All language subtitles for MasterChef.S19E01.1080p.WEBRiP.x264-DARKFLiX

MasterChef is back...

Boom!

..with 45 of the country's
most ambitious home cooks.

Ah!

Stressing.

Each week, nine will battle
for a coveted place

in the quarterfinal.

Oh! Oh, my God.

Stress. Stress. Oh!

I can't believe it!

Chronic!

I absolutely love it.

Eh! Dib dab. That's fab.

Only the strongest will make
it to the final challenges

and the culinary adventure
of a lifetime...

It's all about the speed now. OK?

Phwoar! It's a piece of art.

Cheers.

Whoa!

We need to pick up the pace, please.
..as they compete for the title

of MasterChef Champion 2023.

We want passion, drive, ambition.

We want beautiful food.

Let the culinary battle commence.

It's early morning, and the first
nine home cooks in this year's

competition arrive
for their MasterChef audition.

I'm full of excitement, nerves.

I've dreamed of being in
the MasterChef kitchen since,

I think, I was 11 years old.

I don't know how I'm going to be
able to sort of cope under pressure.

But we'll see. I'm here for it.

I'm very competitive. I love
throwing myself into the deep end

and testing myself.

That's when you learn more
about yourself.

You grow.

So, yeah, I'm taking
this competition seriously.

Hello. And a warm welcome
to the MasterChef kitchen.

Who knows?

This could be the start
of an amazing adventure.

Your chance to show us
your culinary genius.

This we call the audition round.

You've all brought in your own
ingredients, and we've asked

you to take a family favourite
and make it MasterChef worthy.

You'll be cooking for Gregg and I,
but we will not be watching you.

We'll be in the dining room
tasting your food.

We can only judge you
on that plate of food.

When John and I have tasted
every dish,

we will choose our three
favourites.

And the cooks of those dishes
will get themselves an apron and go

straight through to the next round.

The six of you that are left
will have to cook again

for four remaining aprons.

You'll have 1 hour and 20
minutes to cook your dish.

And our MasterChef floor manager
will be keeping you to time.

We wish you the very best of luck.
We'll see you soon.

Wow.

This is crazy. Absolutely crazy.

I'm very much looking forward
to this. Yeah, me, too.

What do we got? Exciting.

Breathe, Vanessa. You all right?
Yeah. Breathe.

Essentials, you know?

LAUGHTER

I think there's a few nerves in
there, but nervous energy is good.

There's a lot of emotions
running around.

My hands are shaking a bit.

I just want to get stuck in.

This is very much like a
restaurant experience.

All we care about is the plate
that's delivered in front of us.

I'm fairly confident.

I would never say I'm overconfident.

I've got four daughters
saying, "Come on, Mommy!"

Mate, seeing the aprons
in real life,

I could literally walk away
with one of those today.

Crazy stuff. Absolutely crazy stuff.

The contestants will cook
in groups of three and have

one hour and 20 minutes to make
their family favourite

MasterChef worthy.

I'd rather go later than first,
I think.

Yeah, me too.

Oh, no, I wish I was just first up
to get it all out the way.

Yeah, absolutely.

I'm feeling a bit nervous,
but I'm good.

I'm ready to cook. I'm good to go.

First up will be 30-year-old
accountant Terri from Warwick,

who grew up in Northern Ireland
and found a passion for cooking

at a young age.

I first started getting
into cooking when I was about five.

My dad was a chef, so, yeah,
he first taught me how to cook,

making pancakes on a Saturday
morning and that kind of thing.

But, yeah, he died when I was quite
young, so I've never had the chance
to cook for him.

But I spend a lot of time
kind of cooking for, you know,

for my family, for my partner.

It's, you know, it's a big
part of our life.

Terri's got crab tortellini
with a fish and saffron veloute,

served with chive and parsley oil,
garnished with rainbow trout caviar.

That's a family favourite? Wow.

So a crab pasta is something I eat
with my family on, like,

a Friday night.

It's very much, you know, a
shop-bought pasta with a tin

of crab on top. So, hopefully, this
will stand miles apart from that.

This is a very ambitious dish.

She's got to make sure
that her pasta is really fine

so that when the ends of
the tortellini join up,

they're not too thick.
I'm not a pasta master.

It's a bit of a risk,
but hopefully it'll pay off.

It's most certainly a skill.

This isn't working at all, is it?

Ah!

I've got my pasta stuck in
the machine. Just trying to get

it out now before I can start again.

Stress. Stress. Absolutely.

Fingers crossed we will have pasta.

Are you all right, Matthew?
Yeah, not too bad.

Trying to do as much as I can
as possible within the time

that we've got. How are you looking?

It could be better.
You've got this.

33-year-old Matthew is
an IT project coordinator

from Wolverhampton and comes
from a Caribbean family

where Jamaican flavours
are at the heart of the household.

When you taste a certain
Caribbean food, it's nostalgia.

So it just gives you that memory
of being a young kid,

having the family around.
It's a party in my mouth.

I just feel it in my soul.
Like, "That is it,

"I can taste it."

What we've got here is a real
Caribbean classic.

We've got ackee and saltfish. It's
a dish that's close to my heart.

My grandad always used to make it.

This is the ackee, and it's a fruit,
and this is what makes the dish.

