Jan Fran. Thank you for
Jan Fran. Thank you for joining
Jan Fran. Thank you for joining us.
Captions
Jan Fran. Thank you for joining us. Captions by
VOICEOVER: Previously on MasterChef Australia...
Oh, my gosh! It's, like, this rush of memory to be back.
So many incredible dishes in so little time.
It's just perfection, mate.
MELISSA: With dishes like that, you may have
a quarter of a million dollars to work with.
Then, in a David-versus-Goliath service challenge...
This should be a walk in the park for the Favourites.
HARRY: Oh, my God. Terrifying, going up against the Favourites.
..the Fans proved they're a force to be reckoned with.
But only one team nailed the brief.
(CHEERING AND LAUGHTER)
And...
..an emotional immunity cook...
It was just like the universe saying...
(SNIFFS)
.."It's time to get back up."
(BREATHES SHAKILY)
..resulted in a win for Julie.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight...
MINOLI: These newbies have no idea what they're in for.
..it's the very first elimination.
WOMAN: Just to think that one of us isn't gonna be here
at the end of the day, it's really hard.
Will it be a Fan or a Favourite who says farewell?
SONG: # 'Cause you're hot then you're cold
# You're yes then you're no
# You're in then you're out
# You're up then you're down
# You're wrong when it's right
# It's black and it's white
# We fight, we break up
# We kiss, we make up
# You're hot then you're cold
# You're yes then you're no
# You're in then you're out
# You're up then you're down
# You're wrong when it's right
# It's black and it's white
# We fight, we break up
# We kiss, we make up
# You # You don't really wanna stay, no
# You
# But you don't really wanna go-o
# You're hot then you're cold
# You're yes then you're no
# You're in then you're out
# You're up then you're down. #
Oh! Here we go. A bit nervous.
But speculating never does any good last year. Yeah, you can't speculate it.
Nup. You've just got to go in there.
This is the first elimination and I feel the pressure.
Everyone's hungry.
I just don't want to be eliminated.
Not the first one going home.
Oh, my gosh, the sky.
The sky reflects that it's elimination day.
Yeah. (LAUGHS)
But you know what? These newbies have no idea what they're in for.
(APPLAUSE)
Come on! In you come!
Good luck, teams. Oh, my gosh.
Morning, everybody!
Good morning. Good morning!
Fans, Favourites, welcome back.
Today is the first all-in elimination.
Of course, the only person not at risk of going home today
is none other than Julie Goodwin.
(LAUGHTER) Yeah, there it is.
(LAUGHTER)
Well, while the Queen is comfy up there, the rest of you...
..are down here.
At the end of today, one of you will be going home.
Billie. You've never had the dishonour of being eliminated.
(LAUGHS)
How would it feel if you were first out today?
Oh, pretty terrible. (LAUGHTER)
I will do everything I can to keep away from the door.
MELISSA: Because you're competing in teams this year,
eliminations will be a little bit different.
Uh-oh. (LAUGHS)
MELISSA: In round one, the best dish
will save their entire team from elimination.
Wow. That is crazy.
This is wild. We can do it. We can do it.
We can do it. Yep.
MELISSA: OK.
Round one, you need to cook a delicious dish
using whatever is under this cloche.
Oh. OK.
MELISSA: Today, you'll be cooking with...
CONTESTANTS: Oh! ..a jaffle maker.
CONTESTANTS: Oh!
(APPLAUSE) (MELISSA LAUGHS)
A jaffle maker? Wow!
(LAUGHS) Yes! Happiness.
(LAUGHS) You beauty.
Oh, jaffle maker.
I grew up eating jaffles.
If we had some leftover, you know,
Mum's bolognaise or something like that,
that was first in, best dressed.
There's nothing you can't put in a jaffle.
And I want to be the bloke that can save the team today,
would be unreal.
Righto, gang, you got 45 minutes to make any type of jaffle you want.
It can be sweet or it can be savoury.
The pantry and the garden, they're open.
Now, Fans, you guys have one extra,
so you need to get together and choose who's gonna sit this one out.
But know that if your team loses, whoever sits out,
that person will still go into round two
and they'll be at risk of going home as well.
Melanie? A gluten-free jaffle's not gonna win it today.
ANDY: Fair enough. Fair enough. (LAUGHS)
ANDY: Thought it might have been, but just checking.
Fans, Favourites, you guys know the drill. Best jaffle wins.
You got 45 minutes. And your time starts now.
Yep! (JUDGES CLAP)
Open that door!
Whoa! Oh, my gosh!
Oh, God.
Ah, ah!
Oh, oh, ah, ah!
Ah, oh!
SASHI: Round one is about cooking the best jaffle,
and I'm making a tandoori jaffle
with coriander chutney and a bit of date and tamarind chutney.
From day one till now,
I think this is the shortest cook for me, you know.
Where is yoghurt? Yoghurt, yoghurt?
Um, Sashi. Here. Oh, thank...thank you so much.
You're alright. All good.
SASHI: 45 minutes.
Any challenges given by MasterChef, the time flies.
Sashi! Yeah, man.
This is a good challenge for me, to see whether I'm back in my game.
Think it's only back left.
Ooh! Sorry, guys.
Go, go, go!
Hello. Hello.
I'm making a classic baked bean jaffle.
It's something I had probably once a week
just with a can of tinned Wattie's baked beans,
always had it in New Zealand, so I'm paying homage to that.
Open!
But spicing it up with, uh, smokey flavours of chorizo and paprika.
Ooh! It smells good.
So, it is a classic, but it's done, uh, to the extreme,
so I think I've got a chance of winning with it.
As long as one of us wins, I'll be happy.
Do I have everything? I have no idea.
Oh, God, I forgot the mince! Damn it!
So I am making a Mumbai sandwich.
Basically, it's charred corn with some spices.
Whoo! Spicy.
Every time I go to Mumbai, there's one stall in particular
that I like going to - I'm obsessed.
Coming in from behind!
Break these bad boys down.
So, I'm making a Big-Mac-inspired mushroom toastie.
Wa-hey!
I have to be able to bring through those flavours for the judges,
so that's gonna be filled with mushrooms
that have sour cream and mustard mixed through them,
some quick pickled cucumbers on the side
and a sesame seed bun on brioche.
Ow! It's hot.
So I made these a few weeks ago.
Everyone was, like, "These taste like a Big Mac."
And I was, like, "Sweet. Let's just roll with that."
Alright. There's a chance here to save your entire team.
Yeah, I'm...I'm interested to see
how people can get creative with this guy.
You could make a giant dumpling.
Make a huge gyoza. Huge gyoza.
(LAUGHS)
Well, mine's similar to yours, but rye bread...
Ooh! ..kimchi, gruyere.
Like...like, when you bite it,
it just dribbles down your... and burns...
And burns. ..the...like, in a really good way.
But I think today, you want to stick out. ANDY AND MELISSA: Yes.
You need to find somehow...
..like, if you're putting up a cheese and ham toastie today...
Yeah. ..it's gonna want to be good.
Doing lobster? Lobster thermidor, eh? Why not?
Oh! Perfect. (LAUGHS)
Right. Don't need any more of that. That can go.
We're gonna make a lobster thermidor, a lobster thermidor toasted sandwich.
Should be fun - it's gonna be tight in the time, but, um,
it's a flavour I love and it's gonna be delicious, and, you know,
when you get to cook with lobster and champagne, it's never too bad, is it?
I got to make sure the lobster doesn't overcook.
Usually, lobster thermidor is a creamy, slightly cheesy sauce
that you put onto a split lobster and put it under a grill
just to toast up and caramelise.
Lobster going in.
One minute.
MICHAEL: I want to have good-sized chunks of lobster
in each bite of my sandwich,
so I'm gonna chop it up into lobster nuggets,
uh, add that into my bechamel
and that will go inside the brioche bread.
Here we go.
