MasterChef Australia (series 7)

MasterChef Australia (series 7)
Country of origin Australia
No. of episodes 62
Release
Original network Network Ten
Original release 5 May (5 May 2015) – 27 July 2015 (27 July 2015)
Season chronology

The seventh series of MasterChef Australia premiered on 5 May 2015 on Network Ten.[1]

This series was won by Billie McKay in the grand finale against Georgia Barnes on 27 July 2015. The announcement of the winner was watched by 2.2 million metro viewers, making it the highest rated non-sport program on Australian television in the 2015 calendar year.[2]

Changes

Shannon Bennett took on the role of guest mentor, guiding contestants participating in Immunity Challenges, the role Kylie Kwong held in series 6. Unlike the sixth series, the advantage for the Immunity Challenge was now handed to the contestant's choice instead of the chef. The use of the power apron was now reduced to one day in a week only and it passed down to the next contestant who excelled in the subsequent challenge.

Contestants

Top 24

The Top 24 were revealed on 5–6 May 2015. Prior to the first competition round, Mario Montecuollo was disqualified after his five-month professional kitchen experience violated the show's guidelines of the auditions. The producers investigate the contestant's position as a head chef at his bar in Enmore and discovered that Montecuollo had been working one day a week as a paid cook for five months within the past years. Casual participants were allowed to audition without working previously in a professional kitchen for more than six weeks, ruling him ineligible to compete in the show.[3] He was replaced by Jessie Spiby, who unsuccessfully advanced to the Top 24 in the second episode.[4]

Contestant Age State Occupation Status
Billie McKay 24 NSW Restaurant Manager Winner 27 July
Georgia Barnes 27 QLD Health Product Rep Runner-up 27 July
Jessica Arnott 29 WA Food Sales Assistant Third place 26 July
Reynold Poernomo 20 NSW Student Eliminated 23 July
Sara Oteri 26 WA Advertising Creative Eliminated 20 July
Matthew Hopcraft 43 VIC Dentist Eliminated 16 July
Jessie Spiby 28 SA Graphic Designer Eliminated 9 July
Ashleigh Bareham 23 QLD Childcare Worker Eliminated 6 July
Amy Luttrell 29 TAS Hairdresser Eliminated 2 July
Rose Adam 37 SA Workplace Trainer Eliminated 29 June
Stephen Rooney 31 NSW Recruitment Specialist Eliminated 22 June
John Carasig 36 VIC Flight Attendant Eliminated 18 June
Jamie Ward 30 VIC Construction Project Manager Eliminated 15 June
Jacqui Ackland 40 VIC Medical Scientist Eliminated 11 June
Anna Webster 28 VIC Student Eliminated 8 June
Ava Stangherlin 23 NSW Visual Merchandiser Eliminated 4 June
Kristina Short 28 TAS Customer Service Manager Eliminated 1 June
Melita Tough 41 VIC Stay-at-home Mum Eliminated 28 May
Fiona Grindlay 31 QLD Marketing Manager Eliminated 25 May
Jarrod Trigg 29 VIC Civil Engineer Eliminated 21 May
Andrea Farinha 18 NSW Student Eliminated 18 May
Kha Nguyen 25 VIC Retail Sales Assistant Eliminated 14 May
James Bell 23 QLD Financial Analyst Eliminated 11 May
Marcus Cher 31 VIC Freelance Industrial Designer Eliminated 8 May
Mario Montecuollo 38 NSW Bar Owner Disqualified 7 May
(Professional experience)

Guest Chefs

Week Guest Judge Challenge
1 Brent Owens Top 24 Mystery Box Challenge
Massimo Bottura Team Challenge
2 Sat Bains Pressure Test
Ben Williamson Immunity Challenge
3
(Marco Week)		 Marco Pierre White All Challenges & MasterClass
Josh Pelham Immunity Challenge
Curtis Stone MasterClass
4 Maggie Beer Mystery Box Challenge & Invention Test
Anna Polyviou Pressure Test
Duncan Welgemoed Immunity Challenge
Benjamin Cooper Elimination Challenge
5
(Superstars Week)		 Poh Ling Yeow Mystery Box Challenge
Hayden Quinn Invention Test
Kylie Millar Pressure Test
Callum Hann Immunity Challenge
Andy Allen Team Challenge
Ben Milbourne
Justine Schofield Elimination Challenge
Poh Ling Yeow MasterClass
Callum Hann
6 Curtis Stone Invention Test
Marcus Wareing Pressure Test
Nick Holloway Immunity Challenge
8 Heston Blumenthal Mystery Box Challenge & Invention Test
Guillaume Brahimi Pressure Test
Jim McDougall Immunity Challenge
Bernard Chu Team Challenge
Darren Purchese
Christy Tania
Kirsten Tibballs
9 Janice Wong Pressure Test
Ross Lusted Immunity Challenge
Andy Groneman Team Challenge
Rick Stein Elimination Challenge
10 Darren Purchese Pressure Test
Monty Koludrovic Immunity Challenge
Jaclyn Koludrovic
11
("Marco Returns" Week)		 Marco Pierre White All Challenges & MasterClass
12 Grant King Pressure Test
Brett Graham Pressure Test
Finals Heston Blumenthal Grand Finale

