MasterChef Australia series 15

MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises
Season 15
Judges	Andy Allen Melissa Leong Jock Zonfrillo
No. of contestants	18
No. of episodes	28
Release
Original network	Network 10
Original release	7 May 2023 (2023-05-07)
Series chronology

The fifteenth series of the Australian cooking game show MasterChef Australia premiered on 7 May 2023 on Network 10.

The series was originally announced at Paramount's and Network 10's upfronts in October 2022. Subtitled Secrets & Surprises, the season featured 18 contestants, with 17 new to the show. Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, and Jock Zonfrillo returned to the show as judges from the previous season. This is the last season to feature Jock Zonfrillo following his death on 30 April 2023. Filming of the season was completed in March 2023, before the death of Zonfrillo.

The series was originally intended to premiere on 1 May 2023. Following Zonfrillo's death on 30 April, a day before the season premiere, it was confirmed that the show's premiere would be postponed. The series The Bridge Australia aired in its place. On 3 May 2023, Network 10 confirmed that the season would instead premiere on 7 May 2023; the premiere was preceded by a special edition of The Sunday Project that paid tribute to Zonfrillo.

Changes

Compared to previous seasons, series 15 featured 18 contestants instead of the typical 24. Like the previous season, the season omitted the broadcast of the audition stage.

Subtitled Secrets & Surprises, this season sees a secret or surprise revealed to the contestants in every episode. One example is the introduction of a secret "second chance apron", which was won by the winner of the first challenge in the season and allowed the contestant to come back from elimination and compete for re-entry at the next elimination.

Shannon Bennett returned as a mentor for immunity challenges.

Contestants

The full cast was announced on 23 April 2023. Former contestant Brent Draper, who withdrew from series 13 citing mental health concerns, returned as a contestant for the season.

Contestant	Age	State/Terr	Occupation	Status
Adi Nevgi	31	VIC	Doctor	Competing
Antonio Cruz Vaamonde	34	NSW	Software developer	Competing
Brent Draper	32	QLD	Digital content creator	Competing
Cath Collins	54	VIC	Administration manager	Competing
Declan Cleary	24	NSW	Carpenter	Competing
Malissa Fedele	28	SA	Nutritionist	Competing
Ralph Kahango	32	WA	Auditor	Competing
Rhiannon Anderson	47	QLD	Administration manager	Competing
Rue Mupedzi	29	WA	Oral health therapist	Competing
Theo Loizou	37	VIC	Electrician	Competing
Grace Jupp	24	VIC	Olive producer	Eliminated 13 June
Phil Conway	33	VIC	Fitness studio manager	Eliminated 11 June
Robbie Cooper	65	NT	Youth support worker	Eliminated 4 June
Alice Han	29	NSW	Economic researcher	Eliminated 30 May
Amy Tanner	26	VIC	Medical administrator	Eliminated 28 May
Larissa Sewell	38	SA	Stay-at-home mum	Eliminated 23 May Returned 21 May Eliminated 16 May
Jessica Perri	35	VIC	Optometrist	Eliminated 21 May
Andrea Puglisi	36	WA	Rope access technician	Eliminated 14 May

Guests

Week	Guest	Challenge
1	Jamie Oliver	Series premiere
	Hugh Allen	Immunity challenge
2	Poh Ling Yeow	Mystery box challenge
	Emelia Jackson	Elimination challenge
	Sashi Cheliah, Matt Sinclair	Service challenge
	Darren Robertson	Immunity challenge
3 (Big Week)	Julie Goodwin	Elimination challenge
	Eddie Stewart	Pressure test
	Sergio Perera	Immunity challenge
4 (Nostalgia Week)	Donato Toce	Pressure test
	Gabriel Gaté	Immunity challenge
5 (Home Cooks vs. Pro Cooks Week)	Jacqui Challinor, Brendan Katich, Lakhan Bhounsle	Mystery box challenge
	Khanh Nguyen, Nicko Holloway, Christopher James, Melanie Shoona	Pressure test
	Louis Tikaram, Ben Skelton, Mark Tumacder	Team challenge
	Ross Magnaye, Leandro Miranda, Shane Stafford	Invention test
6	Rick Stein	Elimination challenge
	Josh Niland	Mystery box challenge
	Luke Nguyen	Pressure test
	Curtis Stone	Service & Immunity challenge