Let's pop it.
CHRISTINA: Poppin' bottles! (LAUGHS)
MICHAEL: As a development chef, it's all about experimenting
and trying to find new and interesting flavour combinations
to get people excited about food.
(CORK POPS) CHRISTINA: Whoo!
MICHAEL: And I just want to add some champagne to my thermidor sauce
to boost the flavour.
I've gotta get this right, because overcooked lobster is no good.
Whoo!
Look.
Have I run a marathon or what? Like, this is...
(PANTS)
ANDY: Minoli!
Hello. Are you a fan of the jaffle?
I love a jaffle. You love a jaffle?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a good start.
It's...
..um, it's something that my mum used to make with leftover curries.
Oh, oh! Yeah.
So you're doing a curry jaffle? Yeah. Like...
Makes sense.
It's the only jaffle that I've really eaten, to be honest.
Do you reckon you'll get enough time to, like, build some bold flavours?
Really, you've only got 38 to go
and you haven't even got anything in your pan.
Yeah. You got enough time?
You know, sometimes this is when I get my best work done.
Chicken curry in a jaffle with tomato chutney.
MINOLI: And potatoes on the inside.
And potato... Yep.
..all in now 37 minutes?
Yep. Good luck.
Oh, thanks!
MINOLI: I'm giving everything I've got in round one.
No-one wants to be in elimination.
It was really amazing that I got another chance
to come back into the competition,
and so I need to make the most of it.
MasterChef changed my life because it opened up so many doors in food.
I have no idea how I fit in all the things that I did in the last year.
Cooking at restaurants, a pop-up restaurant,
cooking classes, and in between, I went through surgery.
I had a recurrence of breast cancer,
then I...just decided to be, like, "Nup, go."
Like, so I had a double mastectomy,
which is...crazy.
I remember being in the hospital,
and I was just, like, "Yes!"
You know, "Bye-bye, cancer. Stuff ya.
"You're out. I've kicked you out."
I feel like I took control of my life, and...
..it was really freeing.
I want to be thinking about moving my life forward.
I want to focus on food, my life in food.
I've got another chance at the MasterChef title.
I'm really hungry for it now.
This is wild. This is wild.
This is wild.
Jenn! Hello!
JOCK: This is already making me very happy.
I am making... What are you making? ..a bulgogi jaffle.
Cool. It's a little bit ambitious.
I want to use the rice as the bread coating.
Oh, wow.
The rice is gonna take probably 30 minutes to cook properly.
Alright. I'm gonna leave you to it. Yep. 'Cause you do have a lot to do.
Thank you.
JENN: I'm definitely taking a bit of a risk.
The jaffle I'm making will have a crispy rice layer
instead of...bread.
If the rice doesn't turn crunchy,
it's gonna be no good, it's gonna be soggy, but...
..you know what they say - with big risks
come big rewards if you succeed, so, hopefully, I can pull this off.
(LAUGHS)
It's toastie time in 30 minutes! 30 minutes!
Come on, gang! JOCK: Let's go! (WHISTLING)
Let's go! Come on! Come on, cook!
(LAUGHS)
Cook, you bugger!
(PANTS) Oh, God! I'm so unfit.
(PANTS)
OK.
OK. (EXHALES)
(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY AND EXHALES) OK.
CHRISTINA: Definitely worries me if we go into round two.
The Favourites, they're all strong cooks.
They'll be really hard to compete against.
So, hopefully, one of us can put up the best jaffle and save the team.
Butter...
..butter makes everything better.
CHRISTINA: And I'm gonna do something that's out of the box.
I'm actually not going to use any bread.
I'm hoping that I can make a bechamel sauce big enough
where it will hold its shape inside the jaffle iron.
Oh, no, don't.
Pasta? Yeah.
Pasta?! I'm not making a sandwich.
You're not making a sandwich?
I'm not making a sandwich. What's going in the toastie, then?
Um, I'm going to do kind of, like, my version of mac and cheese.
I'm going rogue. I like it. I like it.
'Cause you need to go rogue to stand out in something like this.
There's no use... Yeah. I'm hoping...
..you know, there's no use playing it safe.
CHRISTINA: Yep.
All I'm worr...I'm coming back
when you put this thing in the jaffle maker,
because all I'm worried about is how everything is gonna go in there
without having anything to, like, hold it together, i.e., bread.
CHRISTINA: I'm hop... I'm hoping that it will work.
I'll be back. OK.
Oh, no. What have I done? (LAUGHS)
CHRISTINA: I've never tried it before,
but I think the flavours are gonna be great.
I just don't know if it's actually going to work.
Oh!
God, I hope this works. God, I hope this works.
It's almost time to stuff and press! You got 20 minutes to go.
Come on, blue, let's bring it home!
(APPLAUSE) JULIE: It smells amazing, guys.
CHRISTINA: YOU smell amazing, Julie. ALVIN: You!
YOU smell amazing. YOU smell amazing.
# Julie Goodwin, Julie Goodwin... #
(LAUGHS)
What would you have done? JULIE: Tinned spaghetti and cheese.
Tinned spaghetti and cheese?
(LAUGHS)
I'm all about it. (JULIE LAUGHS)
This is awesome.
45 minutes to create a jaffle, that sounds like a really long time,
but not in this place, and if they have the best jaffle,
they save their whole team from elimination.
That's never happened before. It's crazy.
So clever, Jenn. So clever.
JULIE: From up here on the gantry,
the aromas that I'm getting from a whole lot of these jaffles
is overwhelming.
Christina's doing a great pot.
It looks amazing, stretchy and cheesy and wonderful,
and I'm assuming she's gonna put that inside a jaffle.
Christina. (LAUGHS)
JULIE: That looks amazing.
Yeah, but I'm not using bread.
(LAUGHS) This is awesome!
For this to work, this pasta and sauce
are gonna have to cook on the outside enough to hold together,
otherwise it's just gonna be a plate with some...
..weird pasta on it.
No such thing as too cheesy, right?
The blue team needs to win.
(LAUGHTER) True.
MELISSA: Sashi?
God, that smells so good, by the way.
(LAUGHS)
SASHI: So this is a tandoori-style jaffle.
MELISSA: Fantastic.
SASHI: So you have tandoori chicken... MELISSA: Yep.
..date and tamarind chutney, coriander chutney, some brioche...
MELISSA: Yep. ..two types of cheese.
I mean, so this smells like an all-killer, no-filler jaffle.
I'm very, very excited by this.
SASHI: I'm confident I can make a good jaffle.
The tandoori chicken is smokey, lightly seasoned
with a bit of chilli and salt,
and hopefully I'll have enough time to assemble and cook it.
Mmm. Good?
Mmm! You happy?
Yep. That's it.
Who's gonna be the jaffle hero?
15 minutes to go!
Whoo! Come on, guys! 15!
Push it out, team! We're gonna take it! Come on!
There is no chill vibe in the MasterChef kitchen.
I'm cooking a Malay-style sandwich, which is mutabar, it's mince,
bit of pickle on the side and a chilli dipping sauce.
Breathe in that chilli, hey?
Whoo!
If I score a top dish of something that I know packs a punch
and saves my team,
I'm gonna feel on top of the world today.
Come on, bring it home, bring it home.
I'm doing a saute chicken jaffle with peanut butter sauce,
and it's gonna be gooey with mozzarella and cheese.
15 minutes left. I've got my chicken.
I want to cut my bread, get my cheese prepped up
and get ready to go.
MICHAEL: You try mine.
What do you reckon? CHRISTINA: Yep.
Marry me. (LAUGHS) (MICHAEL LAUGHS)
It's so good.
Let's go!
JOCK: Matt. MATT: Jock.
What do you got here? Chorizo? Uh, chorizo.
I'm making a smokey baked bean toastie.
Yum! Yeah.
Baked beans in a jaffle is a thing. Baked beans is... it's what we always have.