Elimination chart

Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Finals
Mystery
Box
Challenge
Winner		 Jessica
John
Sara		GeorgiaAshleighMelitaJohnJohnJessie
(Power Apron)		SaraRoseBillieNoneSaraNone
Invention
Test
Winner		 NoneAshleigh
Jessica
Reynold		Billie
Georgia
Matthew		Billie
Jessie
John		Anna
Ava
Georgia		Jacqui
Jessica
Matthew		Reynold
Billie
Jessie
Sara		Ashleigh
Matthew
Rose		Jessica
Jessie
Sara		Georgia
Jessie
Reynold
Sara		Georgia
Jessica
Sara		Billie
Georgia
Immunity
Challenge		 Lose: AshleighLose: GeorgiaLose: JohnLose: AnnaLose: JessicaWin: BillieWin: AshleighLose: JessieLose: Jessie, ReynoldLose: GeorgiaNone
Billie Top 24 IN Team Win IN Team Win Top 3 Team Win Top 3 Team Lose IN Team Win Btm 3 Btm 5 Top 4 P.A. T.W. IN Team Lose/Imm. IN Team Lose 2 Btm 4 Top 4 Btm 3 Top 2 Top 2 Btm 3 Top 2 WINNER
Georgia Top 24 IN Btm 3 Btm 4 Team Lose Top 3 Team Lose IN Team Win Top 3 Team Lose IN Team Lose IN Team Lose Btm 3 Team Win IN Team Lose 2 Top 4 Btm 3 Top 3 Top 2 Top 2 ADV Top 2 Runner-up
Jessica Top 24 Top 3 Btm 5 Top 3 Team Win IN Team Win IN Team Win IN Team Lose Top 3 Team Win IN Team Win IN Team Win Top 3 Team Win Btm 4 Top 4 Top 3 Btm 4 Btm 3 Btm 3 3rd Eliminated (Ep 61)
Reynold Top 24 IN Team Lose Top 3 Team Win IN Team Win IN Team Win IN Team Win IN Team Win Top 4 P.A. Team Win IN Team Win Btm 3 Team Win Top 4 Btm 3 Btm 2 Btm 4 Btm 3 Elim Eliminated (Ep 60)
Sara Top 24 Top 3 Team 2nd IN Btm 4 IN Team Win IN Team Win IN Team Lose IN Team Win Top 4 Team Lose IN Btm 2 Top 3 Team Win Top 4 Top 4 Top 3 Btm 4 Elim Eliminated (Ep 57)
Matthew Top 24 IN Team Win IN Team Lose Top 3 Team 3rd IN Team Win IN Team Win Top 3 Team Lose Btm 3 Btm 2 Top 3 Team Lose Btm 3 Team Lose 1 Btm 4 Top 4 Btm 2 Elim Eliminated (Ep 55)
Jessie Return IN Team 2nd IN Team Win IN Team Win Top 3 Team Win IN Team Lose IN Team Win P.A. Top 4 Team Win IN Btm 2 Top 3 Btm 2 Top 4 Elim Eliminated (Ep 50)
Ashleigh Top 24 IN Btm 5 Top 3 Team Lose IN Team Win IN Btm 6 Btm 3 Team Win Btm 3 Btm 3 IN T.W. P.A. Top 3 Team Win IN Team Lose/Imm. Elim Eliminated (Ep 47)
Amy Top 24 IN Team Lose IN Btm 4 IN Team Lose IN Team Win IN Team Win IN Team Win Btm 4 Team Win Btm 3 Team Win IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 45)
Rose Top 24 IN Team 2nd Btm 3 Btm 4 IN Team Win Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 3 Team Win IN Team Win IN Team Lose Top 3 Team Lose Elim Eliminated (Ep 42)
Stephen Top 24 IN Team 2nd IN Team Win IN Team 3rd IN Btm 6 IN Team Lose IN Btm 3 Btm 3 T.L. Saved Elim Eliminated (Ep 37)
John Top 24 Top 3 Team Win IN Team Lose Btm 3 Team Lose Top 3 Team Win IN Team Lose IN Team Win IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 35)
Jamie Top 24 IN Team 2nd Btm 3 Team Win IN Team 3rd Btm 4 Team Lose IN Team Win IN Btm 5 Elim Eliminated (Ep 32)
Jacqui Top 24 IN Team Win IN Team Lose Btm 3 Team 3rd Btm 3 Btm 3 IN Btm 2 Top 3 Elim Eliminated (Ep 30)
Anna Top 24 IN Team 2nd IN Team Lose IN Team Win IN Team Lose Top 3 Team Win Elim Eliminated (Ep 27)
Ava Top 24 IN Team Win IN Team Win IN Team 3rd IN Btm 6 Top 3 Elim Eliminated (Ep 25)
Kristina Top 24 IN Team Lose IN Team Win IN Team Win IN Team Win Elim Eliminated (Ep 22)
Melita Top 24 Top 5 Team Win IN Team Lose IN Team Win IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 20)
Fiona Top 24 IN Team Win IN Team Win IN Btm 2 Elim Eliminated (Ep 17)
Jarrod Top 24 IN Team 2nd IN Team Win IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 15)
Andrea Top 24 IN Team Win DNP Team Win Elim Eliminated (Ep 12)
Kha Top 24 Top 5 Btm 3 IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 10)
James Top 24 IN Team 2nd Elim Eliminated (Ep 7)
Marcus Top 24 IN Elim Eliminated (Ep 5)
Mario Disq.
Eliminated (Jessie)
Mario		 None Marcus James Kha Andrea Jarrod Fiona Melita Kristina Ava Anna Jacqui Jamie John Stephen None Rose Amy Ashleigh Jessie None Matthew Sara Reynold Jessica Georgia
80 points
Billie
82 points (win)

