Original subtitles

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

MIIN: What is going on?

DOT: Wow.

I'm seeing this, like, magical tree. (LAUGHS)

It's so beautiful,

and it's sparkling,

and it looks like I've walked into an enchanted forest.

VINNIE: So mystical.

GRACE: Oh, no, there's photos of us.

There's these little things hanging down,

and suddenly I'm like,

"Oh, there's, like, pictures in the tree.

"It's so cute."

Is it a family tree?

That is really sweet. (GASPS)

Wow.

(LAUGHTER)

EMILY: Oh, my God, Annabel, what the hell?

ANNABEL: Oh, what?!

CONTESTANT: Why are you doing that?

I'm blowing out birthday candles.

Get off my back!

JACKIE: Oh, you're so cute. AARON: So fat. (LAUGHS)

Oh! Triple chin.

CONTESTANT: Oh, my God. Is that Grace?

That's me. OTHERS: Ah!

Yeah, alright, I was cute.

Who is that?

That's me. Is that Grace?

JACK: It is so exciting to see all the other contestants'

families and little baby faces.

Baby Olaolu is the cutest.

Yeah, baby Olaolu is so cute! Look at you, little smiley boy.

Is that you? Yeah. That's me, yeah.

Did you have blonde hair? Yeah.

What?

I see my nan on there with me.

It's such a beautiful moment,

and people are getting very emotional.

Alyona! Oh, you're alright. Oh.

It's quite emotional.

MIIN: It's so amazing seeing everyone's photo's here.

DOT: Where are you? I'm over here.

The one going for the food. (LAUGHS)

ANDY: Who are these little cuties? Huh?

Oh, man, you guys are setting me off, too.

(LAUGHTER)

SOFIA: We're being inspired by nostalgia all this week.

Today, it's the nostalgia

of your cultural heritage,

your family's history.

Alyona, how important is your cultural background to you?

Oh, gosh. Um...

OK. Whew! I'm good just...

I think I've been disconnected from it for a little bit,

and, weirdly, in this kitchen,

I've been reconnected to my Russian heritage,

the sour cream and everything. (LAUGHTER)

I don't cook like that all the time,

but, um, I just, like,

feel so much more connected to my grandparents

and my father as well.

I know you can relate to that a lot, as well, Poh.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

I see my journey here, when I was a contestant,

as such a massive reclaiming of my culture

that did so much for me.

Lydia, tell us about your photo.

They're my grandparents.

Every photo is taken in front of a spit.

Absolutely. (LAUGHTER)

Literally.

Petro, you got a family spit?

Yeah, yeah, we got a lot of spits. Yeah.

Nice.

What's going on in the photo? Who have we got?

Ah, that's actually my dad, my grandfather,

his uncles and his grandfather, back in Cyprus.

And they're hand-winding the spit.

So they would all take turns.

Yeah, they went through a lot.

Just out of nowhere, they just started getting bombed on,

and they had to, um... They had to flee their homes.

(VOICE QUAVERS) And then, they came here as refugees.

So, it's always um...

Yeah, we've come up with a very strong...

Sorry. (LAUGHS)

I've got a bit emotional. Don't be.

GRACE: Everyone's crying, it's alright.

Join the club.

Yeah, they went through quite a lot.

Um, so it's a very special photo and, uh...

Yeah, I can definitely see

where my love of, um, spits has come from.

(LAUGHTER)

Dad got a gas barbecue for a month and then threw it out.

He was like, "Nah."

(LAUGHTER)

He was like, "I can't, I can't make this work."

Olaolu, you've shown us a lot of your culture already

in this kitchen,

but, like, what does it mean to see that family photo

on that family tree in the MasterChef kitchen?

Yeah. No, it's crazy because, um, you know,

my dad's in that photo.

He passed away a few years ago.

Sorry.

I started taking cooking seriously,

probably five, six years ago after he passed away.

So, he hasn't seen this side of me.

Seeing my dad's face in the kitchen, it was just

like a collision of worlds that I didn't realise

would have meant so much.

This is something that he would have loved to witness,

and I'd have loved for him to witness.

And it's sad that he's not here

to kind of just experience all of this.

So, um, it means...it means a lot that, you know,

it's up here and he's part of this somehow.

You and everyone out there,

like, you got to use that emotion today.

Like, this is such powerful stuff.

And when you're deciding on the dish,

and when you're executing the dish,

just have that feeling with you the whole time.

Yep.

Dot and Aaron, you won immunity yesterday,

so well done, you're safe.

You can head up to the gantry. DOT: Good luck, guys.

