Sumeet!
Oh, my gosh, OK.
Having this blindfold on,
I feel like I'm really disoriented,
so I am just doubling over with the pressure.
Got it?
Oh, is that a tray or something? Yep.
Oh, OK.
I have been in so many eliminations,
so I have that dark cloud looming over me.
Ah! I hope I can straightaway tell
and stay out of the second round.
(SIGHS NERVOUSLY)
I can feel it's a little bit hard.
Can't taste any flavour, so it's bland.
It's just got a carbohydrate, starchy type of a texture to it.
I get no distinct smell.
Mm.
My God, that's a potato.
Is that your final answer?
Yeah, I think that's a potato.
Unfortunately, Sumeet... (GASPS)
..potato is incorrect.
Oh, my... Aw! My God!
That was pumpkin. (SIGHS)
Yeah.
You can take your blindfold off.
Oh, man! I'm sorry, Sumeet.
Oh! (LAUGHS)
(SIGHS EXASPERATEDLY)
I cook with pumpkin all the time!
I should know this.
It's the curse of the black apron. (LAUGHS)
Dammit!
Up next, it's Alex.
Goodness, it's going to be a tough challenge
if number two off the bat
is already straight into that Elimination Cook.
Apple.
Apple is right. Yeah!
Correct! Can I eat the rest?
You can absolutely eat the rest! (APPLAUSE)
Up next, Josh Perry.
JOSH: I thought I would have slipped over, so...
(LAUGHS) (LAUGHTER)
Where are you taking me, man?
I didn't think it was that far! (LAUGHS)
Right, she's just in front of ya.
I think it's a carrot.
Correct.
Sav, let's go.
Avocado.
Correct. Well done.
Harry, you're up next.
Oh...
Wow, you're... ..capsicum.
You're going all in? Yeah. Capsicum.
Not even a little nibble! Capsicum!
That's correct. Thank you.
STEPHEN: Everyone's doing so well picking these foods...
SOFIA: Lachlan!
Oh! Egg.
LILY: Thank God that one's done!
Correct. (LAUGHS) Yeah, alright!
..but Sumeet getting potato incorrect
shows how you can fall over on the simplest things
and start doubting yourself.
Gill.
Where is my nose?
(LAUGHS) (LAUGHTER)
Oh, heck, yes!
That's watermelon, baby!
This is correct, well done! Whoo-hoo!
STEPHEN: So, I'm a little bit worried, actually.
Whoo!
Righto, Steve, are you ready, mate? Yeah, mate.
Let's do it.
Right, you feel it? Yep, yep, got it.
There's not a lot of smell...
..but it's got some sweetness in it.
But also, it's quite a firm, you know, quite hard.
So I'm thinking, "Ah, it's probably a root vegetable."
Could be a sweet potato or turnip.
Ah, maybe. (SNIFFS)
But, at the same time, it has the texture of a raw potato.
But I keep on thinking about Sumeet saying it was a potato,
but it wasn't,
so I'm not really sure now.
That tastes like potato.
Potato?
It's incorrect, mate. Argh!
That was beetroot. Oh, beetroot!
Ah! Ah, yeah!
Which you now have it - on your fingers, on your nose,
everywhere! Everywhere, everywhere!
ALEX: Oh! Sorry, mate!
You're now joining Sumeet in round two.
Disappointing.
I knew after I said potato, it's just way too sweet.
But the pressure gets to you at the time.
Ah, well. Oh, well.
Just to remind you,
we're looking for another four to join Sumeet and Steve
in round two.
Alright, Darrsh, it's your turn.
Cold chicken. (ANDY SNIGGERS)
Chicken?
(LAUGHTER)
Chicken is correct.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Extra points for saying it's cold!
The senses are on point!
It's Mimi next.
Doesn't smell like anything.
Well, I might be in trouble here.
It's spongy.
I don't know what this is,
but it's squishy and I can pull a piece out of it.
But it doesn't taste like anything.
It's just nothingness.
It's just doughy.
Oh, my God, it's maybe so difficult.
Must be confused.
Am I allowed to say flour?
Am I allowed to say it's like raw flour?
It's flour.
It's flour. Surely, it's flour.
Yeah, that's my final answer.
Mimi...
..flour is incorrect.
The answer is oat.
Oh! Oat. Wow.
Unfortunately, Mimi,
you're joining Sumeet and Steve in round two.
(SIGHS) Us, again!
That was super difficult.
Like, who cooks with oats other than breakfast?
Seriously!
I am really, really, really terrified
because we are not even through round one
and we have three men down,
which means there is still three of us to go.
David, let's do it.
There's a lot at stake today.
Corn.
Corn? Corn.
C-O-R-N? C-O-R-N.
Correct. (LAUGHS)
With each contestant that is tasting...
Up again is Lily.
..it's like Russian roulette.
Oh, my God!
Licorice.
Licorice is correct.
Up next, Alex.
LILY: Go on, Alex! Deep breaths.
OK... (NERVOUSLY) Oh! Relax!
Concentrate.
Oh, my God, that feels so weird.
No.
My mind is spinning.
I know I have a grain in front of me
I can taste it's a grain.
I can separate each grain in my mouth.
But I'm really unsure what kind of grain
I'm chewing on right now.
Oh!
