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MasterChef Australia Season 12 Episodes
Season 12 Episode Guide
61 Episodes 2020 - 2020
Episode 1
Premiere: Immunity Challenge: Finale-Worthy Dish
90 mins
The twelfth series of MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges. 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 grand prize.
Episode 2
Team Challenge
77 mins
The twelfth series of MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges. 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 grand prize.
Episode 3
Relay Style Team Challenge
60 mins
The twelfth series of MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges. 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 grand prize.
Episode 4
Immunity Challenge: Keeping Up with Gordon
58 mins
The twelfth series of MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges. 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 grand prize.
Episode 5
Gordon Ramsay's 90-Minute Elimination Challenge
78 mins
The twelfth series of MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges. 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 grand prize.
Episode 6
Ultimate BBQ Challenge
54 mins
The remaining 23 Contestants were split into three groups to serve two main BBQ dish and a dessert for 1200 people in five hours, two-and-a-half-hours for prepping, and two-and-a-half-hours for serving. Although the Orange team only consisted of seven people, consisting one less person than the other teams, they managed to nail every element on the dish, leading to their win. The Purple and Yellow Teams had their upsides and downsides. The Purple Team's donuts was fluffy, but their grilled corn lacked seasoning. On the other hand, the Yellow Team's donuts was delicious, but their meat has no flavor. On top of that, their chicken serving were inconsistent. Due to those downsides, the Yellow Team head into Tuesday's Pressure Test.
Episode 7
Two-Round Pressure Test: Orana
63 mins
Jock Zonfrillo's Orana-themed challenge required Laura's team to recreate three dishes in 90 minutes. Ben U., Courtney and Reece, all of whom had technical errors with their prawns, were sent to the second round to recreate a Japanese pickle salad in one hour and 45 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.
Episode 8
Melissa Leong's Mystery Box
56 mins
The twelfth series of MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges. 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 grand prize.
Episode 9
Immunity Challenge: Judges' Taste Test / MasterClass
98 mins
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. 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, Andy showed the contestants his BBQ octopus with burnt eggplant yoghurt and freekeh tabouli, while guest chef Louis Tikaram cooked XO pipis with crispy egg noodles. 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.
Episode 10
Judges' Ingredients Elimination Challenge
74 mins
The twelfth series of MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges. 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 grand prize.
Episode 11
3-Round Team Showdown
73 mins
Contestants were split into three teams, and each had to send one member to cook an ocean-themed dish in the first round. Tessa represented the Grey Team, Harry represented the Blue team, and Reynold represented the Pink team. Tessa won, and saved 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 Blue Team. Simon won, saving the Pink Team. For the final round, all members of the Green Team had to cook a dish championing berries; Khanh won, sending the rest of the Blue Team to a Pressure Test.
Episode 12
Self Pressure Test
62 mins
The members of the Blue Team, except for Khanh, were tasked with writing their own recipe for the Pressure Test and cooking it for the judges. Sarah took a well-known Chinese takeout dish into an elegant sweet and sour pork. Laura cooked a Ravioli Doppio that impressed the judges with it's flavour and technicality. The judges were especially shocked by Amina since her dish are strong with flavours but elegant. Although Poh was running late on cooking her pie, the judges were very impressed by how her flavour combination. Harry's dish was very impressive in presentation, but was let down by it's overpowering components. Lastly, Hayden cooked a chocolate dip ice cream dessert. The judges were impressed by his efforts to cook a dessert, but his ice cream was underseasoned and the honeycomb was sticky. Although Hayden's dish has it's downsides, overall the flavour in the dish worked well together. In the end, Harry was eliminated due to those reasons.
Episode 13
Barter Mystery Box
71 mins
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.
Episode 14
Curtis Stone's Time Auction Immunity Challenge
57 mins
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 ingredient for that amount of time. Despite ending up with dessert-oriented ingredients, Jess challenged herself to cook a savoury dish. Her risk paid off when her 65-degree egg with turmeric noodles and chili oil was declared the dish of the day. The other three joined the elimination as Jess won the Weekly Immunity.
Episode 15
Textures Elimination Challenge
78 mins
The twelfth series of MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges. 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 grand prize.