Episodes and ratings

Colour key:
     – Highest rating during the series
     – Lowest rating during the series
Ep#/Wk-Ep# Original airdate Episode Title / Event Total viewers (5 Metro Cities) Nightly Ranking Ref.
Week 1
1/01-1 Tuesday, 5 May 2015 Series Premiere: Auditions Part 1 – Contestants started Series 7 with a challenge to cook their signature dish in one hour, vying for automatic entry into the Top 24. Gary, Matt and George judged the competitors with either "yes" or "no", with their votes deciding whether the contestant should stay in the competition. Fifteen contestants received three yes votes and won their way through to the main competition. Sixteen other contestants, who received either one or two yes votes, were given a second chance and cooked again in the next episode. 1,231,000 #1 [5]
2/01-2 Wednesday, 6 May 2015 Auditions Part 2 – Sixteen second chance contestants were given the chance for the nine remaining spots in the Top 24, in a two challenge rounds. In the first round, an Invention Test, contestants had 75 minutes to cook a dish from their choice of three different world food markets. The 8 best dishes won their makers a spot in the main competition. James' dish earned positive praise and he received an apron during the tasting. The other seven contestants receiving an apron were Georgia, Mario, Billie, Andrea, Jamie, Amy and John. The remaining eight contestants faced a Pressure Test set by Shannon Bennett for the one remaining spot in the Top 24. They had two hours to create his layered Warm Chocolate Orange Mousse, with a number of technical elements including tempering chocolate. Rose's version was declared the best and she won the last apron. 1,029,000 #4 [6]
3/01-3 Thursday, 7 May 2015 Top 24 Mystery Box Challenge – In their first challenge in the MasterChef kitchen, the Top 24 contestants (where Mario was replaced by Jessie) faced their choice of three Mystery Boxes, one picked by each of the judges with series six winner Brent Owens as the guest judge. Cooking with ingredients chosen blindly and with 75 minutes on the clock, some contestants struggled with the pressure of the first challenge, while others thrived. Of the five standout dishes, it was Jessica, John and Sara who were declared the Top 3 and won an advantage in the next challenge. 926,000 #7 [7]
4/01-4 Massimo Bottura Team Challenge – Massimo Bottura brought the Top 24 their first Team Challenge; to create an Italian main course and dessert for a restaurant of 40 guests in three hours. The worst performing team faced elimination. Jessica, John and Sara were tasked as team captains, and initially designed menus. John and Sara's teams decided to simplify their dishes, while Jessica's Red Team kept going with their plan to make fresh fettuccine. John's White Team received overall positive reviews in both their main and dessert. Despite serving the judges some raw fish and missing a table in their mains service, on the whole, Sara's Green Team impressed. Ultimately, the Red Team while having skilful elements to their dishes, their fettuccine was too chalky and dry while their strawberry element for the dessert did not impress. Those flaws were enough of a disappointment to land them in elimination. 999,000 #4
5/01-5 Friday, 8 May 2015 Fish Elimination Challenge – The losing team from the previous challenge faced a three-round elimination challenge based on fish. In the first round, the eight contestants were tasked with naming twenty Australian fishes, one by one. The first five to incorrectly name a fish moved to round 2. In the second round, the remaining contestants had 4 minutes to fillet and pin-bone a whole snapper, with the three worst moving to the final elimination round. Georgia, Kha and Marcus faced off in the final round, given 45 minutes to cook a fish dish of their choice. Kha's Tuna with Potatoes and Vinaigrette was appreciated but labelled too simple, and Georgia had overcooked her fish, but she impressed the judges with all other elements. Marcus faced many problems during his cooking time, delivering a half finished dish and despite being praised on the cooking of his fish, his other elements failed to impress the judges and a single bone was found in his flathead fillet, resulting his elimination. 777,000 #6 [8]
Week 2
6/02-1 Sunday, 10 May 2015 Mystery Box Challenge and Invention Test – Andrea withdrew from the day's challenges due to sickness and therefore automatically went through to the Pressure Test. The remaining contestants faced a Mystery Box Challenge with ingredients including popcorn, blood orange and coriander, with only five dishes chosen by the judges to be tasted. Ashleigh, Sara, Georgia, Billie and Reynold were selected as the Top 5, with Georgia's Crumble with Chamomile Meringue and Creme Patissiere and Blood Orange Curd giving her the win and the chance to choose the Invention Test core ingredient. From a 'guilty pleasure' selection she chose chocolate (over bacon and cheese) and contestants had 90 minutes to cook a dish, the Top 3 going to the Immunity Challenge, the Bottom 3 to the Pressure Test. Most of the contestants thrived with such a well-used ingredient but Reynold, Jessica and Ashleigh were declared the Top 3 while Georgia, Jamie, James and Rose failed to impress with their dishes however, the flavours in Georgia's dish eventually saved her as the others join Andrea to face elimination. 1,146,000 #3 [9]
7/02-2 Monday, 11 May 2015 Pressure Test: Sat Bains' Beef and Mushrooms – Andrea, James, Jamie and Rose had two and a half hours to recreate Sat Bains' technical dish to avoid elimination. Andrea's mushroom ketchup had the wrong consistency, leading her to leave it off the dish while Rose forgot to make her pickled onions, and had some issues plating the dish. Ultimately, both of their dishes were praised, despite missing some elements. Jamie's dish impressed, but his sauce lacked depth of flavour and his tartare lacked cornichons. Even though James had all the elements despite neglecting to taste each component during the cook, he received negative feedback from the judges due to technical issues. In the end, the theory is that none of his elements balanced together correctly and therefore, James was eliminated. 1,046,000 #5 [10]
8/02-3 Tuesday, 12 May 2015 Immunity Challenge: Ben Williamson – In the first round, Ashleigh, Jessica and Reynold had to make a dish using a jaffle iron. Ashleigh won the round with a "Jaffa jaffle", and moved to the Immunity Challenge Round against Brisbane chef Ben Williamson. Ashleigh decided to use an 'eastern-inspired' pantry and with 75 minutes, cooked a Thai Chicken Curry with Lychee Relish and Roti. Ben prepared Pan-fried Duck with Kimchi, Puffed Millet with Daikon and Nashi Pear Salad. Ashleigh was praised for the depth of flavour in her dish and her lychee relish, but it was noted her rice was undercooked and the Roti dry. Ben's dish was criticised for a lack of depth in his Kimchi, but the rest of his dish was well received, ultimately giving him the win 16 points to 15. 1,212,000 #1 [11]
9/02-4 Wednesday, 13 May 2015 Puckapunyal Team Challenge – The remaining 22 contestants travelled to the Puckapunyal Army Base for a team challenge cooking for 120 Army personnel, Legacy guests and their families. The two teams had a total of four hours preparation and service time to cook and individually plate a two-course meal, a main and a dessert. Being their first challenge in a commercial kitchen, contestants rose to the challenge and delivered all around excellent dishes, impressing their guests. Both teams delivered knockout desserts, the Red Team's Golden Syrup Semifreddo with Anzac Crumble being met with acclaim from the judges. However, they served uneven and undercooked lamb compared to the Blue Team's perfectly cooked beef eye fillet, and it was this that put them in elimination. 1,037,000 #5 [12]
10/02-5 Thursday, 14 May 2015 Two-Round Elimination Challenge: Salad and One-Rule – The eleven contestants from the losing team faced a two-round elimination challenge, the first of which was to create a centrepiece salad in 30 minutes. Georgia, Ashleigh and Jacqui produced the Top 3 salads, while Amy, Kha, Rose and Sara were the worst performers. In round 2, the four contestants had to each choose one rule (area of cuisine, type of protein, cook time, cooking method) for the challenge from three options. With 45 minutes to cook Vietnamese-style Quail on the stove-top, Sara and Amy shone, producing exemplary dishes. And while Rose overcooked her quail, Kha's was undercooked and his dish lacked flavour, making him the third contestant eliminated. 1,025,000 #2 [13]
Week 3 – Marco Week
11/03-1 Sunday, 17 May 2015 Marco's Mystery Box Challenge and Invention Test – Marco Pierre White brought his version of a mystery box to the contestants, ten ingredients that make up five fundamental flavours (sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami). With 60 minutes assigned to them, Ashleigh, Georgia, Jessica, John and Sara were chosen as the top five by Marco and the judges, with Ashleigh winning the challenge. Her advantage in the Invention Test was to choose one of five basic sauces (for example, Bechamel and Hollandaise) that must underpin the contestants next dish. Veal Jus was chosen, and it was the quality of this sauce that determined the top and bottom dishes. Billie, Georgia and Matthew impressed with their inventive dishes while Andrea, Jacqui and John's dishes were not well received and put them in the Bottom 3. 1,043,000 #5 [14]