• Maggie Beer
• Peter Gilmore

Elimination chart

No.	Week	1			2		3				4				5		6		7		8
	Mystery Box Challenge Winner	None			Malissa		Antonio Phil Ralph				Antonio Ralph				Grace		Antonio Rhiannon
	Immunity Challenge	Antonio Cath Jessica Malissa			Adi Declan Jessica Malissa Ralph Robbie Theo		Adi Amy Cath Declan Grace Phil Robbie				Adi Brent Cath Declan Malissa Robbie Theo				Antonio Rhiannon		Adi Brent Ralph Rhiannon Rue
	Elimination Challenge Winner	Brent Phil Rue			Cath	None	Brent Theo				None				None
	Adi	IN		Btm 6	IN	Btm 16	IN	Team Win		Btm 12	IN	Team Win		Btm 11	Team Lose 2		Btm 2
	Antonio	IN		DNP	Btm 7	Btm 2	Top 3	Team Lose		Btm 12	Top 2	Team Lose		Btm 11	Team Win	IMM	Top 2
	Brent	IN		Top 3	DNP	Btm 16	IN	Team Lose		Top 2	IN	Team Win	I.P.	IMM	Team Lose 3		IN
	Cath	IN		DNP	WIN	Btm 16	IN	Team Win		Btm 12	IN	Team Win		Btm 11	Team Lose 2		IN
	Declan	IN		DNP	Btm 7	Btm 4	Btm 2	Team Win	I.P.	IMM	Btm 3	Team Win		Btm 11	Btm 4/Imm.		IN
	Malissa	IN		IMM	WIN	Btm 16	IN	Team Lose		Btm 3	IN	Team Win		Btm 2	Btm 3		IN
	Ralph	IN		Btm 6	IN	Btm 16	Top 3	Team Lose		Btm 12	Top 2	Team Lose		Btm 5	Btm 2		IN
	Rhiannon	IN		DNP	Btm 3	Btm 16	IN	Team Lose		Btm 3	IN	Team Lose		Btm 5	Team Win	IMM	Top 2
	Rue	Top 3		Top 3	DNP	Btm 4	IN	Team Lose		Btm 11	IN	Team Lose		Btm 5	Team Lose 3		IN
	Theo	IN		DNP	Btm 7	IMM	Btm 3	Team Lose		Top 2	IN	Team Win		Btm 11	Team Lose 3		Btm 3
11	Grace	IN		Btm 6	Top 2	Btm 16	IN	Team Win		Btm 12	Btm 2	Team Lose		DNP	Team Win		Elim	Eliminated (Ep 27)
12	Phil	IN		Top 3	IN	Btm 16	Top 3	Team Win		Btm 12	IN	Team Lose		Btm 11	Elim		Eliminated (Ep 25)
13	Robbie	IN		Btm 3	IN	Btm 6	IN	Team Win		Btm 12	IN	Team Win		Elim	Eliminated (Ep 20)
14	Alice	Top 3		DNP	Btm 3	Btm 16	IN	Team Lose		Btm 12	Elim	Eliminated (Ep 17)
15	Amy	IN		Btm 3	IN	Btm 16	IN	Team Win		Elim	Eliminated (Ep 15)
16	Larissa	WIN	S.C.A.	DNP	Elim	Btm 6	Elim	Re-eliminated (Ep 12)
17	Jessica	IN		DNP	Btm 7	Elim	Eliminated (Ep 10)
18	Andrea	IN		Elim	Eliminated (Ep 5)
	Eliminated	None		Andrea	Larissa 1st Elimination	Jessica	Larissa Re-elimination	Amy			Alice	Robbie			Phil		Grace

Episodes and ratings

Colour key:

