ANNOUNCER: Previously on MasterChef Australia...
Josh Niland! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
..his fish butchery is first-class.
HARRY: Josh is like a surgeon. It's incredible.
And his pressure test?
A work of art.
JOSH NILAND: Flounder Kandinsky.
Oh! (LAUGHS)
No way!
They were all fangirling over the fish guru.
(GIGGLES)
When your food idol comes to your bench and tells you
to hurry up, you hurry up.
But Harry swam against the tide...
Such an odd choice to pick that piece of the rack.
Yeah.
..and said farewell to the MasterChef kitchen.
The highlight for me isn't a moment or a thing -
it's just the people.
At the end of the day, that's what I'll be grateful for the most.
Tonight,
the tables...
..are turned.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Yes!
(GASPS)
ALL: Oh!
Yeah!
What?!
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Everyone except for Sofia,
who looks like the best bond villain, actually,
they're in their chef whites, and I'm just thinking, "Ha-ha!
"What's up?"
The plot thickens.
The plot does thicken.
Morning, everyone. CONTESTANTS: Morning, Poh.
Morning, Poh.
(LAUGHTER)
Sav, Pezza, Nat,
today is not going to be any ordinary day.
We thought you deserved a little bit of fun,
starting now.
Nice.
Please welcome back your fellow contestants!
What?! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
PEZZA: (CHUCKLES) How good is that?
See all my ex-contestants, my mates,
they're all in the house, and, yeah, look, I've missed them all.
It's been sad to see them go, but they're back.
It's great.
Hey, welcome back, everybody!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
It is so good to see you all.
But you've had your moment -
head on up to the gantry.
We've got business. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
OK, you must be champing at the bit to find out
what we're going to be doing today.
You guys are going to love this
because, in round one of today's challenge,
you won't be cooking.
These guys will be!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Nice.
Yes!
And clearly, they can't judge their own food.
So, guess what that means.
We're swapping places!
(LAUGHTER AND CHEERING)
Yes!
(LAUGHS) Yes!
It is payback time, baby.
And we get to judge the judges.
Yeah, I can't wait.
It's gonna be fun.
So, get those aprons off, and come over here with me.
And you three? Get.
Yes! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(LAUGHTER)
Thank you.
You guys are in for a doozy. (LAUGHTER)
Just remember, there's a few more challenges to go.
(LAUGHTER)
Nat, time for a little bit of revenge.
How are you feeling? Oh, I cannot wait.
I'm gonna put these guys into some serious, like, fifth gear.
(LAUGHTER)
Pezza, how does it feel being a judge?
Oh, I'm loving it. (LAUGHTER)
All I can say to you guys,
the food today will want to be fan-tas-tique!
(CHEERING, LAUGHTER)
Is he having a laugh?
Pezza!
NAT: Oh!
How does it feel to be over that side, Jean-Christophe?
Um, actually, to be honest with you,
it's quite intimidating.
SAV: Yeah. "Quite"!
Yeah. Yeah.
It's only taken you a whole season to realise it.
Yeah. (LAUGHTER)
Poh. Yes.
Are you having flashbacks? Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
Good or bad? Both.
Let's see if Auntie Poh's still got it, hey?
Ha-ha-ha!
In the first round, Poh, Jean-Christophe and Andy
will have to cook in a classic mystery box challenge.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
You know the drill.
Head to your benches, and let's see what you'll be cooking with.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(LAUGHTER)
Oh, my God, it's gonna be so exciting to see
the three judges cook.
I'm really happy because I can learn a lot from them.
Oh! Old friend.
My enemy.
Alright, judges, you can lift your lids...
..now.
ALL: Ooh!
NAT: That looks kind of easy, doesn't it?
PEZZA: Yeah.
You guys should recognise all of these.
This is the Best Of Box.
These are all ingredients that have featured in mystery boxes
throughout the competition so far.
Wow.
OK. OK, OK, OK.
Judges,
you will have 60 minutes.
Ah! Oh!
You should all know the rules.
But, Andy, go on, give them to us.
What did you say? 60 minutes?
Pantry, garden fully open?
No! (LAUGHTER)
Nice try. Nice try.
And what have we got to use - one or more of the mystery box
under-bench staples?
Bring us a...
Delicious! ..there you go, dish.
And you get... What do we get?
Eternal glory.
Yeah! Woo!
Yes!
Time to put your money where your mouths are.
Who wants to do the honours?
All three of us. (CHUCKLES) All three of us.
