Original subtitles

VOICEOVER: Previously, on MasterChef Australia...

..the first mystery box was a familiar one.

MELISSA: This is the first-ever mystery box

from way back in Season 1.

And this time, there was so much riding on it.

ALVIN: It just takes the littlest sort of mistake

to sort of push you down to the bottom two.

Mel's choux pastry outshone all the Fans.

MELISSA: Look how shiny that curd is.

I want a lip gloss that shiny.

And for the Favourites, Aldo's cotoletta

conquered them all...

Perfetto.

..giving them both a chance at immunity.

Tonight...

MAX: I'm trying not to let myself freak out right now.

the patissier of pain...

..will send someone into a flap.

ALVIN: This has to be my sweet, sweet revenge.

SONG: # 'Cause you're hot then you're cold

# You're yes then you're no

# You're in then you're out

# You're up then you're down

# You're wrong when it's right

# It's black and it's white

# We fight, we break up

# We kiss, we make up

# You're hot then you're cold

# You're yes then you're no

# You're in then you're out

# You're up then you're down

# You're wrong when it's right

# It's black and it's white

# We fight, we break up

# We kiss, we make up

# You # You don't really wanna stay, no

# You # But you don't really wanna go-o

# You're hot then you're cold

# You're yes then you're no

# You're in then you're out

# You're up then you're down. #

Here they are.

DULAN: It's the first pressure test.

I feel butterflies in my stomach.

I'm up against three amazing cooks.

I just need to keep my head straight and keep my eye on the prize.

There are some seriously steely faces out there,

and I understand why,

because today is the first pressure test of the season.

And unfortunately, at the end of this cook,

one of you will go home.

(EXHALES LOUDLY)

Alvin.

No stranger to pressure tests. You've done a couple, right?

Three or four? Uh, four, I think.

Four? One sent you home, right?

Yep.

Julie, you're the queen of the pressure test.

What are you fearing the most that could come through those doors?

I'll tell you what,

if Adriano Zumbo walks through there with a croquembouche...

ALL: Oh... Imagine that.

..I'm going to flip a table and leave. OK?

(LAUGHTER)

Whoo!

The Zumbo croquembouche was terrifying.

Oh, shit. That was bad.

Oh... It's alright.

Shit!

What happened there? Only half came out.

That was 13 years ago.

It's been a long time and I am still petrified.

ALVIN: Julie, I'll join you.

He sent you home as well, didn't he? Yes.

I'll run out that door.

(LAUGHTER)

Well, let's get to it, because I can tell you

the person that's about to walk through those doors,

he's a legend of this kitchen.

His pressure tests are some of the most memorable

that this place has ever seen.

Please welcome...

..the sweet assassin,

the patissier of pain...

(LAUGHTER)

..the man that you two

do not want to see...

..Adriano Zumbo!

Oh, my God. Are you serious?

Let's go! Let's go.

(APPLAUSE)

(SHRIEKING)

You've gotta be kidding me! I'm sorry!

Mate.

(MELISSA LAUGHS)

I'm out. I'm out. I'm out.

Adriano, it's fair to say

that we're happier to see you than some of these guys.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

How does it feel for you to be back in the MasterChef kitchen?

Oh, it feels amazing. Yeah.

Lots of good memories. Yeah.

(LAUGHS)

Alvin, you've cooked not one,

but two Zumbo recipes in your season.

Yeah. How was that?

The second one was a V8 cake.

And mine turned out like a V6 road kill. So...

It was brilliant.

It was just brilliant.

Adriano, can I ask, how does what's under this cloche

compare to the difficulty of some of the crazy things

you've brought into this kitchen before?

Look, I think there's a lot more skill in this.

It's definitely next level,

and you don't have much space for mistakes,

so you've really got to focus and put all your grunt into this

to make it work.

MAX: A technical marathon, chocolate-based dessert

is something I'm sure Adriano has got up his sleeve,

and that is the worst thing

that could have happened to me today,

especially when I'm up against two Favourites that have done it a lot.

They've got a massive advantage.

Adriano, why don't you go ahead

and show them what they're going to be making?