  – Highest rating during the series

  – Lowest rating during the series

Ep#/Wk-Ep#	Original airdate	Episode title / event	Total viewers (five metro cities)	Nightly ranking
Week 1 (Surprises Week)
1/01-1	Sunday, 7 May 2023	Series Premiere: — The MasterChef kitchen welcomed celebrity chef Jamie Oliver as a guest judge for the next two days. The new contestants were tasked to cook with anything that represented their secret weapon. Larissa's borscht, Rue's tart and Alice's moon-chi emerged as the top 3, with Larissa's dish being considered the dish of the day. As a reward, Larissa received a 'second chance apron'. Should she be eliminated at any point in the competition, this will allow her to cook in the next elimination round for a chance to regain her place in the competition.	761,000	#3
2/01-2	Monday, 8 May 2023	Jamie Oliver Two-Round Challenge — The contestants cooked in a two-round challenge for a chance to compete for immunity. In the first round they had to cook a dish in 15 mnutes; Andrea's spaghetti with clams, Antonio's cachapas, Grace's bruschetta (with greens, poached egg and bagna gauda), Jessica's butterflied prawns with chermoula sauce and Rhiannon's prawn coconut soup were the top 5 dishes. The top 5 then had to keep up with Jamie cooking his mushroom and spinach rotolo, with which Andrea and Rhiannon struggled but Antonio and Jessica were the top 2 and won a chance to compete for immunity.	557,000	#11
3/01-3	Tuesday, 9 May 2023	Flavour Bomb Invention Test — Jamie Oliver left behind four flavour bombs for the contestants to use. The contestants could cook anything with the assigned flavour bomb, however, the flavour bombs would only be revealed to them 15 minutes into the cook. These were harissa, pesto, Dijon mustard and red miso. Most of the dishes were well-received, with rave reviews for Rhiannon's rissoles, and Theo's flatbreads. However, two dishes emerged as the best for the day; Malissa's red miso and pumpkin ravioli, and Cath's thyme ice cream with Dijon caramel. As a result, Malissa and Cath were chosen to join Antonio and Jessica for the first immunity challenge.	497,000	#10
4/01-4	Wednesday, 10 May 2023	Immunity Challenge: Hugh Allen — In the first round, Antonio, Cath, Jessica and Malissa had to create a dish in 45 minutes using ingredients from Shannon Bennett's fridge. Malissa's fig and date cake with ginger caramel impressed the judges and won immunity from Sunday's elimination and the opportunity to win a pin, for which she has to cook against Hugh Allen. In 75 minutes, Malissa chose the potent pantry while Hugh had to cook with the pleasant pantry. Malissa's prawn and mushroom linguine won praise for the cooking of the prawns and bold flavour but criticized for the pasta not being al dente, scoring 22 points. Hugh's strawberry gum parfait with raspberries and roses was praised for being elegant and well-balanced scoring 27 points and winning the round.	436,000	#12
Week 2
5/02-1	Sunday, 14 May 2023	Childhood Memories Elimination — Before the challenge started the judges announced that Alice, Antonio, Cath, Declan, Jessica, Larissa, Rhiannon and Theo had COVID and missed today's elimination. When they return, they will cook in the next elimination challenge. In the first of a two-round elimination challenge, the rest of the contestants except Malissa (who had immunity) had 60 minutes to cook a dish featuring one of the judges' nostalgic ingredients (Vegemite, cumquat or panettone). Brent's Middle Eastern chicken with hummus and cumquat glaze, Phil's pork fillet with parsnip & vanilla puree and Vegemite sauce, and Rue's cumquat Swiss roll received the best praise while Amy, Andrea and Robbie's dishes had issues which landed them in the second round, for which they had 60 minutes to make a dish inspired by their childhood memories. Robbie's fish curry with fried bread was the standout dish while Amy's caramel dumplings with Bailey's cream also received praise but Andrea's Nutella sauce was split and the flavours of his crepes were average, which resulted in his elimination.	478,000	#6
6/02-2	Monday, 15 May 2023	Poh Ling Yeow Mystery Box Challenge — The contestants from yesterday's elimination challenge except Brent and Rue (who had COVID) had 75 minutes to cook a dish using the mystery box created by Poh Ling Yeow which contained the pantry staples and two other ingredients of their choice. Ali's Portuguese tarts were undercooked while Phil's brownie with smoked vanilla ice cream was not balanced. Grace's chive & salmon roe waffles and Robbie's pasta carbonara received impressive feedback, but it was Malissa's citrus cannoli with mascarpone and orange curd that won the challenge, fast tracking her to the immunity challenge.	552,000	#9