If you can time it, I'll count you in.
Three, two, one.
OTHERS: Your time starts now!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Jean-Christophe! Move, move, move, move, move, move, move!
(CLATTERING)
(CHEERING)
Hey! Andy!
Oh, he's rusty.
Whew!
OK, what am I gonna use?
Or what am I not gonna use?
Andy, Andy, Andy. Hello, hello, hello!
How are you feeling, Andy? I feel good.
It's good to be back behind the stoves in this place.
It's been a while. What's your dish?
So, I'm going to do a butterflied barbecue quail.
I'm going to make an apple caramel
and glaze that while it's on the hibachi,
and then make a salsa from the charred radicchio,
spring onions, pickled chilli, pickled apple and toasted pine nuts.
Yeah, this is, like, full duxi dish -
punchy, charry, sweet, sour, bitter.
All the good stuff.
Sav, what do you think of the dish choice?
Well, look, I think there's promise there,
but we shall see, I think.
Is this meant to intimidate me?
(LAUGHS) Yeah! Yep. Yes.
What's the cook going to be like on the quail, Andy?
Ah, the breast will be nice and medium rare,
and the legs will be more medium.
DARRSH: Andy's doing a hibachi quail,
and this is really interesting
because using a hibachi to cook quail,
which is already notoriously hard to cook,
there's so many things that could go wrong.
Could dry it out,
the leg meat sometimes doesn't cook through with the bone.
So, if he can't pull this off, and he serves up raw or dry meat,
I don't know.
Almost 50 minutes to go, guys.
What's Poh doing?
GILLIAN: I don't know. She's got, like...
Doing, like, a prawn stock, quail, with a smoker going.
Doing, like, so many different things right now.
Yeah, I'm so intrigued.
I'm gonna do smoked quail dumplings
with a prawn crumble
and apple-skin sauce.
That's what I'm doing.
Prawn and apple skin sauce - it is definitely a weird creation.
I don't know if it's something. I'd immediately gravitate towards,
or the idea of it.
But if anybody's going to pull off something this crazy,
it's got to be Poh.
Poh-Poh.
Oh, my God, go away! (OTHERS LAUGH)
No, we won't. We will not. Ooh!
Poh, we have had some ripper dumplings this season.
Yeah. Are yours going to be the best we've seen so far?
I feel like my dumplings are going to be the best dumplings
you've seen this season. Wow, that's cold.
A little bit of a... That's a big call.
I'm putting everything on the line today.
I feel like I've really got to prove my spot
in the judging panel. (LAUGHS)
I'm just worried that, to make the best dumplings,
your bench is very, very messy.
I'm so sorry, Nat.
I'm really sorry, Nat.
These had better be the best dumplings we've ever had, Poh.
I promise they will be, Sav. OTHERS: Good luck, Poh.
Thank you. Best dumplings. Let's go.
The dumplings are going to have a really unique fold,
so I feel like that's maybe my secret weapon today.
I've got 16 minutes to get it done.
It's going to be a push, as per uzhe,
because that's the Poh tradition.
But what can I do?
I just have to be confident that I can do it.
Uh, no. No, no, no, no.
Where? What am I doing?!
Well, what we need is, uh...
Oh, this guy is...this guy is fun to watch.
SNEZANA: Is this how we look in the kitchen?
Oh, Chef!
Oh. (JAR SMASHES)
ANDY: Oh! Hey!
Jean-Christophe is a liability in this kitchen right now.
Honestly, he is just running around like a headless chook. It's crazy.
Oh!
Why doesn't this fit on there?
Where's the plug? Plug, plug, plug.
Jean-Christophe is just a wild card,
and I love him for it,
but I don't even know what you're making.
He's got a bunch of apples, and he's got pantry staples.
There we are.
And he's running around frantically.
I don't know what Jean-Christophe is doing.
I'm stressed for him!
Yes? Bonjour.
We're making a burger.
No, I'm not.
Um, I'm gonna make something very French.
I am making a tarte Tatin.
Oh! Shit.
Jean-Christophe has barely cracked an egg open.
Cooking.
So, where's the tarte Tatin gonna come from?
Like, he's not even peeled the apples yet,
and he's still dancing around. Keep going.
I'm worried for him.
I don't know if he's actually going to have a dish at the end of this.
Come on, keep going.
Listen up, judges, you've got 42 minutes left on the clock!
We want the best dishes that you can bring us,
and your reputation's on the line!
Sold! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Right, guys, what an incredible challenge.