I don't know if it's, like, rice or if it's, like, quinoa, almost.
Oh, my God!
If I'm wrong, then I'm into this elimination round.
Righto, unfortunately, I need something.
(WHIMPERS)
Um...
This One-Inch Cube Challenge is really hard
and without my sight,
this is a mind game more than anything.
I don't know if it's, like, rice or if it's, like, quinoa, almost.
Oh, my God!
Unfortunately, I need something.
(WHIMPERS) Alex, what's your answer?
Um...
I don't know what to say.
Rice.
Answer's correct, Alex.
(SHOUTS) Yes!
Alex! (LAUGHS)
I'm shaking! (GIGGLES)
Ah, I'm just relieved. I'm...
Yeah. No words right now. No words!
(LILY LAUGHS) I hate this game.
That's... That's a hard one.
..tough.
Next, again, Josh Perry.
It's either a cantaloupe or a honeydew melon.
I'm going to go with a cantaloupe.
Correct.
SAVINDRI: Interesting texture.
That's a cherry.
Yes, cherry is correct. Yeah.
The judges are still looking for three more contestants
to join round two.
Strawberry?
Strawberry is correct. Yes!
As each cube gets harder...
I'm pretty certain it's kiwifruit.
Correct.
..with just one slip up...
What the hell is this? (SOFIA LAUGHS)
..you can be in elimination in a split second...
It's coconut.
Coconut's correct.
..so they're going to have to be really, really careful
if they want to stay out of the bottom six.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Take your time. Serious, now.
JUAN: I realise it's a citric.
I get a really sweet-sour flavour...
..but when I bite the other side,
it's totally bitter.
I'm not sure. I'm thinking a really bitter orange
or a really sweet grapefruit.
Grapefruit.
Grapefruit?
I am sorry, Juan.
It is not. (SIGHS)
It's lemon. Lemon!
Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
You were so close!
Seriously, I couldn't get a lemon.
I'm sorry, mate... Huh.
..but you are in round two. Yeah.
I don't want to go home!
And it's one in six chances to be the person leaving today,
so I'm really disappointed.
It's harder than it seems.
Josh Clarke, let's go.
JOSH: I wouldn't want to go up against any of those guys
in an elimination.
They're all great cooks.
I need to get this guess right.
I know instantly that it's a cheese.
And the flavour of the cheese is just so strong.
Parmesan cheese.
Parmesan cheese...
..is incorrect. (SIGHS)
I'm sorry.
You were close.
Pecorino. Tasty cheese or cheddar.
CONTESTANTS: Ah!
And that means you're joining Mimi, Sumeet, Steve and Juan
in round two.
Sorry, mate.
Tasty cheese is something, you know, I buy on my weekly shop
for the kids at home.
I should have, in retrospect, been able to guess that.
I'm pretty devastated.
So, crew, I've only got one spot left in round two of the elimination.
The pressure is rising.
Next up, David. CONTESTANTS: Go, David!
Thank you, thank you.
It's so weird!
It's got this thin layer of skin or membrane
and it feels really soft.
And, immediately, my head goes to tofu...
..and it falls apart like tofu.
So, I put it next to my ear and I squish it
to see if it squeaks like tofu and it doesn't.
And that really confuses me.
(SIGHS) Why is the texture so weird?
But when I smell it, it smells like seafood.
Fish sashimi?
We need more information.
Need more information.
Tuna sashimi?
The answer...
..is correct.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) (SCREAMS)
DARRSH: Go, David!
Well done!
Freaking...!
Can I just check, David, did you listen to it at one point?
You put it next to your ear. Yeah, I was...
I was trying to see, like, how it squishes. I thought it was...
(LAUGHTER) I thought it was tofu.
SUMEET: You rock star, mate! Good job!
STEPHEN: He's a hero. That's crazy stuff! (LAUGHS)
I cannot believe how David zoned in
and nailed sashimi tuna.
And I got pumpkin wrong!
So, next is Lily.
Yeah, Lil!
Cauliflower. Correct.
MELISSA: Pezzo, you're next.
Is it a leek?
It is a leek! (LAUGHS)
I am just incredibly proud of the rest of the group.
These ingredients were not easy...
I think it's daikon.
Yes, daikon. Ah!
Oh, my God!
That's awesome!
..but they are getting it right.
Mm!
Two words. Spiky on the outside. What is it called?
Dragon fruit. Dragon fruit?
You got it, Snez! I got it!
What if you never know? I would have not even guessed that!
Insane!
Back to you, David!
STEPHEN: If he listens to it, I'm freaking out!
He did!
Cream cheese?
Wow!
Cream cheese is correct. Yes!
I... Incredible!
And it's just making me realise
that these guys are pretty awesome, you know?
It's like the penalty kicks in the World Cup, remember?
Oh, my... Oh, yeah! (LAUGHS)
Oh, yeah. Thanks to remind this!
(LAUGHS)
Well, well, well, I've got to say, I am drained.
Anyway, we're going for the fourth round now.
And next one is Lily.
CONTESTANTS: Go, Lily! Go, Lil!
It's mental.
Like, we're doing really, really, really well.
But there's still that one spot, and I'm like,
"Just don't let it be you, Lil,
"that breaks this unbelievable streak."
(LAUGHS) What on Earth is that?