7/02-3	Tuesday, 16 May 2023	Emelia Jackson Choux Pastry Elimination Challenge — A two-round elimination challenge tasked the eight contestants who missed out the first elimination challenge to create choux buns in 75 minutes using Emelia Jackson's recipe while choosing either savoury or sweet flavour, with the bottom three having to highlight the other flavour in the second round. Cath's lemon mascarpone choux buns were the stand-out dish, receiving immediate safety from elimination. Declan, Antonio, Jessica and Theo's also received praise but Alice, Larissa and Rhiannon had issues with their choux and were sent to the second round. Both Rhiannon and Alice's savoury buns managed to redeem them while Larissa's sweet choux was unbalanced, which resulted in her elimination. With the second-chance apron she has the opportunity to cook in the next elimination challenge for a chance to rejoin the competition.	492,000	#8
8/02-4	Wednesday, 17 May 2023	Featured Ingredients Service Challenge — The contestants except for Malissa (who won the mystery box challenge and is through to the immunity challenge), and Brent, Rue and Amy (recovering from COVID), were split into two teams. The green team (Alice, Antonio, Cath, Grace, Phil and Rhiannon) led by Matt Sinclair, and the blue team (Adi, Declan, Jessica, Ralph, Robbie and Theo) led by Sashi Cheliah, had to cook a two-course meal for 30 guests. The judges revealed the choices for each course: cucumber, eggplant or pumpkin for entrée and chicken, coral trout or pork belly for main. Both teams delivered on their entrees with the blue team serving prawns with cucumber granita and the green team serving miso-glazed eggplant. While the blue team's main of yellow fish curry with cumin rice was a success, the green team's main of twice-cooked pork with mango salad had nice flavours but the pork was portioned inconsistently. The blue team delivered on both courses and they advance for an opportunity to cook for immunity.	408,000	#13
9/02-5	Thursday, 18 May 2023	Immunity Challenge: Darren Robertson — In the first round, Adi, Declan, Jessica, Malissa, Ralph, Robbie and Theo had to create a dish in 45 minutes by using roast chicken. Theo's chicken lahmacun with tzatsiki impressed the judges and won immunity from Sunday's elimination and the opportunity to win an immunity pin, for which he had to cook against Darren Robertson. Theo chose the 60 minutes with 10 ingredients pantry and gave Darren the 30 minutes with 20 ingredients pantry. Theo's apple tart with lemon custard was praised for its flavours and technique but was criticized for the pastry being too thick, scoring 23 points. Darren served a feast in 30 minutes which was a whole barramundi with pickled cabbage, flatbread and mango chili vinegar and was praised for the cooking of the fish as well as complex flavours, scoring 25 points and winning the round.	421,000	#9
Week 3 (Big Week)
10/03-1	Sunday, 21 May 2023	Julie Goodwin Seafood Stew Elimination Challenge — The contestants aside from Theo faced a two-round challenge. In round one, they took turns identifying the ingredients from Julie Goodwin's seafood stew by taste. Antonio, Declan, Jessica, Robbie and Rue were the first five to guess incorrectly and were sent to the second round where the judges revealed they would be joined by Larissa who has to survive to get back into the competition. In this round, they had 75 minutes to cook a dish using the ingredients from Julie's stew recipe without the under bench staples. Robbie's seafood and tomato soup was hailed dish of the day, while Larissa's pelmeni and broth were praised, earning her the right to come back. Rue's mussels with white wine and tomato sauce received good compliments as well as Declan's prawn and snapper soup though his flatbread was more of a crispy bread and the wrong bread to serve, Antonio's snapper empanadas had great flavours but were too oily. Jessica's pomodoro had the flavour in the sauce but her decision to make an eggless pasta with bread flour proved to be her undoing as the pasta was criticized for being the wrong texture, resulting in her being eliminated.	492,000	#5
11/03-2	Monday, 22 May 2023	Giant Mystery Box Challenge — The contestants were given 75 minutes to cook a dish using large ingredients such as a large Toblerone, whole pumpkin, whole tuna, cassia-bark, rhubarb and sack of peanuts, with the bottom three facing elimination. Antonio's Toblerone and peanut ice cream sandwich, Phil's ice cream sandwich with Toblerone ice cream and orange sugar tuile and Ralph's 'busted' milk tart received the highest praise for the judges and were the top 3 dishes. Declan's peanut-crusted tuna with pumpkin puree was criticized for lacking texture and being overwhelmed with peanut flavour, Theo's rough puff pastry for his rhubarb millefeuille was more of a shortcrust pastry and Larissa's doppio ravioli lacked filling and the sauce was criticized. As a result, the latter three ended up in elimination.	483,000	#11