Following your family history

and discovering your ancestry

helps you to understand who you are as a person

and as a cook.

Today, we want you to bring us a dish that's inspired

by your family tree.

But remember, it is an elimination,

and the least impressive dish will send its maker home.

However...

..to inspire you to absolutely go for it...

..thanks to Ancestry, we'll be giving the top dish...

..$10,000!

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Oh, yeah. (CHUCKLES)

$10,000! Are you joking?

$10,000 for cooking a dish!

That is not what I expected, walking into the kitchen today.

Ten grand? Ten grand?

You have 75 minutes to cook a dish connected to your roots.

This is more than just cooking.

It's about honouring where you came from

and telling that story through food.

We want you to celebrate your family tree.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Guys, challenges like this

is what cooking is all about.

So, bon courage

because it's an elimination day today.

And bon chance because the ten grand!

Your time starts now. Come on!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Backs.

First thing that comes to mind

when it comes to my heritage

is halloumi.

It's one of the few things that we can call purely Cypriot.

Where is the milk?

Yoo! Yoo-yoo!

Wow, what a beautiful tribute to our contestants'

family trees and their ancestry.

I think one of the things that always fascinates me

about food is it punches across everything -

loss of language,

even a loss of a lot of the culture.

The food is the thing

that just keeps penetrating through all the generations.

So, I think we're going to see a lot of food today

that the contestants feel really strongly connected to.

OLAOLU: I love this challenge for Elimination Day

because my best cooks have been

when I've tapped into my heritage,

and I feel best when I'm cooking Nigerian food in this kitchen.

So, I'm making an efo riro with semo.

Efo riro is a stewed vegetable dish,

usually, like, spinach, so today I'm using silverbeet.

And semo is just semolina.

This is inspired by my family.

You know, my dad really enjoyed meals like this.

And so, it feels good to make it here, in this kitchen today.

I know I'm in the MasterChef kitchen,

and there's this certain degree of finesse

that this place demands,

but I don't want to jeopardise the heritage of the dish.

I look at the family tree, and I'm like, "You know what?

"I'm going OG. I'm going original."

So, today, I'm not holding back.

I'm making this dish how my dad loved eating it.

If there was an option

to come down and cook for the 10G

but risk your place in the competition,

would you do it?

I'd do it. Ooh! (LAUGHS)

Ah!

Sour cream, maybe. Do you reckon?

Of course. Sour cream?

It has to be sour cream.

Uh! Yeah, Patty!

Look at us.

Two wogs, mate, making doughs. Making pasta.

I'm making Cypriot ravioles

with halloumi, ricotta and mint.

This definitely comes from my yaya.

This is one of the first things

I remember making with her.

My Yaya Sofia is a really great cook, and she cooks

with a lot of love,

and she just wants to make people happy

and to feed people.

So, this is a really special cook for me today.

I really haven't done too many Cypriot dishes at all so far.

This is the first time,

so I'm kind of proud to wave the Cypriot flag today

and do something with a little bit of a modern twist.

AARON: Looking good, Petro.

How cool. That's so cute. Look at little Miin.

Baby Miin.

DOT: Come on, Miin! Come on, Miin!

Mate, we've seen it time and time again

in this competition.

You obviously have a really strong connection

to your ancestry. Yes.

Yeah? I think,

throughout the competition, I've been wanting to cook

and showcase Malaysian food and Malaysian food heritage.

Yeah. And that's what I'm gonna try

to do again today.

The dish I've decided to cook today is kiam chye ark,

based on my mum's family recipe.

It's actually a salted vegetable duck soup.

It's one of those dishes that is such

a big part of our family,

and particularly our Chinese New Year tradition.

So, it's duck and chicken,

mustard greens, sour plums.

There's also dry spices.

Typically, you would cook the soup for two hours,

but, obviously, we don't have two hours.

So, I will be using the pressure cooker.

Come on, Miin. Yep. Got it, got it.

How much time do you need it in the pressure cooker?

Oh, like 30 minutes. OK, get it on, yeah?

Yep, yep. You're coming up to 50 minutes.

Yep, yep, yep.

I'm gonna serve the kiam chye ark with noodles.

LYDIA: I'm actually loving this challenge

because this is exactly, um...

..the kind of food I really enjoy cooking.

I'm doing some stuffed onions.

Lock in, Em. Come on.

So, today, I'm doing my grandma's rendition

of a wonton herbal soup

that she used to make for me when I was sick.

CASPER: So, today, I'm making...

Basically, it's, like, our family's celebration food -

golden syrup dumplings.