New Zealand, baked beans, in a jaffle with cheese. Delicious.
I'm, uh... Perfect. ..making a smokey version.
So, what are you doing? You're doing...rocking your own beans?
Yep. That's the smokey paprika.
And are you...oil, butter or dry?
I'm gonna use the chorizo oil from the cooking oil...
(LAUGHS) ..on the outside.
Next-level. Yeah. Yeah.
Good luck, mate. Thanks, Jock.
MATT: Round one, I want to make the best jaffle.
Or toastie pie. (LAUGHS)
Whatever it is.
We don't have jaffles in New Zealand. We've got toastie pies.
You know, it's like a toastie, but it's closed, so it's a pie.
A toastie pie.
Rather than...like, jaffles... definitely Australian thing.
I think my passion for cooking really only developed
over the last three years since moving to Melbourne
with my girlfriend.
If we could dine out every night of the week, we probably would.
Before that, in New Zealand, I was actually living at a boarding school.
I'm a secondary school teacher and I teach accounting and business.
So, stepping out of the high school classroom as a teacher
and into the MasterChef classroom as a student,
it's a weird feeling.
It's the ultimate test to be up against
12 of MasterChef's strongest alumni.
How are we looking? What do you reckon?
MATT: But I think that all of us, Fans have been doing pretty well.
OK, guys. Let's go.
We've got to get these closed. We've got to get these closed. Come on.
MATT: Right now, we're starting to cook our jaffles.
Let's go, Fans! Have a crack.
WOMAN: Yeah! MAN: Whoo-hoo!
WOMAN: Yes, Mon! Looks delicious.
MATT: Being in the kitchen in a team's really exhilarating
and it's a bit of a happy place.
This is where I want to be. This is a really fun environment for me.
Good. I think...I'm trying to taste all the flavours together.
I've finished prepping my bulgogi stir-fry now.
My rice is ready.
I put in some kimchi and some shredded mozzarella.
MELANIE: Then just trust your palate. Yep.
Like, these are flavours you know.
So just...you know. Yep.
Needs more kimchi, needs more kimchi. (LAUGHS)
I'm just praying to the jaffle gods
that this rice will crisp up in this jaffle machine.
I'm going to go for it, and, hopefully,
all the filling will just stay inside.
Close the jaffle machine and now I just have to wait.
JULIE: Get 'em in.
Oh, guys, get 'em in!
God! Less than 10 minutes.
MICHAEL: I mean, there's plenty of lobster in mine, I know that much.
So I'm making mac and cheese,
and Michael's on the other side cooking lobster,
and he has caviar, and I think there's some champagne there.
I think his dish is gonna be delicious.
MICHAEL: Alright.
Got a bit of time.
CHRISTINA: My food is like what you have after a big night out.
Like, "Oh, yeah, let's just put the leftover mac and cheese
"in the jaffle iron."
MICHAEL: You gonna toast? CHRISTINA: Yeah, I'm gonna toast.
Andy!
CHRISTINA: All of my elements are ready to transfer to the jaffle iron.
Oh, oh, oh. Look at that.
Oh. Yep. (LAUGHS)
MELISSA: Oh! Look at the stretch! JOCK: Ye-es!
(LAUGHS) (LAUGHS)
There's some cheese in there. ANDY: Oh!
Christina, can you do an extra one for me, please?
Sure. JOCK: Awesome.
You're really going hard on the fill as well. You're not shying back.
I'm, like...you know what, I'm just gonna give you guys...
This is gonna be the make-or-break.
Can you close it? Do you know what?
When I close it, it's probably gonna go everywhere, but...
..you know what, let's just go nuts.
I over-filled it. (BOTH LAUGH)
ANDY: Oh! (LAUGHS) (CHRISTINA LAUGHS)
That's gold.
OK. Well, it's in. So now you've just got to cross fingers.
I'm digging it. I'm digging it.
It's...so messy,
but it's cooking away, so I'm going to let it do its thing.
Let the baby sleep. (LAUGHS)
You're doing OK, Sashi? Yep, yep. I'm good.
Have a look at both of the teams helping each other now.
Like, they're all jumping in...
I love that. ..trying to save the team, right?
The first time we've seen it. Yep.
I'm loving it. Yep. Yeah.
Christina, are you happy with those ones?
What...whatever you've got. Yeah. Thank you so much. You're amazing.
(BOTH LAUGH) Alright.
Sashi, come here. Butter. Butter.
Max, you got time for another bite? MAX: Yep.
JENN: If I have to back up, bread or croissant?
You handing out little testers? Yeah.
Are you happy? Oh.
Here. One for you. Thank you.
(LAUGHS)
I thought that was gonna be, like, just rice
as the bread - that's what's in there?
I really want this to work. ANDY: Mmm.
It's good, but I reckon if this works...
The...yep.
I want it... ..it'll be a game changer. ..I want it to work.
I need it to work. Mm-hm.
MELANIE: You might be pushing it, Jenn.
JENN: I've got to pull out all stops. I want to save my team.
I don't want anyone to go home. I'm not ready for that yet.
I was imagining the rice would crisp up really fast in the jaffle maker,
but I don't know if that's gonna be in time.
and I want them full of toasties in three minutes.
ANDY: Come on, guys!
Come on, guys!
Ooh, Nelly! It's cooking.
Is it soft?
Yeah, it is.
Mate, strain it off. DANIEL: Beauty!
(LAUGHS) Yes!
ALVIN: Minoli? MINOLI: Yeah?
That smells so good. (LAUGHS) Oh! Thanks, man.
MINOLI: Everyone in the Favourites team really want to win.
Uh...tongs, tongs, tongs.
Alvin, I'm using your tongs.
ALVIN: Use my tongs. OK.
MINOLI: And we're all starting to plate up.
Oh, so hot!
MINOLI: I've made chicken curry and potatoes in a jaffle,
and I'm feeling good about my jaffle.
It looks glorious.
WOMAN: Oh, yum!
MINOLI: The filling is so yummy, but I haven't tried it as a whole,
so I'm really hoping that the balance of filling, which is like this,
to the bread, is perfect.
I need to do some exercises. I know.
(LAUGHS) Start breathing exercises now.
Start stretching. (BREATHES DEEPLY)
MAN: Let's plate up, guys.
No sandwich gets left behind. (LAUGHTER)
Not on my watch.
Ah!
Here we go!
HARRY: As I've been cooking, I've been tasting
my Big Mac mushroom jaffle.
So close.
HARRY: I think it tastes like a Big Mac, and...
..I'm really hoping that the judges taste that too.
WOMAN: Whoo-hoo!
One minute to go! MAN: Come on!
WOMAN: What do you reckon? MAN: That looks good.
CHRISTINA: Do you know what? I'm gonna open mine now. MICHAEL: Go on.
CHRISTINA: It's the moment of truth.
I have to pop that sucker open and see if it's all stuck together.
(LAUGHS AND CLAPS)
MICHAEL: (LAUGHS) Hey!
Yes! Oh, just got a chilli in my eye.
(LAUGHS) (LAUGHS)
CHRISTINA: OK, Michael, might need your help. I need to take it out.
MICHAEL: Yep. CHRISTINA: But I'm shaking too much.
MICHAEL: Let's do it. CHRISTINA: OK.
You trust me? Yes. Always.
CHRISTINA: I have my plate there waiting to...to catch
the...the baby as she falls out.
OK. MICHAEL: Alright. Here we go.
CHRISTINA: OK. MICHAEL: Ready?
CHRISTINA: It's worked. He got it out in one piece.
Michael is the most amazing person on the planet right now!
I cannot believe that I've somehow pulled this off.
(LAUGHS) This is crazy.
Oh! What have I done?
Alright, it's toastie time in 10!
JUDGES: Nine! Eight!
Seven! Six!
Five! Four!
Three! Two! One!
That's it! Get 'em out!