12/03-3	Tuesday, 23 May 2023	Pressure Test: Eddie Stewart's Tokyo Lamington Tower — Chef Eddie Stewart set the pressure test, which required Declan, Larissa and Theo to recreate his Tokyo lamington tower in five hours. Theo's was declared the best with perfect sponge, presentation and flavours while Declan's was praised for the flavours matching the original and a nice sponge despite looking a little rough and the chocolate coating of the Snicker's lamington was a little too thick. Larissa had flaws both in presentation and taste, her flavours were unbalanced with too much peanut on one, not enough yuzu curd on the other and she had to make her caramel four times, which put her behind, rushing the presentation and making the lamingtons too big and clumsy. The judges felt that Larissa had missed the brief and she was eliminated.	472,000	#9
13/03-4	Wednesday, 24 May 2023	Grazeland Street Food Team Challenge — The 15 contestants were taken to Grazeland food court in Spotswood for a team challenge, where they were split into two teams. The turquoise team (Amy, Cath, Declan, Grace, Phil, Robbie and captain Adi) and the yellow team (Alice, Antonio, Ralph, Rhiannon, Rue, Theo and captain Brent) were given five hours to prepare a surf and turf street food menu serving 1600 people. Malissa drew a white apron and sat out; she had to back a team, and receive their outcome She chose the yellow team. At the halfway point both teams struggled to keep on time so Andy helped the turquoise team while Jock helped the yellow team. The turquoise team's Thai red barramundi curry was praised for the cooking of the fish, presentation and flavour, while their Thai beef salad was praised for its cooking of the beef and textures, though the dressing was criticized for not being sweet enough. The yellow team had trouble with the portions of the mussels and had to continue cooking them during service time while Alice struggled to maintain the consistency of the cooking of the fried rice. Their surf dish of chili mussels was praised while their red braised pork belly was flavoursome, but the fried rice had an overwhelming flavour of burnt garlic. The judges felt that the yellow team's burnt garlic flavour cost them the challenge giving the turquoise team the win, and they were granted the chance to cook for immunity.	365,000	#15
14/03-5	Thursday, 25 May 2023	Immunity Challenge: Sergio Perera — In the first round, Adi, Amy, Cath, Declan, Grace, Phil and Robbie had to create a dish in 75 minutes using only the kitchen appliances in the gift box on their bench. While all of the dishes were praised, it was Declan's Thai chicken broth with peanut and lime sambal that won immunity from Sunday's elimination, as well as a $10,000 voucher and the opportunity to win an immunity pin, for which he had to cook against Sergio Perera. From four flavour pairings, Declan chose the mandarin and tarragon combination with which he is given 75 minutes, while Sergio with 60 minutes chose the blueberry and chestnut mushroom flavour combination. Sergio's pan seared snapper with fennel and mushroom puree was praised for the cooking of the fish, strong blueberry flavour, silkiness of the puree and presentation but was criticized for not having the mushroom flavour strong enough and the flavour combinations were not cohesive, scoring 22 points. Declan's steamed kingfish with tarragon beurre blanc and mandarin salad received fantastic reviews for the cooking of the fish and hitting the brief for the perfect balance of flavour, scoring 25 points, winning the round and being the first contestant this year to win an immunity pin.	390,000	#11
Week 4 (Nostalgia Week)
15/04-1	Sunday, 28 May 2023	Overnight Elimination Challenge — The contestants aside from Declan faced a two-day elimination cook-off, where they were given 45 minutes to prepare a dish of their choice and leave it to cook overnight, then 60 minutes to finish it the next day. Brent's crispy duck with pickled turmeric and sambal and Theo's Greek lamb with pita bread and tzatziki were given the most praise from the judges with Melissa awarding both dishes 10/10. Amy, Malissa and Rhiannon had the most criticisms of their dishes. Although her coconut sambal was good, Rhiannon's beef rendang was overcooked and the flavours were out of balance while Malissa's pork & beef ragu lacked freshness, had average flavour and the pasta was too thin. Amy's Mexican and Japanese braised pork tacos were dry, lacked flavour and the tortillas were too thick. While the judges felt that both Malissa and Amy's dishes had flaws, they felt that Amy's dish failed to meet the brief and was 'irredeemable', and she was the fourth contestant to be eliminated.	497,000	#6
16/04-2	Monday, 29 May 2023	Cereal Mystery Box Challenge — The contestants were given 75 minutes to cook a dish using at least one of the cereals in the mystery box (Coco Pops, Weet-Bix, Corn flakes, Fruit Loops and Rice Bubbles) with an open pantry and the garden; the bottom three would face elimination. Antonio's coco pops éclairs and Ralph's corn flake pork chop with mashed potato and mint sauce received the highest praise from the judges and were the top two dishes. Most of the contestants had problems with their dishes but Grace's fruit loop pop tart cereal had technical issues, despite being creative and thinking outside of the box, Declan's three breakfast cereal muffins were dry and Alice's fruit loop parfait was split. With those major errors, the last three ended up in elimination.	511,000	#12