Episode 16
Thai Team Challenge
55 mins
The remaining 19 contestants are split into two teams to cook two entrees and three main dishes for 100 diners in Restaurant Thai Ute. Since the Orange Team had one extra member, Sarah C. was chosen to sit out from the challenge due to her unfamiliarity with Thai cooking. Although both teams cooked spectacular entrees, impressing the judges, only Khanh's Orange Team managed to do justice to their main dish. Tessa's Aqua Team's chili basil clam doesn't contains enough heat, their pork belly was tough, and their chicken larb lacked the body it needed. Due to those reasons, the Aqua Team will cook in the Pressure Test.
Episode 17
Pressure Test: Helly Raichura's "Pasta Not Pasta"
59 mins
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.
Episode 18
Suburban Mystery Box
58 mins
This week's Mystery Box showcased ingredients produced in the backyards and kitchens of suburban residents, containing Gravenstein apples, garlic, blue cheese, shiitake mushrooms, 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.
Episode 19
Sushi Train Immunity Challenge
56 mins
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 5 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 was granted the Weekly Immunity. Emelia and Tracy joined the others in the Elimination Challenge.
Episode 20
Home Delivery Elimination Challenge
65 mins
In keeping with the week's theme of suburban food, all contestants other than Amina participated in a two-round home delivery-themed elimination. The first round was a quiz where the contestants were shown a variety of popular takeout dishes, and were asked to identify their names and countries of origin. Ben U., Chris, Tessa and Tracy were the first to answer incorrectly, and were sent to cook in the second round. For the second round, the contestants were tasked with cooking a dish that could withstand the physical difficulties of food transport. Melissa returned to her house to judge the dishes after they had been transported to her by Deliveroo drivers, while Jock and Andy stayed back to judge 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. Ultimately, Tracy's Thai green chicken curry was also declared a standout dish, and Chris was sent home.
Episode 21
Double Twist Team Challenge
61 mins
The judges announced that this week, all challenges would start out normally, but that 'twists' would be introduced at unexpected times. 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 opted to sit the challenge out. 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 planned menu, update it, or scrap it and restart 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, in a close decision, the Brown Team were declared the winners. As a result, the Grey Team were sent to the Pressure Test.
Episode 22
Pressure Test: Darren Purchese's Passionfruit Pavlova
62 mins
The Grey Team were given three hours to cook Darren Purchese's intricate passionfruit pavlova, 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 and forcing them to cook with their instincts. Despite the difficult twist, Jess produced a near-perfect dish, and Reynold, Laura, and Tracy also received praise. On the other hand, Poh, Amina and Hayden misfired and landed in the Bottom 3. Amina, who had fallen behind throughout the cook, had flaws in all of her elements, and was sent home in a teary farewell.
Episode 23
Twist-ery Box
59 mins
The twelfth series of MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges. 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 grand prize.
Episode 24
Hot N Cold Immunity Challenge + MasterClass
116 mins
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 beautiful 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.
Episode 25
Elimination Challenge: World Cuisines and Flavor Pairings
76 mins
Before the challenge started, Jock announced that Ben U. had left the show for personal reasons and would not be returning. The first round of the elimination was revealed to be a head-to-head duel, with the contestants being split into seven pairs to each compete in a different assigned cuisine (French, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Spanish and American). Simon, Jess, Emelia, Tracy, Khanh, Reece and Reynold emerged victorious in their respective duels, with Reynold blowing the judges away with his inventive take on American apple pie. Callum, Tessa, Laura, Hayden, Sarah T., Brendan and Sarah C. all lost and fell into the second round, where they could choose any one of five classic flavor pairings (apple/cinnamon, tomato/basil, ginger/lemongrass, walnut/date and beetroot/horseradish) to highlight in their dish. Tessa stunned the judges with her lemongrass/ginger bonito dish, and was declared safe. On the other hand, Sarah C. and Hayden, both of whom chose the beetroot/horseradish combination, 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 flavor combination in a condiment rather than in a main element, and he was sent home.
Episode 26
Savoury and Sweet Team Challenge
59 mins
The twelfth series of MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges. 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 grand prize.
Episode 27
Pressure Test: Peter Gunn's Black Box
58 mins
The Yellow Team was given 165 minutes to recreate Peter Gunn's Black Box, a dessert designed to look like a simple black cube but in reality containing 10 different internal elements. Tessa and Laura amazed the judges by producing near-perfect replicas, with Khanh and Brendan also succeeding. Most of Simon's chocolate boxes collapsed, but he was able to salvage one unbroken box and save himself from elimination. However, both Sarahs fell behind during the cook and were unable to complete their elements. Sarah T.'s dish lacked mandarin purée, but Sarah C.'s lack of dark chocolate soil sealed her fate as it threw out the balance of her dish.