Today, you'll be making my...

(FROM THE GANTRY) Oh! Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

Polly Want a Waffle?

ALL: What...?

It's a waffle.

Oh, my God.

You've got a waffle...

JOCK: So, Adriano, talk me through the dish.

Where's the idea come from?

So, the idea comes from Polly Waffle, the iconic chocolate bar,

and just a play on it, really.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Polly is a parrot.

Polly want a cracker?

So I just switched it. Polly want a waffle?

Oh, my God. JULIE: This is such a clever idea.

It looks like a parrot with its head stuck in a waffle.

He's a genius.

Alright. Should we cut it open? Yes, please.

Alright. Let's go. Let's do it.

Wow.

Ai-ya. Far out.

Look at the ooze in the middle.

Whoa.

Oh, my God.

I'm trying not to let myself freak out right now.

This dish is going to be so difficult to re-create.

ALVIN: Thank you.

We're in for a world of pain.

So, inside these waffles is the flavours of the chocolate bar.

(ALL CHUCKLE)

So, you've got the marshmallow,

and then we've got a layer of chocolate ganache.

And then I've added in a little bit of a berry jam to freshen it up,

make it light cut through all those different sweetnesses.

It's delicious.

The shells of the waffles are chocolate.

It's like caramelised chocolate.

And then the parrot is actually edible as well.

And inside he's flavoured like a banana waffle.

Wow.

As I'm tasting the dish, there's that sweetness of the marshmallow

that's offset by, I guess, the acidity of the berry jam.

But then there's a nice little, you know, crunch of the wafer butter

and a lovely little hint of the ganache.

So, it's a really nice play on all those flavours.

Julie,

is there something in there that's a little bit comfortable?

Are you looking at it going,

"You know, I'm OK with this, but I'm worried about that"?

I think I just have to break it down into its elements

and do one thing at a time.

I really feel like that jam, that's delicious.

I think that feels like a critical point to me

because it really does break down

all the other really, really sweet things that are in there.

You're spot on. Correct?

What are the other pressure points?

Getting the temper on the chocolate correct. Yep.

And then the layers.

Stick by the weights, get the correct weights.

It's really crucial.

And the textures as well.

DULAN: All those layers need to balance to have that perfect dish.

I reckon that's quite difficult, even though there is a recipe.

Alright. Listen up. Here's the rules.

You will have four and a half hours...

..to re-create Polly Want a Waffle?

ALVIN: Oh, my God.

The recipe and all the ingredients you need are at your benches.

And because Adriano isn't pure evil...

..he has made Polly's feathers for you.

Thank you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE FROM THE GANTRY)

The sense of relief. Yeah, it's good.

It's the first challenge off the rank, you know?

Gotta have a little bit of sympathy.

However, everything else is up to you.

The dish that least resembles Zumbo's...

..will send its maker home.

Zumbo,

would you like to do the honours? Yep.

Good luck, guys.

Your time starts now.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE FROM THE GANTRY)

Whoa. DULAN: Oh, my God. So many pages.

Look, I think the most important thing for all of us

is to not get into a flap.

And I quite easily get into a flap.

So, just breezing through and staying calm and don't get lost in anything.

SASHI: Nice work, Jules. Good work, Jules.

MAX: The first thing that we do in the cook

is actually to start working on the chocolate waffle shells,

which is where we need to get our chocolate to a tempering stage.

I need to combine two different types of chocolate in the microwave

until it's melted and then bring it down to a workable temperature,

which is around 28, 29 degrees.

Oh, God, this is tiring.

I need a massage. This is...

The last time I tempered chocolate was the finale of Season 1.

(LAUGHS) That went alright.

But, gee, it's been a long time between drinks. (LAUGHS)

JOHN: Work, Alvin.

The last pressure test that sent me home back in Season 2,

it was the tempering of the chocolate.

It took too much time and that's when it unravelled me.

I was on a good track in my season to win the competition,

and to be eliminated in the top six, it was so close, but yet so far.

Thanks.

Be good.

I have thought on several occasions

what would have happened if I'd won MasterChef Season 2.