We have three professional, incredible cooks
in the MasterChef kitchen today.
What do you guys want to see today?
What makes the professionals as good as they are
is decision-making.
So I want to see the smart choices that they make
and if it's going to work out.
So, yeah.
What don't you want to see?
I don't want them to be playing it too safe.
Because they're professional chefs, I want to see them stand out.
Yeah.
PEZZA: I just don't want to see overcooked or undercooked protein.
It's got to be perfect.
We expect high standards, so it should be really high today.
Jean-Christophe is doing an apple tarte Tatin
with some sort of ice-cream.
This is absolutely not how I imagine Jean-Christophe to be.
Jugs, where are they? Where are the jugs?!
I really believe that Jean-Christophe
is not getting anything on a plate today.
Right, now.
Let's be serious now.
So, I'm just about to laminate the puff pastry,
the rough puff pastry.
And that will take me about four hours
to get something near as crispy as a proper puff pastry.
Are you having fun yet, judges?
30 minutes to go!
30 minutes?! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Argh! 30 minutes!
How am I going to do that?!
30 minutes to go. I mean, he's not left himself any time
to get these tarte Tatin in the oven and cooked.
Here we are.
GILLIAN: Let's go, JC! In the oven!
Please, please, I beg you.
And I kiss you every... every one of you.
Andy, you cook so chilled.
Hey? You're very calm.
Yeah, you're too calm, mate. What were you expecting?
(LAUGHS)
Andy knows, he's a veteran in the kitchen.
You can tell he knows his way around the kitchen,
where the things are.
He's comfortable, and he's smashing it.
Have you used a hibachi before?
No, never. Any tips?
The biggest thing with the quail is the breasts cook quicker
than the legs, so you want that breast meat to be nice and pink
and medium rare, and the legs to be a little bit more done.
So, monitoring the heat on the hibachi,
making sure that you get good colour, with the flesh just cooked perfectly.
One, two, three, four, five, and maybe...
Five will do, maybe six. That can go.
Don't look at my bench.
(LAUGHTER)
Do as I say, not as I do.
Come on, sauce.
ALEX: Prawn and apple skin sauce is definitely a creation
that I have never heard of, so I'm really curious to see
how this works and where it ties in with everything else.
Nearly done with my sauce.
Judges, you have 20 minutes to go!
20?! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
No!
Poh looks like what I can only imagine myself looked like
in that kitchen.
She's a little stressed. She's quite here-there-everywhere.
What am I doing? What am I doing?
No, I'm gonna have to start crimping.
It's basically a square dumpling with four petals coming out of it.
It's really, really intricate.
Like, you need very good dexterity to do it.
So, let's hope I can pull it off when I'm all shaky and stuff.
The crimping is happening. (GASPS)
Oh, my God.
Poh!
Looking at these expert cooks,
they turn all that chaos
into delicacy and beautifulness.
Like Poh, making these tiny dumplings
and folding them.
And it's artistic.
I'm like, "Wow."
SOFIA: My fellow judges and I
cannot wait to try your dishes!
Five minutes left!
Let's go! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Yeah.
Yes, Poh!
Good work, Poh!
DARRSH: Jean-Christophe is moving on to some, like, spun sugar
or caramel type thing.
The problem with that is Jean-Christophe has no time left
and he's just sitting there trying to make these little pretty nets.
Come on, Chef!
He needs to get his tarte Tatin out of the oven and plate it up.
But he's not left himself much room here.
One minute to go!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Yeah!
Come on, Chefs! Get it on the plate.
(WHOOPING)
Put it on the plate!
Come on, guys! Come on!
Oh, wow! Yes, Chef!
Come on, Chef!
Yes! (CHEERING)
Gantry, judges,
here we go!
ALL: Ten, nine,
eight, seven,
six, five.
four, three,
two, one!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(WHOOPING) Yes!
Well, that was fun.
At least it was for us. (LAUGHS)
Remember, nothing but glory on the line today.
The dish that we'd like to taste is Poh's.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
It feels so weird.
Oh, my God! Feels so weird. NAT: Oh, hi, Poh.
The gloss on that! Oh, my God.
Oh, here comes the artist.
You truly are an artist, Poh.
Well, Poh, what have you made for us?
I've made a Smoked Quail Dumpling...
..with Caramelised Prawn and Apple Skin Sauce.
It looks beautiful.
I'm going to take the bigger one. Sorry.
Poh... Yes?