Episode 28
Shannon Martinez's Vegan Mystery Box
46 mins
Chef Shannon Martinez arrived to set the Mystery Box challenge. As a 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 holding 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 Tessa, Reynold and Laura all 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 edged out Khanh to join Jess, Simon, and Poh in the Immunity Challenge. The rest were sent to the Elimination Challenge.
Episode 29
Comfort Food Immunity Challenge
63 mins
Simon, Reece, Poh and Jess were faced with a two-round Immunity Challenge centering around 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 noodles for her khao soi dish, Jess impressed the judges with her flavors. Poh also blew the judges away with her elaborate seafood noodles, which incorporated five different types of protein. As the clear favourites of the first round, 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' 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.
Episode 30
All-In Kingfish Elimination
74 mins
Josh Niland of Saint Peter in Sydney arrived to 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 5 to guess incorrectly, moving into the second round. For the second round, Josh demonstrated how to cut a kingfish in a manner that minimized waste. Khanh, Emelia, Laura, Tracy and Reece 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. Reece, Tracy and Emelia all had flaws in their dishes, but Tracy's overcooked fish, sloppy presentation and unbalanced flavors sealed her fate. As a result, she was sent home, finalising the Top 12.
Episode 31
Two-Dish Team Relay Challenge
49 mins
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, and two contestants, as opposed to one, would be allowed to gain Weekly Immunity from the All-In Elimination at the end of the week. 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' 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 5 minutes to go by cooking prawns as a replacement. His effort paid off, with the judges declaring the dish a success, alongside their blueberry galette dessert. Therefore, the Green Team won the challenge and advanced to a Pressure Test to compete for immunity.
Episode 32
Immunity Pressure Test: Kirsten Tibballs' "Meljito"
59 mins
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. Ultimately, all four of them received overall praise, but Khanh and Simon both had major flaws in their presentation. Brendan's dish impressed the judges, but Emelia's replication was deemed faultless. Therefore, she won the first Weekly Immunity spot, and was allowed to sit out the rest of the week's challenges.
Episode 33
Memories Mystery Box
72 mins
All contestants aside from Emelia, who had already won Weekly Immunity, opened their Mystery Boxes to find photos from their childhoods. They were then given 60 minutes 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. After an emotionally charged cook, all eleven contestants produced outstanding dishes. Due to the unprecedented quality of food put up 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. In a close decision, it was Brendan, Reynold, Poh, Jess and Khanh who won the chance to compete for the second Weekly Immunity spot, as the other contestants joined the All-In Elimination.
Episode 34
Fairy Tales Immunity Challenge
62 mins
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 of their choosing. 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 Swedish kladdkaka cake received rave 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.
Episode 35
All-In Elimination: Unusual Flavour Combinations
78 mins
All contestants other than Emelia and Reynold, who both had Weekly Immunity, faced a two-round elimination challenge. In the first round, the contestants had 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 blew the judges away with their dishes, with Laura and Sarah T. also impressing. This left Poh, Simon, Jess, Callum and Brendan to cook in the second round, where they had to pick one of five unusual flavour pairings (raspberry/carrot, mustard/mint, lamb/coffee, peanut butter/basil and soy sauce/chocolate) to highlight in their dish. Poh, Callum and Brendan then went on to produce impressive dishes, while Jess and Simon received mixed feedback. Simon's lamb/coffee dish suffered from an overuse of coffee, which threw the flavors out of balance. On the other hand, Jess' raspberry/carrot dessert tasted more of red wine and orange than it did of raspberry and carrot. Ultimately, the judges felt that Jess' dish missed the brief of the challenge, and she was eliminated despite being one of the competition's strongest contenders.
Episode 36
Heat 1: Citrus Invention Test
51 mins
This week was structured as a series of 'Heats', where, again, only one contestant would 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 highlighting 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. Callum and Reynold were then given 60 minutes to cook a second dish celebrating 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.
Episode 37
Heat 2: Coskun Uysal's Meat Dessert Challenge
57 mins
Chef Coskun Uysal arrived as a guest judge to set the second Heat for Khanh, Tessa, Reece and Emelia. He showed the contestants his tavuk gögsü, 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 gögsü as inspiration. Tessa, Khanh and Emelia all received rave reviews, but Reece's dessert had technical errors. Ultimately, Khanh's unique anchovy dessert narrowly beat Emelia's fig and pork dish to secure him the win. Khanh then advanced to the Immunity Challenge as Emelia, Reece and Tessa joined the All-In Elimination.