Whoo! Whoo-hoo!
That was so good!
(LAUGHS)
Oh, my God!
Thank you so much. Well done. My pleasure.
You saved me. You saved me. That's OK.
We're a team, right? We're a team. Yeah. Team.
Yes! Uh!
Good job, guys. Thanks for helping me with the butter.
Oh, you're welcome!
I know butter. I can do butter. (LAUGHS)
Alright, guys, bring 'em down! Let's go!
I am happy with the jaffle. It's golden brown.
WOMAN: Oh! Not too shabby.
JENN: But taking my jaffle down, it feels like, you know,
when you bring your dog to the dog park.
My jaffle is not as pretty as the other jaffles out there,
but I know that it's my jaffle.
You know what? It tastes good.
God, they all look so good.
Oh, my God! Jeez!
WOMAN: What is going on?! This is crazy.
Like, we all know,
Jock is a bottomless pit when it comes to eating, right?
That's all pasta? That's all pasta.
WOMAN: But there's 22 jaffles that the judges have to eat.
Like...this is like an eating competition.
MAN: I want this. WOMAN: That looks gorgeous.
(SIGHS)
Looks yum, guys. Sick.
Alright. Let's taste.
There are 22 jaffles here. We're going to taste 'em all.
And the ones that we like,
we're going to move to this short-list table.
Mm-hm.
WOMAN: Oh!
JENN: Mel makes her way to my crispy rice bulgogi jaffle.
I'm just praying again to the jaffle gods that it'll hold its shape.
It held.
Jenn? JENN: Yes.
What's the final...configuration?
Um, rice, cheese, kimchi and bulgogi.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Oh, we've got a mover!
JENN: She likes it. Mel puts it on the short-list table.
Yeah.
I love the richness of the pork AND rice. Genius.
You get the crunchy, you get the chewy, in a different way to bread.
Yeah. It's...it's genius.
(LAUGHS)
JOCK: If you want to be the one that takes your team into safety,
you have to be unusual or different or absolutely amazing.
(LAUGHS) Yes! (APPLAUSE)
JENN: My scruffy little jaffle,
he might not look great, but he does taste good. (LAUGHS)
Good job. Nice work, Jenn.
MINOLI: So the Fans get picked first, and...
..I want my plate to be on that finalist table.
Oh!
Please.
MINOLI: So I'm watching my chicken curry and potato jaffle like a hawk.
Oh, my God.
MINOLI: And I'm, like, "Please pick up my plate."
Mino...Minoli. ANDY: Minoli?
Minoli!
Oh! (APPLAUSE)
Minoli!
(GASPS) Whoo-hoo!
You know what?
Whatever happens today,
I'm just happy that my jaffle was worthy of that second tier.
ANDY: Chicken potato curry, eh?
To get that much flavour inside a jaffle is epic.
Slaps you about the chops.
It's that stamp that you put on all of your food.
MELISSA: It's like the spirit of a curry puff but in jaffle form.
Loved it.
Oh! In my top 10 ever, I reckon.
Go, girl! You got it! Yeah! (APPLAUSE)
I'm, like, "OK. Maybe we're in with a chance to win this."
Put your pickle on! Put your pickle on!
(CLICKS TONGUE)
MAN: Get your pickle on.
MELISSA: This is...? Big Mac mushrooms.
(LAUGHTER)
Do you know how many Big Macs I've eaten in my life?
HARRY: (LAUGHS) Yeah. Probably a few.
Phenomenal. Phenomenal?
Mmm. Get it up there.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
MELISSA: Harry. You definitely delivered.
You know, it was meaty, it was substantial.
And then the sweet pickle was the visual cue
but also the palate cue as well, to...to bring us that authenticity.
So, well done. HARRY: Thank you.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Thanks.
HARRY: I'm so relieved.
The judges agree that it tastes like a Big Mac.
It's up there now, and I'm hoping that it's the dish of the day.
Thank you. (LAUGHS)
Jock's tasting my smokey baked bean toastie pie/jaffle. (LAUGHS)
Um, and that makes me pretty nervous.
Matt? (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
MATT: And it's wound up on the short-list table, and I am stoked.
MELISSA: Getting crowded at the top.
Mmm. It's old-school but better.
Yeah, better.
ANDY: What's in that?
MATT: So I basically made, like, smokey baked beans, chorizo,
mozzarella, paprika, spices.
Very rarely, Matt, in this competition
do I get reminded of something from my childhood.
You know, Dad could cook two dishes and Mum can't boil water.
Love you, Mum.
Um...so... Oh-ho! Mum! ..we had toasties.
And it was...it was baked beans and cheese or spaghetti and cheese.
And there it is.
But just done on another level.
JOCK: The chorizo fat just takes the entire thing to another level.
It's right up there. That's right up at the top today, mate.
Well done, mate. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE) Thanks.
Yes. Believe in the beans!
I'm gonna try lobster caviar just 'cause.
MELISSA: You only live once, Michael.
Yeah. (LAUGHS)
Mate, lobster overcooked.
From the double cook.
It was nearly like you didn't even need
to cook the lobster the first time.
Caviar's great. (LAUGHS)
(LAUGHTER)
JOCK: Christina.
Christina! No!
Oh, yes!
(APPLAUSE)
CHRISTINA: I basically did a pasta-bake mac and cheese.
JOCK: It looks like the perfect jaffle,
like, the perfect square shape,
and, of course, there is no bread on there.
Once you get inside it, al dente pasta inside a jaffle?
Come on! (LAUGHTER)
ANDY: Smashed it.
Oh, thank you. JOCK: Well done.
Thank...thank you so much. (LAUGHS) (APPLAUSE)
What did you end up going with, Mindy?
Mutabar.
I knew you were gonna bring us flavour.
The turmeric-stained bread just immediately stood out.
Like, it was, like, glowing. (APPLAUSE)
JOCK: Steph.
STEPH: I made a satay chicken with peanut chilli sauce.
MELISSA: It's street food turned on its head
and then turned back on its head by being a jaffle.
I loved it. ANDY: Well done, Steph.
(APPLAUSE)
Oh, the late mail. Sarah?
Yay! Yes, Sarah!
ANDY: Sarah. The corn and cheese Mumbai special.
The sweetness of the corn, the sweetness of the date,
it's very complex.
Thank you. Yes!
(APPLAUSE) Thank you.
ANDY: Mel.
Put Sashi's over. I was just leaving that there for you guys.
I was just, like, "Why is this still here?"
Yeah, Sashi! (APPLAUSE)
You know, actually, I was, like... (LAUGHS) ..was that something wrong?
Sashi. Talk us about... (LAUGHS) I can't...
Talk us about. (LAUGHTER)
I'm...I am bread-drunk right now. (LAUGHS)
Sashi, tell us about your jaffle.
SASHI: I've made a tandoori jaffle with coriander chutney.
MELISSA: That was a lot to achieve in 45 minutes,
but you managed to pack such a punch,
and then the choice of cheeses, the bite and the stretch.
SASHI: Yes. MELISSA: That's jaffle 101.
MAN: Yeah, Sashi. (APPLAUSE)
Well done, everybody. That was an incredible tasting.
And of the nine on the short-list table,
we've narrowed it down...
..to just one.
Oh!
ANDY: And they've saved their whole team
from round two in the elimination.
So...
..jaffle of the day goes to...
..jaffle of the day...
..goes to...
..Minoli.
(CHEERING)
(SQUEALS)
Oh! Oh, my gosh.
I've saved my team.
And I'm not going home first.
(APPLAUSE)
All of the chaos paid off.
(LAUGHS) I'm so happy that our whole team's saved, and, you know,
Sarah gave me a little bit of butter,
and Alvin gave me something else, so we worked...yeah.
I'm happy. Team effort.
Nice work.
Favourites, you guys are all safe.
Head on up there with your teammate.
JOCK: Well done. Aw!
Get in there, guys.
