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MasterChef Australia series 12

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MasterChef Australia: Back To Win
Season 12
No. of episodes51
Release
Original networkNetwork 10
Original release13 April 2020 (2020-04-13)
Series chronology
← Previous
Series 11
Next →
Series 13

The twelfth series of the Australian cooking game show MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win, premiered on 13 April 2020.[1][2] It is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges,[3][4] after the departure of Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston in the previous season.[5] This series involves former high-achieving contestants from the past eleven series of MasterChef Australia, returning for another chance at the title of 'MasterChef' and the A$250,000 prize.[6][7]

Applications for contestants for the 12th series of MasterChef Australia opened in May 2019.[8] Katy Perry appeared as a guest judge in an immunity challenge based around her song "Hot N Cold", which is the theme song of the show.[9]

Changes

Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston departed the show in 2019 and were replaced with new judges Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.[3][4]

In this series, the typical MasterChef weekly format was slightly changed from prior series. Mondays now feature a Team Challenge with the losing team facing Tuesday's Pressure Test elimination. Wednesdays feature a Mystery Box with the best cooks competing in the Immunity Challenge on Thursday, in which one contestant will be granted immunity from the upcoming elimination. All the other contestants then head into the All-In Elimination Challenge on Sunday.[10] In addition, only one Immunity Pin was up for grab this season; it was awarded to Dani Venn in the first episode of the series. A new format schedule was debuted on 14 June, with the show beginning to air only three nights a week. Mondays featured the Mystery Box, Tuesdays featured the Immunity Challenge, and Sundays featured the All-In Elimination Challenge.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, production of the show continued while following government regulations.[11] This includes the observance of social distancing, having individual plates for each judge during tasting, and the use of gloves when handling ingredients. In addition, the number of crew on set has been reduced by half, and outside challenges and guests have been dialled back.[12][13] The new measures debuted on 25 May 2020.

There is no Second Chance Cook Off this season, so eliminated contestants have no chance to return.

Contestants

The 24 returning contestants were announced on 19 February 2020.[14][15] In March 2020, Ben Ungermann was dropped from the series after being arrested in a matter, unrelated to the show.[16] His departure was announced on 17 May 2020. The arrest was connected to accusations of sexual assault against a 16-year-old girl.[17]

Contestant Age State Occupation Original Series Previous
Season
Placing
Status
Callum Hann 30 SA Restaurateur Series 2 [a] 2nd Competing
Emelia Jackson 30 VIC Cake Designer & Chef Series 6 3rd Competing
Laura Sharrad 24 SA Chef Series 6 2nd Competing
Poh Ling Yeow 46 SA Chef, Artist, Actress & TV Presenter Series 1 [b] 2nd Competing
Reece Hignell 30 NSW Restaurateur Series 10 6th Competing
Reynold Poernomo 26 NSW Chef & Restaurateur Series 7 4th Competing
Tessa Boersma 28 QLD Chef & Criminal Statistician Series 11 2nd Eliminated 28 June
Brendan Pang 26 WA Social Worker & Restaurateur Series 10 9th Eliminated 21 June
Khanh Ong 27 VIC Business Owner, Chef, & DJ Series 10 3rd Eliminated 14 June
Sarah Tiong 29 NSW Lawyer & Restaurateur Series 9 6th Eliminated 9 June
Simon Toohey 33 VIC Cook & Restaurateur Series 11 3rd Eliminated 7 June
Jess Liemantara 22 VIC Chef Series 10 4th Eliminated 31 May
Tracy Collins 44 SA Restaurateur Series 6 5th Eliminated 24 May
Sarah Clare 33 TAS Restaurateur Series 10 10th Eliminated 19 May
Hayden Quinn 33 NSW TV Presenter & Marine Biologist Series 3 [b] 6th Eliminated 17 May
Ben Ungermann 36 QLD Ice-Cream Shop Owner Series 9 2nd Left 17 May
Amina Elshafei 35 NSW Paediatric Nurse & Author Series 4 11th Eliminated 12 May
Chris Badenoch 52 WA Business Owner & Restaurateur Series 1 [b] 3rd Eliminated 10 May
Rose Adam 42 SA Chef & Café Owner Series 7 10th Eliminated 5 May
Dani Venn 34 VIC Business Owner & Publicist Series 3 [b] 4th Eliminated 3 May
Harry Foster 25 QLD Chef Series 8 3rd Eliminated 28 April
Ben Milbourne 38 TAS Restaurateur Series 4 5th Eliminated 26 April
Courtney Roulston 39 NSW Chef Series 2 5th Eliminated 21 April
Lynton Tapp 32 VIC Business Owner & TV Presenter Series 5 2nd Eliminated 19 April

Notes

  1. ^ Callum won the Masterchef: All-Stars mini-series
  2. ^ a b c d These contestants also competed on the Masterchef: All-Stars mini-series.

Guests

Week Guest Chef/Celebrity Challenge
1
(Gordon Ramsay Week)
Gordon Ramsay[18][19] All Challenges
2 Louis Tikaram MasterClass
3 Curtis Stone Immunity Challenge
4
(Suburban Week)
Helly Raichura Pressure Test
5
(Twists Week)
Darren Purchese Pressure Test
Katy Perry Immunity Challenge
Jerry Mai MasterClass
Michael Weldon
6 Matt Stone Team Challenge
Jo Barrett
Peter Gunn Pressure Test
Shannon Martinez Mystery Box
Josh Niland Elimination Challenge
7
(Best Dish Week)
Kirsten Tibballs Immunity Challenge
8
(Heats Week)
Coşkun Uysal Challenge
9 Benjamin Cooper Pressure Test
Charlie Carrington Elimination Challenge
12 Phil Wood Pressure Test