Episode 38
Heat 3: Lotto Mystery Box
57 mins
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.
Episode 39
Fast-Track to Top 10 Challenge
73 mins
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 blew the judges away with his gin and lime mousse, and he scored a full 30/30. Poh and Khanh scored 22/30 and 18/30 respectively. Callum's impressive comeback gave him a final score of 79/90, against 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.
Episode 40
All-In Pressure Test: Aussie Classics
76 mins
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 a sauce. Poh, Brendan and Emelia produced the strongest dishes, with Laura, Reece and Khanh also being declared safe. On the other hand, Reynold, Tessa, Sarah T. and Simon all misfired and landed in the second round. They were then given 1 hour to cook any dish that represented Australia for them. Reynold's chocolate and coconut dessert received rave reviews, with Tessa and Sarah T. also receiving overall praise. On the other hand, Simon's broccoli was criticised for being overcooked and soggy. He was then eliminated, finalizing the Top 10.
Episode 41
Blind Pairing Team Challenge
49 mins
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. The Red Team and Green Team were then also declared safe, leaving the Brown Team and Grey Team to enter the Pressure Test.
Episode 42
No-Recipe Pressure Test: Benjamin Cooper's Jungle Curry
58 mins
Chef Benjamin Cooper arrived to set a Pressure Test for Sarah T., Brendan, Reece and Poh. The contestants were given 75 minutes to replicate his jungle curry dish, but without a recipe. Instead, they were each given a dish to taste throughout the cook for comparison. Reece excelled, and, despite his flawed rotis, produced the closest replication of the curry. Brendan also received unanimous praise for his rendition. On the other hand, 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 farthest from the original, and she was eliminated.
Episode 43
Smoking Mystery Box
57 mins
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. Callum, Khanh and Brendan all received mixed feedback, and Reynold was panned for prioritising technique over flavour. This left Poh and Tessa in contention for the final spot in the Top 4. Poh's Sichuan pepper-crusted duck narrowly beat Tessa's smoked snapper dish, and she joined the Immunity Challenge. The rest of the contestants then joined the Weekly Elimination.
Episode 44
Sudden-Death Pumpkin Immunity Challenge
58 mins
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 would last 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 crême fraîche mille-feuille. Therefore, Reece won Weekly Immunity, sending the rest to join the All-In Elimination.
Episode 45
Elimination Challenge: Street Food and Fine Dining
74 mins
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 different cuisines. 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 predominantly positive feedback. On the other hand, 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 1 hour to cook a fine dining dish from a cuisine of their choosing. Reynold's confit blue-eye and Emelia's Paris-Brest were both met with rapturous praise, but Laura and Khanh both missed the brief by serving unrefined, rustic dishes. However, Khanh's unevenly cooked quail sealed his fate, and he was eliminated.
Episode 46
Golden Mystery Box
50 mins
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.
Episode 47
Time or Ingredients Immunity Challenge
52 mins
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 five 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.
Episode 48
All-In Elimination: One-Inch Cube Challenge
75 mins
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 to face the judges' verdict. 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.
Episode 49
Two-Dish Everything Box
50 mins
The contestants were presented with a Mystery Box containing beef ribeye, milk, wattleseeds, prickly pears, parsnips, thyme, hazelnuts and caulini (a broccolini × cauliflower hybrid). They were given 75 minutes to cook a savoury dish and a sweet 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 declared the Top 3, advancing to the Immunity Challenge. The rest then joined the weekly elimination.
Episode 50
Alphabet Immunity Challenge
53 mins
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 deemed the superior dish. Laura thus won Weekly Immunity as Poh and Callum joined the elimination.
Episode 51
All-In Elimination: Classics and Novelties
74 mins
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 any modification or renovation. Emelia and Reynold chose to cook Bombe Alaskas in 90 minutes. Poh and Reece chose to cook Crème Caramels, Tessa chose to cook Fish and Chips, and Callum chose to cook a Chocolate Soufflé, all in 60 minutes. Emelia, Reece and Callum all excelled and were declared safe. On the other hand, 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. Tessa's Indian-style tacos were praised, but 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.