It's got this like foamy, shreddy sort of texture to it.
But there's absolutely no taste at all.
Like, I'm getting zero.
And I'm getting a little bit anxious.
One side of it is this, like, weird skin.
It's kind of like a zucchini or cucumber.
I'm peeling, I'm seeing if it's a fruity kind of peel of a skin
that I can get off.
I just can't put two and two together here.
I know that and I just cannot get it.
It's not a radish, but it's, like... (SIGHS) I don't know.
I don't know.
SOFIA: Yeah, come on! You do, you do!
She's gonna kick herself if she doesn't get it.
(SIGHS)
I don't know.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Take a guess.
Any guess, please.
Cucumber.
Cucumber...
..is incorrect. CONTESTANTS: Oh!
I'm so sorry. Dammit!
The answer is eggplant. Oh!
Oh, my God!
I am so sorry. You are going to round two.
ANDY: Unlucky, Lil.
It's just disheartening.
I am the sixth of the six to do the cook for elimination.
If you're taking off your blindfold, you are safe.
Well done. You can head up to the gantry.
Super effort, guys.
Doesn't feel great,
but I need to snap out of it
and just get in the zone now.
Otherwise, I'm going home.
Sumeet, Steve, Juan, Lily, Josh and Mimi.
I hope you like the ingredients you got to taste in round one...
..because for round two, they will be your pantry.
Your only pantry.
No staples, no garden,
just all the ingredients from the Taste Test.
I'm sort of freaking out.
All home cooks, we rely on things like flour, cream, sugar...
Sugar wasn't part of the taste test.
So, it might seem simple,
but I'm already axing so many things off the list
that I know how to do because I don't have access
to certain ingredients.
You will have 75 minutes, and the dish that impresses us
the least will send its maker home.
Deep breaths, everyone...
..because your time starts now!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Now!
I'm actually excited that we're going to use
the ingredients because it's a big variety.
It's 100 ingredients that we can choose from,
so it's like a massive mystery box if you think about it.
Wait, not ham.
Bacon.
Those guys got me into trouble.
They cooked me, so I'm cooking them back.
That's the way. Get revenge!
That's the way. Love it, Stevo!
Steve's got beetroot. Sumeet's got pumpkin.
And they were both the ones that they got wrong.
Anyone else?
It is the villain in my movie.
But I choose oats because I'm going to have my iconic
'big boss' moment here, and we're going to go head-to-head.
I'm making savoury breakfast oats.
It's going to be infused with a pork broth,
served with braised pork belly
and miscellaneous toppings.
Oh, nice, Mimi!
Very nice.
Yeah. Good technique.
The oats bit me in the behind.
I'm going to get them back.
Holy moly!
That first round of the elimination was stressful!
Stressful for us - really hard for these guys.
But they've been left with 100 really beautiful,
interesting ingredients.
There's so many options.
I could write you a full menu with all this.
There are a lot of beautiful ingredients here,
but let me just point out there's no sugar,
there's no herbs and no spices.
So, there's definitely some people who would have had to shift
their thinking a bit.
Yeah, that's the creativity part, isn't it?
There's no herbs, are there?
75 minutes with no herbs, no spices and stuff is really tricky
to get flavour, and particularly
if you're doing something simple, which, in 75 minutes,
you tend to lean towards.
Oh, hi, Lily, I didn't even see you next to me.
Hello.
I'm up against really good people,
but I just need to do a bit of Lil.
I just need to cook simple, yummy food that's my style -
not compare, just do my own thing.
I'm doing a chicken Maryland with a mushroom sauce
and charred leek.
I cook this as a kind of family meal.
I'm not like... Don't overcook...
Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The one thing that I miss the most about not being a nurse anymore
is making people feel good.
So, my food dream is to create a space for people in hospice care
where I can feed them really homely, hearty food that tastes really good.
That's the dream.
I'm happy. This is my style of cooking, so I'm trying
to get as much flavour as I can
in my chicken stock from what I've got,
then subsequently, into this mushroom sauce.
So, let's see what happens.
(WHISTLES)
Nice. Look great, Juan.
Same shape, same shape.
(LAUGHS)
My strategy for round two is to be true to myself,
to who I am...
Ooh!
Domino potatoes.
..and enjoy what's happening.
Oh, Juan's using the hibachi, baby!
Smoke it up, Juan! Yeah.
It's my last cook, maybe.
So, I'm gonna try with the hibachi that I never used before.
I want to really nail the steak because it's the main part
of this dish.
So, I'm just going to cook as many steaks
and different types of cook as I can, just to get it
exactly where I want it.
And let's enjoy it.
Let's dance a little bit.
Juan.
Hi, guys. You still have time to salsa, huh?
Yeah. Always.
I'm enjoying myself. I'm having an asado, a barbecue,
an Argentinean barbecue. Yeah.
Is there a sauce? Some salsa criolla.
That's what we put in our meat.
It's just with lemon, fresh vegetables.
And then, I have some domino potatoes.
There is a recipe from an Argentinean
called Francis Mallmann - I don't know if you heard of him.
Love Francis.
So, are they, like, the perfect square,
perfect rectangles that he has. Like a square...
They can be a little bit messed up because...
Oh, hang on. No, listen, listen!
I've never seen his messed up!
They're like literal dominoes.