I'm doing it with a wattleseed ice-cream as well.

We've been using wattleseed

in my family for, like, ages now.

We want to taste your story.

45 minutes to go!

(CHEERING)

I don't have a timer.

Hey, Grace. Hello.

Let's get into it. What's the dish?

I'm doing the Mr Wolf ice-cream sundae.

Right. Because, Mr Wolf is your parents' restaurant?

Yeah, back in the day. (LAUGHS) Nice. OK.

Mr Wolf is no longer... Yeah.

..but it will live in our hearts forever.

Through dishes like this. Yeah.

Is it the OG, in terms of the components?

Or have you like... It is. ..Grace-ified it?

No, it pretty much is OG.

Vanilla ice-cream, raspberry sorbet, chocolate sauce,

and a little biscotti.

Yeah. Love it.

You've just got to get, like, the components perfect.

'Cause it's so simple. It is.

Exactly. Yeah. It is. It is.

Yeah. I'm glad you know that.

Yeah.

This was the dessert that was on the menu

at my parents' restaurant when I was growing up.

We would eat there three nights a week.

For me, this is, like,

the most nostalgic thing ever to put in my mouth.

And I think if the elements and components are perfect,

I think it should be able to keep me out of the bottom.

I take the anglaise out of the blast chiller.

It's probably not cold enough,

but I need to hurry up

because I really need time to churn in the machine.

This is really pushing it.

I don't know if it's gonna set. (CHUCKLES)

I've told the judges...

OK. Yeah.

..I'm gonna be putting up an ice-cream sundae.

Oh, my God, that's crazy.

What temperature does your ice-cream have to get to?

Is it -30? Yeah.

And to give them that without the ice-cream

would be a huge fail.

Oh, my God.

I don't think my ice-creams are going to set.

I'm so worried about the vanilla ice-cream.

Look at this.

I haven't even done anything yet.

Look how thin it is.

I've told the judges I'm going

to be putting up an ice-cream sundae,

and to give them that without the ice-cream

would be a huge fail.

Could you plan B?

Basically, my ice-cream looks really weird,

and I'm really worried it's not going to set,

so I am going to make a little

backup thick custard instead.

AARON: Love it. Love it, Grace.

DOT: Alyona, you're doing good.

I'm making today my mum's and my grandma's

sour cream rhubarb pie.

But I'm making some ice-cream to go with it.

Sour cream? Sour cream in pie. Good.

And sour cream in ice-cream. Very good.

Doubling up on sour cream today.

PAT: Today, I'm making my grandma's tuna casserole.

So, I'm doing sesame-crusted yellowfin,

mustard and lemon veloute,

a sourdough crouton sitting on top and a herb oil.

You know, a really homely classic,

but still with that refined look.

So, that's the plan.

Looking good, Pat.

Today, I'm making a dish from Sicily,

and from my childhood as well.

It's a dish our family loves.

They're called impanate.

It's basically a Sicilian pasty,

so it's going to have some sausage, some veg,

cheese, chilli - really, really nice.

Farmers' markets and pasta are tradition in our family,

and so that's what I'm going to do today.

I feel like I don't really have

a very, like, rich cultural background.

I was, like, born in Australia, raised in Australia,

my parents are from Australia.

But when I think of my food heritage,

I just go straight to my mum.

My earliest food memories are of making pasta,

when I'm sort of, like, helping Mum.

She's the one that ignited that interest in food.

And I think of the farmers' markets.

and I think how much she just really,

really leant on fresh produce.

And so, I want to do a dish that sort of builds on that.

I'm going to do a corn agnolotti.

I'm going to be doing a tomato

and strawberry consomme to go with it,

and then, like, a really beautiful, vibrant basil oil.

I know that my ingredient choice

and flavour combination is quite brave.

I want it to be really fresh.

I want to taste the raw fruit in it.

I never want to go home,

but I guess, today, like, there's a lot of emotion

in the room today and a lot of feeling.

And so, I guess, like, going home on a dish

that represents your history and your family would just

be, like, devastating.

So, we're just gonna, like, cook with a lot of love today,

and hopefully, that will get me through.

AARON: Looking good, Lukey!

Oh, that's a lot of saffron, brother.

LUKE: I'm very excited for this challenge.

What a challenge. It's all about the family tree,

and I've got quite a big family tree,

given I've got four brothers.

And as if it wasn't good enough already,

they've thrown ten grand on top of it.

So, uh, this is a challenge I do not want to miss out on.