And I guess, you know,

just looking at some of the previous winners here now,

how their lives have just changed in the food industry

with their restaurant business or, you know, like, catering business.

Whereas, you know,

as much as I still do the occasional cooking demonstration,

I just feel inadequate and it rattles me.

Oh.

JOHN: It's looking beautiful, Alvin. Go, Alvin.

Just keep mixing and mixing.

MAX: My chocolate's finally reached 29 degrees.

So, to get the covering of the chocolate waffle shell,

I need to fill the moulds completely up with that tempered chocolate.

Move it around so all the edges are coated.

Tap it, so bubbles are not in that shell.

Flip it over to drain it so the covering is not too thick

and then put them aside.

If your chocolate isn't actually tempered properly,

you're going to pour it in

and you're only going to realise that three hours into the cook,

this is, like, real pressure, real early.

Go, Dulan.

Come on, mate.

Oh, my God. This is like torture.

I'm just tired. Already.

DANIEL: Doing well, Alvin, mate.

As I'm tempering the chocolate,

I can't get the temperature of the chocolate right.

And I realised that Max and Julie were already in front of me.

Well done, Julie.

So I start to panic.

If I don't temper that chocolate properly, I could go home.

Don't worry, Alvin. You've got it.

It's just hit me that I'm in a pressure test

set by Adriano Zumbo.

All the negative thoughts come flowing back in

that you're not good enough.

And, you know, like, you can't compete. What are you doing here?

(SHORT, SHARP BREATHS)

Alvin?

Just take a second, if you need, man, have a drink of water.

This is a mammoth task, and I'm only at page one.

This is too much.

SASHI: Don't worry, Alvin. You got it.

Yes, Alvin. You got it, Alvin.

(SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT)

As I'm panicking, I hear this uproar of cheer from the gantry.

And that means so much.

You're doing well. We got you. We got you.

You're doing well, Alvin. Come on, Alvin.

It's a sign that they believe in me. You've got it, mate.

And it's just enough catalyst for me to sort of say, do you know what?

"Get your shit together."

(WHISPERS TO HIMSELF)

TOMMY: That's it, Alvin.

You're doing really well, man.

Yes! Come on, Alvin.

Come on.

Working quickly, I coat the waffle moulds with this tempered chocolate. That's it, Alvin.

And just...

..move on.

Alvin, you're good. Come on!

Adriano Zumbo sent me home 12 years ago,

and I will be damned if he sends me home again.

Good on you, man. You got it, mate.

So, this has to be my sweet, sweet revenge.

Alvin looks good.

Yay, Julie, your chocolate looks great.

JULIE: Don't panic.

So, my waffle shells are done,

and they're resting at room temperature.

Good job, Jules.

The next step is the jam.

It is acidic, it's fresh.

And so what it does is lighten up all the other elements

which are very, very sweet.

Oh, the berry smells amazing. Mmm. Smells so good.

(BEEP!) Shh!

So, I have to get this right.

Go, Julie! I'm ahead now,

nice and early in the cook. Good work, Jules.

So, if I can keep this up, I'm going to have plenty of time.

I'll have a nice smooth sail through today.

Come on, Dulan. You can do this.

(BEEP!)

It's not cooling down.

It's been 45 minutes and I'm still tempering chocolate.

Just keep stirring, mate. Just keep stirring it.

Well, that's adding heat to it as well.

I don't think that should take this long.

What are you at? 31 still.

That's fine. Keep stirring. Keep going.

The temperature is not dropping, so I know I'm a bit behind now.

Just need one more degree. It won't go down.

If I don't temper it properly,

I'm not going to get that texture or that thickness.

So I'm going to take my time with this.

Keep going, Dulan. Come on, mate.

Thanks, mate.

Good on you, Max, mate. Keep focused. You're doing well.

Strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant.

My waffle shells are essentially done and dusted.

They can be put aside.

I need to now move on to my berry jam, which is the first top layer

of the inside of those three waffles.

The berry jam is made up

of strawberry, raspberry and blackcurrant puree,

as well as dextrose and pectin.