With coconut and lime rice.

Going to need a dustpan
and brush here.

HE LAUGHS

Fried dumpling. Hmm!

And mango.

It just screams Caribbean sunshine.

I like to incorporate a bit
of spice. Sweet tomato.

The judges will be dancing after
this, or going Carnival.

HE LAUGHS

Next up is 41-year-old
Malaysian-born Woei...

I'm sweating at the moment.

MATTHEW LAUGHS

..who works as a supermarket manager

and lives in Bristol
with his wife and daughter.

My daughter is my biggest
food critic.

She's, like, very honest.

And if she would say, "Oh, it's very
spicy," I will cook it again

to get the flavour and the balance
right, until she say,

"It's good, Daddy."

Woei's dish sounds to me
like a deconstructed curry.

Turmeric and chicken roll, served
with a tomato sauce and basmati rice

and tempura curry leaves.

Never had that before.

It's a dish I cook a lot,

but it's very rustic,
very, very comfort food, as well.

What I'm trying to do is just take
everything apart and make

it like...fine dining.

You roll up a piece of chicken -
that means in the middle's

got to be cooked
all the way through.

This should be awesome.

We will see.

Getting somewhere. Sorted out my
pasta machine issues, hopefully.

Terri, you've got 15 minutes.

A little bit up against it for time.

Just trying to get the right amount
to fill in so they can taste it.

So I just need to get them on
the plate now and I'll be happy.

Terri, that's time.

Oh, good luck. Thanks, guys.

Oh! That looks incredible.
It looks amazing.

Hello! Hello.

Whoa.

Accountant Terri's audition
dish is crab tortellini,

served in a
fish and saffron veloute,

with a parsley and chive oil,

garnished with cress
and rainbow trout caviar.

Your pasta is thin.

The filling of the crab
inside is good.

And those salty trout caviar
are lovely.

But you can be a bit bolder
here, I feel. OK.

Definitely that sauce needs some
more seasoning in it, but I think

a lot of skill in here.

I like your ambition a lot.
I really do.

Thank you.

I like the mellow flavour of fish
that's coming from your veloute.

And also a little bit of subtle
saffron.

I think this tastes very good.

Terri, it's a good start.
A really good start.

Thank you. Thank you. Cheers.

That was intense.

I'm feeling a bit like this is all
an out-of-body experience.

Elated. Emotional. Yeah, everything.

I hope John and Gregg appreciate
the effort I'm going to

to make these fried dumplings.

HE LAUGHS

Matthew, you've got five minutes
until you need to serve up.

Perfect.

Well, not perfect, but...

HE LAUGHS

For Jamaican cuisine, it is posh.

You've not seen anything like it.

Matthew, that's time up.

Yep.

Whey!

I can't actually believe
I'm actually here.

IT project coordinator Matthew
has served ackee and saltfish

with coconut and lime rice,
fried dumpling

and an onion tuile,

finished with
mango and coriander puree.

Matthew, that is the prettiest
and the smartest ackee and saltfish

I've ever seen.

That tastes fantastic.

Coriander, chilli, the saltfish,
the ackee is slippery and beautiful,

but it's that almost sweet dumpling
biscuit at the base that holds

it all together.

And then you put a little bit
of that mango on there, as well,

giving it almost like
a ketchup sweetness.

There is absolutely nothing
would stop me demolishing that plate

and asking for another one.

Oh, my gosh.

I'm really impressed.

Your rice is cooked beautifully
in the middle.

You've got the sweet red peppers
and sweet onions running through it.

This is the best ackee
and saltfish I've ever eaten.

Oh, my gosh.

Ever.

It's fantastic.

I do not know what to say.
I do not know what to say.

Like, I've dreamed of
moments like this.

Thanks, Matthew, very much indeed.
Thank you very much. Cheers.

Oh, my gosh!

Early days, I know, but I'm
desperate to see what else

he can do now.

I made the best ackee and saltfish
ever on MasterChef.

That's made my year.
Absolutely made my year.

I'm happy. They're holding
in to the shape.

I'm going to pan-fry it
and do a skin that's crispy.

Woei, you've got five minutes.
Under control. Don't worry.

The sauce is done.

Hopefully don't blow John
and Gregg away with the heat.

HE CHUCKLES

There's the rice with the butterfly
pea flower water,

which is like a natural
blue colour on it.

Woei, mate, you've got 30 seconds.
We need to move, please.

To win an apron,

supermarket manager Woei has cooked
chicken marinated in turmeric,

served with a tomato
and chilli sauce,

blue basmati rice
and tempura curry leaves.

I love that sauce.

Rich and buttery, sweet with tomato,
nice chilli heat running

through the back of it.
That's great.

The thing with the curry leaf,
it's nice and crispy,

but because they are curry leaves,
they stay quite greasy.

Your rice is wonderful.

It's really light.
It's really fluffy.

I have issues with this chicken.

There is a pink tinge
inside my bits of chicken,

which are putting me off.

They're undercooked.

Not all of it, but enough
to make me uncomfortable.

A lot of stress in there.
So, yeah, I'm glad it's all done.

You have to learn how to take
criticism, as well.

Resilience is the most important
part of life.