..how many people at home do you think have made
a prawn and apple sauce?
Uh, none. (LAUGHTER)
I think that's why they call you the Mystery Box Queen.
Wow. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Everything about this dish is so, so good.
Like, dumpling wrappers -
they're so perfectly translucent.
I love them so much.
Thank you.
Poh, to be one of the few that's eaten one of your dumplings,
it's an absolute privilege and honour,
because that is just stunning.
I think my favourite thing is that it's got guts,
and it's so savoury, but it's still so light.
It's a delight. Thank you.
Thank you, Sav.
Uh, Poh... Yes, Pez.
..my big question was -
was the flavour going to match the beautiful plate of food?
And I think it was better than the look of the food.
The taste, it was spectacular. It really was.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Thank you.
Go, Poh!
The dish we'd like to try belongs to Jean-Christophe.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
How are you? NAT: Oh, wow!
Jean-Christophe, would you like to tell us what you made
for us today?
I've made a Tarte Tatin...
..with a Spiced Ice-cream and a little bit of...
..caramel top.
Jean-Christophe, how did you find your first cook
in the MasterChef kitchen?
Um, how can I say that?
Uh...bloody hard.
(LAUGHTER)
I've had the privilege to cook around the world, more or less.
And this is quite tough.
Let's taste it, then.
Enjoy it, by the way.
Oh! (APPLAUSE)
Bravo, Chef. Look at these.
(CRACKING)
(EXCLAIMING)
Did you hear it? Did you hear it up there?
GANTRY: Yes.
Oh! SAVINDRI: Oh, my God!
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
Chef... Oui?
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING)
That's what I was waiting for.
Sav, it's an honour that you've slapped that table.
And my hand's killing me now. (LAUGHS)
Honestly, Chef,
it's perfection.
60 minutes that you had for a mystery box.
I can't believe you've made a tarte Tatin
that is so, so good!
I love it!
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you are one
of the world's best French chefs.
Thank you. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Thank you!
Well done, mate.
Next dish we want to taste belongs to Andrew.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
SUMEET: Andrew!
Yeah, Andrew!
CONTESTANTS: Wow!
Andrew Allen, what have you made for us today?
We have got a butterflied and barbecued quail
that's been glazed with an apple caramel
and a charred radicchio and pine nut salsa.
And then just a little sauce from the bones.
I think the key to this dish, Andy,
is going to be the cook on the quail.
How do you think you've gone?
Um, I was going for, like, medium, medium rare-medium.
But I'm happy with anything pink,
because I want to get that caramelisation on the skin
because the apple caramel was pretty sweet.
Alright, on that note, let's dig in.
ALL: Ooh!
I think the key to this dish, Andy, is going to be the cook
on the quail.
ALL: Ooh!
Looks pretty good.
Andy, Andy, Andy...
..this is dynamite!
Yeah! (LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)
Andy... Hey, Sav.
..let's start with the positives of the dish.
(LAUGHTER)
Which is everything.
(LAUGHTER)
That beautiful sweet char on the bird, which...
You've got caramelisation on the radicchio as well,
and, like, they're mirrors of each other, which I love.
PEZZA: The cook on that quail.
Un-be-lieva-ble!
(LAUGHTER)
I'm with the girls - I think that's a belter. Well done.
Thanks, mate. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Thank you, guys.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Bravo. Excellent.
Three incredible dishes by three incredible chefs.
All three of your dishes were phenomenal.
But, after much consideration...
..the dish we liked the most
was cooked by...
ALL: Poh!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ALL: (CHANT) Poh! Poh! Poh! Poh! Poh! Poh! Poh! Poh! Poh! Poh! Poh! Poh!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Just want to say,
Auntie Poh's still got it.
(LAUGHTER) Bravo.
For this round,
you three are going head-to-head...
..against Poh, Jean-Christophe and Andy...
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Oh, yes!
Oh!
..in a Team Relay Cook-Off!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Come and grab your aprons.
NAT: I hate the relay! (LAUGHS)
I hate the relay.
Count me in on that.
Oh.
So, we're gonna be cooking together?
Yeah, and I'm scared, 'cause I just saw the way that you two work,
and it's freaking me out already. Oh!
No, no, it's alright. (LAUGHTER)
Now, I know what you're thinking.
Those three are professionals - how is this fair?
So, to level the playing field a little,
I'm giving you semifinalists a head start.
Oh.
The first one of you contestants to kick off the relay
will have an extra 10 minutes before the judges start cooking.