Elimination chart

No. Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Immunity
Challenge
Dani
(Immunity Pin)
Callum
Lynton
Sarah C.
Ben U.
Khanh
Laura
Reynold
Sarah T.
Callum
Jess
Laura
Sarah T.
Amina
Emelia
Tracy
Poh
Reece
Reynold
Sarah T.
Simon
Jess
Poh
Reece
Simon
Brendan
Emelia
Khanh
Simon
Brendan
Jess
Khanh
Poh
Reynold
Callum
Khanh
Poh
Emelia
Laura
Poh
Reece
Brendan
Callum
Reece
Tessa
Callum
Laura
Poh
All-In
Elimination
Winner
Ben M.
Brendan
Laura
Simon
Brendan
Reynold
Tessa
Ben U.
Reynold
Sarah T.
Simon
Tracy
None Emelia
Jess
Khanh
Reece
Reynold
Simon
Tracy
None Khanh
Reece
Tessa
Brendan
Emelia
Laura
Poh
Brendan
Tessa
None Callum
Emelia
Reece
Callum IN WIN IMM Team 2nd IN Btm 18 DNP Top 4 Btm 2 Team Win IN Btm 17 Team Lose IN Btm 7 Team Win IN Btm 12 Team Lose 1 IN Btm 5 WIN IMM Team 2nd IN Team 2nd Top 2 Btm 7 Top 3 Top 3
Emelia Top 4 Team Lose Btm 19 Team 2nd IN Btm 18 DNP IN Btm 14 Team Lose Top 3 Btm 17 Team Win IN WIN Team Win IN Btm 3 WIN IMM IN Top 4 Team 2nd Top 2 Team Lose 1 IN Btm 3 IN Top 3
Laura Top 4 Team Lose Top 4 Team Lose Top 3 Btm 18 Team Lose Top 2 Btm 14 Team Lose IN Btm 17 Team Lose IN Btm 7 Team Lose IN Btm 5 Team Lose 2 IN Btm 7 IN Top 4 Team Win Top 3 Btm 2 IN Btm 7 WIN IMM
Poh IN Team Win Btm 19 Team 2nd IN Btm 18 Team Lose IN Btm 14 Btm 3 IN Btm 17 Btm 2 WIN IMM Team Win Top 2 Btm 12 Team Lose 1 Top 5 Btm 5 Top 2 Top 4 Btm 2 Top 4 Team 2nd IN Btm 7 Top 2 Btm 3
Reece IN Team Lose Btm 19 Btm 3 IN Btm 18 DNP IN Btm 14 Btm 4 IN Btm 17 Team Win Top 3 WIN Team Win Top 4 Btm 3 Team Lose 2 IN Top 3 IN Btm 6 Team Lose 1 WIN IMM WIN IMM IN Top 3
Reynold Top 2 Team Lose Btm 19 Team Win Top 5 Top 3 Team 2nd IN Top 5 Team Win IN Btm 17 Team Lose Top 5 WIN Team Win IN Btm 12 Team Lose 2 WIN IMM IN Btm 4 Team 3rd IN Team Lose 2 IN Btm 3 IN Btm 2
7 Tessa IN Team Win Btm 19 Team Lose IN Top 3 Team Win IN Btm 14 Team Lose IN Btm 4 Team Win Top 6 Btm 7 Team Lose IN Btm 12 Team Lose 2 IN Top 3 IN Btm 4 Team 3rd Top 5 Team Win Top 4 Btm 4 IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 51)
8 Brendan IN Team Lose Top 4 Team Lose Top 6 Top 3 DNP IN Btm 5 Team Win IN Btm 17 Team Win IN Btm 7 Team Lose IN Btm 12 Team Win Top 5 Btm 5 IN Top 4 Team Lose 2 IN Team Win Top 4 Elim Eliminated (Ep 48)
9 Khanh IN Team Win Btm 19 Team Lose Top 5 Btm 18 T.L./Safe IN Btm 5 Team Win IN Btm 17 Team Win IN WIN Team Lose IN Btm 5 Team Win Top 2 Top 3 Top 3 Btm 6 Team Win IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 45)
10 Sarah T. IN Team Win Btm 19 Team Win WIN IMM Team Lose Top 4 Top 5 Team Win IN Btm 17 Team Win Top 3 Btm 7 Btm 2 IN Btm 12 Team Lose 1 IN Btm 7 IN Btm 4 Elim Eliminated (Ep 42)
11 Simon IN Team Win Top 4 Team Win IN Btm 18 Team 2nd IN Top 5 Team Lose IN Btm 17 Team Win Top 5 WIN Team Lose Top 4 Btm 12 Team Win IN Btm 2 IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 40)
12 Jess IN Team Lose Btm 19 Team 2nd IN Btm 18 DNP WIN IMM Team Win IN Btm 17 Team Lose IN WIN Team Win WIN IMM Team Lose 1 Top 5 Elim Eliminated (Ep 35)
13 Tracy IN Team Lose Btm 19 Team 2nd IN Btm 18 DNP IN Top 5 Team Win Top 2 Btm 4 Team Lose IN WIN Team Win IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 30)
14 Sarah C. IN Top 3 Btm 19 Team 2nd IN Btm 18 DNP IN Btm 14 DNP IN Btm 17 Team Lose IN Btm 2 Elim Eliminated (Ep 27)
15 Hayden IN Team Win Btm 5 Team Win IN Btm 18 Btm 2 IN Btm 5 Team Win Top 4 Btm 17 Btm 3 IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 25)
16 Ben U. IN Team Win Btm 19 Btm 3 Top 3 Btm 18 DNP IN Top 5 Btm 3 IN Btm 4 Team Win IN Left Left (Ep 25)
17 Amina IN Team Win Btm 19 Team Win IN Btm 18 Team Lose IN Btm 14 Team Lose WIN IMM Elim Eliminated (Ep 22)
18 Chris IN Team Lose Btm 5 Team Lose IN Btm 18 DNP IN Btm 14 Team Win IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 20)
19 Rose IN Team Win Btm 2 Team 2nd IN Btm 2 DNP IN Btm 14 Elim Eliminated (Ep 17)
20 Dani WIN I.P. Team Lose Btm 19 Team Win IN Btm 18 DNP IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 15)
21 Harry IN Team Lose Btm 19 Team Win IN Btm 18 Elim Eliminated (Ep 12)
22 Ben M. IN Team Lose Top 4 Team 2nd IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 10)
23 Courtney IN Team Lose Btm 5 Elim Eliminated (Ep 7)
24 Lynton IN Top 3 Elim Eliminated (Ep 5)
Eliminated Lynton Courtney Ben M. Harry Dani Rose Chris Amina Ben U. Sarah C. Tracy Jess Simon Sarah T. Khanh Brendan Tessa
Hayden