17/04-3	Tuesday, 30 May 2023	Pressure Test: Donato Toce's Messinetta — Chef Donato Toce set the pressure test, which required Alice, Declan and Grace to recreate his Messinetta in four hours and fifteen minutes. Declan's was declared the best with perfect flavours of the strawberry gel and the vanilla and chocolate gelato, perfect textures with the gelato and gel well set, the crunch of the tempered chocolate and the best presented, despite looking a little rough around the edges. Grace was lauded with the perfect balance of flavours and the silkiness of both gelatos as well as the temper of the chocolate but she was criticized for the presentation and construction looking very rough. Alice had great tempered chocolate but her presentation was clumsy with not enough Chantilly cream. Her inability to clean out the gelato machine during the churning process as well as issues with setting the ice cream meant that both gelatos were dense and icy. The judges agreed that Alice missed the mark on the most important component, the gelato, and she was eliminated.	482,000	#9
18/04-4	Wednesday, 31 May 2023	Mei Jing Chinese Dine In Team Challenge — The 13 contestants were taken to Mei Jing restaurant in Wantirna for a team challenge, where they were split into two teams. The red team (Brent, Cath, Declan, Malissa, Robbie and captain Theo) and the purple team (Antonio, Grace, Phil, Ralph, Rhiannon and captain Rue) were given three hours to prepare a three-course meal, inspired by the restaurant menu, serving 50 dinners. Adi drew a white apron and sat out; she had to back a team, and receive their outcome She chose the red team. On the red team, their entrée of pork san choy bow was praised for being served in cos lettuce, as well as the juiciness of the pork and the complex flavours, thanks to the addition of duck fat. Their main of beef and black bean with fried rice, led by Declan, was praised for the cooking and tenderness of the beef, the flavours of the sauce, different textures of the vegetables and being loaded with black beans. The dessert of lychees and vanilla ice cream was a miss with the ice cream not set and not well-balanced. On the purple team, the entree of pork and prawn spring rolls was delicious but the sweet & sour sauce was a miss. The lemon chicken main was crispy and cooked well, but the lemon sauce didn't have enough lemon flavour due to the sauce being prepared too late. The dessert of pineapple fritter with vanilla ice cream was also a miss due to the ice cream not setting. Jock thought that the dish didn't hit the brief of being nostalgic. The red team won despite dessert issues; the judges felt that the first two courses more than made up for it, and they were granted the chance to cook for immunity.	402,000	#13
19/04-5	Thursday, 1 June 2023	Immunity Challenge: Gabriel Gaté — In the first round, Adi, Brent, Cath, Declan, Malissa, Robbie and Theo were shown by Shannon Bennett how to use a flambé technique with which they had 75 minutes to cook a dish. While all of the dishes were praised, it was Brent's bourbon chicken skewers that won immunity from Sunday's elimination and the opportunity to win an immunity pin, for which he had to cook against Gabriel Gate. The second round required a dish featuring a beverage. Brent chose orange juice for which he is given 75 minutes, while Gabriel with 60 minutes chose champagne. Gabriel's prawn and mussel casserole with julienne vegetables and champagne sauce received praise for the flavour of the sauce, the textures and cooking of the vegetables and for the seafood (though Andy got a undercooked prawn), scoring 25 points. Brent's orange duck with nam jim salad and crispy pancakes receive positive comments on the presentation, cooking of the duck with the glaze, crispness of the pancake and the powerful yet balanced flavour, scoring 30 points, winning the round and being the second contestant this year to win an immunity pin.	409,000	#11
Week 5
20/05-1	Sunday, 4 June 2023	Aussie Classic Elimination Challenge — The contestants aside from Brent (who had immunity) and Grace (who was unwell and must compete in the next elimination) faced a two-round challenge. In round one, they took turns identifying different cheeses. Malissa, Ralph, Rhiannon, Robbie and Rue were the first five to guess incorrectly and were sent to the second round where they had 75 minutes to cook a dish inspired by classic Aussie dishes. Rhiannon wowed the judges with her take on moussaka while Rue's Swiss roll trifle with strawberries and vanilla, and Ralph's sticky date trifle also received praise. Malissa wanted to cook a bolognese ravioli but had issues with the cook so she had to pivot for fettuccine bolognese. While the sauce was flavorful, the pasta had no structure. Robbie wanted to cook his curry with sausages but was worried when the judges pointed out that it was the same curry over again and he pivoted to a take on prawn cocktail using his curry sauce for the mayonnaise. His prawns were overcooked and the curry sauce flavour didn't mesh well with the texture of the lettuce. Despite the pasta issue, the judges felt that Malissa's flavour was enough to save her, which meant Robbie was the sixth contestant to be eliminated.	483,000	#6