JULIE: So, once the fruit and the dextrose have come to a boil,

I take it off the heat, I pour it onto a tray

so it cools down nice and quickly for me

and pop it into the blast chiller.

Doing well, Max. Thanks, brother.

Being at the back of the kitchen today,

I can look at the three cooks in front of me

and sort of place myself as to where they are in the cook.

I think I'm level with Jules,

so I just need to keep this energy up.

Start.

Dulan, you've got to work faster.

I'm still tempering chocolate. And finally it hit 29 degrees.

Yep. 29.

Yes, Dulan.

Let's go, brother. You need to motor now. Yeah?

Keep going, Dulan.

But I know I'm a little bit behind,

so I'm hoping I can just multi-task a little bit

and then catch up.

Yeah. Good on you, Dulan. Good on you, mate.

Go, Julie. Well done.

Chocolate,

almond butter.

Water, glucose.

Isn't it pectin that goes into the jam?

So, I've done the waffle moulds, I've done the jam,

and now I've got to get on with the chocolate ganache.

And I go back to my recipe...

Pectin!

Was that supposed to go into the...

..jam?

And I've realised that I haven't used pectin in my jam.

And that is potentially a disaster.

Can you get a new pot?

Shit!

Pectin is the ingredient in the jam that's going to make it set.

And it's a critical element in this dish.

The usual story.

And if I don't get the jam right,

I know that that's the end of the road for me.

Aah!

I know what I've done.

OK.

Pectin is what sets your jam.

So my jam won't set if I don't remake it.

It's not ideal to have to repeat a step.

This could put me behind.

Let's go with pectin this time.

But I know that if I don't repeat this step and make this jam again,

that I might as well just stop cooking.

I can't believe I did that. I cannot believe I did that.

I put everything out. I was so organised.

MAN: Jules, let's go.

So I just become more determined than ever to focus

and to not make any more mistakes.

And I just get back on the horse and keep on riding.

Yeah! Come on, Julie!

You've got it, girlfriend.

Whoo!

Bah!

Polly want a waffle,

but this pressure test is a cracker.

(LAUGHTER)

Two hours to go.

(CHEERING)

Come on, guys. Go, Dulan.

At this stage, I feel like I'm focused.

Self-doubt is quite insidious.

You let a little in and it just keeps coming in.

You just need to shut that door.

So I decide I'm going to block everyone out.

You're doing great, Alvin.

And it's just me and the recipe - tunnel vision all the way.

I've made the jam for the waffle,

so I have to start a caramelized passionfruit banana ball.

The mixture needs to go into a piping bag

and I pipe the caramelized passionfruit into the sphere mould

and then I freeze it in the blast chiller.

Nice work, Alvin.

What's Max making?

Is he past this step?

Yeah. He's way past this step.

Oh, is he? OK.

Good job, Maxie. Yoo-yoo!

So there's two hours to go.

I'm putting the passionfruit and banana centre

into the waffle mousse to create the body of Polly.

He's powering ahead.

And then I'm going to move on to page four,

which is marshmallow.

We all love a marshmallow.

The marshmallow is the centre of that waffle.

It's probably the biggest layer in there as well.

The recipe says to whisk this marshmallow mixture for two minutes,

until it's a really smooth consistency.

Bits jumping out, Max, or what? (LAUGHS)

It's like fish jumping out of the Murray, mate.

It seems to be looking pretty good.

It's pouring out quite nicely from that mixer.

Now it's actually time to start assembling these waffle shells.

I'm terrified.

He's just finished making the marshmallow,

and now they're going to pipe it into the waffle mould.

Let's do it, Max.

Keep chugging along, man.

JULIE: So these waffle shells have to be filled to the gram

with the right amount of jam.

Marshmallow, chocolate ganache.

It looks good, Jules. Yeah, it looks awesome.

And waffle batter.

Thank you.

I have to have this balanced exactly the way Zumbo had his balanced.

And if his recipe says that was 50 grams of jam,

then 50 grams of jam is what they're going to get.

So what I do then is to put some berry jam in between the grooves.