Episodes and ratings

Colour key:
  – Highest rating during the series
  – Lowest rating during the series
Ep#/Wk-Ep# Original airdate Episode Title Total viewers (five metro cities) Nightly Ranking Ref.
Week 1
(Gordon Ramsay Week)
1/01-1 Monday, 13 April 2020 Series Premiere: Finale-Worthy Dish - Gordon Ramsay, guest judge for the week, tasked the contestants with cooking a dish they felt was worthy of the Grand Finale. All the contestants received positive feedback, but Emelia, Dani, Laura and Reynold were named the Top 4. In a close decision, Dani's Sri Lankan crab curry beat Reynold's intricate white chocolate dessert to win her the only Immunity Pin of the season. Since Dani had won two Immunity Pins in Series 3, this made Dani the first person in the show's history to win three Immunity Pins. 1,228,000 3 [20]
2/01-2 Tuesday, 14 April 2020 Gordon Ramsay's Team Service Challenge - Each team had to cook a three-course meal for 60 guests in a service led by Gordon. The judges revealed three main ingredients (black garlic, ginger and potatoes) and challenged the contestants to showcase a different ingredient in each of the three courses. The Blue Team, led by Ben M., served a delicious entrée, but their failure in the main course and dessert sent them to the Elimination at the end of the week. The Green Team, led by Amina, were thus declared the winners, and advanced to the next challenge for an opportunity to cook for the single Weekly Immunity spot. 1,094,000 5 [21]
3/01-3 Wednesday, 15 April 2020 Round Robin Relay Challenge - The 12 contestants from the Green Team were split into groups of three to compete in a Round Robin relay-style cook-off, with every member spending 20 minutes each on the entrée, main, and dessert. All four teams received positive feedback, but Sarah C., Lynton and Callum impressed the judges with their indigenous-themed menu, sending the others to join the Weekly Elimination. 1,032,000 5 [22]
4/01-4 Thursday, 16 April 2020 Immunity Challenge: Keeping Up with Gordon - Sarah C., Lynton and Callum had to follow Gordon and replicate his potato-crusted Murray cod served with vegetable minestrone and macadamia purée; they were not given a recipe and had to plate the dish within 10 seconds of Gordon. All three struggled, but Callum produced the best dish, winning him the Weekly Immunity. Sarah C. and Lynton joined the others in the elimination. 1,065,000 5 [23]
5/01-5 Sunday, 19 April 2020 Gordon Ramsay's 90-Minute All-In Elimination - All contestants aside from Callum had to cook in a two-round elimination challenge, with 90 minutes to split between the two rounds however each contestant saw fit. In the first round, Simon, Laura, Brendan, and Ben M. wowed the judges and were declared safe immediately. Poh took a risk by spending all 90 minutes on her first round, risking elimination if her dish didn't impress, but she too was declared safe. Chris, Courtney, Lynton, Hayden and Rose produced the worst dishes and were sent to the second round to cook another dish with whatever time they had left from their original 90 minutes. Hayden, Courtney and Chris went on to redeem themselves, and they were declared safe. Rose's eggplant dish was underwhelming, but Lynton's crab was undercooked and the dish lacked balance. Despite an impressive first week, Lynton became the first contestant eliminated in the season. 1,010,000 4 [24]
Week 2
6/02-1 Monday, 20 April 2020 Ultimate BBQ Team Challenge - The remaining 23 contestants were split into three teams, with each team to serve two savoury BBQ dishes and a dessert to 400 people in five hours: two-and-a-half-hours for prepping, and two-and-a-half-hours for serving. Although Simon's Orange Team only had seven people (one less than the other teams), they managed to nail every dish and secure the win. Tracy's Purple Team and Laura's Yellow Team received mixed reviews on their cooking. The Purple Team's donuts were fluffy, but their grilled corn lacked seasoning. The Yellow Team's donuts were delicious, but their meat was not flavourful. In addition, their chicken portions were inconsistent. Due to those downsides, the Yellow Team was sent to the Pressure Test. 916,000 9 [25]
7/02-2 Tuesday, 21 April 2020 Two-Round Pressure Test: Jock Zonfrillo - Jock set a two-round Pressure Test for the Yellow Team, centering on dishes served at his restaurant Orana. In the first round, the contestants were tasked with cooking scarlet prawns, riberry crumpets, and bunya nut chawanmushi in 90 minutes. Ben U., Courtney and Reece all had technical errors with their prawns and were sent to the second round to recreate a damper and pickled kohlrabi salad in 105 minutes. Ben U.'s salad received high acclaim but while Reece's kohlrabi was undercooked, it was Courtney's lack of salad dressing that derailed the balance of her dish and sent her home. 908,000 7 [26]
8/02-3 Wednesday, 22 April 2020 Melissa Leong's Mystery Box - Melissa compiled a Mystery Box featuring chicken feet, taro, Chinese five-spice, Manuka honey, scallions, cherries, galangal, black vinegar and King George whiting. Ben U. produced a standout dish, with Laura, Sarah T. and Reynold also impressing the judges. Khanh narrowly beat Brendan to secure the fifth and final spot in the Immunity Challenge. The rest were sent to the Weekly Elimination. 994,000 5 [27]
9/02-4 Thursday, 23 April 2020 Immunity Challenge: Judges' Taste Test - Ben U., Khanh, Laura, Sarah T. and Reynold each chose between Melissa's pie, Jock's pasta and Andy's curry to taste in an ingredient taste test. They then had to cook with the ingredients from the dish they had chosen, with the cooking time determined by how many ingredients each contestant had guessed correctly. Laura and Ben U. wowed the judges, but Sarah T. produced a flawless lemongrass coriander beef dish. She won the Weekly Immunity, sending the other four to join the elimination. 1,028,000 5 [28]
9/02-5 MasterClass: Jock Zonfrillo, Ben Ungermann, Harry Foster, Louis Tikaram and Andy Allen - Jock demonstrated what he would have cooked with Melissa's Mystery Box, and prepared a hibachi King George whiting with a taro and shallot cake. Afterwards, guest chef Louis Tikaram cooked XO pipis with crispy egg noodles, while Andy showed the contestants his BBQ octopus with burnt eggplant yoghurt and freekeh tabouli. For the first time ever, contestants were invited to join the MasterClass, with Ben U. demonstrating how to rocher ice cream and Harry demonstrating how to butterfly a fresh fish. 802,000 7
10/02-6 Sunday, 26 April 2020 All-In Elimination: Judges' Ingredients - All contestants aside from Sarah T., who won the Weekly Immunity, needed to cook a dish only using ingredients from food that Jock, Melissa and Andy would eat on a typical day. Reynold, Tessa and Brendan produced the most impressive dishes. Most of the other contestants' dishes were also well-received, but Ben M. and Rose were criticised. While Rose's panna cotta dish had an undercooked crumb, Ben M. had an overcooked fish with an overly acidic sauce. The intense acidity made it difficult for the judges to eat his dish, and he was sent home. 968,000 4 [29]
Week 3
11/03-1 Monday, 27 April 2020 3-Round Live Team Showdown - For their second team challenge, the 21 remaining contestants were taken to a warehouse amphitheatre with a live audience. The contestants were split into three teams, and each had to elect one member to cook an ocean-themed dish in the first round. Tessa represented the Grey Team, Harry represented the Aqua Team, and Reynold represented the Pink Team. Tessa's calamari and scallop dish won, saving the Grey Team. For the second round, the remaining two teams had to each send one member to cook in a 30-minute duel. Simon represented the Pink Team, and Poh represented the Aqua Team. Simon's burnt cucumber dish won, saving the Pink Team. For the final round, all members of the Aqua Team had to cook a dish championing berries; with his coral trout and berry rasam, Khanh narrowly beat Amina to win safety, sending the rest of the Aqua Team to a Pressure Test. 826,000 10 [30]
12/03-2 Tuesday, 28 April 2020 Self Pressure Test - The members of the Aqua Team, aside from Khanh, were tasked with writing their own Pressure Test recipe and cooking it for the judges. Sarah T. delivered the dish of the day with her sweet and sour pork, with Amina, Poh and Laura also wowing the judges. Hayden's dish had a sticky honeycomb and an underseasoned ice cream, but his flavours were cohesive and balanced. Harry's seafood dish had too many competing elements and overpowering flavours. Despite having the most visually spectacular dish, Harry was sent home. 1,082,000 4 [31]
13/03-3 Wednesday, 29 April 2020 Barter Mystery Box - Each contestant was assigned a different four-ingredient Mystery Box, and had to cook a dish with all four ingredients. However, the contestants were allowed to barter with each other and swap ingredients if they wished. The Top 4 were Jess (chocolate/parsnip/parsley/fennel), Callum (chicken/carrot/ginger/soy), Laura (potato/peas/mint/apple) and Sarah T. (coconut/chili/mango/lemon). The rest were sent to the weekly elimination. 1,014,000 5 [32]