Back in the kitchen,

the next three competitors are under
way with their audition dishes.

Ooh! Watch your eyebrows.

Perhaps I should watch mine.

SHE CHUCKLES

Mum-of-four Geva is a local
government councillor and lives

in the Scottish Highlands
with her husband.

Right, that's that.

My love of cooking really began
when I met this very tall,

6'7" man with blue eyes
who was to become my husband.

And he told me he liked
puddings and cakes.

And I thought, "Right, well,
I've got to learn to cook."

And that's what I did.

Geva is definitely taking us
to Scotland with this dish.

We've got haggis, neeps and tatties.
Rather than the traditional

neeps and tatties,

I'm going to give Gregg and John
a present.

So it's going to be in a parcel,
wrapped up.

And then it's going to be served
with a hollandaise sauce.

That could work for me, because
I like a sauce with my haggis.

When the children were younger,
I did cook this dish quite a lot.

And then one night I woke up
and I thought, "Actually, I know

"what I want. I want hollandaise
sauce to cut through the richness."

My husband said, "You can't do
hollandaise sauce with haggis."

I said, "I can."

And here we are...

..hollandaise sauce
made in the microwave.

Right. 600ml.

Also competing for an apron is
36-year-old anti-piracy manager

Vanessa from London, who grew up
eating different foods

from all over the world.

My cooking is really inspired
by life experiences, so born

to Goan parents,

I've travelled to sort of 50
countries now, and I take bits

from places I like and put
it all together.

I am doing a pineapple crumble,
not as you know it.

So it's heavily spiced with
tamarind, red chilli, ginger,

cloves, a coconut crumble topping,
and then a lime leaf

and coconut milk. Creme anglaise.

Who doesn't love
a crumble and custard?

This dish is a family favourite,
mainly because my dad came

to this country at the age of 12,
and at school was really the first

time that he got to experience
British classic puddings.

He loves an apple crumble.

Mm. That's got a kick.

This is a pretty eclectic
dish, isn't it?

Hopefully this is a crumble
on another level.

I definitely want to taste
those spices and flavourings.

I mean, this could be really
delicious.

Given that a blitz.
That should be good. Yeah.

31-year-old Jonny works as a
product trainer for a technology

company and lives in Hebburn
in County Durham.

It's not the cleanest job
in the world.

Jonny - roast chicken ssam
served with ginger

and spring onion sauce, ssam sauce,
kimchi and cucumber salad.

The word ssam is Korean
and means "to wrap".

So this is basically the combination
of my favourite things,

which is Korean flavours,
which are super funky, super fresh,

combined with classic
British cooking.

I don't know how Jonny
is going to serve the roast chicken,

but I'll tell you what, right now,
it's actually making my mouth water.

John and Gregg are going to
literally get a whole chicken.

They're then going to get
the lettuce cups.

They're going to get the kimchi
and all this separate

and make their own lettuce cups
and eat them how they want.

The reason I'm doing it in a
pressure cooker is,

first things first,
we have a time constraint,

but the pressure cooker itself

will keep it moist.
It'll keep it flavourful.

Street food is absolutely
what I want to do, and I think

it just shows a more playful side
to food that's out there.

Wrap it all up. Smash it in. Class.

Mm! Delicious.

That kimchi has to be strong
and sharp.

Ssam sauce should have a good
chilli kick to it.

Jonny, how are you getting on?

Panicking a little bit.

Chicken's not come up to pressure
yet, which is a little bit worrying.

Because I need 40 minutes in here...

..once it's come to pressure.

So I'm hoping
that'll be enough time.

The hollandaise is just not working.

It's turned into scrambled eggs.

Geva, you've got five.

Yeah. Can I have another egg,
and I'll start again very quickly?

I think the microwave
might have been too hot.

Helps not to put the shell in there.

Turn that right down to low
this time.

I better start plating.

Geva, you've got one minute.

We'll grab the hollandaise
on the way round.

Still hasn't worked.

It's just not thickening.

I'm just going to try and present
it as pretty as I can and hope

the flavours are there.

Let's get it out, please.
Thank you.

Well done, Geva. Well done.

Hi, Geva. Hello.

I've brought you
a present from Scotland.

JOHN CHUCKLES

Government councillor Geva has made
haggis wrapped in filo pastry,

served with swede duchess potatoes
and a hollandaise sauce.

I love that haggis.

It's peppery.

And there is a hint of smoky
whisky about it, as well.

Your duchess potatoes
are nicely made.

They are creamy

and you've managed to get
a crust on the top of them.

The hollandaise is a disaster.

If it hasn't worked,
don't serve it. OK.

Your filo pastry is crisp
on the outside.

And then when you have it
with the neeps and tatties,

you have the flavour
of a really good pasty.

But we cannot ignore the fact
the hollandaise hasn't worked.

They enjoyed my food.

And, you know, from two people
like John and Gregg,

that's a hell of a compliment.

I'll probably not get an apron
because of my hollandaise,

but I'll just keep battling on.

Vanessa, you've got five minutes.
Great.

So I have the pineapple ready.

The crumble topping is good to go.

And my creme anglaise is ready.

I'm autistic, so I like things
that are very structured.

I like to stick to timings,
I like routines.