You're doing well, Alvin.

The next step is to pipe the marshmallow mixture

on top of the berry jam.

I have to work fairly quickly

because there's a pressure point here -

the marshmallow, if left too long, could set.

And if that happens,

it'll be really difficult to pipe out of the piping bag.

Good job, Alvin.

My marshmallow, it comes out smoothly.

It hasn't set, so...

Phew!

Nice work, Alvin.

Julie's in the same place.

Max has already done his,

and Dulan is about to start.

Keep going, Dulan, mate. Keep going.

You caught up heaps, yeah?

Yep.

Dulan is working hard now. Yeah, he is.

He's catching up. Go, Dulan. Keep focus.

"Pipe out 50 grams of berry jam between the grooves."

So far, I've got heaps of elements done

and I'm feeling really...pretty good.

Keep going, brother.

I've got to put all the layers into the waffle shell now.

When I just look around really quickly,

it seems like I've caught up to them as well.

Go, Dulan!

So it seems like I'm smashing through this.

Come on, Dulan. Come on, Dulan.

You're doing well.

Dulan looks like he's in a better place.

He's just picked up speed.

He's powering through.

He's multitasking.

That's it, Dulan, just focus now, mate.

But there's a risk in trying to go really fast in a pressure test.

You just have to be careful and find that balance between going fast

and making sure you get every single element right.

Hang on. What's going on here?

Yeah. I'm feeling pretty nervous about Dulan.

One of the things that he's doing at the moment,

which might let him down, is he's putting in the marshmallow,

and unlike others, he hasn't smoothed it out.

I'm worried that he might have tunnel vision here

and not realise that this could be so crucial

when putting on the other layers.

Oh, it's thick. It's thick. It's thick. It's thick.

Because you're not going to get a flat line

when you bite into this waffles.

MINOLI: Dulan!

Oh, no.

It's all about the 1%.

It's all about these little things that if they build up...

Personally, I wouldn't use that.

..it's going to end with a poor result right at the very end.

45 minutes to go.

(CHEERING)

Come on, guys, keep pushing.

Come on, guys.

DULAN: I still need to finish the last of the waffle layers.

The ganache. Yes.

Come on, Dulan.

So this basically goes on top of the piped marshmallow,

and I just need to flatten it out.

How are you, mate? Hey, guys.

How do you think that your... your layers are going?

Do they look a little...

It looks more Rocky Road than nice and flat.

The finishing wafer level should be like flush with the top. Yeah.

OK, push it down a little bit.

When we cut through it in the tasting room,

we want to see all those perfect layers.

OK. OK?

Yep.

So you have to get them absolutely perfect. Yeah.

There's no room for error. OK.

Righto. Good luck. Cool. Thank you.

Good luck, mate. Keep going, buddy. Keep going.

You got this, Dulan.

Andy and Jock said my waffle looks like Rocky Road.

Keep going, mate, shake off the doubt. Let's go.

Basically, it's a little bit bumpy.

It's not layered properly.

So it's making me quite nervous.

Dulan, keep rolling.

I'm still hoping that the taste will be enough.

JULIE: Now that these waffle shells are filled, the moment has arrived.

Oh, Jesus. I've got to turn them out now.

This is where things can go horribly wrong.

I'm nervous for her.

If the chocolate isn't tempered, the game is up.

The dessert won't hold together.

I'll be going home.

That's it, Jules.

Are you OK, Julie? No, she's dropping.

Julie, be careful.

Gentle, gentle.

If it breaks, there is no back-up.

It could be the end.

Oh...

Whoo! (LAUGHS)

JOCK: Come on, Jules!

Give it up for Julie!

(CHEERING)

My relief is enormous.

Come on, Julie.

Yeah!

(CHEERING)

You did it!

This could have been the thing that really ruined this cook for me,

and it's worked out.

Good job, Jules.

I hear this background sort of cheering.

(CHEERING)

Yeah!

(CHEERING)

Clearly, whatever they are cheering them for,

I have not done that yet.

(CHEERING)

So scary.

OK, Alvin. You've got this.