14/03-4 Thursday, 30 April 2020 Curtis Stone's Time Auction Immunity Challenge - Curtis Stone appeared as a guest judge to set a Time Auction Challenge for Jess, Callum, Sarah T. and Laura. The contestants had 120 minutes to spend. Unlike the usual Time Auction challenge, a clock timer was set to 60 minutes. As the time decreased, the first person to raise their paddle won the ingredients for that amount of time. Despite ending up with dessert-oriented ingredients, Jess cooked a savoury dish, and her 65-degree egg with turmeric noodles and chili oil received high praises. She beat Laura to win Weekly Immunity, as the others joined the All-In Elimination Challenge. 1,015,000 4 [33]
15/03-5 Sunday, 3 May 2020 All-In Textures Elimination - Aside from Jess, who had won Weekly Immunity, all contestants participated in a two-round elimination challenge. In the first round, the cooks were given 75 minutes to prep a crunchy dish. Simon, Sarah T., Reynold, Tracy, and Ben U. impressed the judges enough to be declared safe immediately as their dishes were tasted. On the other hand, Brendan, Callum, Dani, Hayden and Khanh were sent to the second round to cook a gooey dish. Dani, who still hadn't used her Immunity Pin, cooked kai loug kheuh with chili jam but her egg yolk was found to be undercooked and runny. Since the other four nailed their dishes, Dani became the second contestant in the show's history to be eliminated while holding an immunity pin. 999,000 4 [34]
Week 4
(Suburban Week)
16/04-1 Monday, 4 May 2020 Thai Team Service Challenge - This week the challenges took place in various Melbourne suburbs and explored their culinary offerings. For the first challenge, the 19 contestants were split into two teams to cook two entrees and three main dishes for 100 diners in Thai Ute Restaurant. Since the Orange Team had one extra member, Sarah C. chose to sit out from the challenge due to her unfamiliarity with Thai cooking. Both teams cooked spectacular entrées, impressing the judges. However, only Khanh's Orange Team managed to do justice to their main dish, as Tessa's Aqua Team came up short. Their chili basil clam didn’t contain enough heat, their pork belly was hard, and their chicken larb lacked the body it needed. Therefore, the Aqua Team lost the challenge and was sent to the Pressure Test. 877,000 8 [35]
17/04-2 Tuesday, 5 May 2020 Pressure Test: Helly Raichura's "Pasta Not Pasta" - The Aqua Team were taken to the suburban Indian restaurant Enter Via Laundry by Helly Raichura. The contestants first had to identify the ingredients of "Pasta Not Pasta", an intricate khandvi dish by Helly. Poh identified the fewest ingredients and was the first into elimination. However, Rose, Ben U. and Reece all tied for the second-fewest correct guesses, which led to an impromptu tiebreaker taste test. Helly brought out her kachori, and the three took turns naming its ingredients. Rose and Ben U. both failed, and joined Poh in the elimination round. With 60 minutes to recreate "Pasta Not Pasta", Poh and Ben U. wowed the judges. However, Rose's pasta was too thin and her sauce lacked balance, which resulted in her elimination. 1,023,000 5 [36]
18/04-3 Wednesday, 6 May 2020 Suburban Mystery Box - This week's Mystery Box showcased ingredients produced in the backyards and kitchens of suburban residents, containing Gravenstein apples, garlic, blue cheese, shiitake mushrooms, yellow zucchinis, basil and brown rice miso. The contestants were also each allowed to purchase one extra ingredient from Coles. Amina's lobster tortellini with miso bisque was declared the dish of the day. Emelia, Hayden, and Tracy also impressed the judges, with Emelia and Tracy joining Amina in the Top 3. The rest were sent to the Elimination Challenge. 984,000 5 [37]
19/04-4 Thursday, 7 May 2020 Sushi Train Immunity Challenge - Tracy, Emelia, and Amina were taken to the Ganbare Kaz sushi restaurant in the Windsor suburb of Melbourne. They were tasked with preparing a sushi train for the judges, as well as the 15 other remaining contestants. Each had 150 minutes to produce five different Asian-inspired dishes, and cook 20 of each. In a blind tasting, Amina's Korean-inspired menu stood out to the judges, and she edged out Tracy to win the Weekly Immunity. Emelia and Tracy joined the others in the Elimination Challenge. 957,000 5 [38]
20/04-5 Sunday, 10 May 2020 All-In Home Delivery Elimination - All contestants other than Amina participated in a two-round home delivery-themed elimination. The first round was a quiz where the contestants had to identify the name and country of origin for a variety of popular takeaway dishes. Ben U., Chris, Tessa and Tracy were the first to answer incorrectly, and were sent to the second round to cook a dish that could withstand home delivery. Melissa returned to her house to judge the dishes after they had been delivered to her, while Jock and Andy judged the dishes from the MasterChef kitchen. All three judges were blown away by Ben U.'s nasi goreng, and Tessa's Southeast Indian snapper curry was acclaimed for its perfectly cooked fish. Tracy's Thai green chicken curry was also declared a standout, and Chris was eliminated. 941,000 4 [39]
Week 5
(Twists Week)
21/05-1 Monday, 11 May 2020 Kitchen Switch Team Challenge - The judges announced that, this week, all challenges would start out normally, but that 'twists' would be introduced at unexpected times during the cook. The contestants were then split up into two teams to serve a three-course meal to 50 diners. Poh's Grey Team had one member more than Sarah T.'s Brown Team, so Hayden sat out the challenge. Halfway through the cook, the judges surprised the contestants by making the two teams swap kitchens. Each team had to then work with the elements that were being prepared by the other team, and could choose to either stick with the other team's original menu, update it, or scrap it and start from scratch. Later, the judges announced a second twist by revealing that several of the diners were vegetarian, forcing both teams to add vegetarian options to their protein-heavy menus. Both teams excelled, but the Grey Team's unbalanced mushroom sauce in their mains had bigger problems than the Brown Team's thick tortellini, costing them the win. The Grey Team was thus sent to the Pressure Test. 870,000 8 [40]
22/05-2 Tuesday, 12 May 2020 Twisted Pressure Test: Darren Purchese's Passionfruit Pavlova - The Grey Team were given three hours to cook Darren Purchese's passionfruit pavlova dessert, designed to look like a simple pavlova on the outside but in reality composed of several complex interior elements. Many of the contestants struggled with the challenge but, two hours into the cook, the judges introduced a twist by taking away the contestants' recipes. Despite the difficult twist, Jess produced a near-perfect dish, with Reynold, Laura, Tracy, and Callum also receiving praise. Hayden, Poh and Amina misfired and landed in the Bottom 3. Amina, who had fallen behind throughout the cook, had flaws in all of her elements, and she was sent home. 999,000 5 [41]
23/05-3 Wednesday, 13 May 2020 Babushka Mystery Box - The contestants were given a Mystery Box containing duck, Worcestershire sauce, scampi, wild rice, turnips, shallots and mangoes. Midway into the cook, however, the judges delivered a mini Mystery Box to the contestants, and announced that they would need to incorporate whatever it contained into their dishes. The mini Box was found to include figs, as well as an even smaller Mystery Box that the contestants would be allowed to open 15 minutes later. The smaller Box was then revealed to contain lemon myrtle. Most of the contestants struggled to integrate the two new ingredients, but Poh, Tessa, Sarah T., Reynold, Reece, and Simon all shone. The judges selected Poh, Sarah T., Reece, Simon and Reynold to advance to the Immunity Challenge, sending the other contestants to the Weekly Elimination. 946,000 5 [42]
24/05-4 Thursday, 14 May 2020 'Hot N Cold' Immunity Challenge - In a temperature-themed challenge, Poh, Reece, Reynold, Simon and Sarah T. were tasked with cooking a hot dish featuring a cold element. During the cook, the judges announced a twist by introducing Katy Perry as a surprise guest judge and revealing that the challenge was inspired by her song 'Hot N Cold', the show's theme song. Katy's surprise appearance distracted all of the contestants, particularly Reece, but all their dishes successfully met the brief. However, Reynold's dessert failed as the judges found its textures and flavours to be underwhelming, despite the sophisticated plating. In a close decision between Reece, Sarah T. and Poh, Katy picked Poh's duck rendang and coconut pandan lace crêpe as her favorite dish, praising its inventiveness and artistic flair. As a result, Poh was granted Weekly Immunity as the rest joined the elimination. 942,000 5 [43]
24/05-5 MasterClass: Jock Zonfrillo, Khanh Ong, Michael Weldon and Jerry Mai - Jock demonstrated how to make an Apple Tarte Tartin with Brown Bread Ice Cream and Salted Apple Caramel. He also demonstrated how to make Triple Hog Corn 'n' Cheese. Khanh then provided a demo of how to French trim a lamb rack with a piece of string instead of a knife. Series 3 runner-up Michael Weldon returned to show the contestants how to reverse sear beef. Guest Chef Jerry Mai showed the contestants how to make a Sticky Tamarind Pork Hock with Pineapple Apple Salsa and Ban Tieu. 537,000 13 [43]