So, it's definitely family style... Yes.
..considering the size of the chunks.
So, we're going with rustic or are we MasterChef-ing it?
Yeah. You'll nail it?
Yeah. Stakes are high, Juan.
Yeah, 'steaks' are high here. (LAUGHS)
And I realise what he says.
We're in the MasterChef kitchen, and it's also an elimination round,
so I kind of go, like, family-style cook.
But if it's the last one, I want to be enjoying it.
If I'm cooking something I don't know or I'm worried about
all the time, I'm gonna spend the last cook maybe suffering.
And I'm all about the flavours here,
and I hope that they appreciate that.
SAVINDRI: Juan, you're the 'Juan' we love.
(LAUGHS)
Ooh, coconut?
SUMEET: I'm making coconut milk.
Clever girl.
These are definitely not potatoes.
Sumeet.
Revenge.
Oh, my God, revenge! Yes, yes.
You're gonna stare that pumpkin in her face and say,
"Beep!" (LAUGHS)
What are you doing with it?
So, what I'm doing is a beetroot and pumpkin soup with coconut milk.
It's taking inspiration from an Indian curry.
But now I don't have any spices,
so I'm going to work with what I have.
Yep. And you're making your coconut milk from fresh coconut?
Yes. Old school.
Just the way we used to back home.
Amazing.
Ah, thank you so much. Please smash this.
Thank you.
I love the colour of a beetroot pumpkin soup.
It is just the brightest pink.
It fills me with happiness on a cold winter's day.
That's the truth.
You've had 15 minutes.
You have one hour to go.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
JOSH: I am making a prawn and lobster bisque.
I'm just trying to use ingredients that are available
to pack as much flavour as I can.
I don't know if 75 minutes is enough to make a fantastic bisque,
but it's elimination.
I've got to do the best I can.
Caught red-handed.
I'm using beetroot. Something a little different.
And I'm making it up as I go.
Coming out of my head.
(CHUCKLES)
Probably is a bit risky on elimination, but then again,
you know, what's life without a few risks?
It's no fun, is it, really?
Hey, Steve. How are you?
What is going on here? Are you acting out
a trauma bond here?
That's right.
It's going to be Stevo's take on ravioli, but...
BOTH: Ooh!
..I'm actually going to use the beets as the skins
for the ravioli, rather than pasta. Fancy!
Right. And fill them.
So is this one here?
Yeah. I'm going to slice it down more.
Yeah, I was going to say, that's pretty thick.
Yeah, a bit fat. Yeah. Yep. Yeah.
And the filling?
Ricotta, bit of goat's cheese...
And then, is this also the sauce?
This is going to be black garlic sauce.
And I'm going to make a puree from the leek.
Wow, OK. Some heavy hitters.
Have you done this before? Never.
Freaks me out.
This is something you dreamt up
as you stood in front of that pantry.
Well, yeah, I just looked at it and thought,
"I'm going to do something with the beetroots."
You've never done this technique before?
No.
If that doesn't work, you have puree, puree, sauce.
Yes, it won't be so good.
Like, get a backup plan.
Get a backup plan.
Good luck. Thank you.
So, Andy told me I should have a backup plan...
..but, um, I haven't, really.
If I take a few risks, I don't mind.
I'm going to do Stevo's ravioli.
So, instead of pasta, I'm going to use beetroot.
It's going to be filled like a ravioli.
Poaching it in chicken stock.
Do I have a backup plan?
Roast beetroots? I don't think so.
I'm going to go with my gut and just do it.
Just can't believe he's doing that.
I'm banking on this working.
If I go for the backup plan, then maybe the main plan
won't be any good.
I'm scared. Yeah.
Would you mind standing right here?
Glasses off.
OK.
Sure. What would you like me to do?
I want to put your tastebuds to the test.
OK.
OK, that's a food, obviously.
Melon.
Is it? Is that your final answer?
(LAUGHTER)
No, it's lime. Sorry, it's lime.
It is lime.
Yeah.
Wait?
Oh, bloody hell.
French.
Camembert rustique.
And it's about four-years-old.
It's not strong enough.
Correct.
Are you enjoying yourself, Sofia?
You know what?
(LAUGHS) What?
I can't even work this out. (LAUGHS)
It's terrible. Do you know what?
I'll get you another piece. Stay there.
What the hell smells like that?
Palm out, please.
I'm looking at the clock,
and it says you've got 45 minutes to go.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Did you go cut up a dragon fruit?
Merde!
(LAUGHS)
I don't have my superpower now because there is zero spice
that I can see for my pumpkin beetroot soup.
So, I have to tap into my creative side today
and extract flavour with whatever I have.
Ooh! What are you doing there? That's coconut milk.
Why do you separate your coconut?
Chef, because we don't... The milk is made like this.
It's soaked in hot water.
Sorry, one minute. Pen.
I'm learning with you, yes? Really? I don't know, is it?
I am. There's things that I'm learning too, of course.
Yeah, so this is basically rehydrating the desiccated coconut.
I've blitzed it.
And then, the milk has come out.
So, you think this will have more flavours than if you are
using a cream?
No. Cream tin would be much better, Chef, but we don't have any.
Of course. Yes.
Can't be in a cube. Yeah, we don't have any, yeah.
Of course. So, I have to pivot.