I'm disappointed
that the Fans are going into round two of eliminations.
We've really bonded as a team. We've lifted each other up.
And now we're competing against each other.
Alright, Fans, in round two,
we want you to bring us a dish that changed your life...
..that led you to be who and where you are today.
All of us have got one.
We want to see yours in round two.
The dish that changed my life was season four, the finale dish.
The Gaytime Goes Nuts, by Christine Manfield, it changed my life.
CHRISTINE MANFIELD: It's the Gaytime Goes Nuts.
CONTESTANTS: Oh!
ANDY: Like when you go from an apprentice electrician
to somehow lifting the trophy that everyone wants.
Like, I'd have to do that dish.
The first dish I ever reviewed.
It was a very simple dish from a restaurant in Sydney called Bodega,
and it was called fish fingers.
(LAUGHTER) Wow!
MELISSA: And I can still taste it now.
And it really did change my life,
because it set me on the course that I am on today.
The dish that changed my life is haricots verts,
green beans, simple side of green beans.
It was the first thing that I got taught how to make
in a professional kitchen.
I remember it like it was yesterday.
Because that was the moment when I decided I wanted to be a chef.
Bring us that dish for you.
Harry.
You've got a shiny immunity pin clipped to your apron.
You can play it at any point of the cook
right up to the very last second.
But as soon as the time runs out, it's obviously no longer an option.
We'll taste your dish and you could possibly go home.
Yep.
Fans.
You have 75 minutes to bring us your dish.
Your time starts...
..now.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Go, guys! Go!
Whoo!
Whoo! I lost a quail.
Round one was a lot of fun,
but round two is terrifying,
that one of us will be going home.
I'm just gonna keep fighting.
When I think about dishes that changed my life,
I think of celebrations.
Um, and so I automatically go to cake.
Go, Steph! Those strawberries, they're huge!
They're huge strawberries.
So I'm gonna make a Japanese-style cake with yuzu curd and some jam.
STEPH: I'm slightly worried.
Last time I made a cake in this kitchen...
No!
..it collapsed and it did the mudslide.
Oh, my God! (GASPS) Oh, no! What has she done?
So I need to get the sponges into the oven as soon as possible,
so then I can cool it before assembly.
TOMMY: Steph. Can you rub your belly at the same time?
(LAUGHS)
With my head?
ANDY: Yeah, I've got high expectations, because...
..every time we've asked to pull on those emotions,
the food's 50% better than what it normally is.
Yeah, totally, and I think today's the first day where we see
the mental pressure that is MasterChef.
But they need to park that... MELISSA: Yep.
..and get on with cooking, right?
That emotion, or that dish, is nothing
if you can't deal with the pressure.
I'm cooking tarkari, lamb tarkari.
It's a traditional dish.
This is something my grandma used to make in very special occasions.
And when I cook this dish,
I feel connected to my culture.
ALI: When I was a kid, as a treat, what we'd do as a family
was we'd drive to Glasgow and we'd go to a curry house,
and we'd order fish pakora - it was our favourite -
and the memory of it is what motivates me to cook now.
Oh, here you are.
So today I'm making, uh, sweet chilli coconut crab.
It's, um, something that a lot of Darwin people often have.
All that sort of catching and cooking mentality
was what really got me into cooking in the first place.
MICHAEL: There should be a pumpkin knife that's like a samurai sword.
Yes! You have to hold it with two hands.
(MAKES WHOOSHING SOUND) (LAUGHS)
15 minutes down. One hour to go. Oh!
Come on, guys! Come on, Ali! Come on, Keyma!
I forgot our garlic.
MINDY: How you going, Chris? BILLIE: Aw! (LAUGHS)
MINDY: You're doing really, really well.
Oh, his hands are shaking. Oh, God. I just want to hug him.
He's so adorable. Um, he's shaking. Oh!
CHRIS: It's feeling really tense.
We've come from
the high of a team challenge
and working together and helping each other out
to now going against each other to survive another week.
MELISSA: You OK? Come here.
Oh. Thank you. Can see your hands are shaking.
It's my way. It's alright.
Thanks, Mel.
Just...breathe, OK? Thank you.
So, I'm making a crispy noodle, mi xao gion, in Vietnamese.
One of my favourite things eating growing up and just... Yeah.
..fond memories of this dish.
I grew up not seeing Dad that often, but when we...
Yep. ..did manage to spend time together on the weekend...
Yep.
..we'd go every Sunday to this shop in Footscray.
We didn't know the name of the shop.
It was green, so we just called it Green Shop.
And it was just, like, "Oh, we're going to Green Shop today?
"Yep. Mi xao gion. Crispy noodles."
Fantastic. You've got this, Chris!
CHRIS: This dish reminds me of spending time with my family,
and I really want to make my dad proud of me.
Yeah, boy! Good job, good job.
Nice, Matt. There it is!
MATT: Today, I'm cooking a cured kingfish with a strawberry nam jim
and a flaxseed wafer.
The judges loved my jaffle/toastie pie
in the first round.
I packed it with big flavours, but I want this dish
to be a little bit more refined.
The kingfish is essentially being served raw,
so I've got to be really careful in how I fillet it.
Check your spices, Matt.
MATT: Usually I'd leave the fish curing for a couple of hours,
but I'm gonna have less than an hour,
so hopefully that's long enough to cure the fish.
Hey, Matt.
Jock. Mr Landmark. Andy.
Uh, making a cured kingfish for you today.
Whoo! OK.
MATT: Uh, this is a re-creation of a dish
I had at a restaurant in New Zealand, in Wellington...
ANDY: OK. Yeah. ..on the third date with my partner.
Lovely.
And at the time, I wasn't really eating fish, and I pretended
that I would be, you know, pretty cool and I would order the fish.
It was a dish that kind of opened my eyes to how good fish could taste.
Right. Yeah, right.
And I'm making a flaxseed cracker and a strawberry nam jim.
A strawberry nam jim?
Strawberry nam jim, yeah.
What is that, uh...what's going on there, in the strawberry nam jim?
Um, so it's a pretty standard nam jim.
Right. Pureed strawberry through it. Right.
A bit of sweetness and brightness. OK.
Uh, this one's all gonna come down to the balance on the plate.
Yep. Totally.
Good luck, mate. Thank you so much.
MATT: I know there's some risk involved,
but I need to do everything I can in my power to stay calm,
use all my skills in order to not go home.
WOMAN: You got it, Matty.
MELISSA: Hope you're mining your memories.
45 minutes to go!
ANDY: Come on, guys! MINDY: Go, Ali!
(APPLAUSE) You got it, Chris! Come on, mate.
(SLURPS)
So, today, I'm making some braised lentils with, uh, spiced pumpkin.
This is a dish that is in our weekly rotation at home.
It's a bit of a bung-it-together dish,
but, um, it's a really special dish to me.
HARRY: Growing up,
I had a really rough time at school.
I was bullied pretty heavily.
I was filled with self-doubt, insecurities, body image issues,
and it made me completely retreat as a person.
And it was just so not who I ever wanted to be.
So...a couple of years ago, I decided to do something really significant.
I changed my name, from Caitlin to Harry.
And once I became Harry, all of my self-doubt disappeared.
And it's given me a lot of strength and a lot of power
to kind of back myself and understand that I'm worthy of doing things,
like applying for MasterChef.
MELISSA: Hey, Harry. Hey, Mel.
I like what's going on here.
Tell me about the dish.
This was the dish I made the night that I changed my name.
It was a really, really big night.
Ugh! It was a really big night for me.
And, um...
..it was the beginning of why I'm here.
Yeah. OK?
So...um, I changed a lot of things. Yep.
I decided that I was gonna back myself.
Good.
This meal was the vehicle for the conversation
that changed everything.
Amazing.
Remembering that conversation, trying to put that moment into this dish
and really translate that, is just absolutely overwhelming,
and I'm definitely feeling the weight
of the immunity pin on my apron.