Episode 52
Rubik's Cube Mystery Box
51 mins
The contestants opened their Mystery Boxes to find Rubik's Cubes, and were given 75 minutes to cook a dish using one of the six colors on the cube as inspiration. All six fared well, but the most positively received dishes were Poh's red-inspired Nyonya chicken curry and Laura's white-inspired yoghurt and bay leaf dessert. In a split decision, Callum's orange-inspired persimmon and kakadu plum dessert was beaten by Reynold's green-inspired matcha dessert, a pared-down version of his Series 8 Pressure Test dish "Moss". Poh, Reynold and Laura thus advanced to the Immunity Challenge as Reece, Callum and Emelia joined the weekly elimination.
Episode 53
Two-Dish Lucky Dip Immunity Challenge
55 mins
Reynold, Laura and Poh entered the MasterChef kitchen to find a vast arrangement of cloches containing hidden ingredients. They were told to choose any two at random, and highlight one of their assigned ingredients in a savoury dish, and the other in a sweet dish. However, if they were unsatisfied with one of their ingredients, they could decline it and choose a third cloche. Reynold ended up with madeira and fennel, but gave up his fennel to choose another cloche. He received dates instead. Laura ended up with red miso and vanilla beans, and chose to keep both. Poh ended up with bergamot and ruby grapefruit, but opted to decline her ruby grapefruit, receiving olives instead. They were then given 90 minutes to cook the two dishes. During the challenge, Reynold overcooked the quail for his savoury dish, and was forced to plate up an incomplete dish consisting only of shiitake mushrooms and date purée. However, his sweet dish, a chocolate brownie with madeira gelato, received high praises, and he was declared the winner for best meeting the brief of the challenge. Reynold was thus granted Weekly Immunity as Laura and Poh joined the rest in the All-In Elimination.
Episode 54
All-In Pressure Test: Phil Wood's Potato Duchess
77 mins
Chef Phil Wood arrived to set a Pressure Test for Laura, Emelia, Callum, Poh and Reece. In the first round, the contestants were given 75 minutes to recreate Phil's potato duchess with shiitake, cauliflower and salmon roe. Laura and Emelia were the only ones to replicate the dish successfully, and they were declared safe. On the other hand, Callum, Reece and Poh all struggled and landed in the second round. They were then given 75 minutes to produce a dish highlighting either potatoes, mushrooms or cauliflower, the key ingredients from the Pressure Test dish. Callum aced the challenge, and his mushroom and bonito broth with buckwheat noodles drew rave reviews. Reece also received positive feedback for his potato stack dessert. On the other hand, Poh struggled again, and served undercooked culurgiones with an underwhelming sauce. She was thus eliminated, finalising the Top 5.
Episode 55
Terrarium Mystery Box
50 mins
The contestants opened their mystery boxes to find a terrarium and were tasked to cook a dish in 75 minutes inspired by nature. Along with the normal pantry and garden, the judges revealed another pantry containing ingredients which the contestants could also use. Reece's popsicles dominated in wattle-seed flavour while Emelia's s'mores dish received positive reviews. However, it was Laura's mushroom tortellini, Callum's autumn-inspired dish and Reynold's mushroom-shaped chocolate dessert that excelled, sending their makers to the Immunity Challenge while Reece and Emelia joined the weekly elimination.
Episode 56
No Rules Challenge
53 mins
Callum, Laura and Reynold were told by the judges that they could cook whatever they liked and could decide on the cook time together as well. After mutually settling on 2 hours each, the contestants began their dishes. Laura created 2 ocean-themed snacks comprising of a squid ink meringue pebble with oyster emulsion and a saltbush cracker with crab and caviar. Callum chose to use native Australian flavours to create a chicken liver parfait with Davidson plum gel, onion puree, leeks and crackers. Reynold was inspired by Harry Potter and decided to recreate his dish "The Snitch" consisting of a tonka bean caramel within a brown butter mousse which was coated with chocolate and garnished with a honey tuile and ganache. The Snitch was also served with a pear and yuzu sorbet and a yoghurt snow. All 3 dishes received praise but it was Reynold's combination and balance of flavour, technique and presentation that ultimately sealed the first position in the top 4. He became the first contestant to be granted Weekly Immunity for the 3rd time this season as Callum and Laura joined Reece and Emelia in the All-In Elimination.