12/03-2 Monday, 18 May 2015 Pressure Test: Lamb Noisettes à la Forestiere with Madeira Sauce – Andrea, Jacqui and John had two and a half hours to recreate Marco's dish, including preparing the Noisettes from scratch out of a saddle of lamb after a demonstration of how to 'break it down' from Marco. Jacqui had some problems with her meat, ultimately presenting it with the skin still on. John impressed with his approach and final dish, getting praise across the board. After falling behind early despite departing from the recipe, Andrea ran out of time while plating her dish and her lamb was cooked inconsistently. In the end that was enough to seal her elimination. 1,129,000 #6 [15]
13/03-3 Tuesday, 19 May 2015 Immunity Challenge: Josh Pelham – In the first round, Billie, Georgia and Matthew had to make a simple dish using a single egg and their choice of pantry items. Georgia won the round with her Fried Egg, Black Bean and Tomato Salad, and Goats Cheese Cream, and moved to the Immunity Challenge Round against Josh Pelham from Estelle in Melbourne. Georgia decided to use a 'food from below the ground' pantry and with 75 minutes, cooked a Seafood and Fennel Broth with Prawn and Scallops. Georgia was praised for the flavour of her broth, but her prawn was undercooked. Josh's dish of Marron and Mussels with Truffle and Leek was praised, and although Marco didn't like Salmon Caviar, Josh edged out Georgia 33 points to 31. 1,204,000 #1 [16]
14/03-4 Wednesday, 20 May 2015 Relay Team Challenge – Teams were tasked with a relay-style challenge; each member having 15 minutes of cooking time plus 45 seconds to transfer information. Billie (Red Team), Jacqui (Yellow), Jarrod (Blue) and Melita (Green), as the captains, chose the dish and started off the challenge. Jarrod chose a Coconut Mussel Broth, Melita chose to cook Lobster Medallions with Seafood Broth, Billie chose Stuffed Chicken Thigh with Fennel and Carrot Puree and Jacqui decided to cook Mexican Corn Tacos. During three changeovers; the Yellow Team attempted to create a new element to replace the Corn Tacos when a core ingredient (macerated flour) was not found in the given pantry. From the Green Team, Rose's choice to pour too much wine in the bisque made it overly acidic which led to Kristina restarting the dish with a stronger base. In the Blue Team, John changed the entire dish by adding other ingredients for new elements (White Chocolate Veloute with Scallop Tartare) which only confused the other following team members in the cooking at the last two changeovers. The Blue Team were really struggling with Georgia tasked to complete the dish. With five minutes left, she salvage the tampered dish and plated up Pan-Fried Prawns with Scallop Ceviche. Both the Green and Red Teams were praised for their teamwork and excellent communication while the Yellow Team's flatbreads were undercooked but received winning praise on the prawns. Despite Georgia's efforts to single-handedly create her team's dish under extreme conditions, it wasn't enough as their miscommunication, cluttered decisions and undercooked prawns left the Blue Team in elimination. 1,127,000 #1 [17]
15/03-5 Thursday, 21 May 2015 The Fifth Judge Elimination Challenge – Amy, Fiona, Georgia, Jarrod and John had 75 minutes to cook five servings of a dish for the four judges with each contestant joining the judges to taste their own food. Georgia's dish was loved by all the judges and Marco while both John and Amy were criticised for the tendency errors in their dishes but also received praises from the judges. Ultimately, the three of them were declared safe. Jarrod's execution let him down, delivering a gazpacho that lacked acidity and a croquette filling that was overcooked, while Fiona's pastry was inconsistent and undercooked. However, her pie filling was good enough to keep her in the competition and it was Jarrod who was eliminated. 1,110,000 #1 [18]
MasterClass: Gary Mehigan, Marco Pierre White, Shannon Bennett, Curtis Stone and Matt Preston – In their first MasterClass, the nineteen remaining contestants were presented by Marco and the chefs with their recipes. Gary used Marco's Mystery Box ingredients to create his twice Baked Souffle. Marco cooked his Mac n' Cheese. Marco's former apprentices showed their dishes to the contestants – Billie's Red Team, after their performance in the relay challenge, were presented with Shannon's Apple Tart and Curtis cooked his Butternut Pumpkin Soup to them and the contestants. Lastly, Matt presented his two sweet recipes (his White Chocolate Mousse and Mango Daiquiri). 912,000 #6
Week 4
16/04-1 Sunday, 24 May 2015 Maggie Beer's Mystery Box and Invention Test – Maggie Beer brought a twist to the Mystery Box Challenge, with the ingredients having to be foraged solely from the MasterChef garden. Georgia, Kristina, Matthew, Jessica, Sara and Melita were chosen for tasting and impressed with their use of the garden's fresh produce, with Melita winning the advantage in the Invention Test. She chose stone-fruit (over apples and berries) and contestants had 60 minutes to invent a savoury dish with fruit as the inspiration. This challenge confused a number of contestants with the worst dishes belong to Fiona, Jacqui, Jamie and Rose. Billie, Jessie and John impressed Maggie with their ability to use the fruit in new and interesting combinations and won the chance to cook for immunity. In the end, Fiona and Jacqui were sent to elimination for serving raw protein while the judges choose to send Rose to the Pressure Test. 1,082,000 #4 [19]
17/04-2 Monday, 25 May 2015 Pressure Test: Anna Polyviou's Carrot Cake – Guest chef Anna Polyviou brought her version of a carrot cake, judged "Australian Dessert of the Year", for Fiona, Jacqui and Rose to replicate. With three hours to bring 12 different elements together, the time pressure was great leading each contestant to fail to temper their chocolate and their plates had notable errors: Jacqui's caramel glaze was too dark and sticky, Fiona's cake had issues on the assembling and texture while her sorbet lacked flavour and her cream cheese foam was lumpy, and Rose missed out the foam at the last seconds but the judges were impressed with her dish overall and she was first to be declared safe. Ultimately, Fiona's dessert that lacked definition sealed her elimination. 1,112,000 #3 [20]
18/04-3 Tuesday, 26 May 2015 Immunity Challenge: Duncan Welgemoed – Billie, Jessie and John faced the first round of the challenge with each contestant having to name one of 26 mystery ingredients, one for each letter of the alphabet. Billie and Jessie each dropped out on their second guess, and John won the chance to cook for immunity against South Australian chef Duncan Welgemoed. He picked the fresh pantry (over the processed food pantry) and with 75 minutes, cooked Pork Adobo with Coconut Rice. Duncan's dish of Tuna, Pork Fat Vinaigrette and Stonefruit was praised for its simplicity, cleanness and presentation, and while John was praised for the subtlety in his dish (compared to past dishes), his chalky rice and unevenly cooked pork meant he lost to Duncan, 24 points to 22. 1,145,000 #1 [21]
19/04-4 Wednesday, 27 May 2015 Abbotsford Convent Bakery Team Challenge – Teams took over the running of the Abbotsford Convent Bakery, designing a menu with the objective to make the highest profit in three hours of service. With four hours to prepare at least one savoury and one dessert item plus loaves of sourdough bread, the scale of the challenge created problems. Both teams struggled to make the pastry for their pies, get their bread baked, and have a couple of dessert options ready to sell. By the time service started, the Red Team managed to have all but their pies ready for sale while the Blue Team only had brownies, meaning that early on, the Red Team had six times the profits. In the end, the Blue Team's slow start combined with lower pricing meant they were not able to catch up ($2565.75 vs. Red's $3205.80) and they landed in elimination. 937,000 #8 [22]
20/04-5 Thursday, 28 May 2015 Sudden Death Elimination Challenge: Thai Cuisine – The nine losing contestants faced a three-round Thai-themed elimination challenge set by chef Benjamin Cooper. Anna, Billie and Jamie cooked the top three dishes in the ten-minute first round and were declared safe. Ashleigh, Ava and Stephen most impressed in the twenty-minute second round leaving Jacqui, Melita and Rose in the thirty-minute elimination round. Rose impressed with her final dish and while Jacqui's elements were disjointed, it was the lack of protein from Melita's chicken curry that was enough to send her home. 1,052,000 #1 [23]
Week 5 – Superstars Week
21/05-1 Sunday, 31 May 2015 Mystery Box and Invention Test – Poh Ling Yeow (runner-up in series 1) returned to set the Mystery Box Challenge, filled with her favourite ingredients, with John, Georgia, Jessie, Reynold and Rose the top five chosen. John won the advantage in the Invention Test, with Hayden Quinn (from series 3) bringing the three core ingredients. He chose pork and with sixty minutes, it was Anna, Ava and Georgia who championed the pork in inventive ways. Ashleigh, Kristina and Rose on the other hand failed to deliver and were sent to elimination. 1,056,000 #4 [24]
