Original subtitles

AARON: Let's go again! ALITA: Let's do it.

WOMAN: Oh! Oh! OK.

Oh, my God. What's going on?

Whose houses are these? What the hell?

I see these four monitors.

There's, like, four different kitchens.

OK, this is interesting. Good luck, boys.

WOMAN: Is this anybody's kitchen?

What's going on? What is today's challenge?

Oh, look at the little dog!

I want that kitchen. Yeah, that one's gorge.

I want that one, on the end.

Doesn't really give too many clues.

No, not at all.

It's quite daunting, the first elimination.

Yo.

I feel like I've made so many strides already,

in the short amount of time I've been here,

so I want to stay as long as possible.

Where's the fireplace? I'm nervous for the challenge.

You know? Yeah.

Lots of flour. Dumplings.

(ALL EXCLAIM)

Morning.

GRACE: The frames start to play, and it's Sofia's first.

Pretty.

It's like a window into her home, which is really sweet.

ALL: Oh!

He's so tall! Yeah!

I'm kind of expecting, like, a dog to walk into the thing now.

I know.

Aw! There we go.

Oh, my God. This is a dog contest.

BELLA: It's Sofia cooking with her partner.

It seems super sweet

and she seems so relaxed in the kitchen.

Avocado smoked salmon, poached eggs?

Yes, please.

Wait. Breakfast? Maybe?

Oh, no, I hate breakfast.

I love breakfast.

So, who's next?

Oh!

ANDY: Flatbreads, darling.

I got some broad beans, little rocket kind of...and ricotta.

That'll go on the base.

Made, like, a...chilli oil.

Then I see Andy. He's cooking for his wife.

Zucchini flowers.

That's not breakfast.

Do you stretch it when it's on the paddle?

No. Oh, so, that's the size?

Yeah, I made little ones. Oh, cute!

Boy, that kitchen's mad.

Is the dog gonna move? (LAUGHS)

Thank you! ALL: Oh!

JEFF: Moon cakes...or something.

They look like little sweets. Mochis?

It's ang ku kueh.

It's filled with mung beans and steamed.

Oh! A sweet treat.

Oh! Oh, my God.

Aw!

I miss my dogs. I miss my dog.

Yeah, I just thought the same thing.

Imagine if JC has a dog as well.

Oh, my God. I'm ready.

Fire's on. Oh!

Hey!

(SPEAKS FRENCH) Yeah?

Yes, please! Thank you. OK, excellent.

Excellent. Pick some more bread.

Lovely tomato soup.

Yum. Tomato soup.

Hello. Are you alright?

Oh.

It looks like such a nice family.

Oh! (LAUGHTER)

EMILY: Absolutely loved seeing them in their element

because it's a very different side of the judges

we don't get to see.

Now I'm wondering,

"What is today's task and what do you want from us?"

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Did you enjoy a little sneaky peek into our homes?

Yes! All the dogs!

You've just seen a window into our homes.

So today's challenge -

we want to see a window into yours.

We want to get to know you.

So what better way to do that

than create a dish that represents who you are at home?

Your dish needs to be full of personality,

and most importantly, heart,

because home is where the heart is.

Today, of all days, everything's on the line.

You are literally coming to my house

and I'm going to feed you some food.

So it's super personal.

You've got 75 minutes.

The pantry and garden, they're both in play.

Oh! Yes!

Make us whatever you want.

Just make us feel like we're eating at your place.

Whoever cooks the bottom dish

will be the first person going home.

Your 75 minutes start now!

Come on, everybody!

Do you know where the scales are?

Whoa! Sorry.

Come on, guys, it's your first 75-minute cook.

It will go in the blink of an eye.

(CLATTERS)

We want to know who you are at your home.

We can do this.

CASPER: Doing pasta, Vinnie?

Gnocchi. Nice.

EMILY: We only just got here,

and it's already our first elimination.

Whoa! The game is real.

It's a make or break,

and one person's definitely gonna break.

Wok on.

Hopefully, it's not me.

I am making a beef noodle soup with homemade rice noodles.

This is a dish that I actually made for my family.

And then I went to Taiwan with my partner for the first time,

and she fell in love with this dish.

So I kind of made my own rendition of it.

I cook this at least once a month,

and that's because my partner keeps on asking for it.

When you love someone,

you give them a giant piece of meat.

(LAUGHS) Is that...is that PG?

Can I say that?

I'm having issues.

Oh, thank you so much.

There we are. Thank you.