Harry's worried. I'm gonna cry already.
HARRY: I really want to hold onto it.
I don't want to let it go this early in the game.
So...my head is split in so many different directions right now.
The emotions are really hitting me so hard, and...
..I don't know if I'm gonna be able to keep my cool.
TOMMY: Find spaces where you can breathe.
Harry's got the pin, and it's very, very heavy.
It's a very light pin, but it's heavy on the mind.
I'm definitely a little worried for Harry.
She looks like she might be struggling a little bit.
I know the kind of pressure Harry has on her right now.
I've got a pin as well.
It's a lot to think about, you know -
should I play it, should I not play it, do I want to save it? -
and cook at the same time.
Harry's dish looks like it's got the bones
to be as good as her last kind of four dishes, so...
..I really hope that the pressure isn't overwhelming.
Not long now! 30 minutes to go!
Come on, guys.
Come on! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ALDO: Looks good! Looks good, guys!
Everything looking amazing! Come on, Max. Let's go.
Go, go, go! MAN: Come on, Max.
MAX: Round two of elimination's not somewhere I want to be.
One of the Fans is going home.
This has been four years of my life,
trying to get into this competition,
and my wife's, it's a lot of sacrifice,
so for me to leave on the first week would be completely devastating.
So I'm making Sim's Raspberry Tart,
which is a tart that I made for my partner, my then fiancee,
the night that I proposed.
It's a really important memory for myself,
and I hope that I can translate that with the dish I give to the judges.
TOMMY: Alright. How's it going, Team Dessert? What's going on?
MAX: Yeah, going alright, mate.
TOMMY: Happy with that, Steph? Yeah, she's bouncing back.
So the cake that I'm making is a Japanese sponge
with a yuzu curd, berry jam and vanilla cream.
The sponge looks cooked, it looks fluffy,
and I'm happy with what I've got.
TOMMY: Nice, Steph. Very good.
Love it.
Uh, I'm gonna just go out on a limb and say cake.
(JOCK LAUGHS) Yeah, maybe. Maybe.
Uh, what type of cake are we doing?
Um, a really light, fluffy sponge.
So, when I was 19, I went on an exchange to Japan.
Three days after arriving, it was my birthday,
and they bought me a cake,
and so this is me loving Japanese cakes and Japanese-style cakes,
and it's really just stemmed from that trip.
Generally speaking, very clean...
Yeah. ..and...and the sponges are, like...
STEPH: They're like clouds. ..like, you get blown away.
(LAUGHS) Exactly.
So are we gonna see a super-light blow-away sponge?
Um, hoping.
'Cause last time we had a layered cake...
(LAUGHS) ..there was a bit of a mudslide.
It was a mudslide.
So I'm hoping, um, that I won't get a mudslide this time.
(LAUGHS) Good luck, Steph. Good luck.
Thank you.
Well, this is where the rubber hits the road, and here's the kicker.
You've got 15 minutes to go. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
MAN: Come on, guys! 15 minutes to go!
WOMAN: Bring it home!
Beautiful. Thank you.
MAN: Yes. WOMAN: Yes!
TOMMY: Matt, brother, how you going? MATT: Just balancing my sauce.
I can smell the funk, brother.
MATT: I'm re-creating a kingfish dish
that I had for the first time in New Zealand.
My kingfisher's curing. My linseed cracker is in the oven.
Despite the judges' reservations
about the strawberries in the nam jim,
I'm gonna back myself.
This is my strongest food memory, so I'm just gonna go for it.
I've made this nam jim a few times with strawberries before.
I think the flavours will work great together,
as long as I balance that sour, sweet, salty flavour.
(EXHALES)
Oh. OK.
MAN: Go, Fans!
WOMAN: Yes! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Bring it home! MAN: Come on!
SASHI: You got... still got time, Harry. Don't worry.
She'll be alright. MICHAEL: Let it do its thing.
I just don't want to touch 'em for a bit so it can, like... Yeah. Leave it alone.
HARRY: Only 10 minutes left.
I'm really not sure if my lentils are gonna have
enough time to cook all the way through.
But backing myself means that I just need
to stand in front of these lentils
and hope and pray that they'll cook in time.
If I can get these lentils cooked,
then I think I'm just gonna go with my dish.
I don't want to be relying on the pin.
MINDY: Beautiful noodles, Chris.
Thank you so much.
MINDY: You're teaching me something new today.
This is amazing to watch you cook.
Those noodles, they're coming out beautifully.
Time is going really quick.
But I'm liking the colour of my egg noodle dough, and...
..I cut my dough in half so I can have two batches of noodles,
just in case.
JOHN: Chris, what else do you need to do?
CHRIS: I'm gonna fry the noodles now.
JOHN: Shallow frying? Yeah, shallow fry.
Yeah, great.
CHRIS: So while the noodles are crisping up,
I'm also doing my stir-fry.
It's starting to come together.
It's...I don't have much time left, but it's a stir-fry,
so it should come together pretty quickly.
CHRIS: The chicken's cooking well. I start throwing all the veggies in.
This needs to be quick. I can't overcook anything on this.
MAN: Something's burning.
WOMAN: Check your noodles, Chris.
I've completely forgotten about my noodles.
WOMAN 2: Oh, my goodness.
MAN: Oh, is it burnt?
CHRIS: This is ridiculous.
I was so close to the finish line.
And I completely forgot the most important element of my dish.
And I've just completely forgotten about my noodles.
And now there's basically black on the bottom.
I'm freaking out, but I've got a second batch
that I've saved just in case.
TOMMY: Put your heat down, man.
CHRIS: I've got enough time for these to crisp up,
and all my attention is now on that frying pan.
I can't afford to burn these noodles.
MAN: Turn it down. Yeah.
Come on, Chris.
WOMAN: Come on, Ali. (APPLAUSE)
WOMAN 2: How are your lentils, Harry?
They're so close.
All of my emotions are just flooding in so hard.
Right now, all of my other elements are done.
I've got my pumpkin ready. My croutons are cooked.
All my attention is just on these lentils.
Sometimes I taste it and it tastes perfect, and then I taste it again
and some of them are quite under.
Everything is just absolutely overwhelming.
If I don't get this right, then...
..I'm gonna have to play my pin in the next couple of minutes.
So, the cake is cool, the jam is cool, the curd is cool,
my strawberries are macerated.
(EXHALES) OK. You can breathe?
STEPH: Yep. Breathe? That's great.
STEPH: Now it's just time to assemble and cream.
I really want to make sure that the flavours are balanced
and that it looks pretty.
Really don't want to have a mudslide this time.
Fingers crossed that it's gonna work.
ANDY: Looks pretty good. MELISSA: Yeah, looks pretty good.
TOMMY: Cream's looking good.
You know flavours. You got this.
JOCK: Two minutes to go! Come on! MAN: Come on, guys.
(APPLAUSE) Let's go, guys!
Come on, guys! Go, guys!
Put things on a plate!
MATT: I'm doing my cured kingfish
with a strawberry nam jim and a linseed cracker.
Even though I've only had 45 minutes,
I think the kingfish is cured well.
My linseed cracker is crispy like I want it to be.
(WHIRRING)
Good. Yeah, he's in the zone.
MATT: I'm trying my best to put myself back
where I first had the strawberry nam jim.
I think I've done a good job of it.
Nice heat now.
How you going, Chris? What's happening here?
Burnt my first batch.
JOCK: OK. CHRIS: Got my eyes off it.
Burnt noodles. That's not great.
Did you wipe out the pan after the first batch?
No, I didn't, actually.
I think I'm in trouble.
It didn't occur to me to change the oil.
I should have cleaned it out first.
The oil's going to affect the taste of my noodles.
I mean, I could leave the noodles off the plate,
but the dish might be a little bit too simple.
So I decide to roll with it.