22/05-2 Monday, 1 June 2015 Pressure Test: Kylie Millar's Toffee Apple – Former series 4 contestant Kylie Millar gave Ashleigh, Kristina and Rose a challenge to recreate her 14-element Toffee Apple dessert in two and a half hours. Ashleigh thrived and was the only contestant to complete the dish. Rose was criticised for taking most of her sugar elements too far, making her caramel too bitter but while Kristina had the best edible spoon and caramel glaze, she failed to temper the required heat for her sticky caramel sauce to achieve the perfect amount of bitterness and missed out the other key components to the dish (apple jellies, cinnamon flakes and isomalt shards) – one of which was the freshness from the apple. Those errors that Kristina had not attained failed to accomplish the significant balance to match Kylie's dish as she was eliminated. 1,084,000 #5 [25]
23/05-3 Tuesday, 2 June 2015 Immunity Challenge: Callum Hann – In the first round, Anna, Ava and Georgia faced a basic skills relay challenge: finely dicing onion, whipping egg whites to firm peaks and segmenting a whole chicken. Anna managed a comeback win, overtaking Georgia at the last moment to win the chance to compete for immunity against series 2 runner-up Callum Hann. She picked the 'black' food pantry (over 'white'), containing exclusively very dark and/or very expensive ingredients. With 75 minutes, she cooked Dry-aged Beef, Carrot and Blackberry Salad with a Mushroom Truffle Puree. Callum's dish of Black Pudding, Goats Cheese and Carrot Salad with Pickled Blackberries was praised for its delicate balance and textural elements, and while Anna's dish had well cooked beef and carrots, the bland puree meant she lost to Callum, 21 points to 19. 1,106,000 #2 [26]
24/05-4 Wednesday, 3 June 2015 Mexican Street Food Team Challenge – Teams faced a service challenge: to cook Mexican Street food for around 500 people, mentored by Ben Milbourne and Andy Allen (from series 4) with the team making the most money the winners. With three and a half hours of preparation and 90 minutes of service, having to buy their ingredients, price their dishes competitively and cope with demand challenged the teams. Both teams had issues during service; the popularity of the Green Team's Churros meant they ran out quickly, and the Red Team served some raw chicken. Sara's decision to raise her team's prices in the last 30 minutes was not enough to win and the Green Team won ($6084.15 vs $5807.70) sending the Red Team to elimination. 998,000 #5 [27]
25/05-5 Thursday, 4 June 2015 Re-invention Elimination Challenge: French Dishes – The eight contestants faced a re-invention test set by series 1 contestant Justine Schofield: they had 90 minutes to put a modern spin on one of the classic French dishes by knife pull, Duck a l'Orange. In the tasting, Georgia's Duck and Orange Consommé received criticisms on the layer of fat left in the protein and the subtle lemon flavour in her broth. Jessie, John, Jessica and Stephen impressed with their dishes while Jacqui, whose Duck and Orange Hotpot lacked sauce, and Ava, whose Duck Salad with Figs and Goats Cheese lacked orange flavour, were declared the Bottom 2. Ultimately, the lack of orange flavour did not meet the brief of re-inventing the Duck a l'Orange and it was enough for Ava to be eliminated. 1,004,000 #4 [28]
MasterClass: Callum Hann, Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris, Poh Ling Yeow and Matt Preston – Callum and Poh presented their dishes to the contestants for their next MasterClass: Callum's Goat Cheese Mousse with Walnut Brittle, Lemon Curd & Honey Syrup and Poh's Shredded Duck Rendang with Pandan Coconut Lace Pancakes, Sticky Turmeric Rice & Cucumber Coriander Relish. The judges presented their recipes to the contestants: Gary's Fish Soup and Lobster Sliders, George's Coconut Calamari with Blackberry Sorbet and Matt's Prawns à la Plancha. 689,000 #11
Week 6
26/06-1 Sunday, 7 June 2015 "Dollar" Box Challenge and Team Invention Test – Contestants faced a Mystery Box filled with items costing less than one dollar, and with 60 minutes to create an outstanding dish with budget ingredients, the top three dishes chosen were Georgia, Matthew and John. John again won the advantage in the Invention Test set by Curtis Stone, and from a choice of seasonal vegetables picked pomegranate (over pumpkin and beetroot). Working in teams of three to cook a sweet and savoury dish with sixty minutes, it was Jacqui, Jessica and Matthew's dishes that impressed the judges and made them the Top 3. Ashleigh, Anna and Billie failed to deliver enough flavour of pomegranate and were sent to elimination. 864,000 #4 [29]
27/06-2 Monday, 8 June 2015 Pressure Test: Marcus Wareing's Braised Veal – Anna, Ashleigh and Billie faced a two and a half hour challenge set by British chef Marcus Wareing to recreate his 13-element Braised Veal dish. Billie won praise for the quality of her dish, with Marcus especially impressed with her skills in the kitchen. Both Ashleigh and Anna struggled during the challenge, having undercooked veal kidneys in their dishes. But it was Anna who overcooked her veal ribs and forgot to glaze it that left her eliminated. 1,135,000 #5 [30]
28/06-3 Tuesday, 9 June 2015 Immunity Challenge: Nick Holloway – In the first round, Jacqui, Jessica and Matthew faced a plating challenge: using prepared ingredients and four minutes to plate a Press Club dish in a modern way. Both Matthew and Jacqui forgot to plate some elements, handing Jessica the win, and the chance for immunity against chef Nick Holloway. She picked the food pantry of tiny ingredients (over big) and with 75 minutes, cooked Pan Roasted and Confit Quail, Pumpkin, Carrot and Mandarin. Nick's dish of Autumn Fruit Poached Quail with Candied Grape, Radish and Fennel was universally praised for its depth and balance of flavours, and while Jessica's dish was also met with rapturous admiration, it was slightly less impressive and she lost to Nick, 28 points to 29. 1,136,000 #1 [31]
29/06-4 Wednesday, 10 June 2015 Italian Team Challenge – Teams had to cook an Italian three course lunch for 40 guests each at Pizzini Wines in the King Valley: each team having to use a different local wine in each of their dishes. With three hours of preparation and having to collect their choice of protein from local farms, The Red Team fell behind early, as it took them the longest time to get their protein. The Blue Team changed their entrée last minute, and initially struggled to tie their Rockmelon Soup together as a dish. Both teams had problems with the accompaniment with their main course, but both produced outstanding desserts. Ultimately, the decision on a winner was so tight, with the judges saying it was almost a tie. It came down to small details and because of the perfectly cooked chicken from the Blue Team, it was the Red Team sent to elimination. 1,045,000 #3 [32]
30/06-5 Thursday, 11 June 2015 Mystery Box Elimination Challenge – Contestants faced a three-round Mystery Box Elimination Challenge with a twist: given thirty minutes per round and only the ingredients in their box (and the usual staple ingredients) to make potentially three dishes. In the first round, Georgia and Matthew were the two best performers, with Billie and Jamie declared safe in the second, leaving Ashleigh, Jacqui and Stephen in the final elimination round. Ashleigh's crème brûlée impressed the judges, which meant she was safe. It came down to Stephen and Jacqui and it was the latter whose overcooked scampi and undercooked pasta sealed her elimination. 1,118,000 #1 [33]
Week 7 – Power Week
31/07-1 Sunday, 14 June 2015 Mystery Box Challenge and Invention Test – Contestants faced a challenge to cook a dish with every ingredient in their Mystery Box, the winner gaining the Power Apron. Despite fierce competition from Ashleigh, Matthew and Reynold, it was Jessie who brought the judges one of the best desserts they'd eaten in the MasterChef kitchen. Her reward was a 30-minute head-start in an Invention Test in which every contestant could pick their own core ingredient and had to cook it in three different ways. The Power Apron will now be passed to the next contestant who excelled in the following challenges. Four contestants will be chosen for guaranteed immunity with the Power Apron will be given for the winning dish. Winning the challenge and the Power Apron was Reynold with his dish of Chocolate Three Ways, while Billie, Jessie and Sara completed the Top 4 dishes. Amy left off her third element in her duck dish that put her at risk of being sent to the Pressure Test but the judging was turned in her favour when Matthew, Stephen and Jamie produced dishes with technical errors and found themselves in elimination. 1,083,000 #4 [34]
32/07-2 Monday, 15 June 2015 Pressure Test: The Sunday Roast – Contestants were tasked in reinventing the classic Australian dish, the 'Sunday Roast' with sides. In possession of the Power Apron, Reynold picked chicken (over beef) as the main protein that Jamie, Stephen, and Matthew had to cook with. Matthew decided to keep it simple and his Macadamia-stuffed Chicken Roulade with Pommes Dauphine was declared the stand-out dish. Although Stephen's gravy was criticised for being too condensed by fat and the skin of his chicken too rubbery, one of Jamie's Chicken Roulade dishes was overcooked and his roasted potatoes lacked execution. In a split-decision verdict for one of them to be safe, the final vote based on the cooking of the protein was given to Stephen and Jamie was eliminated from the competition. 1,078,000 #4 [35]