Everyone else,
you will have 20 minutes each.
And to make it more interesting,
I've chosen an ingredient that you all must feature in your dish.
POH: OK. Love it.
It's...
..miso!
(EXCLAIMING)
I'm trying to transmit ideas to your brain right now.
Are you getting them? (LAUGHTER)
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, they're all messy, but I got them.
(LAUGHTER)
It is feeling a little bit lonely over here, though.
OTHERS: Ooh!
Who wants to help me judge?
(CHEERING)
Crispy! Yeah!
Darrsh! Yeah!
Juan!
Get on down here!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Yes!
Be nice! Be nice!
Nice to see you all again.
Oh, my three favourite contestants!
(LAUGHTER) SAVINDRI: Nice try!
He says that to everyone.
Alright, Team Semifinalists...
..you have 70 minutes.
Team Judges, you have 60 minutes.
You'll have 30 seconds to hand over to your next team-mate.
You can make anything you like,
but you must feature miso.
Whoever impresses Juan, Darrsh, Alex and myself the most will win
some serious bragging rights.
Judges...
Mm-hm? ..who's gonna go first?
Me.
Team Semifinalists, who's going to go first for you?
Ooh, Savi!
Yes!
I'm excited to see Sav versus Andy.
Bye. Wish me luck.
Wish me luck, wish me luck!
Wish me luck! NAT: Smash this.
I'll look after you, I promise. I'll look after you.
You and me. You and me.
Let's do this.
Sav, your time...
ALL: ..starts now!
Go on, Sav! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Go, Savi!
Oh!
# Soy, soy, soy, soy, soy, soy! #
Welcome to the battle of the season.
Oh! (LAUGHTER)
This is gonna be a really interesting one, because, yes,
we've got the three judges who are total experts,
professionals in their own right.
But these three semifinalists, they're match-fit.
JUAN: Yes!
They've been cooking all season, day in, day out.
Could be anyone's game.
ANDY: Yes, Sav! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Look, we just saw chaos with Poh and JC in round one,
so I don't know, I think our contestants might have
an upper hand in this round. Ah!
Yeah, I'm gonna back them today, I think.
It's a really good point because the judges, in particular,
three very different people, three very different cooks.
All good, but how are they all going to work together?
They haven't had to do this before with each other.
It's going to be interesting,
and I'm excited! I'm excited.
Savi! Oh, hello, hello, hello!
Talk to us, Sav. What is your strategy?
What do you think we're going to be making?
The strategy is I'm going to play to the strengths
of both Nat and Pezza.
So I'm going Thai and I'm going beef.
Nice.
I think Nat calls it a 'nam tok',
which is a roasted-rice Thai beef salad.
How's the miso playing there?
What's the role?
The miso is gonna go into the marinade for the beef.
OK.
Hopefully, Pezza cooks the beef,
but we'll see. Yes.
Last question for you, Sav. Yep?
How badly do you want to beat the judges?
I want to beat the judges so badly.
I think we all have a point to prove today, so...
Sounds like game on. Let's leave her to it.
ALEX: Yeah! DARRSH: Good luck, Sav.
Thank you. Wonderful work, Sav.
There's a lot of pressure for me right now
because I want to beat the judges.
I can't focus on Andy - I've got to do me.
I need to focus, because he's never lost this challenge,
and I don't think he's ready to start now.
Yeah, Andy's ready for war! (CHUCKLES)
Savi, your 10-minute head start is over.
Andy, time starts now!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Let's go, Andy!
He is energised, isn't he?
He's got a shopping list already going.
Yeah, he knows.
It's almost like he's a chef or something, isn't it?
Knows what he's doing. (CHEERING)
Big fish!
Yeah, he's going Japanese.
That's a beautiful fish.
JOSH C: What's the plan, Andy?
So, I'm gonna go French.
Oh! French!
Oh, sounds good.
Andy, Andy, Andy! Andy, Andy, Andy!
Hey, crew. How are we? That is looking mighty fine.
What are you doing?
What I'm going to do is put the miso through a beurre blanc,
steam a piece of fish, and then maybe add some pipis.
The garnish I'm going to probably leave up to whoever's next.
So, my job is to obviously portion the fish, get the first reduction on
for the beurre blanc, and then set up some visual cues.
So, if any communication breaks down
between whoever runs through those doors,
then I can get a bit of visual stuff away.
Good luck, Andy.
It sounds great, actually.
OK, hide everything so they don't get confused.