Do it, Alvin. Come on, mate.

You want it to be in one perfect shape.

You don't want it to crack.

Let's go, Alvin, mate. Alvin, be so careful.

Be gentle. Go easy.

You've got this.

Oh...

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

Oh...

You're almost there.

You just need to finish.

Thanks.

Thanks.

Yeah?

Those negative thoughts are coming through again.

Let's go, Alvin, mate.

I feel inadequate.

Yep.

I'm with you.

(INHALES AND WHIMPERS)

It's OK.

You got this, Alvin.

Go, mate.

Come on, Alvin. Let's go.

(SOFTLY) I can't do this.

Aw... I can't do this.

(APPLAUSE)

You've done the hardest part.

Right?

That's when I just have to take a deep breath...

..and continue on.

You've got this!

(CRACK!)

Nice crackly sounds. (GASPS)

And I hope my chocolate is tempered.

Okay, Alvin, you've got this.

You've got it, mate.

Oh.

(CHEERING)

Two more to go. Keep going, mate.

Yes! (CHEERING)

Go, Alvin.

Zen moment.

(EXHALES DRAMATICALLY)

Come on, brother.

(CHEERING)

Oh! I'm relieved. (LAUGHS)

It's nearly time to take flight.

10 minutes to go!

(CHEERING)

Keep going, mate. Keep going.

Keep going, brother.

I cannot believe how quickly the time is gone.

Waffle's done. That's a huge bulk of the dish.

I want to get the body of Polly coated and frozen

so I can actually start to construct Polly

with the feathers and the wings.

I take the frozen spheres out of the moulds...

Ooh, gorgeous, Max.

..and actually dip them in green coating of Polly's body.

Oh, Max.

Nice.

Nice, Alvin.

Go, Julie!

Yeah. Good, Dulan, mate. Keep the hustle. Let's go.

It has all come down to this.

Three minutes to go.

(CHEERING)

Let's go!

JULIE: There's only three minutes left.

I really wanted time to make this little parrot

look just like Zumbo's.

It's fiddly. I've never glued using chocolate before.

Jesus.

I can't believe I don't have this done already.

(SIGHS) I'm, like, forgetting.

I'm reading this and like nothing is going into my head.

Come on, mate.

Let's just say construction is not my strength.

That just looks wrong.

Oh!

I don't know why I'm struggling so much

to actually get these feathers attached.

I just need to clam them on somehow.

I need to glue them on.

However I need to get them. Get me some sticky tape.

I'll just wrap them up. That's how I'll present Polly.

Look at you go, Jules.

It seems to be going quite well.

And then...

(GASPS AND WHIMPERS)

Oh, Jules.

Oh, God. Oh.

JULIE: A wing falls off and the body, like, rolls away.

Julie, please.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

I actually think I mightn't get this done.

ANNOUNCER: Enjoy another taste of MasterChef

WOMAN: Look at you go, Jules.

WOMAN: Oh!

He just fell over.

Oh, Jules.

MAN: Ah, Jules. SARAH: Oh, God.

Oh!

JULIE: I've only left myself a few minutes to make this little parrot.

WOMAN: Alright, Jules.

Slow and steady. MAN: Slow and steady.

It's all good.

It's so important that this looks like Zumbo's dish.

I've just got to keep going.

No time to worry about what's happened.

I've got to just get it done.

You have one minute to go!

ANDY: 60 seconds! Come on! (CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

It looks like a rat with feathers.

(ALL LAUGH)

It's OK, Dulan. Have you seen mine?

(ALL LAUGH) You're OK.

I accept that my Polly now looks like a plucked chicken.

MAN: Good on you, Max, mate. Stay focused.

Beautiful, mate. Perfect.

MAX: If it wasn't hard enough to construct Polly in the first place,

these hands don't make it much easier.

(APPLAUSE) WOMAN: Come on, Maxie!

After 4.5 hours, here we go!

10!

JUDGES AND ONLOOKERS: 9! 8!

7! 6! 5!

4! 3! 2! 1!

That's it! (CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

Oh, my God!

Well done, guys.