Before I get the pressure cooker closed,

I need to make sure I have enough aromatics

to penetrate the meat and tenderise it.

That beef better be tender.

And that soup better be friggin' delicious.

If not, my partner's gonna be pretty angry at me.

Some good flavours over here.

When I think of food from home,

I immediately go to comfort food.

As much as I love serving sweets to my parents,

what they served me the most was the savoury dishes.

Let's get me a duck.

I'm thinking duck because growing up with my stepdad,

he would make a lot of duck roast,

and my mum would then do all the pancakes

and the herbal soups on the side.

But I have to butcher a whole duck.

To get this done in 75 minutes, this is going to be a challenge.

GRACE: A little bit longer.

I am doing what my family call Holy Cow.

So it's a piece of eye fillet that we crust in sugar.

And then it's served with, like, a chilli and garlic sauce.

I'm doing fries to go alongside it today.

It's a bit legendary,

so I'm hoping to do it some justice today.

The way the eye fillet's cooked is a little bit unique,

so I'm hoping that it doesn't freak them out too much.

Grace. Hi!

How are you? I'm great.

How are you? What are you doing?

I am doing what my family calls Holy Cow.

It's sort of steak and chips.

It is something that your family enjoy the most?

This dish is like a symbol of celebration in my family.

Happy New Year's, everyone! Look how cute this is.

Nice.

And not even just my family.

It's become a symbol of celebration throughout,

like, our whole friendship group.

So what is the secret with your steak?

So it's crusted in sugar

and you hit it on the barbecue really hard.

And then it rests in seven layers of foil for four hours.

We haven't got four hours,

which is why I'm reverse searing it first.

Right.

I'm learning, honestly. Good luck, yeah?

Ooh!

Jean-Christophe's really concerned.

I think he's being kind.

So now I'm like, "Ugh."

But, um... no, I need to back myself.

And I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good.

Today, I'm making a potato curry and a semolina halwa.

This dish just reminds me

of my home and my ancestral cooking.

I'm making jollof rice with chicken.

You make a kind of rough blend

with capsicum, tomato, onion, garlic.

And then you cook the rice in that.

The chicken, I'm gonna oven-bake it.

Jollof rice is what you would make

if you really wanted to show someone you love them, really.

Sorry, there's a potato behind you. Don't trip over it.

OK.

I'm cooking, today, a gnocchi

with a pork and 'nduja ragu.

This is absolutely something I make for my loved ones.

And gnocchi is actually a really good one to do with kids.

Which is pressure cooker?

Oh. Pressure cook. (CHUCKLES)

Tell me what you're making.

I'm making a vanilla-infused beef cheek.

Ooh! Exciting. Yeah.

With a parsnip mash and some asparagus.

I love it. I make it at home.

Whenever I go back to Canberra and visit my family

and I make it for them.

It's a really good meal to have

for a little bit of a celebration.

CASPER: Oh! Vinnie!

VINNIE: So I'm making gnocchi.

Gnocchi, you know, in our house, is always a big staple.

Every night we go to my nonna's, or big lunches,

there's always a big bowl of gnocchi there.

(SPEAKS ITALIAN)

Growing up, it's always been Italian cooking in my life.

Both sides of my family, heavy on the Italian part

and heavy on the rustic, I guess, too.

But when I like to cook at home,

I like to experiment with a few different flavours.

Vinnie! Andy.

What's cracking, mate? I'm making gnocchi today.

Ooh, OK.

And it's not just nonna's gnocchi.

Yeah?

So I've got a bit of beef in there, osso buco beef bones

and stuff like that.

So I'm trying to make, like, a bit of a ragu.

Yep.

And then I've got fresh tomatoes as well.

So tinned tomatoes in there. Fresh ones here.

Gonna mix it together. Yum.

I also put a little bit of gochujang.

Ooh! A little wild card.

Spice it up a little bit, you know?

What would the nonnas say to that, my man?

Nonna wouldn't like that.

But, you know, when you come to my house,

I like to change it up.

Have you ever served this to Nonna?

No. She wouldn't... she wouldn't like it.

And is that kind of the only non-traditional thing...?

I'm gonna make, like, a parmesan crema.

OK.

And maybe a touch of yuzu in there.

Whoa!

That's what I like to cook.

I like to cook a bit more experimental.

You like to experiment with the classics.

Yeah.

You got gochujang... (LAUGHS) Yeah.

..and yuzu... Yep.

..in a gnocchi dish with a black apron on.