So, at the moment, it's all going
to plan and it's great, but please

don't throw any curveballs at me.

There we go.

All right, let's go.

Anti-piracy manager Vanessa's
pudding is pineapple spiced

with tamarind, cardamom, chilli,
ginger and cloves,

topped with coconut crumble and
served with a yuzu gel and coconut

and lime leaf creme anglaise.

This has the makings of something
quite majestic. Lovely, soft fruit

cooked really, really well
with a lovely, crumbly top

which is not too sweet.

And the two of those coming
together is great.

This creme anglaise with coconut
milk and lime leaf is stunning.

I think it's exciting.

I admire what you're doing,
but I wouldn't mind

it being a little more subtle
so that I got more pineapple.

But you've got great ideas.

I'm feeling really relieved.

I'm just very happy that I didn't
crumble under pressure.

Excuse the pun.

So my chicken actually did come
up to pressure.

Hallelujah.

Oh. Oh, my God. That looks good.

The relief. It is good. It is ready.

I'm hoping that by putting it in a
pan with the butter and basting it,

very much like you would do
with a steak, it will brown it up.

Come on. Heat, heat, heat, heat,
heat!

Jonny. Yes. Two minutes.
Let's finish plating up.

We should be good to go.

Whoa!

All right? How's it going?

Brilliant!

I don't know what I expected,
but I did not expect that.

So the idea is that we wrap it,
is that right? Yes.

Technology product trainer Jonny
has served a lime and spring

onion buttered chicken...

Shall I pull it apart, Mr Wallace?
Go on, love.

..in lettuce wraps with kimchi
and a pickled cucumber salad,

served with ginger
and spring onion sauce

and a Korean chilli ssam sauce.

Oh, Jonny. Is it pink?
Oh, yeah. Oh, dear.

The breast is edible. That's fine.

Your red sauce here
has got a sweet smokiness.

A little bit of chilli, as well.

The kimchi is not quite as powerful,
but you still got a little bit

of almost salty fizz
fermenting on there. That's good.

But that chicken, in parts,
is a little too pink.

We're eating it,
but we're picking around there.

It needed more cooking.

I like your cucumber salad.

I think that's lovely, and a good
proper whack of just grated ginger

with that spring onion, really nice.

Your chicken's not cooked enough.

But I think it's a really nice idea.
Thank you.

I felt pretty confident all the way
through. And then for the chicken
to not be fully cooked,

there's no other word for it -
it's gutting. It really is.

It's now down to the final three
auditionees

to impress John and Gregg.

I cannot believe I'm actually
in the MasterChef kitchen cooking.

26-year-old technology startup
manager Zoe from Aberdeenshire

is inspired to cook by her mum.

Whenever I'm up on the Isle of Skye
visiting my mum, we always go out

and catch fish or fresh langoustines
and cook for everyone.

So our time in the kitchen
is really special.

Zoe's up next and we have got
festive lobster risotto

topped with lobster emulsion
and a truffle sauce.

My partner is Italian
and this is his favourite dish

and this is the dish that we get out
at Christmas time.

So definitely a decadent dish
for sure.

Who doesn't love lobster
and truffle, you know?

Served in a lobster bisque.

So I just want to get, like,
all the amazing flavour

from the lobster heads
and everything into the bisque.

In an hour and 20 minutes, making
a lobster bisque and truffle sauce

and doing a risotto -

Zoe is going to have to work
really quickly.

A lot of skill here,
if Zoe can pull it off.

So far, so good.

JO: Who doesn't like garlic?

Apart from Dracula.

56-year-old Jo
is an award-winning CEO

of her own recruitment company

and lives with her partner
and children in Huddersfield.

Recruitment is very, very
fast-paced. It's really pressurised.

So I started cooking to kind of
wind down and it made me relax

and I just got into it
and I loved it.

If this is Jo's family favourite,
then some of her family

may come from Yorkshire and some
of them may come from India.

Everybody in West Yorkshire loves
a curry, so I thought I would make

a champaran lamb handi curry
with rice.

Champaran, as far as I know,
is very, very hot and I love that.

The handi is pastry that goes
across the top of the curry dish.

The dough will seal the pot

and therefore the meat
will be even more tender.

I've been using Indian flavours
for years and I've invented

a flat, spicy Yorkshire pudding
instead of a naan bread.

Spicy Yorkshire puddings. Now,
there's something I haven't seen.

So in the batter I've added
coriander, cumin, garlic, chilli.

I know they both like
a bit of spice.

This should be absolutely
bursting with flavour

and I hope enough chilli
to bring a sweat on my brow.

It's gone down a storm each time,
apart from once

when I put too many chillies in
and somebody's lips went blue.

Oh.

Muy rico!

Last to Audition is 31-year-old
delivery driver Nickolas,

who enjoys cooking dishes
from his heritage

for his fiancee
and five-year-old daughter.

I was born in Caracas.
I came over when I was one,

and Venezuelan cooking was always
something that was in the house.

And I just want to champion
that and sort of show John and Gregg

the real Latin flair - full spice,
full flavour, full passion.

Hopefully they're going to love it.

Venezuelan corn-fed chicken

on a bed of black beans
with pancetta,

roasted yellow pepper
and jalapeno puree

served with lemon
and coriander-infused rice.