33/07-3 Tuesday, 16 June 2015 Three-Round Duel Immunity Challenge – Billie, Jessie, Reynold and Sara cooked off for guaranteed immunity and the Power Apron in a duel-based challenge: contestants would face each other in three rounds, one vs. one, with a different cuisine and protein each round. In the first round, Reynold, as holder of the Power Apron, chose Jessie as his opponent cooking a French dish with pipis, but it was Jessie who won the round. In the second round, Billie and Sara faced off cooking flathead in a UK-style, with Billie winning. Jessie and Billie then competed in the final round cooking a Chinese dish with chicken, with Billie's Twice-cooked Orange and Cinnamon Glazed Chicken beating Jessie's Hainanese Chicken Soup (27-24) giving her the Immunity Pin and Power Apron. 1,096,000 #3 [36]
34/07-4 Wednesday, 17 June 2015 Restaurant Takeover Team Challenge – Teams had four hours for preparation and service for 50 guests at two top Melbourne restaurants, Tokyo Tina (Japanese cuisine) and Saigon Sally (Vietnamese cuisine). Billie, as holder of the Power Apron, was given the Red Team captaincy, with the power to choose her team and restaurant of choice (Saigon Sally). John volunteered himself to captain the Blue Team's at Tokyo Tina. John's decision to make six dishes pushed the Blue Team to the edge, while the judges' suggestion that the Red Team's four dishes were too few led them to add a dish in the last hour of preparation time. By the time service started, both teams were feeling the pressure, but the Blue Team particularly struggled to cope with initial demand. Both teams put up mostly quality dishes, winning praise from the judges, but it was the poorer quality of the Blue Team's main dish and desserts that left them in Elimination. Ashleigh was judged the best individual performer and won the Power Apron. 875,000 #10 [37]
35/07-5 Thursday, 18 June 2015 Blind Taste Test Elimination Challenge – Ashleigh, as the holder of the Power Apron, chose Stephen to avoid the Elimination Challenge altogether, leaving Georgia, John, Matthew, Rose and Sara to face two-rounds. In a blind taste test, they had three minutes to taste and two minutes to write down the ingredients of an unknown dish (Korean Bibimbap), with contestants receiving only the ingredients they correctly guessed to cook with in the second round. Sara and Georgia (who had the most correct guesses), along with Rose produced outstanding dishes, while John, with the least ingredients, and Matthew who was unfamiliar with Korean cuisine, struggled the most. Ultimately, it was the irrelevant underwhelming elements and overcomplexity of John's dish that saw him eliminated. 1,010,000 #1 [38]
Week 8
36/08-1 Sunday, 21 June 2015 Heston Blumenthal's Mystery Box Challenge and Invention Test – Heston Blumenthal presented his Mystery Box filled with Australian ingredients (such as macadamia nuts and emu) and with 60 minutes to showcase these local ingredients the top three dishes chosen were by Billie, Reynold and Sara. The latter won the advantage in the Invention Test, and from a choice of cocktails picked Whiskey Sour (over Espresso Martini and Bloody Mary). Tasked with taking the flavours of the drink and creating an inventive dish in sixty minutes, it was Ashleigh, Matthew and Rose who impressed the judges most and made them the Top 3. Amy, Georgia and Stephen failed to recreate the flavours of the drink and were sent to elimination. 1,215,000 #2 [39]
37/08-2 Monday, 22 June 2015 Pressure Test: Guillaume Brahimi's Jewel of the Sea – Amy, Georgia and Stephen had two-and-a-half hours to recreate Guillaume Brahimi's French sea urchin dish. Ultimately Georgia, although her dish look flat, and Amy, who missed some urchins tongues on her garnish, both produced outstanding dishes. While Stephen had thick squid tagliatelles, it was also the derailment of his dish due to the lack of urchin sauce to tie all the elements altogether and that sealed his elimination. 1,142,000 #5 [40]
38/08-3 Tuesday, 23 June 2015 Immunity Challenge: Jim McDougall – In the first round, Ashleigh, Matthew and Rose had to recreate a classic Sticky Date Pudding, using the second-hand equipment and ingredients. Ashleigh's modern take on the pudding won her the chance to cook for immunity against chef Jim McDougall. She picked the Northern Australian Food pantry (over South) and with 75 minutes, cooked Passionfruit Semifreddo with Chocolate Mousse and Coconut Crumb. Jim's dish of Red Emperor with Smoked Butter and Vanilla Sauce slightly confused the judges with the mix of sweet and savoury flavours, winning praise nonetheless but it was Ashleigh's dish that highly impressed the judges, winning her the immunity pin (26-22). 1,223,000 #1 [41]
39/08-4 Wednesday, 24 June 2015 Team Challenge: Afternoon Tea at The Hotel Windsor – The two teams (red and blue) were tasked with providing a high tea for 100 guests, as well as the three judges and four guest pastry chefs: Bernard Chu, Darren Purchese, Christy Tania and Kirsten Tibballs. The teams had three hours of cooking time at the MasterChef kitchen, then they had to transport their delicacies to the Hotel Windsor. There they had half an hour of prep time and half an hour to serve. The blue team, led by Reynold, strived at the beginning, completing most of their prep at the MasterChef kitchen and being the first to send out their tiers. The red team, however, struggled under Rose's command, especially when their chocolate tart shells collapsed providing them with not nearly enough time to complete plating up at the Hotel Windsor. This, along with the Blue Team's top three dishes, enabled the Blue Team to win and sent the Red Team to elimination. 1,221,000 #1 [42]
40/08-5 Thursday, 25 June 2015 Pie Elimination Challenge and Second Chance Cook-Off – While Billie used her Immunity Pin, the other members of the losing team were tasked to cook a pie in 90 minutes to save themselves from elimination. Matthew's pie was a standout dish to the judges and was immediately declared safe, and while Sara's effort had crumbling pastry and an underwhelming filling, Jessie's raw pastry meant she was going home but was given a second chance, after the fourteen previously eliminated contestants returned to compete for a second chance for a Top 10 spot. The returning contestants had an open pantry and 60 minutes, with the best performer to then cook off against Jessie for their place in the competition. Kha, Kristina and Stephen had the top dishes with Stephen narrowly winning the opportunity over Kristina to cook off against Jessie. Ultimately Jessie's Lobster dish beat Stephen's Rhubarb dish which lacked acidity, and Jessie remained in the competition, finalising the Top 10. 1,031,000 #3 [43]
1,056,000 #2
Week 9
41/09-1 Sunday, 28 June 2015 "Mystery" Mystery Box Challenge and Invention Test – Contestants faced a Mystery Box filled with a range of uncommon ingredients (including achacha, sorghum, sugar ants, New Zealand yams and Armenian cheese), and with 60 minutes to cook with ingredients they had never used before, the top three chosen were Billie, Jessie and Rose. Rose won the advantage in the Invention Test and chose to cook an Asian protein dish with 45 minutes to cook, meaning contestants had no access to any dairy or European ingredients. In the end it was Jessica, Jessie and Sara whose inventive takes on Asian flavour won them the chance at immunity. Rose, despite having the advantage, misfired on her dish. The subtlety of her egg was overpowered by spices. She was joined by Matthew and Reynold in the Bottom 3. 879,000 #6 [44]
42/09-2 Monday, 29 June 2015 Pressure Test: Janice Wong's Cassis Plum – Matthew, Reynold and Rose had two-and-a-quarter hours to recreate Janice Wong's blackcurrant-based plum-shaped frozen dessert. Ultimately, Matthew was praised for his daring and exact recreation of Janice's technical and refined dish. Reynold was ultimately praised for having the best sphere of the three despite facing difficulty with his dish but he forgot some of the raspberry rice crispies to his dish, however Rose's time was finally up – she struggled throughout and in the end, her sphere was deformed and too dense causing it to crack while her yuzu caviar was too coarse, leading her to be eliminated. 1,077,000 #5 [45]
43/09-3 Tuesday, 30 June 2015 Immunity Challenge: Ross Lusted – In the first round, Jessica, Jessie and Sara had to make the perfect batter, using only the provided staple and select pantry ingredients. Jessie delivered on the brief best and won the chance to cook for immunity against chef Ross Lusted. She picked the savoury pantry (over sweet) and with 75 minutes, cooked Beef with Beetroot. Ross' dish of Squid with Sweetcorn, Ginger and Spinach, initially confounded the judges but won them over with its complexity and technique, beating the elegant simplicity of Jessie's dish (28-25). 993,000 #6 [46]