Please make this work. (LAUGHS) I will.

This is a bit risky to do in elimination.

But if you're not going to show them what you're made of now,

I feel like they'll never get to see it.

There's a lot on the line, everyone. First elimination.

You've only got 50 minutes to go!

I'm so pumped for this.

They're going to be cooking something

that they're so comfortable with.

'Cause this should be the one

that they love to invite friends over

or cook for their loved one.

They should know this dish.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Today, the food is going to be incredible.

Yeah.

We're going to have so many great dishes to taste.

POH: One of the dangers of doing a comfortable cook

is if that dish is very familiar to you,

sometimes you lose sight of

whether it's complex enough to be in the competition.

Oh, that smells so good!

Does it smell alright?

I'm starting to second-guess myself.

Oh, should I check my steak? I mean, for God's sake.

So today I am gonna cook

what my family calls Holy Cow.

So, 45 minutes to go, steaks come out of the oven.

I'm rolling it in sugar,

and I've chucked it on this cast iron

that I've had on for pretty much the whole cook,

so it's really, really, really hot.

DOT: What is that?

I'm gonna set the smoke alarm... Sorry, Dot.

That's full-on going in your face.

Of course, sugar going onto hot pan.

HUGE plume of smoke.

MAN: Something's burning. Is that me or you?

Yeah, yeah. This is what happens.

But usually you do it on a barbecue outside,

so you're not, like, gassing the room.

CASPER: Whoa! Far out.

Sorry. This is so full-on.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: What is that smell?

Yeah, that smells...a bit burny.

This is...

You've come over at a time that's gonna freak you out.

This is... I swear to you...

..this is what happens. Is this part of your dish?

Yeah!

Wow.

Keep going, guys!

Alright. Calm down and balance one sauce at a time.

My bench is very messy.

(GRACE COUGHS)

I've just covered one of my eye fillet pieces in sugar.

That's why there's so much smoke everywhere.

To be honest, the burn is part of the flavour.

I'm aiming for a rare cook.

Rare, bordering on medium-rare.

You roll it in foil and you leave it to rest.

I feel like I've done something wrong,

but I know it's not wrong.

Like, it smelt normal, it looked normal.

The little barbecue scraper was as black as it always is.

Impossible to clean.

So, um, I'm trying to back myself,

even though everyone's, like, freaked out for some reason.

BELLA: To be here, in the MasterChef kitchen,

I am blown away.

I want to be in this kitchen so bad.

I'm not going home today.

I have so much more to learn here.

Hey, Bella. Hey!

How you going? A bit stressed.

There's a bit going on. There's a lot going on here.

What are you doing? Assume a rough puff.

Yes. Yes.

I'm feeling nervous because I've never done a puff pastry

in this short of a time before.

What's the whole dish?

Um, a mille-feuille today.

Wow!

Yes, if I can pull it off...

If you can pull it off,

there's no way you're going home.

What else have you got going on?

Hazelnut praline mousseline and a fennel Chantilly.

All in 75 minutes. Yeah.

Why are you putting so much pressure on yourself?

Um, because this means a lot to me, and I don't want to go home.

You want to give it your best shot.

Yeah.

Yeah, I really do.

MasterChef has been my dream ever since I was nine years old.

Baking is my niche.

Any time there's a sweet that's needed,

I'm always on stand-by.

My mousseline is looking really good.

The rough puff comes out of the blast freezer,

straight in the oven.

I crank the oven temperature up

to get it as brown as fast as possible.

Make sure your dish takes us to your home.

You have 30 minutes to go.

(SHOUTING AND APPLAUSE)

OK, that looks good.

Alita. Hi.

Are we getting some Latina flavours?

You're actually not. OK.

I'm going very English today. Tell me more.

So you're going to get a deconstructed apple crumble

and get an Earl Grey caramel ice-cream.

My family have apple pie competitions.

OK. Yeah.

So it's like it's a serious thing,

so I really can't mess this up.

Gotta hope that's enough filling.

Tell us, what are you cooking?

I'm going to make a spanakopita stuffed manti,

with a charred tomato oil and a yoghurt and dill dressing.

Are you in your element? I am in my element.

Tell me what you're making.

I am making my Sunday brunch for you.

Yeah?

Which is what I have grown up eating in my home.

So it's potato curry. Yes.

And on the side, pumpkin chutney.

That's going to be infused

with a lot of spices and jaggery.

So it's all vegetarian. All vegetarian.

Well, you know what the stakes are today, so go hard.