Hearing that there's $10,000 on the line,

I've gone from thinking I just want to play it safe

and stay out of elimination,

to I'm gonna take a bit of a risk today again

and see if I can actually put myself in discussions

for that $10,000.

Luke, I just saw you wrangling some occy.

Hey-hey. What is going on? Yes.

I'm gonna do my take on my parents' paella.

OK. The best bit of the paella

is always, like, the socarrat, the crispy bit at the bottom.

The crispy bottom rice.

But I'm thinking I want to cook the paella,

I'm gonna whack it in the freezer,

get it to cool really quickly,

and then sear that in a pan. Uh-huh.

So I just get, like, the crispiest bottom

you've ever seen.

And then, pile the seafood all up on top,

do, like, a charred capsicum-saffron aioli,

throw on some herbs, some lemon,

and I feel like it should be delicious.

It sounds delicious. OK. Thank you.

Have you made it before?

I've done Mum and Dad's paella before.

I've not tried this twist... OK.

But, uh, I feel like I can do it.

Today, I'm gonna try and spruce it up by doing

a sort of a deconstructed paella.

I've not done this technique before,

but I think I've seen it done online.

Good luck.

It's a bit of a risk, given that paella's a timeless classic,

but there's no point in playing it safe

because you're not going to win $10,000 playing it safe.

Today, I am making a take on my dad's pork ribs.

First cook without the immunity pin.

Look, I've been here before.

I've done it without the immunity pin, so I'm just going to keep going.

DOT: Looking good, Hannah!

Choppity-chop-chop!

My family have been sheep farmers,

so I'm gonna do shepherd's pie today, but elevated.

JACK: My nan, she always made me honey and lemon cake,

so I'm doing a honey semifreddo

with a lemon crumb,

honey tuile and a burnt lemon-honey caramel.

Oh, that looks beautiful, Jack.

ANDY: There is some good-looking stuff out there.

POH: Yeah. I'm excited. Same, same.

I'm feeling really happy for Olaolu today.

He's cooking a dish today that's making his eyes sparkle,

and I can see he's got clarity. Nice.

SOFIA: I love where Luke is at.

So, his family dish that...

They're known for doing these huge paellas.

But it's also the dish that I'm worried about.

I think he's got the right idea to try and MasterChef it up

a little bit, but as a result, he's sort of deconstructing it.

Oh. Yes.

It's either gonna, you know, put him towards the ten grand

or send him home if he really doesn't make it.

I'm excited about Miin's dish.

It's like a sour duck and vegetable soup.

Sounds delicious.

DOT: Come on, Miin! AARON: Go on, Miin.

Looking good.

My soup is in the pressure cooker,

so now I need to start on my noodles.

I'm making rice noodles.

It's actually based on Poh's recipe

that she made a few weeks ago.

Rice flour, tapioca flour,

boiling water.

That goes straight into the water.

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

No.

That's not going to work.

I tried to put it through a potato ricer,

and as I'm pressing it through,

it's just breaking apart as it's coming out,

so, obviously, something's not right.

Yeah, it's not coming together. I'm going to try it again.

We want to taste your family history.

30 minutes to go!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

DOT: Come on, guys!

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Let's go!

Cook with your heart.

MIIN: Yeah, I'm so frazzled.

Without these noodles,

100%, I'm going home.

Keep pushing, Miin.

Why is it not working?

(SIGHS)

Keep pushing, Miin.

Why is it not working?

(SIGHS)

Come on!

I've tried making two batches of noodles.

It's not worked out.

I have no idea what's going wrong.

I'm gonna try making a third batch.

I'm hoping this will work out better.

If I can't figure this out,

then I will have an incomplete dish

because I'm just serving soup.

Feeling alright. You never...

I don't feel good

until I literally go to bed that night,

and I'm like, "Alright, didn't mess that up." (LAUGHS)

My pasta dough is made.

That consomme is delicious.

It's enough umami -

salty, sweet.

It's got enough sourness in it,

and you can taste all of the flavours

that I want going on.

And my corn filling is ready to be piped.

Looking good, Annabel!

As a whole dish,

when you eat it, you just think of, like, fresh,

seasonal produce.

That's very much, like...

My mum would just be like, "Love it."

So, um, my stew base is going.

It's, like, nicely seasoned.

So, things are moving on that.

So, the stew base for efo riro is capsicum, onion

and scotch bonnet.

Like, Nigerian cooking is very maximalist.

You know, the more stuff you put in,

the better it's considered.

It's all about the flavour, you know.

It's about the depth in the flavour, with some

of the spices and ingredients,

the locust bean and the crayfish.

Nigerians, we always want to...