Nice work, Sav.
SAVINDRI: I am in a good place.
I have the beef marinated for the Thai-style beef salad.
I have got a lot of mise en place done.
The steaks are in the miso marinade,
also giving both Pezza and Nat
a couple of options in terms of the steaks
that are getting cooked.
I think I've gotten a lot done.
OK.
So, let's bring it.
So, that was 100. So, 300 wine, I'll set up.
Andy, Sav, time is slipping through the hourglass.
I'm going to go pick the next cooks now.
Alright, guys.
Alright,
who's cooking next?
Me. Me and Poh.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Alright, Pezza and Poh are in the house!
And you have 30 seconds to change over.
We are doing a Thai beef salad. Yep. Communicate!
I've got the beef marinating, if you want to give it, maybe...
However long, because I think I've cut it thick enough
to how it's usually made. Yep.
Um, so... And the hibachi is going for you.
Um, we're going to do a steamed or poached piece of fish.
I think Jean-Christophe can do that at the end,
but the fish is portioned there.
We are going to do it with a miso beurre blanc. POH: Perfect.
So, reduction's on.
Once it gets to a syrup, add the wine.
How about veg? That's what I was going to leave to you.
And one-to-one.
Poh, Pezza, you've got 20 minutes!
Uh...
Go? 20 minutes. Go!
Oh! 20 minutes!
Let's go, Poh!
OK. Um, what can I put with the fish?
I hope that that was clear.
So, I'm gonna put that in there.
Poh! Yes.
What are you picking up? I don't know.
What do you mean you don't know?
What are you making? What's the dish?
Uh...OK. It's... (SIGHS)
I think what we're... We're gonna steam that.
What's that?
Some fish.
And I have to do the...
Uh, I'm making some liquor. (SMIRKS)
And I have to do some little bits and pieces for the plate.
OK, I need to go. Bye. (OTHERS LAUGH)
Stop confusing her!
Poh looks a little lost.
She might be second-guessing some of the things
that Andy has handed over to her.
So the judges could be in a lot of trouble.
JUAN: Well, something's smelling really nice.
DARRSH: Very good. Yum!
Well done, Pezza. Let's go, Pezza.
Smells good, buddy.
Pezza, well done.
This is smelling delicious. Pezza!
Pezza, what did Sav tell you?
She's making a Thai beef salad.
Nice. And she wanted me
to cook the protein, really, and, um...
How?
Still want it to be succulent.
Nearly rare in the middle, you know?
We don't want it overcooked today. Well, we trust you, mate.
You're gonna smash that. Let's leave him in his happy place.
Thanks, guys. Enjoy. Smells insane.
Smells delicious.
Good luck, Pez. Thank you.
At this point in time, if we had to choose how they're performing,
I think this team's doing much better.
Oh.
It is a totally different vibe.
So interesting. What's wrong, Poh?
Nothing.
Sensing a bit of stress.
(ANDY GROANS)
I'm going to do a little tomato concasse.
Uh, I'm hoping to hand this over to Jean-Christophe.
All I've done is just steam the mussels, cut the cucumber.
He's going to cook some cucumber in butter, because I think
that would be really classy.
And he's going to finish off the beurre blanc, cook the fish.
Holy crap, he's got a lot to do, actually.
How does it feel, Pez?
Rare. Yum.
Come on, come on, come on, come on! Come on, tomatoes!
Poh, Pezza, this relay is about to get real,
because I'm getting the final cooks right now!
OK, OK. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Come on, Pez! ALEX: Let's go, guys!
Let's go, Poh!
I'm going! Alright, Nat!
Jean-Christophe! Let's go!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God! OK.
Warm Thai beef salad she's going with.
Oh! She's got all the condiments there.
Alright, remember, 30-second handover, starting now!
ALEX: JC has entered the building.
There's the beef. Medium rare to rare, beautiful.
How you want to go... You guys have done the mise en place like I would!
Holy smokes! She's got it all where you want.
Now... Dude, I think I'm good. I think I'm good. I think I'm good.
Go for it. Finish it up. I love it!
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Have you got the...?
Have you got a pan on?
Did you get a pan on, no?
A timer?
It's alright. You've done very well, by the way, Poh.
It looks beautiful. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.
What are you sorry for? It's terrible. It's terrible.
OK. Your pipis... Eh, eh, Poh...
Alright, 10... Your pipis are here.
They're cooked. ..nine, eight...
That's there. Well done.
Fish is there. Miso is there.