I will. Good luck.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

You good, Miin?

Uh, yeah, I'm alright. Should be getting there.

Rice is boiling. That's good.

ANDY: What is this one that you're cooking today?

Today I'm cooking... I am poaching.

OK. So a spiced coconut chicken.

I'm gonna serve it with some nasi ulam,

which is a herbed rice.

It is something you can't really find in Melbourne.

Yep.

So it's something that I'd have to cook myself

to be able to... be able to enjoy it.

Oh, man.

If you can't find in Melbourne,

I am looking forward to this one.

Multi-tasking at its finest. It's on.

Home cooking at its best. What can't you do?

Annabel, what is the plan?

I'm doing a miso caramel banoffee pie.

Ooh-la-loo-la-loo! Are you sure?

I am sure.

Why? Miso?

Miso and caramel. (WHISTLES)

So are you...comfortable with that dish?

I am very comfortable.

Have you pleased many of your family members?

Yeah. I've made this plenty of times.

The only thing is, I've never made it

without a recipe in front of me.

What happen if the miso overtake or overpower?

I'll make sure that doesn't happen.

Smooth is fast and fast is smooth.

We're just at home cooking for ourselves.

Yeah, big-time.

Alright. So...

Today I am doing a little feast.

I love when people come to my home

and I can just give them all sorts of flavours.

We've got some prawns today.

I'm going to grill them.

Got some crostinis happening with some prosciutto,

some whipped fetta, and then we're gonna have

some crispy potatoes.

We live right at the water.

So I see the trawlers go out every morning

and pretty much always thinking of prawns.

So I had to do prawns today. No brainer.

MAN: It seems like the right amount of salt.

(SINGS) # Make it snow!

# Make it snow! #

A little hidden talent about me is that I am a singer.

So I went to the Queensland Conservatorium of Music

for jazz.

# So I'm here on MasterChef

# I've been waiting my whole life. #

I absolutely love singing and cooking at the same time.

It's what I do.

My food dream is to have a small, intimate restaurant,

have live music.

I love feeding people

and I just love seeing the look on people's faces

when they can enjoy the food that you've created.

Main pressure points will just be timing, I guess.

I've just got a lot of things going on

and they all require different times.

Oven needs to be at different temperatures

for different things.

And then I'm going to also be using the same oven as a grill

for the prawns.

Just put this in there.

I just need to make sure I focus on everything.

I want to stay in the competition

more than life itself.

It's what I've dreamed of my whole life.

So I'm really not wanting to go home today.

Nice!

What?!

Brah!

Oops.

Hi, Jackie. Hi, Poh.

Tell me what you're making.

I'm gonna do a Chinese shallot pancake

with a roasted duck breast on top.

Oh, wow. Yep.

That's ambitious. Yeah.

So how do you want to cook the duck?

I want to pan fry the skin of the duck breast.

Roast it really nicely through, very minimal seasoning,

'cause I will be adding a lot of other

more Asian flavours and sauces to it.

OK. Yeah.

OK. So what for you are going to be the pressure points today?

Absolutely the cook on the duck

and making sure I can get all the elements done in time.

Of course, today someone is going home,

so you want to make sure you nail every element.

Yes. Absolutely. Alright, good luck.

Thanks, Poh.

I am so crunched on time.

I have a lot to do, as always.

So I'm really trying to get the shallots

for my pancakes chopped

as soon as I can.

Ooh.

Oh. OK.

And...I've cut my finger.

Yeah. Is it from the knife?

Yeah. Is it deep?

Ah, yeah. That's OK.

I'll put another one around it and give you a finger glove.

Alright? Yeah, OK. Cool. Thanks.

The time is just ticking.

I've got to get these shallot pancakes done.

I've got to get the duck on the pan.

You must have cut it pretty good, huh?

Yeah.

I'm definitely really overwhelmed right now.

This feels like I've made a huge mistake,

and it really could cost me.

CASPER: You alright, Jackie? Just nicked yourself?

Yeah.

Oh, my God.

I think I'm OK for time.

I'm making ayam percik,

which is a spiced coconut chicken.

My pickles are ready.

Chicken, I just gotta sear it

and get a nice char on it and cook it through.

I poached it already,

so it's just finishing it now on the grill.

OK, we're gonna get this...

..straight on.

Great.

Are you doing sweet, Annabel? Yeah.

Nice. Miso banoffee pie.

Oh, yum!

If anyone's, like, I don't know, had a rough time

or if anyone's leaving at work, then I'll bring this in.