I'm going back on my cloud and leave you alone.
No, Chef. Thank you so much.
I'm worried that a pumpkin and beetroot soup
could be too sweet.
So, I'm going to add these butter-fried prawns
for a savoury element to balance the dish.
OK. So, I've got to do my prawns,
which should not take too much time to cook.
But I do want to cook them perfectly,
and I'm going to toss some of the garnishes.
Cubes of pumpkin got me into trouble.
I'm hoping these cubes of pumpkin are going to be my ticket
out of elimination.
BOTH: Hey, Mimi. Hi.
So, are you doing the usual, Mimi, and doing 10,000 things?
Looks that way. Yep, yep.
So, I'm doing tonkotsu oats.
Wow.
It's a savoury porridge. Yep, right.
Ah. Inspired by ramen.
And the pork belly is in the pressure cooker. Yep.
You're going to use the broth, obviously, as your stock. Yep.
And then, are you going to use the belly, as well, through the porridge?
Yeah. I'm using pickled leeks. I don't have scallions.
Ginger is going, buttered corn.
The black garlic is going to be my best friend. Yeah.
It's going to look like a bowl of ramen.
That's a very ambitious cook you've planned out.
Yeah.
I feel like I'm on a roll, although the roll is like this.
Yeah. But I'm going to embrace it.
I've gotten to know this kitchen more and more with every cook,
even though there are bad cooks and good cooks.
Yeah. Yeah.
I love your attitude. I love it, too.
Wow, that is... How good is that? I love it. I love it.
I feel like I really need a moment of redemption.
I feel like I haven't quite defined myself,
felt comfortable in this kitchen.
Flipping the script on this elimination -
it's not I have to cook.
I GET to cook in the MasterChef kitchen.
You have 30 minutes to go!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Yeah!
It smells of coconut milk.
Yeah.
I've got the bisque ready to go.
I need to reduce it a little bit.
I'm gonna need to start cooking the prawns and the lobster
and then start getting my plating stuff ready, as well.
SNEZANA: Josh, what he's doing is really smart
because there's no herbs, there's no spices,
but his shells and prawn heads, making stock out of it,
that's going to add great flavour.
How's it tasting? Tastes great.
Yeah. I bet it would.
I'm making asado, Argentinean barbecue
with salsa criolla.
That is a salsa that we make in Argentina.
It's mild. It's not spicy.
And domino potatoes.
Argentina asado is like a basic Sunday meal.
Very rustic, very homemade.
So, I have to refine this dish.
My salsa is ready to go...
..cut tiny, tiny, tiny
so I get it more delicate on top of the steak.
What is this? (LAUGHS)
Look at that! What is this spoon?
I'm just waiting for the potatoes to be totally crispy.
I'm feeling good.
Got a barbecue here.
The smells, the meat.
Amazing. The people screaming.
Is that chorizo, Juan? Choricito.
Choricito! Choripan.
I know I'm cooking a very simple dish,
but I really want to share
the Argentinean food with the world.
For me, it's just pure happiness.
It's like...oh, an explosion of delicious flavours.
So I hope they get that...
..that taste of what I'm saying about the Argentinean food.
Like, it's simple, but it doesn't need anything else.
Let's go, Lil.
LILY: 20 minutes to go.
I've seared off the chicken.
I need to get that in the oven.
I want it to just be cooked through and yum.
With a chicken Maryland, you cannot cut into it,
so you cannot know if it's cooked until tasting.
So, I'm using a meat probe.
I'm going to try and get 74,
but I'm going to pull it out early, at 72.
I'm thinking, "Oh, should I do the other chicken that I butchered?"
But there is no time, and I need to focus on this one -
just get this one done well.
Pink chicken means you're really unwell and you get looked after
by me in hospital.
Lily. Hello.
Hi, Lil. I just want to do, like, me,
and I don't want to overcomplicate.
Chicken and mushroom sauce
has, like, been done to death for years.
I know. And there's some really heavy and boring versions.
I'm hoping...
What is going to be there to kind of break through?
You said "creamy" mushroom sauce.
It will be less creamy - just mushroom sauce.
Like, because I don't have cream.
We need to bring this up a notch.
Yeah.
Good luck, Lil. Thank you, guys.
I want the sauce to be thick enough that it's not, like, gravy vibes.
I want, like, sauce, not, like, jus.
I want to thicken it.
Butter? I don't know.
Butter.
Cream cheese?
I don't have cream, but I do have some cream cheese.
(SIGHS)
So, I added a bit of cream cheese, mindful that I don't want the sauce
to split with too much cheese and all this shenanigans.
(SIGHS) Oh!
And then, it starts clumping.
Uh...panic.
What if I put Philadelphia in, off heat?
It's going to be clumpy still.
Ooh.
My dish has only three elements,
and I've just ruined the sauce.
I'm thickening mushroom sauce with some cream cheese
for my chicken Maryland and charred leek,
but it's clumping.
Oh!
A moment of self-doubt crept in
of, "I've ruined the sauce."
And then, I'm like, "Nah, you just need to simmer the hell out of it.
"Keep stirring it."
As it heats a little bit, like, I take it off the heat.
I'm trying all sorts of different things,
and it starts to come together, which is good.
Oh, my God.
I'm so stressed.
Taste good?
It's tasting really yum.