This is beautiful! ..five, four, three...
And also, caviar in the... in the beurre blanc.
You want caviar? Yeah. Handover done!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ALEX: Let's go, JC!
Jean-Christophe! Oui. How are you?
What did Poh tell you? Poh?
Nothing. Why?
This is gonna be a disaster. This is gonna be a disaster.
Poh!
ANNOUNCER: In the mood to cook?
Grab your aprons and try these delicious
MasterChef-approved recipes on 10Play.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Time is slipping away.
We need a finished dish in 10 minutes.
DARRSH: 10 minutes! Come on! ALEX: Come on!
Come on, Jean-Christophe!
You've got this!
ANDY: Come on, Jean-Christ... Oh!
I will, I will.
Hoping, Jean-Ch... I put in a lot of hard work.
Well, actually, I...I was very flustered.
The problem is, I don't know if I did a very good handover,
especially because Jean-Christophe actually flagged to me
to speak slowly because he has trouble understanding
the Australian accent.
Why is it taking so long?
But I think he's going to do great.
I mean, come on, he's four-time Michelin star.
He's going to be able to make a beurre blanc
and finish a piece of fish and do some little sidies.
Surely.
Nat! Hello! How are you doing?
What are you cooking? What dish are you finishing?
So, we are making a Thai beef salad.
So, right now, I have to get my dressing done.
Is this it here?
Yes.
And the miso you're going to put in there, as well?
Um, no. No, I don't think so. OK.
Because it's in the marinade already,
I think it's going to be too intense and too much.
OK.
It's all down to you to finish this vision
and do your team proud. Yeah.
Good luck, Nat. Come on, Natty.
Good luck. Good luck. Smash it.
Nat, Chef, you have five minutes to go!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
DARRSH: Keep going, guys! Come on! Let's go!
Come on, Jean-Christophe!
PEZZA: Bring it together, Natty.
Bring it in, guys. Bring it in.
Alright, so from what I'm seeing, Jean-Christophe...
Come all the way up!
..I don't know what he's making, he doesn't know what he's making,
but he is a Michelin-star chef.
This is his happy place, so it should be really good.
ANDY: OK, he's... OK, I like this. POH: Yeah, me, too.
I like this! With the mussels.
Oh, I like this!
That's awesome, Jean-Christophe! Thank you.
Yum!
Nat, on the other hand, she's all about the Thai beef salad,
but she's not so sure about the miso.
She's got some balancing to do.
I'm kind of wondering whether the miso actually sings enough
in that dish because... It's just on that meat.
I think you're onto something there, Crispy.
Because if we can't taste miso in that beurre blanc
or miso on that meat... It's an issue.
That's an issue.
'Miso' worried right now.
Right. Tomato, oil,
froth, sauce.
To be honest, I was a little bit worried that Jean-Christophe didn't
have a clear idea of what their dish is,
but he seems really comfortable with cooking the fish,
finishing off this beurre blanc.
Yeah! (CHUCKLES)
That's it.
What's that?
What are you doing?
I see some vanilla on his bench, as well.
I think he's adding that with the tomatoes.
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Oh, that's lovely.
It looks fantastic.
It looks really good. Oh, wow, JC!
Your reputations are on the line.
One minute left!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Come on! Go!
Come on, Natty!
NAT: I'm doing pretty good for our team.
The flavours are there. Miso is in there.
SAVINDRI: That's good. Oh, wow, that looks beautiful.
I want to plate this in a way that is unique.
Shape the beef like a little rose.
I'm happy. I just want to beat the judges.
30 seconds!
Let's go!
It's alright. Sauce, sauce, sauce... My sauce!
My sauce! Where is it?
For bragging rights, in 10...
JUDGES AND GANTRY: Nine,
eight, seven,
six, five,
four, three,
two, one!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Well done, teams.
First relay dish we'd like to taste
belongs to Team Contestants!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
POH: Are you bribing with alcohol?
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Judges.
Are you trying to get us drunk?
Ooh, this is part of the tasting!
Of course. JUAN: Good start.
Alright, Nat, you finished the dish.
Why don't you tell us what it is?
NAT: We made a Thai-Japanese-style beef salad...
..with some sake.
OK. Do you guys want to dig in?
I think, to healthy competition. DARRSH: Yep. Yes.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) ALEX: Yeah! And to top three, maybe.
And top three.
To finding the miso! (LAUGHTER)
Smooth choice, Nat.
Like, the cook looks amazing!