25/05-6 Sunday, 17 May 2020 All-In Elimination: World Cuisines and Flavour Pairings - The judges announced that Ben U. had left the show for personal reasons and would not be returning. All the contestants except for Poh then headed into a two-round elimination challenge. In a twist, the first round was revealed to be a head-to-head duel, with each contestant facing off against their benchmate on an assigned cuisine. Simon beat Callum on French, Jess beat Tessa on Vietnamese, Emelia beat Laura on Japanese, Tracy beat Hayden on Chinese, Khanh beat Sarah T. on Italian, Reece beat Brendan on Spanish and Reynold beat Sarah C. on American. Although the judges were very impressed with Sarah C.'s buffalo wings, she was narrowly beaten by Reynold who won with his inventive, highly technical take on apple pie. All the losing contestants then faced the second round, where they could choose any one of five classic flavour pairings (apple/cinnamon, tomato/basil, ginger/lemongrass, walnut/date and beetroot/horseradish) to highlight in their dish. Tessa stunned the judges with her ginger/lemongrass bonito dish, and she was immediately declared safe. On the other hand, Sarah C. and Hayden both produced lacklustre beetroot/horseradish dishes and landed in the Bottom 2. Sarah C's overuse of beetroot overpowered her dish, and her tartare had a broken egg yolk. However, the judges were more disappointed in Hayden's decision to showcase his flavour combination as a condiment rather than in a main element, and he was sent home. 947,000 4 [44]
Week 6
26/06-1 Monday, 18 May 2020 Savoury and Sweet Team Challenge - For the service challenge, the contestants were asked to distribute themselves between two teams, with one cooking savory dishes and the other cooking sweet dishes. Matt Stone mentored Brendan's Yellow Team (Tessa, Simon, Khanh, Sarah Tiong, Brendan, Sarah Clare and Laura) in cooking a savoury three-course menu and Jo Barrett mentored Reece's Pink Team (Callum, Reynold, Poh, Reece, Jess, Emelia and Tracy) in cooking a sweet three-course menu. In the tasting, both teams had standout dishes, and the judges were impressed with the Pink Team's passion fruit yuzu chiboust and the Yellow Team's kangaroo, beetroot and berries dish. Both teams, however, also had their downsides. Reynold's mistake of using dark chocolate instead of white chocolate caused the Pink Team's cake to become too dry. The judges were also critical of the cooking of the Yellow Team's squid tentacles, and felt that the high quantity of tentacles in the dish caused it to become imbalanced. In a close decision, the judges chose the Pink Team as the winners, sending the Yellow Team to the Pressure Test. 898,000 7 [45]
27/06-2 Tuesday, 19 May 2020 Pressure Test: Peter Gunn's "Black Box" - The members of the Yellow Team were given 2 hours and 45 minutes to recreate Peter Gunn's "Black Box", a dessert designed to look like a simple black cube, but in reality being a tempered white chocolate shell containing 10 different intricate elements. Tessa and Laura amazed the judges by producing near-perfect replicas, with Khanh and Brendan also drawing praise. Most of Simon's white chocolate boxes collapsed, but he was able to salvage one unbroken box and save himself from elimination. However, Sarah C. and Sarah T. both not only fell behind during the cook, they also ran out of time and weren't able to complete all their elements. Sarah T. was unable to dip her mandarin purée in chocolate, but Sarah C.'s lack of dark chocolate soil sealed her fate as it threw out the balance of her dish. 992,000 5 [46]
28/06-3 Wednesday, 20 May 2020 Shannon Martinez's Vegan Mystery Box - Chef Shannon Martinez arrived to set the Mystery Box challenge. As a renowned champion of vegan food, Shannon revealed that the challenge would involve no animal-based products. The Mystery Boxes were revealed to contain miniature kitchen gardens growing Dutch carrots, petite capsicums, baby cos lettuce, pencil leeks, celeriac, sweet potato, beetroot, thyme, asparagus, radish, garlic and pine mushrooms. The usual pantry staples were also substituted with vegan alternatives, such as soy milk and aquafaba. The vegan restrictions proved challenging for several contestants, with Reynold and Laura receiving negative feedback. However, Jess and Simon blew the judges away with their celeriac dishes, while Poh was praised for cooking two flavourful dishes that complemented each other. In a close decision, Reece won the final spot in the Immunity Challenge, joining Jess, Simon and Poh. The rest were sent to the Elimination Challenge. 1,015,000 5 [47]
29/06-4 Thursday, 21 May 2020 Comfort Food Immunity Challenge - Simon, Reece, Poh and Jess were faced with a two-round Immunity Challenge centering on comfort food. In the first round, the contestants were required to revamp instant noodles into a restaurant-quality dish. Despite failing to create the crispy noodle topping for her khao soi dish, Jess impressed the judges with her flavours. Poh also succeeded with her elaborate seafood noodles, which incorporated five different types of protein. Poh and Jess advanced to the second round, sending Reece and Simon to the elimination. Jess and Poh then went head-to-head cooking their ideal comfort food. Poh's nasi lemak and otak-otak impressed the judges, but Jess's Thai red duck curry with roti canai was deemed flawless. Jess then became the first contestant to win Weekly Immunity twice, as Poh joined the elimination. 985,000 5 [48]
30/06-5 Sunday, 24 May 2020 All-In Kingfish Elimination - Chef Josh Niland set a two-round elimination challenge themed around fish. All the contestants aside from Jess were shown several different types of fish, and had to take turns identifying them. Khanh, Emelia, Laura, Tracy and Reece were the first five to guess incorrectly, moving into the second round. Josh demonstrated how to cut a kingfish in a manner that minimized waste. The five contestants then each chose a different cut from the kingfish to use in a dish. Khanh attempted to redeem himself by recreating the canh chua dish that resulted in his elimination in the Series 10 semifinal. His risk paid off when the judges deemed his dish a standout, alongside Laura's kingfish tail with pipi broth. On the other hand, Reece, Tracy and Emelia all overcooked their fish, but the sloppy presentation and lack of acidity in Tracy's dish sealed her fate. She was thus sent home, finalising the Top 12. 932,000 4 [49]
Week 7
(Best Dish Week)
31/07-1 Monday, 25 May 2020 Two-Dish Team Relay Challenge - The judges announced that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, contestants would need to begin practicing social distancing and taking heightened sanitation measures. In order to allow the contestants time to adapt to these new changes, the Pressure Test elimination was cancelled, two contestants would be allowed to gain Weekly Immunity from the All-In Elimination Challenge at the end of the week and one contestant will be eliminated. The contestants were then split into three teams of four to compete in a relay challenge, with the winning team advancing to the first Immunity Challenge of the week. Each contestant was given 20 minutes to contribute to the team's dish, but, unlike the usual relay challenge, each team needed to produce two dishes rather than one. The Red Team (Reynold, Laura, Tessa and Reece) received negative feedback for the oily, unrefined fish in their main and the unset panna cotta in their dessert. The Blue Team (Sarah T., Poh, Jess and Callum) were criticised for their simplistic, unoriginal lamb roast dish, but praised for their passionfruit ice cream dessert, particularly Jess's coconut foam element. The Green Team (Emelia, Brendan, Simon and Khanh) hit a major hurdle when they overcooked their octopus, but Brendan salvaged the dish with five minutes to go by cooking prawns as a replacement. His effort paid off, with the judges declaring the dish an overall success, alongside their blueberry galette dessert. Therefore, the Green Team won the challenge and advanced to compete for the first Weekly Immunity spot. 928,000 6 [50]
32/07-2 Tuesday, 26 May 2020 Immunity Pressure Test: Kirsten Tibballs' "Meljito" - For the first Immunity Challenge of the week, Kirsten Tibballs arrived to set a Pressure Test for the Green Team. Khanh, Emelia, Brendan and Simon were tasked with recreating her "Meljito", a white chocolate and watermelon dessert designed to resemble a watermelon cocktail. Simon, Khanh and Brendan all struggled with the highly technical dish, while Emelia breezed through the recipe due to her familiarity with confectionery techniques. All four of them received praise, but Khanh and Simon both botched the dessert's white chocolate casing. Brendan's dish impressed the judges despite its slightly unrefined presentation, but Emelia's replication was deemed faultless. Therefore, she won the first Weekly Immunity spot, and would skip the rest of the week's challenges. 920,000 6 [51]