BELINDA: 10 minutes to go on the pressure cooker

for my vanilla-infused beef cheek.

I've got the oil on for my parsnip crisps.

Got the butter ready, got my asparagus ready,

got my parsnip puree ready.

It's just... we're waiting on that.

Black apron. We'll see. (LAUGHS)

VINNIE: I still need to make my gnocchi.

Potato is taking a long time, so...

And I'm just waiting for that pressure cooker to finish

so I can actually finish off my sauce.

I'm usually pretty quick with making gnocchi.

I can do it in about 15 minutes.

Ah, need... Da-da-da-da-da.

So I got the beef going in the pressure cooker

for my beef noodle soup.

Then basically what I'm trying to do now

is make the rice noodles.

I need them to be perfect.

Alright, cool.

The sheet looked absolutely fantastic.

Then basically I cut it up...

..and then I have to quickly blanch them.

Hope.

It's time to check on the beef.

The beef ribs are perfectly tender.

The meat is... (KISSES) ..chef's kiss.

Looking down, that soup looks beautiful on top.

Yes. Alright.

That oil looks absolutely fantastic.

But I need to start seasoning straightaway.

It needs to be bloody delicious before I put it in the jug.

Oh! Oh, my gosh.

That was really stupid. (LAUGHS)

There's a lot of elements going on

because I'm doing three dishes, at the end of the day.

Potatoes are nice and crispy.

And I've got my crostini done.

I just wanted to try and put up a few different things today.

Perhaps overachieved. Who knows?

I've made a cold butter mix for the prawns

with garlic, chilli and parsley.

That beautiful butter will just seep through the flesh

and cook them deliciously.

ANDY: Pressure's on, guys!

You gotta be all said and done in 10 minutes!

Let's go!

Jackie, how's that hand? Is it alright?

Oh, yeah. It's throbbing.

This cut definitely put me behind a bit in time.

I've finally got my chilli oil and my hoisin sauce.

They taste great.

I've got my shallot pancake ready to pan-fry.

I have a lot to do.

So, yeah, I got to hustle a little bit.

Alright, we can do this.

ANDY: I'm a little worried.

Yep, me too. There is eight minutes to go.

And the duck hasn't even gone in the oven yet.

I don't want you to go home on uncooked duck.

I crank the heat up

and I just hope that it's going to cook through.

The rough puff comes out of the oven for my mille-feuille.

It looks golden all the way through.

I'm happy.

Now it's time to assemble this mille-feuille.

I pipe on the hazelnut and coffee mousseline.

And then my fennel seed Chantilly.

OK, guys, five minutes to go!

Yummy!

My fries are ready

and my garlic chilli prawn reduction sauce is ready.

Moment of the truth.

Oh!

Ho-ho!

I'm so happy with the cook on it.

That is perfect!

This is like my dream meal.

So, yeah, I hope they love it.

Plate. I need a plate.

Quick, quick, quick, quick!

CASPER: It's looking so good, guys. Keep going!

It's pretty real.

I get the prawns out from under the grill

and...I think they look good.

Everyone's gotta move it! One minute to go!

Come on! Come on! Quick!

Lock in, guys. One minute! Get plating up!

Pancake looks good, Jackie.

I've got my shallot pancake done.

I'm gonna keep my duck in the oven

until the last possible moment.

Come on. Make it epic!

30 seconds left!

Come on! Whoo!

Hurry up!

Oh, my God. I think I better get it out.

Let's bring it home!

Ten!

JUDGES: 9, 8,

7, 6, 5,

4, 3, 2, 1.

ANDY: That's it, everybody!

PAT: That looks incredible.

How did you do that in that time?

What was I thinking?

This dish definitely represents a dish from home

because it's something that reminds me

of a particular special friend.

I think I've done myself proud today.

I'm feeling relieved that it's over.

Obviously still a bit nervy.

I don't know how it's going to taste to the judges.

I think it tastes pretty good.

If I go home on a gnocchi dish, my nonna would probably say,

"Maybe leave the gnocchi to me now." (LAUGHS)

Are you alright?

What happened?

I didn't put the duck on the plate.

Oh, my God! Jackie!

Time and the pressure just really, really got to me.

Yeah.

I'm really worried.

I feel like this means

I could be the first person to go home today.

Today we asked you to take us into your homes

and cook us a dish from your heart.

Sadly, the least impressive dish will send its maker home.

The first dish we'd like to taste belongs to...

..Bella!