Like, meat's got to be in the dish somewhere.

The meat, I've gone for a chuck,

and I'm about to start making the semolina,

uh, in here.

I'm sticking to tradition.

I definitely want the judges to enjoy this food

the way I do at home,

and that means going in with my hands.

So, I want the semo to be, like, a really

good vessel, so that you can start to get

a handful and enjoy the efo with it.

This is going to be as close to traditional as I can get it.

PETRO: This is, like, my spin on the dish.

So there's no real blueprint.

I'm just going to have to trust my gut and trust my flavours.

So, for my version of Cypriot ravioles,

I'm making my ricotta from scratch.

And I'm thinking, with the whey,

I can actually make a tomato-butter sauce

to elevate this dish from a village dish

to a MasterChef dish.

I've really got to hone in and get that sauce

absolutely spot-on.

VINNIE: Opa! Opa! There it is. Opa!

All going everywhere! (LAUGHS)

AARON: Come on, Uncle Miin, come on!

This is my third time trying to get it done,

so, hopefully, I'll get it done properly this time.

But, yeah, I don't think I have time to make another batch.

POH: I almost guarantee you it's related to the water

not being hot enough.

It needs to be boiling water, straight into it.

I put the third batch of dough through the rice, I press it...

Oh, wait.

It's not working.

I have no time to try this again.

Pressure cooker has gone off.

I need to spend time balancing that broth

and finishing the duck.

I would have liked to allow it to sit in the broth

a bit longer, but I don't have time anymore,

so I just need to get everything done.

Come on, Uncle Miin!

(MUTTERS INDISTINCTLY)

Time is running out.

I decide I'm gonna cook rice.

At the very least, there's a carb element

to go with the soup.

Keep your eye on the prize, 'cause it's a big one.

15 minutes to go!

Come on!

I think it needs quite a bit longer than 15 minutes to set.

So, um, there's actually nothing I can do.

I'm working on this custard now.

Um, we'll just have to see.

LUKE: There's only 15 minutes left.

I need to get this paella in the pan,

whack it in the freezer, set it,

and I need that thing to cool as quickly as possible.

15 minutes to go, and I need

to kind of get my whole dish together.

I'm really behind time.

I need to cook my seafood.

I need to finish off the paella in a pan,

and I need to assemble it all.

So, it's a really big push here.

I don't know why I'm cooking three types of seafood.

It's a death wish.

Alright, come on, Luke, don't undercook your prawns, buddy.

Don't undercook your bloody prawns, champ.

How's your rice? How's your crispy bottom going?

It's good. It just needs to be fried.

OK. Yeah, I know.

AARON: Come on, Luke.

Pretty much just practising my exit speech at this point.

I'm pretty confident I'm going home.

It's not cooked. Damn!

Like, everything is just a bit behind where it needs to be.

And, yeah, given there's $10,000 on the line,

but there's also a black apron on me,

so I'm just really running out of time here.

DOT: Looks beautiful, Emily!

I'm making the longest noodle in MasterChef history,

I've decided.

LYDIA: Ow! It's hot.

Alright, one more and that's it.

Vinnie, it's smelling insane!

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Keep using your emotions!

Five minutes to go!

Allez! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

There's five minutes to go,

and my rice is still in the freezer.

It's not fully set, but I just don't have time to waste.

I sprint back to my bench, and just get the paella in the pan.

Why is that sticking?

I'm trying to check if the bottom is crispy,

and I realise I haven't used a non-stick pan.

I've used a stainless-steel,

and it's just completely stuck to the bottom.

It's not crispy, it's, like, slightly burnt.

This is turning into a dog's breakfast.

That didn't work at all.

Took a risk, didn't pay off.

This whole dish revolved around and was designed around the fact

that I was wanting the crispy rice.

And it's far from that.

So, I think I've already

put myself in a fair bit of trouble with that.

I've had a few scares in the kitchen already,

but this is the first one

where I'm seriously thinking to myself, "This could

"be the end of my time in the MasterChef kitchen."

Give it everything you've got. Two minutes to go!

SOFIA: Let's go!

DOT: Get it on the plate, guys.

GRACE: Oh, my God.

At this point, I'm thinking,

"How will I plate this custard?

"Like, how am I going to reinvent this dish?"

And then... (BEEP)

Oh, my God. AARON: Did it work?

It just beeped. Yeah, girl!

It's going to be done. (LAUGHS) You did it.

That is music to my ears.

I'm so relieved.

Now, I can serve the ice-cream,

I can plate up the dish how I wanted to...