33/07-3 Wednesday, 27 May 2020 Memories Mystery Box - All the contestants aside from Emelia, who had already won Weekly Immunity, opened their Mystery Boxes to find family photos from their childhoods. They then had to cook dishes inspired by the memories shown in the photos, with the Top 4 dishes sending their makers into the second Immunity Challenge of the week. Many of the contestants grew emotional upon seeing their photographs, but all eleven contestants produced outstanding dishes. Due to the quality of food produced in the challenge, the judges announced that they would be selecting a Top 5, rather than a Top 4, to move into the Immunity Challenge. Ultimately, it was Brendan, Jess, Khanh, Poh and Reynold who won the chance to compete for the second Weekly Immunity spot. The other contestants then joined the All-In Elimination Challenge. 1,044,000 5 [52]
34/07-4 Thursday, 28 May 2020 Fairy Tales Immunity Challenge - For the second Immunity Challenge of the week, Khanh, Brendan, Jess, Poh and Reynold were given 75 minutes to build a dish around a classic fairy tale (Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, The Ugly Duckling, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Jess picked Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Poh picked The Ugly Duckling, Reynold picked Alice in Wonderland and both Brendan and Khanh picked Beauty and the Beast. The five contestants took different approaches to interpreting their chosen stories, with varying degrees of success. Brendan missed the brief of the challenge, while Jess and Poh both had technical errors in their dishes. Khanh's kladdkaka received positive reviews, but it was no match for Reynold's technically perfect "Down the Rabbit Hole" dessert. "Down the Rabbit Hole" was declared to be the best dish ever cooked on MasterChef, and Reynold joined Emelia with Weekly Immunity. The other contestants were then sent to the All-In Elimination. 960,000 5 [53]
35/07-5 Sunday, 31 May 2020 All-In Elimination: Unusual Flavours - All contestants other than Emelia and Reynold, who both had Weekly Immunity, faced a two-round elimination challenge. In the first round, the contestants were given 75 minutes to cook a dish incorporating two different flavours of ice cream, with the only requirement being that the flavour combinations were unusual and inventive. Tessa, Reece and Khanh received rave reviews, with Laura and Sarah T. also impressing. This left Poh, Simon, Jess, Callum and Brendan to cook in the second round, where they were given 60 minutes to cook a dish highlighting one of five unusual flavour pairings (Lamb and Coffee, Basil and Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate and Soy Sauce, Mustard and Mint and Carrot and Raspberry). Poh, Callum and Brendan then went on to produce impressive dishes, while Jess and Simon received mixed feedback. While Simon's lamb was cooked perfectly, the other flavours were too far down except for the coffee which were ten times too much which made his dish out of balance. On the other hand, Jess chose the feature what Jock thought was the most difficult pairing which were Carrots and Raspberries, and while she received praise for her concept of her Carrot and Raspberry dessert, her dish tasted more of red wine and orange than carrot and raspberry. Ultimately, the judges felt that Jess' dish missed the brief, and she was sent home, despite being one of the strongest contenders in the competition. 979,000 4 [54]
Week 8
(Heats Week)
36/08-1 Monday, 1 June 2020 Heat 1: Citrus Invention Test - This week was structured as a series of 'heats', where, again, only one contestant will be eliminated. The eleven contestants were split into three groups to compete across three heats, with the winner of each heat advancing to the Immunity Challenge. Brendan, Callum and Reynold competed in the first heat, a two-round Invention Test based on citrus. In the first round, they were given 60 minutes to cook a sweet or savoury dish celebrating a citrus fruit of their choice. Brendan chose navel oranges, Reynold chose limes, and Callum chose mandarins. All three received positive feedback, but Reynold and Callum advanced to the second round, sending Brendan to the All-In Elimination Challenge. Callum and Reynold were then given 60 minutes to cook a second dish highlighting the same citrus fruit, but because both had chosen to cook desserts in the first round, they now needed to cook savoury dishes. Reynold's dish was marred by technical errors, but the judges were blown away by Callum's mandarin glazed duck with noodles. Callum then advanced to the Immunity Challenge as Reynold joined the elimination. 934,000 6 [55]
37/08-2 Tuesday, 2 June 2020 Heat 2: Coşkun Uysal's Meat Dessert Challenge - Chef Coşkun Uysal arrived as a guest judge to set the second heat for Khanh, Tessa, Reece and Emelia. He showed the contestants his tavuk göğsü, a traditional Turkish pudding dessert containing chicken meat. The contestants were then given 75 minutes to cook a dessert highlighting a protein, using the tavuk göğsü as inspiration. Tessa, Khanh and Emelia all received rave reviews, but Reece's dessert had technical errors. In a close decision, Khanh’s anchovy dessert beat Emelia's fig and pig dish and secured him the win. Khanh thus advanced to the Immunity Challenge as Emelia, Reece and Tessa joined the All-In Elimination Challenge. 922,000 6 [56]
38/08-3 Wednesday, 3 June 2020 Heat 3: Lotto Mystery Box - For the third and final heat, Laura, Poh, Sarah T. and Simon faced a special Mystery Box challenge, with the ingredients to be selected at random. The judges used a lottery drum to draw random numbers, with each number corresponding to a specific ingredient. This resulted in a Mystery Box containing kale, plums, lemon, champagne, kipfler potatoes, durian, grapes and brown onions. All four contestants struggled with the lack of protein in the Mystery Box, with Simon and Sarah T. both receiving negative feedback. Laura impressed with her cheese and potato dish, but it was no match for the flavours in Poh's lemon sponge cake. Poh then advanced to the Immunity Challenge as Laura, Simon and Sarah T. joined the All-In Elimination. 1,028,000 4 [57]
39/08-4 Thursday, 4 June 2020 Immunity Challenge: Fast-Track to the Top 10 - Poh, Callum and Khanh competed for a fast-track to the Top 10 in a challenge structured as a mock-up of the Grand Finale. In the first round, the contestants were given 15 minutes to cook a toastie. Poh's fruit bread toastie was acclaimed, and she took the lead with 25/30, as Khanh scored 24/30 and Callum 23/30. In the second round, the contestants were given 20 minutes to cook a quick dinner meal. Khanh's banh xeo was praised, and he closed the gap on Poh by scoring 29/30, against her 28/30. Callum fell further behind by scoring 26/30. For the third and final round, the contestants were given 30 minutes to cook a dessert. Despite being the underdog, Callum drew high praises for his gin and lime mousse, scoring a full 30/30. Poh and Khanh scored 22/30 and 18/30 respectively. Callum's comeback gave him a final score of 79/90, ahead of Poh's 75/90 and Khanh's 71/90. Callum then won Weekly Immunity for a second time and secured his place in the Top 10, as Poh and Khanh joined the elimination. 970,000 5 [58]
40/08-5 Sunday, 7 June 2020 All-In Elimination: Aussie Classics - All contestants aside from Callum competed in a two-round elimination challenge themed around iconic Australian dishes. For the first round, the contestants were given 90 minutes to produce their rendition of a meat pie with sauce. Poh, Brendan, Laura and Emelia produced the strongest dishes, with Reece and Khanh also scraping through to safety. This left Reynold, Tessa, Sarah T. and Simon to fall through to the second round. They were then given 1 hour to cook any dish that represented Australia for them. Reynold's Cherry Ripe-inspired dessert received rave reviews, with Tessa and Sarah T. also receiving overall praise. On the other hand, Simon's broccoli was panned for being overcooked and soggy. He was thus eliminated, finalizing the Top 10. 803,000 4 [59]
Week 9
41/09-1 Monday, 8 June 2020 Blind Pairing Team Challenge - The Top 10 were split into pairs and given 75 minutes to cook identical dishes, but with a wall dividing each pair. The Green Team (Tessa and Reynold) were assigned sweet potato as their hero ingredient, the Red Team (Emelia and Callum) had fennel, the Grey Team (Sarah T. and Brendan) had celeriac, the Blue Team (Laura and Khanh) had peas, and the Brown Team (Poh and Reece) had corn. All five teams received positive feedback, but the Blue Team's dishes were declared the best in terms of both flavour and similarity, with the Red Team coming in at a close second. The Green Team were then also declared safe, leaving the Brown Team and Grey Team to enter the Pressure Test. 854,000 7 [60]