Wow.

This dish I started since I was
eight. So my mum had two jobs,

so I had to cook dinner by myself.

So this has been in development for
a long time. I'm not going to lie,

when I was eight,
it wasn't that good.

But I think I've got to a point
where I'm proud of it, you know?

So better get it right.

Jalapeno puree. I'd like it to have
a little bit of a whack.

Oh, it's a lovely colour.
That's worked out well.

# La-la-la-la, la la la! #

Look at that. Whoo, baby!
Let's see how it turns out.

How much longer have I got?
You got ten minutes.

That looks amazing. My bisque isn't
quite as good as it is at home,

so I'm a bit annoyed with that.

I'm going to bribe them
with truffle.

Technology-startup manager Zoe's
dish is a lobster risotto

topped with a lobster emulsion,

chives and samphire,

drizzled with black truffle sauce
and served in a lobster bisque.

Your lobster's cooked beautifully.
It's not tough or chewy.

I think your risotto rice
is cooked very, very nicely.

The issue here is that we've got
two very classic dishes,

a bisque and a risotto.

And, actually,
they don't belong together.

Putting risotto in a soup,
it's going to turn to soup.

Your bisque, you are getting there.

You're getting that
almost sweetness.

You're getting a little bit
of the smokiness,

but it needs more work.
It probably needs more time.

But I am really impressed
by your knowledge and your ambition.

I was really annoyed with my bisque

because it always tastes
so amazing at home.

But hopefully that's enough
to bag that apron. So we'll see.

Right, here we go
for the Yorkshire pudding.

If it's a little bit crispy, with it
being a batter, it's much nicer.

OK, Jo, this is the last minute.

The curry is looking good.

I hope they get all the spices.
That's what I hope.

Recruitment company CEO Jo

has cooked a champaran lamb
handi curry

served with spiced Yorkshire
puddings, green basmati rice

and a cucumber, tomato and onion
Indian kachumber salad.

I am loving putting a little bit
of that lamb inside your slightly

spiced Yorkshire pudding and dipping
it into the curry sauce,

I am loving it. In fact,

nearly all the lamb's gone and
the Yorkshire puddings are gone.

Well done. Thank you. Well done.
But the rice is undercooked.

It's hard and it's also watery.

The Yorkshire puddings,

I really would have loved those
to be big and puffy,

but they seem to me to be more
like a pancake, a flat pancake.

And because of that,
they're going slightly greasy.

Jo, I think the concept of this dish
is wonderful,

but the execution
is not quite there. Thank you.

I know how to cook rice.
I'm so cross with myself.

I think it's easy to make mistakes
when you're under such pressure.

Mate, five minutes.

Itchy bum...
No, squeaky bum time. Sorry.

We don't want that.

Sensational. Really good.
Happy with that.

I want one of the Gregg Wallace,
like, trademark grins.

That would be great.
There's a feel-good factor in that.

Done. Yeah. Service.

Hello, gents. Hey.

Delivery driver Nickolas has made
roasted Venezuelan chicken

cooked in a chilli tomato sauce

with lemon and coriander-infused
rice, black beans and pancetta

and a yellow pepper
and jalapeno puree.

Big lumps of garlic in there.
Oh, no.

A bit of star anise.
Yeah, I was looking for it.

I thought it was still in the pan.

I really like your flavours.
I get a little bit of chilli,

a bit of sweetness of tomato,
smokiness of the beans.

I'm getting a little saltiness
from the ham, as well.

Really like the chicken skin
being so crispy,

but we've got to bring
a bit of refinement to it.

Not leaving a lump of star anise
in there,

not leaving chunks of garlic
as big as your thumb in there.

That yellow pepper jalapeno puree,
I really like.

That's the star of the show.
Rice is cooked very, very well.

The tomato sauce -
a bit more, please. But I like it.

I think it tastes good. Thank you.

Oh, honestly, the adrenaline
is just, like, running through me.

I think they really loved
the Latin and Venezuelan vibe

that I had going on.
It makes me really proud.

HE EXHALES

Personally, I've loved it.
Loved it, loved it, loved it.

And I think we've got some
brilliant cooks.

Nobody's shying away from flavour,
that's for sure.

This is really promising.

But there were errors on dishes here
that were impossible to ignore.

A split hollandaise.

Undercooked rice.

And undercooked chicken.

There's one person that really,
really impressed.

But as for the rest,
who do you reward?

Because those four are good cooks,
all of them really ambitious.

We had some great food.

We also had a few issues,

but we think this was
a pretty decent standard.

Well done, all of you.

We have just three aprons to give.

There was one cook today who gave us
something quite individual.

An outstanding dish without faults.

Matthew, congratulations.
You got yourself an apron.

Well done, man.

Ackee and saltfish like no other.

One other person really stood out
for Gregg and I.

Huge amounts of process.

Terri, congratulations. You've got
yourself an apron. Thank you.

Good on you. Really good.

There was one person who
really dared to be different.

The only person to cook a dessert.

Vanessa, congratulations.
You got yourself an apron.

Matthew, Terri, Vanessa, please
come and get your MasterChef aprons.

Oh, my gosh. Guys, you did it.

I am buzzing. Well done. High five.

How does it look?