It's really nice and creamy.
Let's go, Lily!
But I keep having this wave of, like, "Oh, it's too simple.
"Oh, it's too simple."
Everyone's so good.
I'm trying not to compare.
Focusing on the positives.
# Way-oh! #
Remember, this is an elimination.
You need to wow us.
15 minutes to go.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
STEPHEN: All the elements for my beetroot ravioli,
they've all got very powerful flavours.
The ricotta, the goat cheese and lemon zest filling,
pistachio puree, leek puree
and black garlic sauce.
All the elements from my beetroot ravioli,
I think they'll go well together.
Whoa!
But I haven't had time to taste them all together.
What's in that? Pistachios.
And then, this is the filling? That's the filling,
which I'm still working on.
If these don't work...
Yep, I'm in trouble.
Yeah, I know.
So, guys, how do you feel about the benches?
There's 'play it safe' there's 'pushing the boat out'
and everything in the middle, isn't there? POH: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
On the plus side, we are definitely looking forward
to Mimi's dish, aren't we? I'm so excited.
She's using the oats as porridge but with pork belly.
And then, she's got all these other little things going on with corn
and the black garlic and ginger. Yeah, and there's ginger.
It feels a bit like a 'screw you' porridge. Yeah.
It is. Yeah, it is. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's meat, garlic prawns, pumpkin and beetroot soup
based on a curry.
But she doesn't have any spices,
so it's not a curry - it's a soup. Wow.
Steve - he's doing this, like, really creative dish.
Beetroot ravioli.
So, I just went and tasted.
There's some really heavy-hitting flavours there.
He's had black garlic in the broth.
And then, he's also putting black garlic in the leek puree.
For me, it's going to need an absolute deft touch
if it works as a whole dish.
I'm really worried about Juan.
It's a very traditional dish.
He's doing Argentinean barbecue
with a salsa and some domino potatoes.
I feel like if you're going to do a dish like that,
every element has to be refined.
Domino potatoes would have to be immaculate.
Yeah.
Good crunch. Yummy.
Five minutes gives me enough time to plate up, and I'm thinking,
"I can make this dish look more refined."
I'm going to put some chorizo bites and manchego cheese
on top of this potatoes,
with the salsa beautifully on top of the steak.
Like, I impressed myself because it's a very simple dish...
..and it looks like something that I would get in a restaurant.
Everyone, allez, allez! Three minutes left!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Three minutes!
Nice, Mimi. That looks sick.
Mim? Yeah.
Are you putting it on top?
Yeah. Will it sink?
Nah. Alright.
Two minutes to go! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
STEPHEN: I am taking a little bit of time to plate up
because I want it to look elegant.
I've got my raviolis.
I'm going to pop the ricotta filling inside.
They look great.
In fact, you wouldn't even know they weren't pasta.
I've got my leek puree and pistachio puree.
I decided to bottle them up so I can squirt them
onto the plate a bit easier.
I've got the really nice, luscious black garlic sauce.
Come on, mate!
Come on, Steve! You've got it, Stevo.
I grab the tea towel to wipe the bench down...
(CLATTERING) Oh!
Oh, la, la, la, la, la, la!
(GASPING)
Oh, no! Oh, no.
Look what happened.
Oh, Steve!
I'm done.
(CLATTERING) Oh!
Oh, la, la, la, la, la, la!
(GASPS)
Oh, no!
Look what happened.
STEPHEN: Oh, my God.
My beetroot ravioli looked spectacular,
but now it's ruined and I'm like...my heart sinks.
I'm thinking, "I'm definitely going home now."
Come on, Steve. It's alright.
What are you gonna do? Go and get another plate.
Go! Come on Steve! Go, go! Go, Steve!
Come on, mate!
Come on, Steve!
SAVINDRI: Picasso over here!
I've got my cubes of beetroot.
I've got my cubes of pumpkin,
beautiful prawns in this beautiful, vibrant soup.
It's so pretty.
It's as beautiful as a painter's palette.
And that gives me an idea to actually paint my plate of food.
(SNEZANA GASPS)
Who are you, Sumeet?
Painter. I know, who am I?
As funny as it sounds,
me in a black apron for the fourth time,
I am loving every minute of this.
I've learned to love the energy of it.
You know, the high, the low,
the pumping of the blood, everything. All of it.
Oh, Sumeet, love the way... Your technique.
Come on, Steve-O. You got this. You're fine.
There's your broth.
It doesn't have to be all of them.
Go, Stevo! You got it, mate.
Steady hands.
100 ingredients, but just one minute left!
Come on! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
I've left just enough time to get the seafood cooked properly.
The bisque -
I think it looks good.
Good, Josh?
Perfect.
Awesome, mate. (SIGHS)
And I'm just hoping that I'm doing enough to stay out of the bottom.
I want to be here for the long run
and show my kids at home that I gave this my best shot,
I gave it my all.
30 seconds!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Cme on, Lils!
LILY: My mushroom sauce is delicious.
The Maryland chicken gets up to 74.
Stunning.
I'm just hoping that it's cooked all the way through.
I've got everything, just waiting on the leek.
Leeks, I want the bite, but I need to just blast these
to make sure they're cooked through.
It's a simple dish, so it needs to be perfect.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ANDY: Here we go, gantry!