42/09-2 Tuesday, 9 June 2020 No-Recipe Pressure Test: Benjamin Cooper's Jungle Curry - Chef Benjamin Cooper arrived to set a Pressure Test for Sarah T., Brendan, Reece and Poh. The contestants were given 90 minutes to replicate his jungle curry dish, but without a recipe. Instead, they were each given a sample dish for comparison to taste throughout the cook. Reece excelled, and, despite his flawed rotis, produced the closest replication of the curry. Brendan also received unanimous praise for his rendition, leaving Sarah T. and Poh to face the judges' verdict. Poh's curry was criticised for its thick consistency and caramelised taste, but Sarah T., who had accidentally burned most of her curry paste, ended up with a watery, insipid broth. This meant that her curry was furthest from the original, and she was eliminated. 1,016,000 5 [61]
43/09-3 Wednesday, 10 June 2020 Smoking Mystery Box - The contestants opened their Mystery Boxes to find smoking guns, and were given 1 hour to produce a dish featuring smoke as a key component. Reece, Emelia and Laura all blew the judges away with their desserts, and advanced to the Immunity Challenge. In a split decision, Poh's Sichuan pepper-crusted duck beat Tessa's smoked snapper to win her the final spot in the Top 4. The rest of the contestants then joined the weekly elimination. 975,000 4 [62]
44/09-4 Thursday, 11 June 2020 Sudden-Death Pumpkin Immunity Challenge - Laura, Poh, Reece and Emelia faced a sudden-death knockout challenge, where they were each given one pumpkin with which to cook across three rounds. Each round lasted 30 minutes, and, in each round, the contestant with the worst dish would fall out of the running for Weekly Immunity. Poh was knocked out in the first round, followed by Laura in the second round, leaving Reece and Emelia to go head-to-head in the final round. Both produced mediocre dishes, but the judges felt that Reece's pumpkin and eggplant panang curry was marginally better than Emelia's pumpkin and crème fraîche mille-feuille. Therefore, Reece won Weekly Immunity, sending the rest to join the All-In Elimination Challenge. 875,000 6 [63]
45/09-5 Sunday, 14 June 2020 All-In Elimination: Street Food and Fine Dining - Chef Charlie Carrington arrived to set a two-round elimination challenge for all the contestants aside from Reece. For the first round, the contestants were split into pairs and given 75 minutes to cook two street food dishes from a given cuisine. The Orange Team (Laura and Emelia) were assigned Indian, the Yellow Team (Tessa and Brendan) got Mexican, the Brown Team (Poh and Callum) got Lebanese, and the Red Team (Khanh and Reynold) got Chinese. The Yellow Team nailed the challenge and received universal acclaim acclaim for their dishes, with the Brown Team also receiving somewhat positive feedback. However, the Red Team's effort was deemed mediocre, and the Orange Team's dishes were marred by technical errors. As a result, the Red and Orange Teams were sent to the second round, where they were given one hour to cook a fine dining dish from a cuisine of their choosing. Reynold's confit blue-eye and Emelia's Paris-Brest petits fours both received rave reviews and were declared safe. Laura and Khanh were criticised for serving unrefined, rustic dishes and missing the brief of the challenge, but Khanh had also cooked his quail poorly and left in a rib bone. As a result, he was eliminated. 945,000 3 [64]
Week 10
46/10-1 Monday, 15 June 2020 Golden Mystery Box - The Top 8 were greeted with a fireworks display and a golden Mystery Box, containing golden trout, gold leaf, golden beets, golden Swiss chard, gold mustard, golden syrup, Golden Delicious apples and gold raisins. Brendan and Tessa received high praises for their trout dishes, as did Reece and Callum for their desserts. Therefore, they were declared the Top 4 and advanced to the Immunity Challenge, leaving the rest to join the weekly elimination. 954,000 5 [65]
47/10-2 Tuesday, 16 June 2020 Time or Ingredients Immunity Challenge - Tessa, Brendan, Reece and Callum were given up to 90 minutes to gather their ingredients from between 1 and 11 different hidden pantries, with a new pantry being revealed every 5 minutes. Reece was the first to begin cooking, and had 70 minutes to cook with pantry staples, beef and bones, gin and juniper, roots and alliums, and orchard fruits. Tessa started second, and had 60 minutes to cook with the addition of leafy greens and grains. Brendan went next, and had 50 minutes to cook with the addition of herbs and quail. Callum was the last to start, and had only 45 minutes to cook with the addition of shellfish. His mussel escabeche was praised, but he was pipped to the post by Reece, whose gin tart won rave reviews. Reece thus won Weekly Immunity for the second straight week, sending Callum, Tessa and Brendan to the All-In Elimination. 952,000 5 [66]
48/10-3 Sunday, 21 June 2020 All-In Elimination: One-Inch Cube Challenge - All the contestants other than Reece were faced with the One-Inch Cube Taste Test, where they were blindfolded and tasked with identifying a variety of ingredients shaped into 1-inch cubes. Tessa mistook celery for celeriac, Reynold mistook ham for turkey, Brendan mistook lime for pomelo, and Emelia mistook kohlrabi for daikon. Because they had guessed incorrectly, they were sent into the second round. The judges then revealed five different pantries, each showcasing one of the five basic tastes. Brendan, Tessa, Emelia and Reynold were given 1 hour to use at least one ingredient from each pantry to create a dish that balanced all five basic tastes. Tessa delivered the dish of the day with her scarlet prawn crudo, leaving Reynold, Brendan and Emelia in the firing line. Ultimately, the judges felt that Brendan's lobster noodles featured overpowering umami flavours and had very little bitterness. This meant that his dish missed the brief, and he was sent home. 988,000 3 [67]
Week 11
49/11-1 Monday, 22 June 2020 Two-Dish Everything Box - The contestants were presented with a Mystery Box containing beef ribeye, milk, wattleseeds, prickly pears, parsnips, thyme, hazelnuts and caulini (a broccolini and cauliflower hybrid). They were given 75 minutes to cook a sweet dish and a savoury dish using all eight ingredients across the two dishes. Tessa mistakenly left her parsnip element off the plate and failed to meet the requirements of the challenge, despite receiving high praises for both her dishes. Callum, Laura and Poh all excelled and were therefore declared the Top 3, advancing to the Immunity Challenge. The other contestants then joined the All-In Elimination. 951,000 5 [68]
50/11-2 Tuesday, 23 June 2020 Alphabet Immunity Challenge - Laura, Poh and Callum were shown 26 cloches, each containing an ingredient for a different letter of the alphabet. They were each given 7 turns to pick a letter and identify the corresponding ingredient; if identified correctly, the ingredient would be added to their pantry. Callum got all of his guesses correct, and ended up with rabbit, quark, gochujang, sawtooth coriander, eggplant, kangaroo and nashi pears. Laura also got all of her guesses correct, and ended up with halva, longan fruit, Moreton Bay bugs, amaranth, watercress, flax seeds and Jerusalem artichokes. Poh misidentified caraway seeds and barberries, but successfully guessed persimmon, duck, tarragon, octopus and yuzu. Despite having a cohesive set of ingredients, Callum was roundly criticised for overthinking and overcomplicating his dish, which was deemed a "step backwards". Poh, on the other hand, excelled despite her limited pantry, but was narrowly edged out by Laura, whose brown butter bugs were declared the superior dish. Laura thus won Weekly Immunity as Poh and Callum joined the elimination. 957,000 4 [69]
51/11-3 Sunday, 28 June 2020 All-In Elimination: Classics and Novelties - All the contestants aside from Laura faced a two-round elimination challenge, with the first round focusing on culinary classics. They were shown a list of classic dishes with corresponding cooking times, and were asked to pick a dish to cook without modifying its original recipe. Emelia and Reynold chose to cook bombe Alaskas in 90 minutes. Poh and Reece chose to cook crème caramels, Tessa chose to cook fish & chips, and Callum chose to cook a chocolate soufflé, all in 60 minutes. Emelia, Reece and Callum all excelled and were declared safe. However, Poh's créme caramel failed to set, Reynold's sponge was thick and dry, and Tessa's tartare sauce did not contain capers. As a result, they were sent to the second round and given 75 minutes to produce a novel dish that the judges had never seen before. Poh aced the challenge with her inventive takes on kuih koci and rempah udang, and was declared safe. Reynold chose to cook a Sagittarius B2-inspired dessert tasting of rum and raspberries, but his mousse suffered from technical errors and was deemed "unpleasant". Tessa's Indian-style tacos were praised, but the judges felt that her Kashmiri chili hot sauce tasted more Mexican than Indian, thus making the dish more classic than novel. In a close decision, Reynold was declared safe as Tessa was sent home. 967,000 3 [70]
Week 12
52/12-1 Monday, 29 June 2020 Colours Mystery Box
53/12-2 Tuesday, 30 June 2020 Cloche Choice Immunity Challenge
53/12-2 Sunday, 5 July 2020 All-In Pressure Test: Phil Wood