I can't believe it, to be honest.
I mean, this is the whole reason

we came here but I still can't
believe I'm in an apron.

It's magical. Oh, it's amazing.
It's an amazing feeling.

Well done, guys.

We understand that
you may well be disappointed.

That's OK. You have another chance.

Show us what you're made of. Show us
your skill. Get yourself an apron.

This is a MasterChef invention test.

Behind us, there is
a plethora of ingredients.

And from those, we want you
to cook for us one dish.

It could be sweet.
It could be savoury.

It could be whatever
you want it to be.

Just make it delicious.

There are only four aprons,
which means, of course, two of you,

sadly, will be leaving
the competition.

Ladies and gentlemen,
come up and get your ingredients.

There must be something
you really want badly.

Scary.

I'm used to picking ingredients
at home, but this is MasterChef,

so it's a bit different.

With the ingredients
laid out on these tables,

their benches can take us
to anywhere in the world.

I'm shaking out of my skin!

HE LAUGHS

But I've got a game plan.

They've got mackerel, prawns.

There's some mince,
fruit, vegetables, spices.

And if they want to go sweet
there's even chocolate and pastry.

The problem is,
can they control their nerves

and concentrate
and get one great dish?

Oh! I'm feeling terrified.

I'm just a little bit worried
about the time but I'm just going

to get everything I need, run back
to my bench and try and smash it out

as quickly as possible.

Right, you've chosen your
ingredients. 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Get yourself an apron.

I'm not going to lie.

Like, an invention test
is absolutely terrifying.

But making stuff up on the spot
is a good strength for me

because I'm a dad
and I've got to feed my girls.

So, fingers crossed, really.

When we said come and get
your ingredients,

you actually ran to the bench. I was
ready to barge people, to be fair.

HE LAUGHS

Um...I want this so bad.
What's your dish, please, my friend?

So I'm going to do pan-fried prawns
with a prawn bisque

and sauteed samphire. Wow.

But I want to show that I can cook
with French technique.

And if you want to be a really good
cook, you've got to have that down.

Are you putting yourself
under a bit of pressure here?

To succeed in life, you've got
to put yourself under pressure.

Otherwise you won't get anything out
of it. Nickolas, I love the passion.

Nickolas has chosen the biggest,
most beautiful prawns ever.

He needs to make sure those prawns

are completely cooked
all the way through.

The bisque, lovely flavour
of the shells, the prawns

with shallots and garlic,
and that's wonderful.

But Nickolas is being really brave
here cos we've only got three things

on our plate and those three things
have to be absolutely perfect.

HE LAUGHS

I just want John to smile and say
that it's OK, and I'll be honoured.

What are you making for us, Jo?

I'm making meatballs with chorizo
in a red wine spicy sauce.

And I'm going to serve that
with some rainbow carrots

and some garlic roast potatoes.

You run your own company, right?
Mm-hm. Are you competitive?

It's not about taking part.
It's about winning.

And I used to get told off
by the teachers at school

when I used to say that to my
children. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Wow.

You've got to go for it,
haven't you, Gregg?

I love meatballs, but I still think
of meatballs going with something

like pasta or rice or mashed potato.

How are we going to take up
that sauce from those meatballs

with roast potatoes
and roasted carrots?

I think it's a fine line
between playing it safe

and showcasing your skill set.

So I do believe that simple dishes
that taste fantastic

get a lot of people through.

Desperate for that apron.

Zoe's making Sicilian dumplings.

We've got a pasta dough
not made with eggs

but made with water and olive oil.

And then inside that, she's got
mashed potato with goat's cheese

and Parmesan cheese,
chopped-up basil and mint.

Amazing.

Served in tomato sauce,
lots of tomatoes, shallots,

with some olive oil.
This is really exciting from Zoe.

Good? Yes. Just a little bit more
salt and then we're there.

You are staying
with this Italian theme.

I'm a huge fan of Italian food. It's
definitely my favourite cuisine.

Whenever we go over there -
which is a couple of times a year -

we always starve ourselves
beforehand so we can just gorge

out on everything.

You're over halfway.

You've got about 30 minutes.

I'm going to push it.
Certainly going to push it.

I definitely feel like
I've got something to prove.

It's a chance for redemption.

This round, I just smash it out
and give them the very best of me.

I'm giving you a tahini pecan
dark chocolate brownie

and brown sugar ice cream. Wow!

So, usually, I've done these with
miso, to give a real savoury punch.

There is no miso for us today, so
I figure if I go for tahini, it is
something that's going to give me

that nice flavour
profile to go with it.
How much do you now want an apron?

More than anything.
Like, not to be harsh to these guys,

but I want to beat each
and every one of them. Sorry, guys.

Jonny's got a brown sugar
ice cream. Wonderful.

But Jonny is right up
against the clock.

His first sort of custard
to make ice cream was curdled,

and he's going to have to start
all over again.

Took my eye off it
for two seconds and it boiled.

I just hope he's got enough time
for it to churn.

The ice cream's got to
go in the churner...

Well, it's meant to go in
for 30 minutes. I've got 23 left.

It's going in for as long as it can.

Jonny's using tahini
to make his brownie.

He said he's used miso before.

They might taste similar, but
they're completely different things,

completely different textures,
made in completely different ways.