10...
ALL: Nine, eight, seven,
six, five,
four, three,
two, one!
Yes! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Sumeet.
Amazing, Steve. You did it! Good job.
Good save, Steve.
I'm not overly happy with the plating.
It just wasn't what I had pictured in my head.
But my biggest concern is I intended to have a couple of minutes
at the end to check all the flavours and make sure they're all working.
But obviously, replating it changed that whole plan,
and now I don't know exactly what it's going to taste like.
Oh, well.
MIMI: Uh, first of all, hoping that I don't spill anything.
There's, like, a million things on the platter.
Hi, Mimi.
Trying really hard not to drop this.
Secondly, hoping to make oats great again.
What did you make?
Tonkotsu.
So, Japanese pork ramen-inspired savoury oatmeal.
It's quite deviant.
This is what happens when oats gets its villain arc.
Yeah. (LAUGHTER)
Yeah,
It feels like you've turned a bit of a corner.
This is the first time in this competition
where I've thought, "Ooh! She's a bit fierce."
For some reason, today just brought me back
to, like, "Dude,
"you're in the MasterChef kitchen.
"Like, if you're freaking out, at least you're freaking out
"in the MasterChef kitchen." That's really true.
Yeah.
"And just embrace it," yeah.
Harness the beast. Yeah.
Thank you, Mimi. Thanks, Mimi.
Thank you. Thank you, guys, so much.
Do you think I should just stir the yolk through?
Yeah, stir it through.
OK.
I grew up with savoury porridge in the morning,
so this is just pure comfort to me.
It just feels so effortless.
I love all the little bits and pieces
that aren't familiar to me... Yeah.
..which are the pickled leeks.
I just feel she's used that pantry so well.
That is an unbelievable bowl of food.
It's creative.
It's like a hug.
The textures, the pickle on the leek versus the fry on the ginger,
the little crispy bits of bacon.
The corn and black garlic -
that blew my mind.
Mmm. That really gave it some depth,
some body, some umami... And acidity, as well, I think.
Acidity, yeah. Yeah.
Magnifique.
Well done, Mimi. So happy for her.
Go on, Lil. Go on, Lils.
Good luck, Lily.
Walking up with my dish, I just feel sick.
I only have three elements, and I won't know if that chicken
is cooked until the judges try it.
POH: Lily, Lily. Hello.
SOFIA: Hey, Lil.
Being so simple, I just need everything to be perfect...
..because otherwise, my time is up.
LILY: I've got a Chicken Maryland
with Mushroom Sauce and Charred Leek.
So, do you think your dish is a bit too simple?
Maybe, yeah, but this is the kind of food that I love.
So, do you think you are ready to make this as a living?
I think, for me, it's like a...this is scratching such an itch
of something that I've been thinking about for so long.
I know my vibe.
I know the kind of food that I love,
and I have a space that I like to create,
so I just need to take that forward with me.
Thank you. Merci beaucoup.
Thank you so much. Thank you. POH: Thanks, Lily.
We're on leek watch.
This is the green part.
And these take so long to cook.
I will be surprised if this is cooked.
(LEEK CRUNCHES) Ooh, yeah.
It's not cooked. The leeks are definitely crunchy.
Now she's left down to the chicken.
It's either bang-on...
..or a little under.
It's right on the border.
This is a tough one
because having a Maryland, you never know how it's going to be cooked.
Yes, you can probe it all you want, but unless you get the probe
to the bone...
Because some of it is cooked nicely,
and then other parts are undercooked.
Why not cook two so you can taste one?
Exactly right.
But the sauce is lovely,
and she's packed a lot of flavour in there.
You know, I was looking for... to see what she would have done
with three components.
How can she impress us with that?
And I believed, I believe she could have done it.
And two of them are already a disaster.
Lil's definitely going to be vulnerable here.
Hello. Hello.
Hi, Sumeet. Hi, everyone.
Plate her up.
SOFIA: Great colour. Yeah, it's crazy beautiful.
Stunning.
Do you want to tell us what the whole dish is?
SUMEET: A Beetroot and Pumpkin Soup.
And I put some coconut milk in there.
And Butter Fried Prawns.
Did you boil the green top of the funnel?
Yes. Beautiful.
You're semi getting used to that black apron now, aren't you?
I know. I think I'm getting better at dealing with the pressure.
We're going to be good friends by the end of this.
Sumeet, thank you very much. Thank you.
Thank you, Sumeet. Thanks, guys. Thank you.
Gorgeous colour. Mmm.
I mean to combine pumpkins and beetroot together,
both very sweet,
it's quite daring.
First, I was seduced by the colours.
It's not too sweet.
A lot of depth in the flavour.
And the coconut milk mixed very well with it.
No spice.
She is very clever. Mmm.
Because the beetroot and the pumpkin soup was quite sweet,
it really...I really did like the savoury element of the prawn.
There's some good technique here, as well.
That soup,
that's one of my favourite things
I've had this competition, so far.
Easily.
It's just so beautiful.
Hello, mate. How are we going, guys?
What's the dish?
It's a Prawn and Lobster Bisque.
Thank you. Enjoy, guys.
Thanks, Josh.
I think it looks lovely. It looks beautiful.
Oh, what's that little secret squirrel?
Leaks. Leaks.