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  51. ^ Knox, David (27 May 2020). "Tuesday 26 May 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  52. ^ Knox, David (28 May 2020). "Wednesday 27 May 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  53. ^ Knox, David (29 May 2020). "Thursday 28 May 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  54. ^ Knox, David (1 June 2020). "Sunday 31 May 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  55. ^ Knox, David (2 June 2020). "Monday 1 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  56. ^ Knox, David (3 June 2020). "Tuesday 2 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  57. ^ Knox, David (4 June 2020). "Wednesday 3 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  58. ^ Knox, David (5 June 2020). "Thursday 4 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  59. ^ Knox, David (8 June 2020). "Sunday 7 June 2020". TV Tonight. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  60. ^ Knox, David (9 June 2020). "Monday 8 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  61. ^ Knox, David (10 June 2020). "Tuesday 9 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  62. ^ Knox, David (11 June 2020). "Wednesday 10 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  63. ^ Knox, David (12 June 2020). "Thursday 11 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  64. ^ Knox, David (15 June 2020). "Sunday 14 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  65. ^ Knox, David (16 June 2020). "Monday 15 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  66. ^ Knox, David (17 June 2020). "Tuesday 16 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  67. ^ Knox, David (22 June 2020). "Sunday 21 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  68. ^ Knox, David (23 June 2020). "Monday 22 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  69. ^ Knox, David (24 June 2020). "Tuesday 23 June 2020". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  70. ^ Knox, David (29 June 2020). "Sunday 28 June 2020". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 29 June 2020.