Time's up, and I am spent.

This is an incredible moment.

Oh, man.

This bench was tidy not so long ago. (LAUGHS)

Done.

ALVIN: Time is up and I have a dish.

There's this huge sigh of relief,

but I don't think my dish looks very much like Zumbo's,

and that does concern me a little.

But I'm confident that I have all the elements there,

and I think - I hope - that's enough to save me.

Good luck, Jules. Good luck, Julie.

JULIE: I feel quite proud of myself.

I have dealt with the pressure of the Zumbo pressure test.

Julie.

I haven't let my nerves ruin my cooking.

Wow.

Julie, no stranger to a Zumbo pressure test.

Obviously you've been in one before.

How did this compare to the others?

The emotional impact of a croquembouche walking in

will never be surpassed,

but certainly this had a lot more going on.

Yeah, I think it was ramped right up.

Alright. We're going to test it.

Thank you, Julie. Thank you.

Thanks, Julie.

Alright. What do we think?

ADRIANO: I think it's a really good crack at it, you know?

What she's done, it looks amazing.

The waffles look pretty on point, you know?

Just a couple of little blemishes here and there, but that's about it.

I wouldn't fault it any other way. Until we taste it.

Alright, let's do the honours.

Let's get into it.

Hey...

Ooh, I'm looking forward to seeing this.

Ooh!

Well.

Hey! No way.

Have a look at that. That looks great!

Well, if that's anything to go by,

Julie Goodwin's got a lot left in the tank in this competition.

I think she's done herself so proud. I think she's done you proud.

The insides of the jam,

the marshmallow, the chocolate and the wafer bottom,

they were all really sensational balance-wise

and texture-wise as well.

It's spot-on for me. Yeah, I got to say...

Flavour of the jam's brilliant. Glad she remade it.

Yeah. Same. Smart move.

And the Polly bowl, it was delicate and just beautiful.

Mousse inside, gorgeous. Perfect balance.

Great flavour of passionfruit and banana.

The right sort of ooze.

It was identical to yours, that part, to be honest.

I'm pretty happy. Yeah.

Julie's a battler, you know? Since I knew her in season one.

And that's what these challenges bring out in people

is that natural just grunt to get through it and do it.

Absolutely amazing.

Yeah, you really do have to hand it to her

because that was 4.5 hours of craziness.

I'm in even more admiration of her now than ever before

for being that vulnerable,

but also putting up a really strong dish.

Should we get the next one in? Yes.

Yes, please.

Good luck, Max. Thanks, mate.

Looking down at my dish,

I do feel a sense of real pride and accomplishment,

but I don't know what's inside.

Max.

Hello, judges.

If one layer is too thin, another layer's too thick,

it actually throws out the taste of the dish completely.

So that has got me so nervous.

We'll taste, see how it goes. Thank you very much.

Cheers, Max. Thank you.

(CRACK!)

Nice crack.

Looks pretty good.

It's good. It'll be interesting to see if it tastes as good as it looks.

Looking forward to this one? Yeah.

I think, Max... He's had a good crack at that.

He's formed perfectly distinct lines of the waffle layering.

The jam's delicious,

the ganache is light, and a beautiful light layer as well.

Good balance.

Um... There are some problems.

Yeah. The marshmallow was a pretty solid let-down.

I also agree.

I think the marshmallow is definitely

more that rubbery texture.

You want it to be a little bit more ephemeral than that,

when it sort of disappears, and it doesn't.

But the balance of flavour is reasonably there.

So there are some really positive aspects to this particular offering,

and I think that Max is to be commended.

Yeah.

MAX: Good luck, Dulan.

DULAN: I'm actually quite proud of myself for what I've created.

But my biggest concern right now is the layers inside the waffle,

particularly that marshmallow layer.

Here he is. Hey.

I think the flavours are still there, though.

So I hope that's enough.

How was the last 4.5 hours of your life?

Oh! It was like a roller-coaster.

But hopefully it's there.

How did you catch up? Honestly?

Because you were half an hour behind only half way through the cook.

I was surprised myself.