BELLA: I cannot believe that, in 75 minutes,

I have pulled off this dish

with all the components on the plate.

It's a hazelnut and coffee mousseline mille-feuille

with a fennel seed Chantilly and a fennel and hazelnut tuile.

Oh...em...geeeeeeee.

How did you do that?

When you said cook from the heart,

I had one person in mind - my best friend, Amelie.

Um, she sadly passed away six weeks ago.

Um, and she's the reason I'm here.

She was so supportive and encouraging

throughout the whole, like, application process,

and she just wanted me to be here so badly.

Um, our favourite thing to do was go get pastries together.

So, the flavours in this mille-feuille are inspired by

the last croissant that we had together...

..um, which was like fennel and, um, coffee and hazelnut.

POH: Bella, it takes so much courage to come here

and tell such a moving story.

To produce something like this with that much emotion

is really exceptional.

Should we dive in?

That flavour combination...

..is so special because of the memory it comes from,

but it is so sophisticated - it is beyond your years.

If you're pulling stuff like this out

at this point in the competition,

oh, like, the world is your oyster.

Thank you. Thank you.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: To do this so precisely,

in your position, I'd be probably upset

and it will actually affect my cooking.

But you didn't.

You plugged yourself in, finished on time,

delivered this wonderful, amazing dish.

SOFIA: The fennel and the nuttiness,

you've got that beautiful salt

against the sweetness in the praline.

Really good.

All of us standing up here know what it's like

to want to tell somebody you've lost

something that you're really proud of,

and to see you stand up here and do it with such composure

and, you know, pay such a beautiful homage to your friend

is really something.

So you should be so proud,

and I'm sure Amelie would be too.

Thank you. I know she is.

Everybody.

ANDY: Group hug! We're all in!

We're all in! Unbelievable.

Oh, thank you. Unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

Yay!

That was so amazing. Bless you.

Whoo!

(OTHERS CHEER)

Wow.

So many wows. She's so strong.

BELLA: And to have pulled off this dish with Amelie in mind

is just so, so special.

I am so proud of myself.

Next up, we want to try the dish from Vinnie.

(CHEERING)

Gnocchi? Yep.

VINNIE: So, I've made a gnocchi with a gochujang pomodoro sauce,

and then it's got a parmesan yuzu crema.

Whoa. (LAUGHS)

ANDY: Yuzu and parmesan, gochujang and ragu.

Mm-hm. Man!

On a black apron day.

Um, yeah.

This dish is, like, a mixture

of what I've gotten from my grandparents.

So you've got, like, gnocchi, which are like...

..we call them maltagliati, which is, like, 'wrongly cut'.

And there's, like, a fresh tomato sauce,

which, like, one of my nonnas makes,

and then my other nonna makes, like, a slow-cooked sauce,

so I've done that too, and I've kind of combined them.

But then, when you come to my house,

I like to put my own little spin on it.

Righto. I reckon we taste.

Vinnie, pretty fine line between fusion and confusion, right?

Yep. Yep.

But I dug it.

I was so worried about this,

when you were like, "Oh, yeah! Gochujang! Yuzu!"

All the gochujang does

is just give it a little bit of an extra boost, which is smart,

because it's a 75-minute cook.

To get that sauce really rich and velvety,

the gochujang has done its thing.

Not once do I go, "Oh, there's gochujang in there."

You've got the technique all there.

Your sauce is so much zingier than I was expecting.

This is a dish that's warm and comforting.

I think you've delivered a beautiful,

very humble, comfortable, loving dish.

So, well done. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Alright, next, Olaolu.

OLAOLU: Jollof rice with chicken, fried plantain

and coleslaw.

Yes, it's really bloody spicy,

but the flavours in there are amazing.

(COUGHS)

Sorry, Andy.

There's only a couple of times throughout the season

when I pre-call my wife

and tell her to chuck the toilet paper in the freezer,

and this is one of them.

(LAUGHTER)

POH: Alyona.

ALYONA: Russian borscht.

I love a soup you can chew, I love a borscht,

and I love your take on your family recipe as well.

Pat.

PAT: Ribeye with duck fat roast potatoes,

charred greens and a cauliflower and cheese puree.

It's flat-out delicious, Pat.

You know how to cook things properly.

You also know how to season properly.

Thank you. Lydia!

LYDIA: Spanakopita-stuffed manti

on a yoghurt dill sauce with a smoky tomato oil.

POH: The pasta work is beautiful and fine.