(LAUGHTER)
Uh, Nat, Pezza, Sav,
I like you.
(LAUGHTER)
It's a beautiful dish, and I think it's very apparent
why you guys are the top three.
(APPLAUSE)
Absolutely.
Guys, I think you seriously nailed the dish.
Cannot tell there's three different people putting their hands,
and it looked excellent.
Like, restaurant-quality.
That was so tasty.
It was clear that you guys had a really good system
of communication.
And I just think well done.
Really. She didn't say miso.
Miso?
She didn't say miso.
Miso?
The miso is very quiet.
It's there.
Oh. (LAUGHS)
It's not forward, but it's not backward.
It's there.
Very diplomatic, Crispy. (LAUGHTER)
Team Semifinalists,
I think you've played to everyone's strengths
like an absolute leader, Sav,
and that's what we've come to love you for in this kitchen.
Knowing yourself, yes, but to get to this point
and then know other people, as well, is really special.
The cook on that meat, Pezza, we know you're that guy,
it is absolutely flawless.
And the sauce... Help me out with the pronunciation.
Nam tok.
That is delicious.
It is so good.
We've got all these incredible strong flavours going on.
It's got the smokiness of traditional Thai dishes
that you see them cook over the coals.
So, that transportive effect is just...
That's everything you can want from food.
Great work, guys.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Well done. Well done. Good job.
The next dish we'd love to taste belongs to Team Judges.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
This is weird.
I cannot wait to see this. Ooh.
It's a complete dish, that's for sure.
Wow! ANDY: We got a complete dish.
POH: Nice job, Jean-Christophe.
And you, too, darling.
Oh, you can smell the miso.
(LAUGHTER) Excuse me.
Jean-Christophe, why don't you tell us what the dish is?
So, we ended up creating this wonderful plate,
which is a kingfish.
I will call it
My Australian Experience
at MasterChef...
..Australia.
OTHERS: Aww!
Andy. Yes.
What's the dish? (LAUGHTER)
So... We're dying to know!
..we have Pan-seared Kingfish
with a Miso Beurre Blanc,
some asparagus, vanilla tomatoes,
and a Cucumber Spaghetti.
Let's eat.
Let's eat! Bon appetit.
Sofia, do the honours.
Gladly.
I really want to try this vanilla.
I'm so into this dish... (LAUGHS)
..for so many reasons. Yes!
But... (LAUGHTER)
I was into theirs, too.
What I love about this dish is the cohesion
and how everything works together,
but how all your personalities
are so still clearly in it,
from plating to flavours.
The beurre blanc!
That's the sauce that knits the entire thing together.
That's where that sort of heightened little sense of luxury comes from.
And it's also where the miso shines.
Yeah! (JEAN-CHRISTOPHE LAUGHS)
Oh, sorry, Poh. Sorry, darling.
You're judges for a reason.
You're chefs for a reason.
Thank you. You can stay.
Pretty good, yeah.
Thank you for that.
My favourite part of the dish were the noodles.
Beautiful, fresh,
full of the flavours of the sauce.
Beautiful. Like, I really liked it.
ALEX: It tastes phenomenal.
Everything marries so well together.
The cucumber spaghetti is delicious.
The tomatoes and the vanilla, JC,
it was so clever.
Beautiful, beautiful work, guys.
Very well done.
DARRSH: What do I think about this dish?
Just wait there.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Thank you, judges.
Thank you. Come on!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Judges versus contestants.
This was the battle of the century.
Both your dishes were outstanding...
..in looks, flavour and execution.
But one team produced a dish that was as tasty
as it was packed with miso punch.
And that team was...
..the judges!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
We win! We've won!
Well done, well done, well done.
Well done.
Can we come back now?
Ah.
Feels good. Whew!
Sav, Pezza, Nat,
get ready.
Because the next time you cook,
it will be in the semifinal!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Oh, man.
It's going to be the most intense service challenge yet.
Go home and dream up a three-course menu
worthy of a place in the grand finale.
The two of you who bring us the best menu overall
will be going head-to-head for the title...
..MasterChef 2024.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night on MasterChef Australia,
three incredible cooks
face the service challenge
of their lives.
NAT: Cooking a service challenge on your own,
and a three-course meal,
that's bonkers.
Curtis Stone...
OK, 30 seconds. Let's go.
Oh, my God.
..leads the charge to the final.
Make it really, really, really pretty,
like your life depends on it.
Yes, Chef.
Captions by Red Bee Media