Like, I was reading those recipes,

the pages kept on going and going.

But then I had to keep telling myself, "You came this far.

"Just... Just keep going. You need to finish dish."

We might tuck in, so thanks for that.

Thank you.

Thanks, Dulan. Thank you.

Let's do it. Crack it open, mate.

Let's have a look at it.

Ooh.

It's a bit rough.

Just don't look like the others.

Thick chocolate.

Um, I thought his chocolate work wasn't too bad.

Marshmallow's tight for me.

So is the jam.

I have to agree. Like, I think the waffles look amazing.

And I'm so happy that he got them there. Got them finished.

But, yeah, look, he's really sacrificed a lot of the inside.

Yeah. The layering inside the waffle, it tastes rushed.

I think for me as the eater,

it's very difficult when you can't experience

all of those layers and flavours together.

So it's not there for me because the balance is out.

DULAN: Good luck, Alvin. ALVIN: Thanks, guys.

As I'm heading to the tasting room, I'm feeling nervous

because it's not the prettiest dish.

I have seen what Julie produced, what Max produced,

what Dulan produced.

And they all look stunning, actually.

So I'm not sure if I've done enough

to keep myself safe in the competition.

Here you go.

Wow. OK.

Oh!

Have you had a chance to breathe yet?

Oh, still breathing, yeah.

Yeah? Good.

A lot of it today was the mental battle of "Can I do this?"

It's been sort of percolating for a while.

It's just coming in here and seeing the standards.

You know, like, for a self-doubting person to begin with...

Yeah, it's something I need to get over.

Well, we'll taste, and keep breathing.

Thank you, Alvin.

Thanks, Alvin. Thanks, guys.

Cheers, mate. Thank you.

It is a bit road kill-ish. Yeah.

That does not look like Polly. No, no.

Oh! MAX: Well done, Alvin.

Oh!

(CRACK!) Ooh, it's a lovely crack.

ANDY: Yeah.

Ooh. It looks pretty good too.

Nice layers.

Yeah.

Wow.

I think this is a brilliant effort by Alvin.

Have a look at the chocolate on that.

Like, it's mad. He's nailed it.

Like, absolutely nailed it. It's perfect.

I'm very impressed with the thinness of the chocolate around the waffle.

I'm very impressed by the body of the bird as well.

The flavour was really very true to yours, I think, Adriano.

The texture and the colour and the shine

and the flavour of the jam

is the same as yours.

Dead set. Spot-on. Yeah.

So I hope that he takes ownership in himself

being good enough to be here.

Alright. Let's get down to business.

We know how much this cook meant to all of you,

but at the end of the day, it comes down to taste.

Julie.

You balanced the flavours perfectly,

and your dish tasted just like Adriano's.

Congratulations. You're safe.

(APPLAUSE)

Alvin.

You let self-doubt get the better of you,

and your presentation lacked a lot of finesse.

But I'm here to tell you...

..that this Zumbo dish...

..won't be sending you home today.

Because despite what you went through,

you actually brought us dish of the day.

Congratulations. (CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

You're safe.

Thank you.

Max and Dulan.

In the end, this cook came down to, who handled the pressure the most?

Max.

Just like Polly, you put your head down and your bum up,

and that showed on the plate.

Dulan.

Unfortunately, you fell behind early in the cook.

And in order to catch up, corners were cut and mistakes were made.

And I'm sorry - that's why you're going home.

ANDY: Dulan.

It's been a blast getting to know you.

I loved it every single day.

I've learned a lot from the Faves and the Fans.

So thank you. Thank you. Mate, you did so well.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you so much.

I wish I could stay for a bit longer

because there's so much that I could learn from MasterChef.

But I'm not disappointed in me.

Keep chasing your dreams.

(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

It doesn't mean you're a bad cook.

You just had a bad day.

ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night on MasterChef Australia,

they're off and running on a team relay.

Good job, my man! Whoo!

OK. Tell me. What's the hero ingredient?

But will their communication cause them to fall before the finish line?

MINOLI: I have missed some crucial handover info.

This is not good.

Captions by Red Bee Media