44/09-4 Wednesday, 1 July 2015 All American Barbecue Team Challenge – The contestants were split into teams of three for a challenge under the mentorship of American pit master grand champion Andy Groneman: cooking American Barbecue in the unique style for 150 guests. With six hours preparation, teams had to cook pork ribs and two other choices of meat, as well as three vegetarian sides. The Red Team of Billie, Georgia and Jessie mistakenly let their barbecue run out of fuel, putting them behind the other two teams, while the Blue Team of Jessica, Reynold and Sara had problems getting their ribs to the standard required by Groneman. When service started, only the Yellow Team of Amy, Ashleigh and Matthew were ready with all of their dishes. Ultimately, the Red Team's meat dishes were criticised for its inconsistent cooking with an off balance of spice and salt. Yellow won praise for the inventiveness of their lamb and their apple slaw, but it was the Blue Team's exemplary ribs that won them the challenge, sending the other two teams to elimination. 1,173,000 #1 [47]
45/09-5 Thursday, 2 July 2015 Rick Stein's Seafood Elimination Challenge – The two losing teams (except Ashleigh, who used her Immunity Pin) faced a challenge set by Rick Stein known for his traveling and expertise with seafood, which the challenge revolved around. After randomly choosing a seafood core ingredient and a cuisine, the contestants had 75 minutes to cook one dish for the judges that would spare them from elimination. Billie, Matthew and Georgia presented the judges with dishes that didn't receive any negative feedback and were declared safe. It came down to Jessie's Poached Murray River Cod with Peas, Bacon and Brussels Sprouts and Amy's Malaysian Curry with Squid Noodles. Both dishes had undercooked seafood, but it was the thick and grainy texture in her curry sauce that sealed Amy's fate, eliminating her from the competition. 1,155,000 #1 [48]
Week 10
46/10-1 Sunday, 5 July 2015 "Deja Vu" Mystery Box Challenge and Invention Test – The Top 8 Mystery Box Challenge had the eight previous Mystery Boxes return to the kitchen, with each of the contestants cooking with the ingredients of one of them. After the 60-minute cook, Matthew (with the Power Apron week box), Reynold (with Heston's history box) and Billie (with Poh's Asian-themed box) impressed the judges, and Billie won the advantage into the Invention Test. She chose earth (over wind and fire) as the conceptual theme of the 60-minute challenge. The judges told the contestants that there would only be a Top 4 in the Immunity Challenge and a Bottom 4 to elimination. In the end, Georgia, Reynold and Jessie received praise for their desserts, with Sara completing the top 4. Thus, Billie, Matthew, Jessica and Ashleigh were sent into the pressure test. 1,010,000 #5 [49]
47/10-2 Monday, 6 July 2015 Pressure Test: Darren Purchese's Passion Flower – Darren Purchese returns to set up a Pressure Test for Billie, Matthew, Jessica and Ashleigh, who were given 2 hours and 45 minutes minutes to recreate his Passion flower dessert and 10 minutes at the end of the challenge to plate the dish with the grade based on presentation. None of the contestants, except Billie, managed to add the mint oil in the white chocolate petals and paint it due to time constraints. Matthew had problems plating the dish as his white chocolate collar that holds the chocolate petals in place broke into four pieces. At the tasting, Billie and Jessica impressed with the presentation while Ashleigh's collar was too small and her petals did not open properly. She and Matthew both missed the textures of their elements. After Billie got the dish of the day and Jessica was also declared safe, it came down to Matthew and Ashleigh and the presentation of the dish. Ashleigh, not having the blossom effect in the dish, was eliminated from the competition. 1,102,000 #4 [50]
48/10-3 Tuesday, 7 July 2015 Immunity Challenge: Monty and Jaclyn Koludrovic – In the first round of the immunity challenge, Reynold, Jessie, Georgia and Sara took turns naming herbs. Georgia and Sara were eliminated on back-to-back guesses, sending Reynold and Jessie as a team (meaning they would both get an Immunity Pin should they win) against Monty and Jaclyn Koludrovic. Both teams had to cook two dishes, a main and a dessert. With 75 minutes and an open pantry, Jessie and Reynold cooked Lobster with Fennel and Orange for main and Coconut with Passionfruit and Pineapple for dessert. Monty and Jaclyn put up a Seafood Salad for main and Chocolate and Olive Oil Mousse with Granita and Aperol Jelly for dessert. Monty's Seafood Salad scored him 28 points while Jaclyn's Aperol Jelly scored her 26, totalling their score to 54 points. Even though the judges loved Reynold's dessert, giving it a perfect score of 30, the lack of depth in Jessie's sauce cost the duo the challenge as her main course scored only 23 points, totalling their score to 53. 1,076,000 #4 [51]
49/10-4 Wednesday, 8 July 2015 Seven-course Degustation Challenge – The contestants were responsible for creating a seven course meal at The Prince Hotel Restaurant in St Kilda, Victoria, with each contestant assigned a course. Billie went first, making a marron dish that earned general acclaim. Georgia's soup dish was second, however it lacked balance and she faced trouble with her tuile as well as the quantity of soup. Matthew was third, and his tuna dish received praises all around. Sara went fourth, and her dish was named dish of the day, with perfectly cooked quail, a corn puree and blackberry vinaigrette that were applauded. Jessie had course 5 with lamb, but did not achieve the standard she aspired to as her meat was undercooked and her lentils were overcooked. Jessica had course 6, a savoury dessert with the feature ingredient being plums that received praise on the combination of sweet and savoury. Reynold present the last dish (course 7) with chocolate for dessert but the judges were left disappointed with the lack of creativity and technical errors in his dish. As a result, he joined Jessie and Georgia in the bottom 3. 936,000 #8 [52]
50/10-5 Thursday, 9 July 2015 Elimination Challenge: Time Auction – Georgia, Reynold and Jessie faced off in the return of the auction challenge from series 6. They had 100 minutes of time to bid for ingredients. Jessie was left with 60 minutes and chicken, vegetables and spices, Reynold had 75 minutes and eggs, citrus fruits and condiments, and Georgia got 75 minutes and sardines, nightshades and herbs. All three struggled during the cook but in the tasting, all of their dishes were liked by the judges but they felt Georgia's butter dressing was unnecessary and Jessie's sauce was bitter while her dish lacked originality. Ultimately, the bitterness was a key flaw in the dish and eliminated Jessie from the competition. 1,172,000 #1 [53]
Week 11 – "Marco Returns" Week
51/11-1 Sunday, 12 July 2015 Restaurant Service Team Challenge – The Top 6 contestants faced a restaurant service team challenge set by Marco Pierre White; with three hours to prepare three courses for 120 people. The Blue Team of Sara, Jessica and Georgia had a prawn entrée, a lamb main and a peach dessert while the Red Team of Matthew, Billie and Reynold had a duck entrée, a snapper main and a brûlée dessert. The Blue Team served overcooked prawns in their entrée, they served the lamb cold and they ran out of smashed potatoes for some orders but their dessert for the Blue Team was universally praised by the judges, handing the challenge win to the Blue Team. The Red Team served some tortellini raw in their entrée, for their main had well-cooked snapper but failed to scale the fish properly, and had to leave the doughnut element of their dessert off due to time. As a result, they were sent to elimination. 993,000 #5 [54]
52/11-2 Monday, 13 July 2015 Pressure Test: Double Lamb Chop on a Crepinette with Chicken Mousse and Leeks – Billie, Matthew and Reynold were given the task of making Marco's lamb dish with instructions came from him and there is no set time limit. Billie initially fell behind but was able to catch up, producing an almost identical copy of Marco's dish that received praise from all judges. Matthew struggled throughout, putting up only a single cut instead of a double cut. Reynold used a cut from the wrong side of the saddle, as a result had a large piece of bone. Due to these minor flaws in Matthew and Reynold's dishes, they ended up being in the bottom 2. However, neither was eliminated – they would not cook for the rest of the week and instead they went straight into the second elimination at the end of the week. 1,065,000 #7 [55]
53/11-3 Tuesday, 14 July 2015 Immunity Challenge: Shannon Bennett – Georgia, Jessica and Sara competed for the final immunity of the season. The one competing for immunity was also guaranteed an adventage in the following day's team challenge. The first round involved cooking baked goods to serve as a complement to tea. Georgia's coconut biscuits earned her second chance to compete in round two over Sara and Jessica (whose dishes had technical issues). In the second round she cooked against in-house mentor Shannon Bennett – she was provided with a pantry of twenty ingredients from which she had to choose ten, and Shannon would have to cook with the remaining ten. Georgia decided to cook a Marron dish with crispy chicken skin which the judges liked and she received 25 points. However Shannon, despite having a difficult pantry, managed to produce a delicious dish with John Dory fish, figs, chicory and curry leaves to beat her with a score of 26 points. 1,084,000 #4 [56]