Um, yeah, I'm really happy.

JACKIE: Oh, it smells so good!

We are wrapping it up in ten...

JUDGES: Nine, eight,

seven, six, five,

four, three, two,

one! That's it, everybody!

How did you go?

ANNABEL: Oh, I don't know.

That was tight. Certainly was.

(CHEERING)

SOFIA: Behind us is your family tree,

and, today, we asked you to make us a dish

connected to your roots.

We're looking for the top dish for a huge prize,

$10,000, thanks to Ancestry.

But unfortunately, the bottom dish will be going home today.

First dish we'd like to taste belongs to Olaolu.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

OLAOLU: Today, I'm definitely thinking of my dad,

especially, because he's not here to witness it.

So, I've gone OG with this recipe,

and it's smelling so good.

It's taking me back home, and I'm excited.

I'm ready to kind of share this with the judges,

and I hope they like it.

Mate, there is a pep in your step.

I've never seen that walk down to the tasting table before.

Yeah, it felt good to cook this dish.

Olaolu,

what have you made?

I've made efo riro with semo.

What inspired you with this dish?

So, this dish is one

that, when I was younger, I wasn't that crazy about,

but my dad loved to eat it, and now I really do like this.

So, are you supposed to take some of your semolina...?

Yeah, with your hands.

With your hands, that's what I thought.

I'll tell you something.

I don't like sticky fingers, but I'm going to do it now.

You're not going to see me doing that many times in my life.

I absolutely...

..love it.

It is superb!

Incroyable.

Everything is seasoned perfectly.

But what is amazing is what you did with this.

The semolina is quite natural.

That's very clever.

If that was seasoned, it would not be the same effect.

So you've got balance.

It is just amazing. It's, like, magical.

(CHEERING)

It's amazing!

Nigerian food has spice, it has sweetness,

it has funk, and this feels like the first time

you really haven't held any of that back.

Mate, the dish, for a stew,

like, it's got so much freshness and brightness.

I was not expecting that.

Everything still has texture,

but more importantly, everything still has flavour.

The Scotch bonnet is just ringing

throughout the whole dish.

And then the beef, that's the thing

that is cooked to perfection.

It's starting to melt in your mouth,

and you combine that with your little flex,

your little secret, like, Nigerian MSG,

the dried crayfish, and we are on!

Like, far out.

Well done. Go on, strut off, strut off.

Thanks.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

I've made myself proud,

I feel like I've made my dad proud,

and it means a lot.

Next dish we'd like to taste is Jackie's.

JACKIE: Today, I've made

a take on my dad's sweet, sticky pork rib

with a shallot flour bun,

and I've also done a cucumber pickle.

Those ribs just melt in your mouth,

and they have that beautiful sort of sweet char siu,

caramelly goodness running through all of it.

You should be super proud of yourself.

Casper!

(CHEERING)

CASPER: I've got my nan's golden syrup dumplings.

We've got the wattle seed ice-cream there.

We've got, like, a walnut and ginger crumb.

Can we eat it, please? (LAUGHS)

Easily the best golden syrup dumplings I've had.

Easily.

Emily!

EMILY: I decided to make my grandma's rendition

of a wonton herbal soup.

Hee-hee!

The noodles are amazing! JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Oh, yes.

I think some of the best noodle work

we've seen in here.

Next up, Vinnie!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

VINNIE: I've made a Sicilian impanata

with a salsa verde.

Oh, yeah. Happy with that? Oh, now I get it.

I get it, I get it.

Vinnie, I think this dish is representin'!

It packs Sicilian punch.

Hannah, please.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

HANNAH: I have made you shepherd's pie.

Yeah!

Yeah, in the MasterChef kitchen!

(LAUGHTER)

Deep, rich flavours in that ragu.

Just does exactly what it needs.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Thank you.

Next dish we'd love to taste is Miin's.

MIIN: Everyone has cooked well today,

so I feel nervous because I haven't

cooked what I intended to cook,

and then not being able to make the noodles

meant I didn't spend enough time

on the duck and the soup.

Miin, what have you made

and how does it connect you to your family tree?

I've actually made my mum's kiam chye ark.

So initially today I wanted to serve it with noodles.

Unfortunately, the noodles didn't come together,

so I ended up cooking rice to go with the dish.

Shall we dive in? SOFIA: Yeah, divvy up.

I've noticed you've cooked your duck legs

under 30 minutes.

Do you think that's enough?

Uh, should be.

Should be?

(EXHALES)

Are you happy with that?

No, it should be more tender.

More tender?

Miin, the broth is unbelievable.