21/05-2	Monday, 5 June 2023	NOMAD Mystery Box Challenge — Every challenge this week was a home cook vs professional cook battle where contestants competed with one of four chef teams to win immunity from Sunday's elimination challenge. The first group, consisting of Antonio, Grace and Rhiannon, cooked against Jacqui Challinor's team from NOMAD. Each team had 75 minutes to each cook a dish using at least one of the ingredients from the mystery box: pork chop, sand crab, pineapple, fennel, watercress, betel leaf, jerk beans, rosella flowers and Hello Panda biscuits. Whoever cooks the best dish will win for their team. For team NOMAD two dishes had praise for their flavours but it was Jacqui's crab and fennel salad that was the judges' highlight. For the home cook team both Rhiannon and Antonio's dishes were praised for the flavour but Antonio was criticized for not cooking the rosella flower in his jam long enough. It was Grace's tempura betel leaf with pork, pineapple and rosella sauce, and salsa that was declared faultless by the judges. After much discussion, the judges decided that the dish of the day was Grace's which means that she saved Antonio and Rhiannon from Sunday's elimination. Unfortunately, as she missed the last elimination challenge, she has to participate in the next elimination challenge.	427,000	#14
22/05-3	Tuesday, 6 June 2023	Pressure Test: Khanh Nguyen's Three-Course Meal — Chef Khanh Nguyen set the pressure test, which required Malissa, Phil and Ralph to cook against Nick Holloway's team from Nu Nu to recreate his macadamia tofo with Skull Island prawns, tamarind, lemon myrtle for entrée in two hours and thirty minutes; wagyu rendang pie with Vietnamese satay, pickled daikon radish for main in three hours and forty five minutes; and a kaya jam ice cream sandwich with Davidson plum and salted koji waffle for dessert in two hours and fifteen minutes. The team with the most wins will win the round. Nick won the entree round even though his tofu was a little firm and salty; the rest of the flavour and presentation were like Khanh's. While Malissa's flavours were praised her tofu wasn't set enough. Christopher won the main with perfect pastry, balanced flavours and cooking of the beef while Phil's flavours were too spicy as he forgot to blitz the spices before adding them into the curry. It was Phil's dry pastry that cost him the win. Melanie won the dessert with perfect flavours in the parfait, jam and waffle as the judges felt it closely resembled Khanh's. While Ralph's parfait was praised, his waffle was not crunchy enough. Nick's team won in a clean sweep, which means that Malissa, Phil and Ralph have to participate in Sunday's elimination challenge.	434,000	#9
23/05-4	Wednesday, 7 June 2023	Non-Verbal Team Relay — Adi, Cath and Declan had to cook against Louis Tikaram's team from Stanley restaurant in a relay team challenge, given twenty five minutes each without communicating during the changeover. Benson started for team Stanley and opted to cook a Cantonese feast of crispy skin chicken, steamed fish and Asian greens, while Declan opted to do an Asian-styled steamed snapper with coconut rice and salad. Declan's choice proved to be their downfall as Cath struggled with the concept and didn't make the sauce properly. While Adi managed to rectify the sauce, she put the fish in the steamer too late and it was undercooked; the rest of the dish was nice but not spectacular. Team Stanley managed to deliver on the dish with perfect cooking of the proteins and highlighting Cantonese cuisine, with their flavours winning the round, which means that Adi, Cath and Declan have to participate in Sunday's elimination challenge.	399,000	#15
24/05-5	Thursday, 8 June 2023	Ingredients or Time Invention Test — Brent, Rue and Theo had to cook against Ross Magnaye's team from Serai Kitchen and had up to 75 minutes to cook a dish using up to twelve sets of ingrediants, with one set becoming available every four minutes. The dish of the day will win for their team. Theo and Leandro were the first to start, with both making wagyu beef dishes with bone marrow butter in 59 minutes. Rue made a lemon parfait with meringue and blueberry compote in 55 minutes. Ross made beef kilawin with bone marrow butter in 39 minutes. Shane made Moreton Bay bugs with palapa butter and fruit salsa in 35 minutes. Brent started as the final set of ingredients was made available to cook scampi and Bay bug stuffed zucchini flowers with caviar, having only 31 minutes. Both Rue and Theo receive mixed reviews, Rue for trying to do too much in the time and for Theo, while his steak was beautiful, the rest of the dish did not have enough acidity. Brent's dish was declared perfect being the stand-out from the home cooks. Leandro's dish received praise but both Ross and Shane's were declared faultless. As their team received more perfect dishes they won the round, which means that Brent, Rue and Theo have to participate in Sunday's elimination challenge.	393,000	#10