Bisque is an authentic dish from where I come from.
What he's done is made the perfect symphony.
The leeks are the perfect colours.
The prawns and the lobsters are cooked perfectly.
I am so pleased.
C'est incroyable.
That's a 10.
Like, to get the body... Yeah.
..the acidity, the roundness of that broth...
There's just so many notches in sophistication to everything
that he's done. Yeah.
I'm so happy for him. Mm-hm.
Hi, Juan. Hello. Hello, guys.
So, Juan, what do you call this?
My take on an Asado Argentino, Argentinean barbecue,
Domino Potatoes and Chorizo Crisps.
Has a Salsa Criolla on top, so...
I don't know how to translate 'criolla',
but the sauce...Argentina, like...
Yeah, sauce.
What did you used to do when you were back home in Argentina?
So, I make board games.
I create board games.
I heard a rumour that you used to be a popstar.
What? No way.
Yeah. Many ages ago.
When I was 17, I was part of the reality show Popstars.
I cannot wait to Google you.
Oh, yes. Alright, we'll taste, mate.
Thanks, Juan. Thank you, guys. Thank you.
Thoughts?
It looks lovely, actually. Yeah.
I think your advice has done it good.
Let's hope he backs it up with flavour.
It was...it was just...it was a...
..humble plate of food, you know?
It's an interesting one. I'm not in love with this.
This dish needed something.
I wish there was coriander.
I wish that there was parsley.
I don't know, I wasn't overly satisfied.
On an elimination day,
I think it's risky.
STEPHEN: Taking my dish up, I look at the dish,
and I think that replating it, it looks OK.
Hey, Steve. Hey, there. Made it.
You made it. Yeah, well done.
You gave us such a scare.
But it's a very risky dish.
And my biggest concern is I don't even know what they taste like.
I know what the elements taste like,
but I don't know what it tastes like together.
What did you end up making?
My take on a Beetroot Ravioli is puree with pistachio nuts
and the leeks and black garlic.
This is an elimination now.
Yep, definitely.
What made you decide to go so far outside your comfort zone?
I know it's a risk, but I thought, you know, you've got
to start doing that and start, you know,
exploring different styles.
And either I can do it or I can't do it.
It's my first attempt at a big 'push the boat out'.
Mate, you drove that thing way out to sea.
Thank you so much, Stephen.
Thanks very much. Cheers, mate.
Great recovery. Thank you.
What do we we think about the way it looks?
Look, the colour of beetroot is amazing.
It's...it's stunning, isn't it? That's a given.
Yeah. Ah.
I think it might also be a little bit thick
for what I would consider a pasta-dough replacement.
I don't actually like beetroots.
But, you know, this, for me, is spectacular.
The parity of colours, flavours,
the leek, the black garlic,
the pistachio together, the gloss, the sweetness -
oh, the composition is perfect.
I am so thrilled for Steve.
This is a wonderful plate of food.
These disparate flavours,
I just didn't know how he was going to tie together,
go so well together.
Big heavy leek, black garlic, pistachio, lemon,
lemon zest, lemon juice - they're all big players.
And yet, he's married them all together really, really well.
For me, the texture of the beetroot, that could have just gone
horribly wrong.
It could have either been too al dente and had too much
of a bite in it, or it could have just been mush.
But it has the perfect amount of give to be the vessel
for that beautiful filling on the inside.
That saying, "It's hard to teach old dogs new tricks."
Not with Steve - he's just a really open cook.
And he's open to trying new things.
And this is, like...
He's been in the competition for a few weeks now,
and his brain's here.
Yeah.
It's crazy. Who knew?
I know it's an elimination,
but a few of you did so much more than just save yourselves.
Steve...
..beetroot redemption.
It was innovative and the flavours surprised us,
but in the best way.
Josh...
..I would bathe in that bisque.
(LAUGHS)
It was perfect.
Mimi...
..you went against the grain and came out on top.
Thank you.
Sumeet,
that was vibrant, flavoursome, elegant food.
Oh, thank you. Thank you.
None of you are going home.
Well done.
Down to the nitty gritty.
In this kitchen,
sometimes playing it safe is actually playing with fire.
If you bring us a simple dish, it has to be flawless.
The cook going home plated up three elements...
..which were undercooked.
I'm sorry, Lil, it's you.
Lily, today was not the best of your cooking.
Because, actually, you are a good cook,
and you need to believe it.
I know it's sad, Lily. It's been amazing. I'm not sad.
I've learned so much from these guys.
Like, it's truly extraordinary what these people know.
I feel really grateful.
I've spent my life looking after everyone else.
I'm going to do me for a bit.
I'm honestly going out with such a spring in my step.
This has been wicked. I've had so much fun.
I've been screaming on the gantry.
I've been wolf whistling.
My brain is in overdrive of stuff that I want to cook,
but this is confirmed that I love this.
And, yeah, it's not always easy, but nothing good comes easy.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
VOICEOVER: This week on MasterChef Australia,
our home cooks hit the road.
Wow. So cool.
Hello.
And all roads lead to...
(CHEERING)
Vive la France!
..phenomenal French cuisine.
Wow! Superb!
This is absolutely fantastic.
Ooh, la, la!
But it'll be the end of the road for someone.
So sorry, but you're going home.
Captions by Red Bee Media