If it works, fantastic.
But it's a big if.

Woei is making for us an Asian broth

with rice noodles
and a piece of mackerel. Fabulous.

He filleted that mackerel perfectly,
took all the bones,

all the trimmings
and made a lovely stock.

And to that, he's added a mixture
of galangal, chilli, lemongrass.

They're big, big flavours.

Getting that balance right
is really difficult.

Woei, your bench smells fantastic.
Oh, thank you.

This is what I grew up with.
It's part of your DNA, right? Yeah.

Like salt and pepper is to me,
ginger and garlic is to you.

Well, yeah, you can say that.
Do you visit Malaysia?

Have you got family out there?
Yes, my mum and my brother, sister,

they stay in Malaysia.
I miss the food over there.

The food can bring you back
to your comfort zone where you are,

where you used to be.

If your food tastes as good
as it smells, we're in for a treat.

Came here 20 years ago with luggage.
Left the family behind.

It's tough, but I'm really proud
of myself to be in here.

I'm feeling quite nervous still.

It's my last chance.

Geva, tell me, please, what it
is you're going to make for us.

I'm going to make pancakes
with apple and pear,

with caramel sauce and whipped cream

and hope that leads
straight to your heart, Gregg,

cos I know you like sweet things.
Why pancakes?

Because pancakes are something
that we just love at home,

and it's quite an easy thing to do -

she says, who messed up
her hollandaise.

But everybody loves them.

For Geva there's nowhere to hide.

Pancake's got to be lovely
and thin, not doughy.

The fruit's got to be cooked
just so, it can't be crunchy.

Not too sharp, not too sweet.

It could be lovely.

But does it show enough skill?

I hope it tastes as nice
as I want it to. Time will tell.

We've got, like, ten minutes,
something like that.

So I'm hoping that'll be enough.

Make sure you got something
to put on the plate, OK?

Um... I'm not going to do that.
I'm going to use a bowl. Yes, yes.

That's a portion, isn't it, hey?

Yeah, you're a big man.
Thanks, mate. Appreciate that.

You have five minutes.

Maybe a bit soft, maybe a bit soft.
We'll give it another minute.

Because my broth is not spicy
enough, so I make, like, a sambal,

if they like more spiciness
or punch of flavour in their broth,

they can add a little bit on to it.

You have a minute.
You have 60 seconds.

Come on, guys. 60 seconds, please.

Yeah, almost there. We're a little
bit soft, but we're good.

Finishing touches, pl... Jonny!

Now! Finishing touches on the plate.
Now, now, now, now, now.

That's it. Time's up. Stop. Stop.

Good work, guys. Whoo!

Oh, my God. My word. Come here.

Are you all right?

Honestly, I feel like
I could cry after that.

Nickolas, please come and join us.

Delivery driver Nickolas' dish

is pan-fried prawns

served in a prawn bisque
with sauteed samphire.

You are getting really good
flavour from that bisque,

but you've overseasoned it. Oh!

It's really salty, which is a shame.

However, you said you wanted to show
more refinement in your food.

You've done that. Thank you.

Your prawns are beautifully
prepared, beautifully cooked.

If you're going to promise us
samphire, two bits is not enough.

But the essence of this is good.
Thank you.

A little bit heavy handed
on the salt.

I was flapping
and I was a bit panicked.

But I'm growing as I go on
with this competition and, like,

I'll never make that mistake
ever again.

To win one of the last four aprons,

technology-startup manager Zoe
has served Sicilian dumplings

filled with mashed potato,

goat's cheese, Parmesan
and mint in a tomato sauce.

Inside those dumplings -
the smoothness of mashed potato,

saltiness from Parmesan cheese

and the acidity that comes
from the goat's cheese.

The addition of mint - bold,
dangerous, and really interesting.

I like it a lot, Zoe. Thanks.

It's yummy. It's like a soft gnocchi
inside a pasta parcel. Yeah.

And across that, you've got
a sweet tomato sauce.

I'm impressed with you.

Oh, my gosh. I'm just so relieved

that they liked it
and enjoyed the flavours.

I'm on a high after that,
for sure. Yeah.

Recruitment CEO Jo has cooked
meatballs in a chilli,

paprika, chorizo,
tomato and red wine sauce,

served with roast potatoes
and roasted honey-glazed carrots.

Your roast potatoes are nice,
your carrots are cooked nicely,

and they're sweet.

But you have a big issue in here,
and that's the amount of oil

that's coming off. That's making
for quite a greasy dish.

Your sauce around your meatballs
has a great flavour,

but I need something to mop that up,

and it's not going to be
crispy roast potatoes.

For me, that round was
the one I feared the most.

You haven't got a recipe to follow
and you've got all this stuff

whirling around in your head
and it's not easy.

Supermarket manager Woei has served
pan-fried mackerel on rice noodles

in a chilli, lemongrass, galangal
ginger and turmeric-infused

fish broth with a chilli,
garlic and ginger sambal.

That broth, you can taste
the richness of that mackerel,

which is quite strong. And then
alongside that, that lemongrass,

which is quite sweet,

galangal, which is very fragrant
like ginger but softer.

And then the smokiness
of the turmeric. That's really good.