You put just enough filling in there so it's not too rich.

Unbelievable.

(APPLAUSE) Thank you. Thank you.

OK. Next, Jackie.

JACKIE: My shallot pancake

is exactly how I would make it at home,

my sauces taste good, but I am really disappointed

that I didn't get the duck on the plate.

I think this could be the end for me today.

(WHISTLES) Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh.

My dish is a scallion pancake

with a chilli oil and a hoisin sauce.

I had a duck breast, which I pan seared,

but, um, yeah, I think...

..pretty early on, I just had a bad cut in my finger,

and it just kind of set me off all my timings.

So you had a duck breast cooked? Yep.

And you did not have the chance

to put it on your plate and serve it?

Yeah. (WHISTLES)

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh.

Unfortunately, we can only taste what is on your plate.

Everything that's on there is delicious.

That's one of the nicest scallion pancakes I've ever had.

It's got really nice, crispy edges,

and I love the chew on it,

and then there's all these, like, sort of layers,

where it's, like, nice and flaky.

Your chilli crisp is, like...

Mate, you could put that on absolutely anything.

I could only imagine what it would be like

if that perfectly cooked duck breast

was sitting, rosy and crispy, off to the side.

I do really feel for you,

because this might be your last cook in the kitchen.

Thanks, Jackie. Thank you so much.

Good luck. Good luck.

Come here, my girl.

I did as much as I could in that time,

but I'm still really worried.

Not being able to finish the dish

that I really wanted to put up for the judges today,

that's really gonna put me at risk.

You're up next, Hannah.

HANNAH: Pork and 'nduja ragu with gnocchi.

That ragu... Yeah.

..just a tiny bit tougher than I would have liked.

ANDY: Kanika!

KANIKA: Puri aloo. With that, I've made a pumpkin chutney.

I've made it a little less spicy for you, Andy.

Please do not tame it for me,

because I want it to be the real deal.

'Cause it tastes a little bit tame.

Yep.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Belinda.

BELINDA: I've made a vanilla-infused beef cheeks,

parsnip mash and a parsnip crisp.

POH: I am struggling with the vanilla.

Like, it's just such a heady aroma to have with the beef.

OK, next up, we'd like to taste a dish from Megs.

MEGS: It's me on three plates.

It's colourful, it's vibrant.

I would have loved a bit more time.

Wouldn't everyone?

# Welcome to my house. #

But I'm proud.

Today, I've done the prawns for you.

And we've got some potatoes with creme fraiche and herb oil

and also a little crostini there on a drunken crouton.

And then it's got some beautiful Italian prosciutto,

raw peas, and a whipped fetta.

If we were to come to Megs' place,

what is there just always there?

Probably the prawns, I'd say, yeah,

living at the beach, for sure.

Let's go to Megs' house.

Megs, your prawns are uncooked.

Oh, yours are under.

Oh.

Megs, is it enough on an elimination day

to toast the crostini, whip some cheese on it

and then put the prosciutto on it?

Potatoes were lovely.

But the prawn -

it's kind of the hero for me on this plate of food,

and then you're just let down

because you can't actually finish them.

There was five.

One of them should have been for you, to test.

You did too much.

Your prawns -

that beautiful char that I'm sure you were aiming for,

it's just hard to get when you're grilling them in an oven.

Yeah.

Thanks, Megs. Thank you, Megs.

Absolutely gutted. I...I can't believe it.

It looked good on my bench.

I'm just really regretting not just making one perfect dish.

Damn!

Alita. You're next.

My not so humble apple crumble.

And then a caramel and Earl Grey ice-cream.

I love it. Thank you.

Miin.

I've made ayam percik - spiced coconut chicken -

with some herb rice - nasi ulam -

pickled cucumber and red onions on top.

ANDY: I would book a ticket to Malaysia to just try that there.

That is an experience.

Thank you.

SOFIA: Annabelle.

Wow. ANDY: Oh, OK.

I have made a miso banoffee pie.

The saltiness from that miso is what makes this.

Holy moly. Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Next dish we'd like to taste,

Emily.

(APPLAUSE)

EMILY: I gave it my all today,

and I'm just really hoping that the judges can see

that this dish represents my partner and our home.

What have you made?

This is my dish 'To My Mate, Shorty'.

So, it's this take on beef noodle soup.

It's a play on words for tomato and short ribs.

But also to my mate, my partner, Demi,

'cause she's shorter than me. (LAUGHTER)

I feel like the more you have to explain it, you know...