WOMAN: Yeah! MAN: Yeah, Chris. Come on.
ANDY: It all comes down to this!
One minute to go!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Go, go, go, go, go, go!
MAN: Run! Come on! ANDY: Yes!
(LAUGHTER)
Go, Dan. Looks incredible, mate.
Oh! Yes!
What's Harry doing? Yeah.
Harry's not happy. No.
You're good, Harry.
No. HARRY: I'm so flustered.
(EXHALES)
I'm really unsure about the lentils
and whether they're cooked.
My head's telling me, "Play your pin,
"because you never know what's gonna happen."
Harry. If you need to, use it.
HARRY: But emotionally, I really want to just give this dish to the judges.
That's it.
HARRY: And, ultimately, changing my name and the story of this dish
has meant backing myself, and that's what I feel like
I need to do right now.
Final touches, everybody!
10!
JUDGES AND ONLOOKERS: Nine! Eight!
Seven! Six! Five!
Four! Three! Two! One!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ANDY: Great stuff, guys!
Aw.
I'm OK. I'm OK. So, do we think we'll win this?
BILLIE: She didn't use her pin! MAN: No, she didn't.
BILLIE: That's bold.
I know, right? I would... I would be, like, "Take my pin."
ANDY: There were a few jitters out there, wasn't there?
Absolutely. I mean, first elimination of the season.
Obviously, nobody wants to be the first out.
But here's hoping that a wealth of memories
will also pay dividends in a wealth of really great dishes.
There's only one way to find out. Bring the first one in.
MATT: A little bit of concern in that I've made a strawberry nam jim,
which isn't a traditional nam jim,
and I don't know how the judges are gonna react to changing it up, um,
and adding the strawberries in,
but I'm just hopeful they're going to enjoy the flavour.
JOCK: Alright, Matt.
What have you made us?
MATT: Cured kingfish, strawberry nam jim
and a linseed cracker.
This is a re-creation of a dish
that I ate on the third date with my partner, Tamara.
Wasn't eating fish at the time, but I wanted to impress her.
So I ordered the kingfish. She's pretty easily pleased.
Like... (LAUGHTER)
She's, like...oh, she like... I like the same things as her.
"I'm in." (LAUGHTER)
Now I like it, so... so I've re-created that dish.
Hey, was it hard to... to back up after this morning?
Like, your toastie was right up there.
Like, we were talking about that as a possible winner.
You fully just have to go, "Nup. Righto. I didn't win that.
"Let's go into the black apron and see how I go."
Was it hard?
Yeah, you've got to take it one cook at a time, I think, and...
..and as soon as I'm in the kitchen, I'm only thinking about the one dish.
I didn't even think about the toastie.
Mmm. It's just about this dish now.
Toastie's...toastie's history now.
We're gonna have a crack at it.
ANDY AND JOCK: Thanks, Matt. Thank you.
What do we think about strawberry nam jim?
ANDY: I'm about to...
..we're about to find out.
JOCK: Would you order it if you seen it on a menu?
I'd like to think I'd keep an open mind,
but, I mean, just looking at it, it's given me berry coulis vibes.
So... JOCK: Coulis? Ah, yeah, yeah.
Right, OK. Yeah, got it. MELISSA: Mmm.
What do you think of the actual flavour of it, though?
Yeah, it's an interesting dish.
The balance is pretty good.
Like, there's definitely lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar.
If it was on the menu, I'd order it, you know.
I would be happy if I ordered that.
I think that it's lovely that he's let us in on his world.
And the cracker is lovely.
ANDY: Mmm. MELISSA: It has enough structural integrity.
I'm happy to see a...a bit of skills out of Matt as well, though.
ANDY: Mmm. MELISSA: Yeah.
JOCK: Like, nice clean slicing on the fish and a good cure.
I think any more than that, it would just start to be too firm and dry.
And also, like, it's black apron day.
That's probably the dish that's kind of pushed the boat out...
Gutsy. ..the most.
It's gutsy. Um...it's quite creative, actually.
Chris. Hi, Chris.
Hello. ANDY: Hello, Chris.
OK. (EXHALES)
What is your dish?
CHRIS: Mi xao gion.
Or crispy noodles.
MELISSA: You had a couple of...
..stumbles along the way.
CHRIS: 'Cause I was worrying about the stir-fry.
And then I started to smell some burning, and I was, like, "Oops."
Mmm.
The noodles. Luckily, I had a second batch.
You didn't change out the oil, though.
I didn't change out the oil.
It was right down to the wire, so I didn't actually get to taste it.
OK. So...I'm...I'm hoping that it's OK.
If I go home today, then, yeah, it'll suck, but...
..I'm not gonna stop cooking, you know.
Life goes on after this, so... Yeah.
It'll be OK.
Here's hoping that this is good enough to keep you here.
We'll taste. Thank you.
CHRIS: Thank you. Lovely. Thank you.
(CRUNCHING)
JOCK: Sounds crispy.
Yeah. Got the crispy part.
MELISSA: Crispy noodles...
..are crispy.
Great job, Chrissy. Oh!
I'm feeling a mix of emotions.
It wasn't, like, super-burnt, but it was burnt enough.
I'm not ready for my MasterChef experience to end yet.
Maybe the sauce will mask it. Who knows?
I feel good about the stir-fry, but I'm worried about the noodles.
(CRUNCHING)
VOICEOVER: Hungry for inspiration?
The stir-fry itself is OK.
I mean, it's that classic Chinese gravy stir-fry.
Mmm.
MELISSA: But what he's done is
fry the new, perfectly good, batch of egg noodles...
Mmm. ..which were great, by the way... Yeah, they were good. Well-made.
..I think they were very good, um, in the burned oil,
and then that has become the dominant flavour,
whereas it should be this sweet neutral flavour
that takes up the flavour of the gravy.
I think it's really showing his inexperience here.
And it's a shame for Chris because, like,
he's had some highs, he's had some lows,
and it's gonna be interesting to see where this one leaves him.
It's definitely hanging around the bottom, which is a shame.
I am so happy with how this cake has turned out.
It's not a mudslide. It's something that I love to eat.
I love Japanese food. I hope the judges like it.
(MELISSA LAUGHS) JOCK: How you going, Steph?
There's a cake. Wow. That's a cake.
Steph, what have you made us?
STEPH: I've made a yuzu and berry cake.
ANDY: This looks, like...
..textbook, doesn't it?
JOCK: It certainly does.
STEPH: When I was 19, I went to Japan,
and I lived with a Japanese family on homestay,
and three days after arriving, it was my birthday,
and they bought me a cake,
and it was one of the best cakes I ever ate.
Um, and it kind of kickstarted this journey of loving Japanese cakes,
Japanese patisseries,
and then when I came back to Melbourne, I couldn't find any,
so I had to start baking them myself.
(LAUGHS)
Perfect. Thank you.
JOCK: Solid. (LAUGHS)
Alright. We're gonna have a crack at it.
STEPH: OK. Thank you.
MELISSA: Thank you. ANDY: Thanks, Steph. Thank you. Enjoy.
Let's see it.
Ooh! That went through pretty easily.
Ooh...
..mama!
Stop it.
ANDY: It's not so often I get excited
to hoe into a piece of cake, but...
..I'm on here.
MELISSA: Today's the day? ANDY: Yeah.
Ooh.
JOCK: It is exactly as advertised.
This is a perfect example of Japanese sponge cake.
The yuzu curd is...
..mouth-wateringly delicious.
I never thought a cake could be refreshing.
ANDY: Yeah. MELISSA: But it is refreshing.
The fact that that sponge is so impossibly light.
If the cream wasn't there, it would float away.
The curd is sharp and bright
and yet sweet,
like a little layer of sunshine.
Every single thing is perfect.
Oh, thrilled for her. I ate a whole slice.
MELISSA: You ate a whole slice. I'm proud of myself.