You can really enjoy all the spices.

Now, I think you guessed the meat is a little bit under,

but my concern is not just that.

The meat is also unseasoned.

Miin, I think I did miss the noodles a little bit.

Yeah.

And even though you have balanced

the broth beautifully to have on its own,

once I have it with the rice, it tastes quite bland,

so you just have to inject it with way more flavour.

I think there's a few flaws, mate.

A - I don't think the rice should have been there.

B - I think the broth needed much more oomph

and time in the pressure cooker.

And C - the duck, it's dry.

So I'm a bit worried for you, unfortunately.

It's alright. Thanks, mate.

Thank you. (APPLAUSE)

What a shame.

Obviously, I am so disappointed.

I'm feeling that I may be in trouble today.

The next dish we'd like to taste belongs to Petro.

(CHEERING)

PETRO: Today was a very emotionally-charged cook,

but I think my Yaya Sofia

would be extremely proud of this dish.

It's such a great representation of Cypriot food

and also what modern Cypriot food can be.

Petro, what have you made?

I made Cypriot ravioles.

The filling is grated haloumi, ricotta, fresh mint, dried mint

and some cracked pepper.

Growing up, my yaya would make this dish

and it's one of the first memories

I can remember making food with her.

So she's left a big, big impact.

Shall we divvy? POH: Yeah.

Uh, Petro, I think if there's kind of one word

that could describe that photo,

that dish,

it is boss.

Absolute boss.

It really does give us a sense of who you are

and where you've come from,

and I think that was really important today

to convey that through your dish.

I know how much you wanted to highlight haloumi,

which you've definitely done.

It gives this real salty richness to the dish.

Um, and then using the whey as a form of acidity,

freshness from the mint

and then rounding it off with butter,

it's really smart

and you've balanced this dish perfectly.

Top stuff, mate.

Petro, I love how this dish tastes like

it is really tied to your Cypriot roots.

I love that interplay of the dairy with the mint.

It just makes it such a refreshing dish.

I think it's a really beautiful take

on something that's really personal to you.

You've done a great job. Thanks, guys. Thank you.

(CHEERING)

I would never have picked this for today -

you know, elimination, just trying to stay safe -

but now I feel like I could be in the running

to win the 10,000.

Next dish we'd love to taste is Annabel's.

ANNABEL: I am going out on a bit of a limb today.

Strawberry and tomato - not always

your most straightforward flavour combination.

It makes sense in my brain.

I hope it makes sense in theirs.

Annabel, tell us what you've made today

and how it connects you to your family tree.

I have made a corn agnolotti,

a tomato and strawberry consomme

and a basil oil.

We don't have, like,

a super deep-rooted family history.

We don't have a lot of, like, tradition

that goes super far back,

so my mum has worked extremely hard

to create that for us.

I can't believe how clear you've got that consomme.

And I'm just so curious to see

what flavour you managed to pump into it.

Shall we eat it? Yeah.

I love this dish.

It's just

all these little surprising pops of flavour.

So you have managed to squash tons of flavour

into this consomme.

It's got the slightest hint of the strawberry.

It's just really, really beautifully balanced.

Lovely acidity, lovely amount of sweetness.

And then you bust into those agnolotti

and you've got that beautiful silky sweet corn.

It is such a surprising plate of food

and you should be incredibly proud of yourself.

This is your legacy. Well done.

Annabel, this is amazing.

You came up with something very simple,

very fresh, very colourful,

and not easy to reproduce.

Well done to you. I absolutely love it.

Thank you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

The fact that I was able to put up a dish

that was really like a tribute to my mum,

oh, it's just like the nicest feeling ever.

I'm definitely going to give her a call

and just be like, "Thank you so much."

Well done. Thanks.

Alyona.

(CHEERING)

ALYONA: I made a sour cream rhubarb pie

with...sour cream ice-cream.

POH: I don't think it's kind of

reinventing the wheel too much, you know,

but really admire that your medium of choice

remains sour cream.

Pat.

PAT: I've made for you Grandma's tuna casserole.

Bet it didn't look quite like that.

(LAUGHTER)

No, I've taken inspiration from the flavours.

Pat, I think it's under-seasoned.

The tuna, I think in particular,

just needed like just a whack of salt.

Jack.

JACK: Today I've done a honey semifreddo

with a lemon crumb, a honey tuile,

and a burnt lemon honey caramel.

The dish is definitely too sweet.

Yeah.

Lydia.

LYDIA: I have made stuffed onions,

also known as yemista in Greek.

I think I would have liked the onions

to be a little bit softer.