Episode 57
All-In Elimination: Four-Course Service Challenge
74 mins
In the service elimination challenge, all contestants except for Reynold (who had won the final immunity challenge of the competition) had to cook a course for the season's judges and six of Australia's best chef's including Matt Stone, Jo Barrett, Shannon Martinez, Peter Gunn, Darren Purchese and Kirsten Tibballs. Before the cook began, each of the contestants chose a card containing an ingredient area: Reece chose vegetables, Emelia chose fish, Laura chose meat and Callum chose dessert.
Episode 58
Gordon Ramsay's Mystery Box
55 mins
Gordon Ramsay returned via livestream to set the final Mystery Box challenge for the season, with the best dish fast-tracking its maker to the semi-final. The contestants were given bream, scallops, Cornish rhubarb, strawberries, mortadella, cabbage, paprika and Pimm's. Additionally, each contestant was allowed to choose a single ingredient from the garden to add to their pantry. With 75 minutes to cook their dishes, Reynold and Emelia both impressed the judges. Reynold's bream chawanmushi received unanimous positive feedback, but the judges were blown away by the technique in Emelia's compressed choux with strawberry and rhubarb. In a close decision, Emelia's dish won her Immunity from the next day's All-In Elimination and secured her spot in the semi-final.
Episode 59
All-In Elimination: Ordinary or Extraordinary
66 mins
For the final All-In Elimination of the series, Callum, Reynold and Laura were shown two pantries: an "ordinary" pantry containing everyday ingredients and an "extraordinary" pantry containing luxurious, expensive ingredients. In the first round, they were given 75 minutes to cook a dish using ingredients from either pantry, with the catch being that the two contestants moving to the second round would then need to use the pantry that they hadn't chosen for the first round. All three chose to use to the extraordinary pantry for the first round, and went on to receive rave reviews for their dishes. However, it was Reynold's barbequed bonito that won the challenge, sending him to join Emelia in the Semi-Final. This left Laura and Callum go head-to-head the second round, where they were given another 75 minutes to cook a dish with ingredients from the ordinary pantry. Laura impressed the judges with her simple but perfectly executed strawberries and cream dessert, while Callum's coconut-poached snapper drew high praises for its flavor. However, his fish was slightly overcooked and had a mushy texture. As a result, Callum was eliminated, leaving Laura to secure the last spot in the Semi-Final.
Episode 60
Semi-Final Pressure Test: Martin Benn's Toffee Apple
84 mins
For the Semi-Final of the series, chef Martin Benn arrived to set a Pressure Test for the Top 3. They were given 3 hours and 45 minutes to recreate his intricate, highly complex "Toffee Apple" dessert, with 5 minutes to plate the dish prior to the tasting. Emelia sailed through the 113-step recipe and delivered the dish of the day, with Martin praising her dish as one he would gladly serve at his own restaurant. She was the first to be declared safe, with the decision then coming down to Laura and Reynold. Laura's apple element was misshapen and more closely resembled a pear, but her flavours and textures perfectly matched those of the original. Reynold's dish had the most vivid colours of the three, but his apple element was too small and his flavours were out of balance. The judges unanimously agreed that Reynold had failed to meet the mark in terms of taste, and he was eliminated in 3rd place, sending Laura to face Emelia in the Grand Finale.
Episode 61
Grand Finale
85 mins
The finale took place as a Three Course Service Challenge, which will be served to 18 of the former contestants. The finalists were given 4 hours to prepare their course, consisting of entree, main, and dessert. Emelia decided to stick with Classic French Technique and Flavour pairings, while Laura decided to experiment with Indigenous Australian Ingredients in her course. Both of them struggled during their cook, with Emelia adding more time in her pressure cooker, and Laura burning her left hand. Despite those difficulties, both of them managed to plate spectacular dishes. Emelia's Scallops entree was praised as one of the best entree by the judges, and Laura's Bonito entree blow away the judges with the texture and flavour of the dish. Both of their main was also highly praised by the judges, with Emelia cooking Beef Short Rib, and Laura cooking Wessex Saddleback Pork. Since both of their entree and main was deemed as perfect dishes, the decision came down to their dessert. Although Laura's Jerusalem Artichoke dessert was praised for it's flavour combination, it was also criticized for it's texture. Meanwhile, Emelia's Pistachio Financier dessert was deemed flawless by the judges. Emelia Jackson was announced as the winner of the twelfth season of MasterChef Australia, receiving the grand prize of $250,000. Laura Sharrad earned a cash prize of $30,000 as the runner-up, while Reynold Poernomo received a cash prize of $20,000 after finishing in third place.