Your sambal was nicely made.
It's not too hot, which is great.

I think it's a good dish.
Thank you.

I'm really enjoying this.
The mackerel - really good.

The way you managed
to really crisp up the skin.

Noodles cooked nicely. Well done.

I'm feeling great. Got a compliment
from John and Gregg.

It's just so unreal
and it's just, like, given me

a little bit of confidence back.
So, yeah, I can't ask for more.

Government councillor Geva's pancake
is served with caramelised apples

and pears, topped with
a salted nut caramel,

berries and whipped cream.

Pancake's nicely made.

But because the pears and the apples
haven't been cooked very much,

when you bite into them, you've got
this juice rushing into your mouth,

which is washing away the flavour
of the caramel.

And also that juice with
the pancakes making the pancake

go slightly soggy. Across the top,
the nuts and the caramel,

I think is a lovely, lovely idea.
But it's really salty.

It's a nice thing to eat,

but it's not showing a great deal
of knowledge and technique.

I'm feeling a bit despondent

cos I don't think I did really
as well as I could have done.

I should have put more into it.
But what's done is done.

Finally, it's technology
product trainer Jonny,

with his tahini pecan
and dark chocolate brownie,

served with a pecan brittle

and a brown sugar ice cream.

Whatever this thing is,
it's not quite a brownie.

It's not quite a biscuit.

It's almost like the density
of a bread-and-butter pudding.

The tahini inside it is giving,
like, a peanut butter flavour.

There's lots of chocolate in there.
Mate, whether you want to put

the ice cream on it
or even dunk it in a cup of tea,

I'm really impressed.

Your caramel, it's so dark.
It's got a bitter finish.

You put a smile on my face.
I like your food. Thank you so much.

Tahini's got oil in it,
so that might be the reason why

it's so dense, but, yeah,
good on you, made it work.

Brown sugar ice cream.

Smooth, creamy, rich with vanilla.
Delicious. Thank you.

As the invention test goes,

Jonny, I'm really pleased for you
and I think it tastes great.

Absolutely amazing feedback.

Get in!

I'm really, really, really hoping
it's enough to get me an apron.

I'm desperate for one.
I really, really am.

I tell you what, I'm really
impressed with these six. Oh! Oof!

That was... That was intense,
wasn't it? Wasn't it just?

Lots of knowledge,
lots and lots of potential.

Zoe gave us a dish
of elegant simplicity.

It showed cookery knowledge
and skill and it was delicious.

I think Zoe's got herself an apron.

Woei put a lot of work
into his dish,

I think conjured up
some great flavour.

It looked good. It tasted good. What
can you say? Woei should go through.

I like Jonny.

We've got a brownie, we've got
ice cream, we've got caramel.

This is an invention test,
the guy knows stuff.

He's showing different types
of skill.

Jonny's got himself an apron.

That now leaves us with Jo,
Geva and Nickolas.

Nickolas wants to show refinement.
He's listening.

The prawns were delicious.

He made a great attempt
at cooking that bisque

but it also was overseasoned
so it was salty.

Geva's pancake isn't showing
a great deal of skill.

Caramel across the top - nice idea,
but there was too much salt in it.

Jo made for us some meatballs.
That was good. But with it,

some roast potatoes
and a couple of roast carrots,

which was just unusual.

We've got a decision to make. Two of
them are leaving the competition.

I don't want to leave.
This is everything for me.

I've done what I can, and it's
in the lap of the gods now.

I'm really enjoying the competition.

It's how you perform on the day,
isn't it?

You have to not make mistakes.

You six, I've got to say,
have done yourselves proud.

However, we have made a decision.

Zoe, congratulations.

Beautiful dish. Great flavours.
Thank you.

Jonny. The technical know-how.
Well done.

You are getting an apron.

Woei. Great flavours,
perfect fish prep and cookery.

Congratulations.
Thank you so much.

That leaves Geva, Jo and Nickolas.

The fourth and final
apron goes to...

..Nickolas.

Yes! Yes!

Oh, come on, man!

Oh, my days! Thank you.

Jo, Geva -
sadly, you are leaving us.

We've enjoyed having you here on
MasterChef. Thank you so, so much.

Thank you. Thank you.
Good luck, guys.

MasterChef will
stay with me forever.

I brought Yorkshire to the plates
that I've served in there

and I'm proud of that.

It's just been fantastic.

The opportunity
of a lifetime, really.

Anyway, I'm back in the real world
now. Watch out!

Whoo! Well done!
You four, congratulations.

Well done, mate. Well done!
Come and get yourself an apron.

Wow, look!

I think it's going to take
at least a day or two to sink in.

It's a dream come true.
It's amazing.

I can't believe it.
Getting the actual apron,

like, it means that I'm good enough.

I just need to really perfect
everything. No mistakes.

Come on, mate!

When I heard my name from Gregg,

I have to pinch myself,
like, is it real? Is it real?

Yeah, I just can't believe it.

It's gorgeous, innit? I am so
excited for what comes next.

There's a lot in store.

Next time...this week's best cooks

return to face
two demanding challenges...

Got to get a wobble on, absolutely.

Come on, you bad boys.

..as they fight for a place
in the quarterfinal.

For me, great. This is a dish that
I'll remember, you know, I love it.