Next up, Grace!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

GRACE: This is such a simple dish.

The flavours are all classics.

And if you are putting up such a simple dish,

it has to be perfect.

Grace, what have you made?

I made the Mr Wolf ice-cream sundae.

So I've done a vanilla bean ice-cream

and a raspberry sorbet,

a chocolate sauce, and an almond biscotti.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: OK.

I think this was an interesting choice.

I think this was an interesting choice.

You know, because, like, it's a vanilla ice-cream,

it's a raspberry sorbet,

it's a chocolate sauce and a biscotti.

And so, really, you needed to make

one of the best vanilla ice-creams

I've ever had.

I would have loved if you just went, like,

probably another third on top with the vanilla bean.

Um, and it has melted quite quickly in that,

so I feel like there's a technical error

in there somewhere.

Those simple dishes, you just have to, like,

blow us away with how much you hit the nail on the head

with each and every element,

and I think that these have just fallen short.

Thanks, Grace.

I think I dropped the ball a little bit today,

especially with a dish that means so much to me.

So I'm definitely starting to be concerned.

Next up, it's Luke.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

LUKE: Swinging for that $10,000

could have actually cost me my place in this competition.

The paella isn't properly cooked.

I'd like to think the flavour is nice, but I just don't know.

Luke, what have you made us?

I have made you

the Harris family version of a seafood paella.

Luke...

..you've made risotto.

Probably because it's missing that crispy bottom.

Like, that IS paella.

There's a lot of flavour in there.

You've definitely jammed it full of flavour,

but for me, all your seafood is a little bit over as well.

And I think because the pan trick

and the freezer trick

and whatever you tried to do to get a crispy bottomed rice,

I think you ended up putting so much effort into that

you probably took your eye off the ball

in other places a little bit.

(SIGHS) Lukey, um,

if you're going to deconstruct a well-known dish,

it has to be better.

And you know what?

To cook a paella really well the traditional way

is not actually easy.

I think your best foot in this kitchen

is putting forward, like,

this kind of creative lens

that no-one else can think about.

But I think where it's tripped you up is exactly that.

Paella didn't need that creative lens.

It needed to be the perfect version of a paella.

I'm a little bit worried for you.

Thanks, Luke. Thank you.

$10,000, it's gone out the window.

I think the only thing I'm thinking about now

is keeping my spot in this competition.

I'm definitely nervous.

I truly do think today was the day

I have fully flown too close to the sun.

Today was an emotional one in the MasterChef kitchen.

We asked you to dig deep,

honour your roots

and show us why cooking runs through your veins.

Now, we're looking for a top and bottom dish.

For the top,

there is a $10,000 prize.

(WHISTLING)

Deciding was no easy task

because there were several dishes

that truly deserved it.

But there was one dish we kept on thinking about.

Congratulations.

You're $10,000 richer...

..Olaolu!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Aww, they're so happy for him!

OLAOLU: I can't believe what's happening.

It's a great day to do my best cook so far.

I've made myself proud

and I've definitely made my family proud.

Unfortunately,

today there were four dishes that missed the mark.

If I call your name, step forward.

Miin.

Jack.

Luke.

Grace.

We chose the dish that showed

the least technique,

which is why you're going home...

(EXHALES)

..Miin.

Sorry, mate. It's OK. It's OK.

It's OK. I'm so sorry, Miin.

OK.

We are sorry to lose you in this competition.

You've been absolutely fantastic.

Pat, you're good mates with Miin.

What did you love about having him here?

It's really tough.

He's taught me so much. Amazing man.

He'll be a best friend for life.

Miin, it's really tough saying goodbye,

but unfortunately the time has come.

Thank you.

Well done, Miin. Bring it in, mate.

Mate...

Obviously, I'm very sad.

I tried my best,

and today my best just wasn't good enough.

It's probably one of the best experiences of my life.

I've met so many amazing people here.

I think I've made lifelong friends here.

It makes my life richer, so much richer.

Give it up for Miin, everybody!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

I think my wife will be looking forward

to having proper meals again when I get home!

VOICEOVER: Tomorrow night...

It's the team relay!

(CONTESTANTS GROAN)

Aw, here we go!

LYDIA: That's enough to strike terror into anybody.

Here we go!

VOICEOVER: Strap in, because this classic challenge...

Oh, my God. This is wild!

..will test their communication...

You cannot say "situation"...

Sorry. ..in a 30-second handover.

That is not clear.

Yeah, love it. Well done, mate.

Argh!

Just like going in one ear, coming out the other.

..and how they cope