Week 6
25/06-1	Sunday, 11 June 2023	Rick Stein Travel Elimination Challenge — The contestants aside from Antonio and Rhiannon faced a two-round challenge set by Rick Stein. In round one they had 45 minutes to cook a dish with squid where the bottom four would face round two. Declan, Malissa, Phil and Ralph's dishes were criticized and they were sent to the second round, where they had 75 minutes to cook a dish from a cuisine that Rick had the fondest memories from his travels. Declan chose Mexico but was rattled by his first-round cook and struggled to the point where he used his immunity pin. Malissa chose Italy and her honey and olive oil panna cotta with lemon crumb and charred apricots received high praise from the judges. Ralph chose France and did a deconstructed croque madame with soft poached egg and potato foam. The dish was praised for its flavours but the judges didn't think it was better than the original. However, it was Phil who chose Italy that tried to make spaghetti con anatra which turned out to be a big mistake since the duck was dry, the pasta didn't have structure and he didn't have enough time to develop the flavour, resulting in him being the seventh contestant to be eliminated.	397,000	#8
26/06-2	Monday, 12 June 2023	John Dory Mystery Box Challenge — The mystery box was set by chef Josh Niland. It contained different cuts of John Dory fish, with which they had 75 minutes to cook a dish. Most of the contestants' dishes received praise, particularly Antonio's dory al asado negro with cauliflower puree and plantain chips and Rhiannon's hibachi-grilled Dory with Asian apple salad and nam jim dressing. However, Adi's Dory cheek rice cakes with crispy skin had nice Indian flavors but it didn't highlight the fish enough to meet the brief, while Theo's Dory khachapuri had the fish cooked perfectly but the bread was undercooked and Grace's fried John Dory was overcooked despite a nice hot and sour sauce. Having cooked the bottom three dishes, Adi, Theo and Grace were sent to the pressure test.	511,000	#8
27/06-3	Tuesday, 13 June 2023	Pressure Test: Luke Nguyen's No Recipe Beef Pho — Chef Luke Nguyen set the pressure test, which required Adi, Grace and Theo to recreate his beef pho without a recipe in two hours. Even though Theo was unsure at the start, his was the closest to the original with the cooking of the beef and noodles, clarity of the broth and well-balanced seasoning. Adi was confident at the start due to her experience cooking pho but she struggled with the rice noodles mixture setting her behind. As a result, while the beef was cooked beautifully and the broth was clear, it lacked seasoning. However, it was Grace's decision to roast the beef bones before adding them to the broth that proved to be her downfall. While her noodles were perfect and her pho was well-seasoned, the broth was too fatty and not clear. Overall, the judges felt that Grace had missed the brief and she was eliminated.	501,000	#8
28/06-4	Wednesday, 14 June 2023	Root Vegetable Service Challenge — The contestants except for Theo (who was unwell) were split into two teams; the green team (Adi, Brent, Ralph, Rue and captain Rhiannon) and the brown team (Antonio, Cath, Declan and Malissa) had to cook a two-course meal for 24 guests. The judges revealed the choices of root vegetables to highlight: beetroot, parsnip, sweet potato and turnip. The brown team with one less team member chose sweet potato first and were given three hours to prepare while the green team chose beetroot and were given two hours and 30 minutes to prepare, both teams were managed by chef Curtis Stone. Despite the advantage, the brown team took too long to figure out which dishes to cook and not having a team captain proved to be difficult, as the main of eye fillet with sweet potato puree and tahini dressing had great flavours but Declan struggled to cook the beef consistently. As for the dessert, a sweet potato tart with spiced ice cream and sweet potato caramel, Cath forgot to make the caramel until the last minute and Antonio cooked the tarts too late. As a result, the custard for the tarts was too soft and grainy despite a good crust. The green team's main of charred octopus with beetroot had perfectly cooked octopus and great flavours but the beetroot was cooked inconsistently .The dessert prepared by Ralph and Rue, a goats cheese crémeux, beetroot consommé and poached pear was declared perfect by the judges. The green team won the challenge, and they were granted the chance to cook for immunity.	415,000	#13
29/06-5	Thursday, 15 June 2023