(LAUGHS)
ANDY: Montana.
MONTANA: So, I've got a brown butter parfait, fennel and apple sorbet,
a crumb and a fennel caramel.
That sauce is money!
Yeah. Texture, flavour, mouthfeel.
It is all there. MELISSA: Daniel.
So this is, uh, sweet chilli coconut crab.
JOCK: The crab's cooked really nicely.
ANDY: Really well. Yeah.
There is something really exciting about Daniel's food.
JOCK: Ali. What have you made us?
ALI: Fish pakora, a potato scone
with some charred mango chutney and a coriander chutney.
So good! ANDY: Mmm.
And crispy and crunchy and melt-in-the-mouth
and fatty and...and brilliant.
ANDY: Hey, Keyma.
KEYMA: Lamb tarkari with a flaky roti and a coriander chutney.
I loved it. Those are some happy potatoes.
ANDY: Yeah.
This is a triumph in a bowl.
Yep.
MAX: I'm happy with the tart.
So I'm hoping that it'll be cooked perfect,
because I don't want to be the first one going home.
It's been four years of my life trying to get into this competition,
so I'm...no, I'm not ready to leave.
ANDY: Max.
Oh!
A petit four.
(MAX LAUGHS) (MELISSA LAUGHS)
OK, mate. What did you cook?
MAX: Uh, so I've brought you Sim's Raspberry Tart.
ANDY: Sim's? Is that your missus? MAX: That's my wife.
ANDY: Yep. Yep. MAX: That's my wife's name.
This tart is actually the dessert that I cooked before I proposed.
I'm guessing she loved it and said yes.
Yes, she did. Got the job done.
ANDY: Cool. We're gonna have a crack.
Thank you. Cheers. Thank you very much. Please enjoy. Thank you.
JOCK: It's very small. ANDY: Yeah.
JOCK: Isn't it? MELISSA: Tiny tarts. ANDY: Yep.
Amazing things come in small packages.
ANDY: That's true.
Oh!
That's nice. I thought he was talking about me.
JOCK: It's looking dense.
MELISSA: Um...yeah.
JOCK: Those look burnt.
Oh, dear.
I really like the flavours that are going on. I mean, they're classic.
The addition of that citrus sour cream Chantilly,
I really like that against the raspberry, but...
..you undercook anything in this kitchen and you're in trouble.
He's under-baked it.
You can see it just sort of settled it.
And I think what's made it worse is actually
the liquid praline has settled even more
into an undercooked frangipane.
If Max proposed to me with this tart,
it wouldn't be an automatic yes.
(ALL LAUGH)
This cook has been an absolute shambles.
So, not playing the pin, it was such a huge risk
and huge decision for me to make.
MELISSA: Harry.
HARRY: Hello. How are you, Harry?
I'm well. There we go.
Take a seat. JOCK: Mmm.
Alright.
What do we have here?
HARRY: So I've made, uh, some braised lentils
with a spiced roast pumpkin,
a little bit of goat's cheese and some croutons.
OK, let's talk about dishes that changed your life.
Why this dish today?
This dish is so pivotal.
It's a really humble dish,
but it was what I was sharing with my best friend
the night that I finally
spoke up and had a conversation with somebody
about wanting to change my name.
It wasn't that I didn't like the name that I was born with.
It was just that...
..it wasn't me.
And we chose the name
and then everything just seemed to, like, fit into place.
So even though this might not be the most spectacular dish I could cook,
it means so much.
Yep. It's, um, stepping into who you are.
Yeah. Exactly.
I'm built to do this, and I love it, and I've had so much fun all week.
You're wearing a pin today. HARRY: Yes.
Tough cook.
There was a bit of emotion there. Yep.
At any point, did you consider playing the pin?
HARRY: About half an hour to go,
I really wasn't sure if I would get the lentils cooked,
and I just had to suck it up and wait.
It was literally in the last kind of five minutes
that I decided that they'd cooked to the point that I wanted them to.
Is it enough to keep you here? I really think it is.
OK. Thanks so much. Thank you.
ANDY: Thanks, Harry. Thanks, Harry.
Well, it'll be interesting to see, you know, how this eats,
because if you're not in the right headspace to cook,
then what's on the plate is a symbol of that.
ANDY: Proof's in the pudding. See how it tastes.
(CRUNCHES)
It nearly put me to sleep.
Seriously.
Like, I...I don't get it. I don't understand it.
What was going on here?
I don't feel like it's Harry's cooking.
ANDY: For me, that's how I like my pumpkin.
There's no resistance whatsoever.
But I want more spice, though. MELISSA: Yep.
And I want more seasoning. Yeah. JOCK: Yeah.
ANDY: The lentils are undercooked.
And they're... they're sweet on a whole.
I'd love some vinegar in there or something.
I think this is a dish of many, many...
ANDY: Yeah. ..flaws.
We're seeing somebody that maybe just can't operate
under pressure real well.
If this is me in that situation and I had a pin on
and I was tasting all my elements with a minute to go...
.."Pin!"
Yeah, I would have played it.
That's what baffles me, that she...
Yeah. ..obviously thinks that this is good enough to get her through.
It's been a big day,
starting with 22 jaffles
and ending with 12 dishes rich in heart and history.
Fans, you donned the dreaded black aprons
and faced the first elimination of the season.
But, as the Favourites know too well,
every elimination you survive in this kitchen
only makes you stronger.
Unfortunately, the pressure of the first elimination,
it brought a few of you undone today.
If I call your name, please step forward,
because you're in danger of going home.
Chris.
Max.
And...
..Harry.
Oh, no. Jesus.
Oh, no.
Oh. Oh, my God.
HARRY: I can't believe it.
Here I am standing in the bottom three with an immunity pin,
potentially about to walk out of the MasterChef kitchen
for the last time.
Max.
Your tart base was undercooked and your filling was too dense.
Harry. Your lentils were also undercooked.
And your pumpkin was also under-seasoned.
Chris.
The overwhelming flavour in your noodles was burnt oil.
And, sadly, your sauce couldn't save it.
Which means, unfortunately, today, Chris...
MAN: Oh. ..you're going home.
That's cool. That's alright.
It's alright.
It's all good. It's all good.
(LAUGHS)
Cheers, though.
Chris. We loved having you here in the kitchen.
I know this isn't the way you wanted to go out.
Sucks being first, but had a blast.
I mean, it's... it's only been a week, but...
..I learnt a lot in this short period of time,
and I'm gonna go home, I'm...I'm gonna keep cooking.
Whenever you see me next time, I'm just gonna be a better cook.
One of the best things about you, mate, is your attitude.
Even standing there in defeat, you're still smiling.
I tell you, one thing's for sure,
Sashi will never forget the day that you beat him.
(LAUGHTER)
(LAUGHS)
I'll never forget it either. (LAUGHTER)
JOCK: Chris, thank you for being part of the family,
thanks for cooking for us,
but, unfortunately, it's time to say goodbye.
(APPLAUSE)
CHRIS: My whole understanding of food has just expanded
being in here for just a week.
Well done, mate. (APPLAUSE)
Oh!
I don't know what's out there for me right now,
but I'm not gonna stop cooking.
(LAUGHTER)
CHRIS: Cooking with all these bloody legends was just priceless.
Give it up for Chris, everybody!
(APLAUSE AND CHEERING)
My food journey's... it's really just begun.
VOICEOVER: This week on MasterChef Australia...
..it's the first mystery box of the season.
JOCK: Lift your lids now.
ALVIN: First mystery box. It's like a rite of passage.
MICHAEL: And it is chaos. It's delicious chaos.
And... JOCK: Matt Stone, everybody!
..the line-up of guest chefs...
JOCK: Shannon Bennett.
WOMAN: Absolutely fangirling over Shannon Bennett.
ANDY: Adriano Zumbo!
..will have even our most experienced contenders
in a flap.
Captions by Red Bee Media