I just like making dad jokes

'cause my dad can't speak English,

so I gotta do it myself, so...

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Oh, my God, look at that.

POH: Emily, this dish resonates so hard with me -

like, how flavourful it is -

that I think I will crave it for the rest of my life.

You know, when you have a food memory.

It is stunning cooking.

For you to make all those noodles, sheet by sheet,

and patiently cut them as you were multi-tasking,

just...you're a gun.

Thank you.

SOFIA: And that broth is so, so delicious.

It's got amazing flavour and so much body,

but it's still really clear.

When you poured it, you could see the little fat globules

just sitting on top.

Every one of those on the tongue

is just flavour, flavour, flavour.

ANDY: It is so difficult to get that dish done in 75 minutes.

The short rib is perfect.

The noodles, mate,

I've never seen anyone try that technique in here,

let alone pull it off.

That is elite technique.

Is it my turn? Yeah, go for it.

Turn around. Oh!

I think that should be off. You take it off. And this...

Yeah! ..bye-bye.

Thank you so much.

Damn. I'm ecstatic.

Really happy to be safe for another day

because I feel as though they were actually in my house

and just having a good meal and a good yarn.

You're such a legend!

Thanks. Oh, my God!

OK, next up, Grace.

This tastes like home to me.

It's a long way to walk.

But because the judges have expressed some concern,

I've started to think, "Am I being weird?"

Is this something that only my family likes?

I just really hope the judges can keep an open mind.

So, Grace, what have you made?

I've made 'Holy Cow'.

The sauce is just a prawn reduction

and the steak is cooked in raw sugar.

Oh...

ANDY: Blackened steak.

I've never seen that or heard of that before.

Sugar steak. You guys are making me nervous.

That pickled my melon.

Everything, from the way that you described it

to how it looked French,

there were Asian flavours in there -

it was just like, "What the bloody hell is happening here?"

But it was delicious. Yes!

I was honing in on the steak

because when I saw smoke blooming

to the top of the ceiling,

I was like, "This cannot be good."

The steak is cooked beautifully.

It really is. Like, beautifully.

And I'm surprised how much

that caramelisation of the sugar on the outside

lifts the eye fillet.

Very delicious.

SOIFIA: It's funny because, looking at it, I thought,

"Oh, Thai beef,"

with all the garnishes on top of it.

But then, when I tasted it, it was, like, quite French

and umami forward.

I dig the Holy Cow. Great!

Holy Cow!

Yeah, bravo. Bravo, Grace.

I loved that.

Well done, Grace. Thanks, girl.

Yay!

For your first elimination, we asked you to make a dish

that gave us a glimpse of who you are when you cook at home.

Two of you really rose to the occasion.

Emily...

..that was elite technique.

Go and join Casper.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Bella, that mille-feuille - exceptional.

You can join the rest of 'em.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Unfortunately, the pressure of this elimination

got the better of a couple of you today.

If I call your name, please step forward.

Jackie...

..and...

..Megs.

Jackie...

..the duck was missing entirely.

Megs, the prawns, the star of your dish, were inedible.

Ultimately, it came down to what we could eat

and what we would eat again.

Which means, unfortunately, you're going home...

..Megs.

It was a bad day today. Yeah.

You really did just get unlucky on those prawns.

Could have happened to anyone.

I'm absolutely gutted, of course.

But I've taken so much. I've learnt from everyone here.

So, I just really wanted to thank you all.

It was everything I hoped and a million times more.

Megs, we've absolutely loved having you here

and we can't wait to see you open that restaurant.

But for now, Megs, it's time to say goodbye.

ANDY: Me first, Megs, come on.

It's not over till the fat lady sings.

Exactly. Well done.

(APPLAUSE)

Definitely heartbroken that I didn't get to stay longer.

I know I can cook prawns,

I know I can cook lots of beautiful things.

I think the worst part is that I didn't get to show them.

(APPLAUSE)

Extremely grateful.

This is a place where dreams are made of

and I had that for a short time.

(SHOUTS) Give it up for Megs, everybody!

(CHEERING)

ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night...

(EXCLAMATIONS)

POH: We'll be using serial today for the invention test.

(CHEERING)

ANNOUNCER: This MasterChef classic challenge

could be...

It is pretty out there.

..a 'cereal' killer.

What on earth have I done?

The bottom five dishes

will face an elimination.

Feels like it's all going wrong.

What the heck?

So, it's crunch time.

I'm in a bit of strife.

Captions by Red Bee Media