54/11-4 Wednesday, 15 July 2015 French Restaurant Service Team Challenge – Billie, Georgia, Jessica and Sara faced off in a team challenge to prepare a French meal for 70 guests – 2 mains and a dessert. Georgia, due to her advantage from the previous day's immunity challenge, had the power to choose her teammate. She chose Billie to be part of her Blue Team, which left Jessica and Sara in the Red Team. The teams were responsible for ordering the ingredients as well as preparing and serving the meals. The Blue Team chose to go with a Beef dish made by Billie, and a Prawn dish by Georgia, both of which were praised. Jessica prepared a salmon dish which was cooked perfectly, but Sara's lamb which chocolate and blackberry sauce did not work well. Both teams' desserts had issues – the Blue Team did not make enough, and the Red Team's plating was questioned. However their burnt butter cake was praised. Despite all the troubles however, the Blue Team won, sending Billie and Georgia to Finals Week. The Red Team would join Reynold and Matthew in elimination. 1,237,000 #1 [57]
55/11-5 Thursday, 16 July 2015 Childhood Food Memory Elimination Challenge – Jessica, Matthew, Reynold and Sara faced off in the final elimination round before the Finals. The challenge was to create a dish in 90 minutes, while drawing inspiration from their childhood. Reynold made a chocolate ganache with honeycomb, tempered chocolate and orange jelly. Although he initially had problems with his honeycomb, he got it to work and it was named dish of the day. The simplicity of Sara's pasta dish lacked complexity in her broccoli sauce. While Jessica's prawn dish earned praise with the flavour depth in her broth, the prawns that were served in their shells made it difficult for the judges to eat. But in the end, it was down to the imbalance and construction of Matthew's lasagna as he was eliminated from the competition. 1,186,000 #1 [58]
MasterClass: Marco Pierre White, George Calombaris and Matt Preston – Joined with the judges, Marco presented his second MasterClass to the Top 5. First, Marco made a simple pasta with tomato sauce. Billie and Georgia were given the opportunity to have a masterclass alone with George due to their exceptional performance in the team challenge earlier in the week. He showed them the "monochrome of red". Later, Matt showed them two simple but homely chicken dishes. 989,000 #4
Week 12 – Finals Week
56/12-1 Sunday, 19 July 2015 Finals Mystery Box Challenge & Food Trends Invention Test – The top 5 finalists compete in their last Mystery Box Challenge. Contestants were allowed to choose one ingredient from the box each in 30 seconds, followed by one ingredient chosen by each of the judges before cooking in 60 minutes. All the contestants received praise for their dishes, particularly to Sara's Beetroot Squid dish and Billie's Beetroot and Dill Stack but Sara's unique dish won her the challenge. She was given an advantage in the Invention Test where she had to choose one of three Food Trends: "Cheeks and Jowls", "Peel the Stem" and "Savoury Sweets" for the contestants to cook their dishes in 60 minutes. Sara choose to peel the stem however, her advantage failed when she struggled for the options of her dish with the decision of leaving off the watermelon skin during the cook before serving it to the judges, who criticised her dish that did not meet the brief of the challenge. Jessica's dish splits the judges' opinions on the use of her ingredients. Reynold struggled early on, using a protein instead of a vegetable. Realizing his mistake, he used celery for his dish which impressed the judges but it lacked creativity as they preferred the dishes of Billie and Georgia and named them the top 2, sending Reynold to join Sara and Jessica in the Pressure Test. 1,044,000 #4 [59]
57/12-2 Monday, 20 July 2015 Pressure Test: Grant King's Liquid Gnocchi with Mushroom Consommé – Jessica, Reynold and Sara faced off in a pressure test where the challenge was to recreate two hat chef Grant King's dish. They had 2 hours to recreate a technically challenging and detailed liquid gnocchi with mushroom consommé. All three contestants struggled and, after the end of the cook, both Reynold and Sara forgot their brioches in the oven. When he became the first of the three to successfully create his liquid gnocchi spheres, Reynold's consommé was opaque. Jessica did the best of the three, and managed to get all the elements on the plate that was close to Grant's dish. Her clear consommé and delicate gnocchi spheres was praised in the tasting. However, Sara presented her dish with deformed gnocchi that was bland and under-seasoned which ensures the judges to eliminate her from the competition as a result. 1,070,000 #7 [60]
58/12-3 Tuesday, 21 July 2015 "No Rules" Challenge – Billie, Georgia, Jessica and Reynold faced off in a rule-free cooking challenge in their chosen time frame (90 minutes). The winner would be awarded an advantage in the next day's cook off. All of them chose to make a dessert: Reynold made an apple and caramel with ice cream and a nested tuile, Billie and Georgia cook their desserts inspired by their respective childhoods – Billie's lemon verbena mousse with saffron cornflakes and Georgia's deconstructed lemon meringue, and Jessica made a blue cheese mousse with roasted fig, burnt butter crumb, ice cream and caramel sauce. Although her plating was an issue, the flavour of her caramel sauce and silkiness of her ice cream highly impressed the judges and she wins the challenge, securing the advantage. 1,231,000 #2 [61]
59/12-4 Wednesday, 22 July 2015 The Press Club Service Challenge – George let Billie, Georgia, Jessica and Reynold cook at his restaurant The Press Club. They had to cook four of George's signature dishes to 35 VIP chefs and restaurateurs in four hours and thirty minutes. Jessica's advantage from last night was able to choose one of the restaurant's dishes and chose the Devil's Footsteps lamb dish. The others get to randomly pick a dish from the knife block: Georgia picked the Monochrome Greek salad, Billie chose Greek Creme Brûlée with Commandaria, and Reynold's choice was defaulted with the Whiting and Lamb Tzatziki. After service time, both Jessica and Reynold's dishes had critical flaws while the final decision came to Billie and Georgia, whom they both delivered the dish of the day. Nonetheless, the judges went for Georgia and Billie joined the others to face elimination. 1,363,000. #1 [62]
60/12-5 Thursday, 23 July 2015 Pressure Test: Brett Graham's Flame Grilled Bonito with Pickled Cucumber, Celtic Mustard and Shiso Dressing – Reynold, Billie, and Jessica faced a pressure test, trying to replicate Brett Graham's flame grilled bonito dish in two hours with five minutes to cook the fish and plate it to be served to the judges and Brett. Although Billie had been behind time in order to perfect the cooking of her fish, her dish was praised however, she received criticism for the lack of shiso dressing in her dish. On the other hand, Jessica had balanced sauce but a rather chaotic presentation as well as a slightly torn bonito skin. Reynold also had a torn bonito skin, but the fact that he turned the flesh side down briefly during cooking indicate that his fish had become dry, which meant he was eliminated. 1,247,000 #1 [63]
MasterClass: Chefs vs. Contestants – In the last MasterClass of the Top 24, first George and Gary faced a Mystery Box chosen by the Top 3 contestants. Then Gary, George and Shannon Bennett competed against Billie, Georgia and Jessica in a relay challenge. Gary, George and Shannon made a savoury dish, while Billie, Georgia and Jessica made a dessert. Both dishes were praised by the judges (Matt and two former contestants, Ava and Stephen) but both had issues. In the end, the professionals wins the challenge. 1,052,000 #4
Grand Finale Week
61/13-1 Sunday, 26 July 2015 Semi-Finals: Service Challenge – The top 3 semifinalists faced a four-hour service challenge where they had to cook one main dish and a dessert to be served to 20 diners and to the judges in the MasterChef Kitchen. Billie's dishes of Roasted Lamb with Mint Peas and Dill and Rhubarb Spider received overall praise from the judges without any fault found in her plates, sending her to the Finale. Jessica made a Roasted Pork Belly with Smoked Yoghurt Shiso and Poached Quince, and a White Chocolate Dome filled with a Popcorn Sponge and Grapefruit Gel. Her savoury dish also received overall praise by the judges but her dessert had some issues: her sponge was heavy and her gel had an artificial taste. Georgia fell behind throughout the challenge to prep her dishes: Cured Ocean Trout with Cucumber and Apple for main and Mango Sorbet with Vanilla Yoghurt Parfait for dessert but despite the panicked plating, both of her dishes earned praise in the taste and Georgia advanced to the Grand Finals. Although the judges applaud Jessica's main dish, they just weren't convinced with the flavour profile and creativity in her dessert as she was eliminated. 1,389,000 #3 [64]
62/13-2 Monday, 27 July 2015 Grand Finale – The finale consists of three rounds where the Grand Finalists must cook a three-course meal in each round to be served to the judges. The first round was a Mystery Box that contained produce presented by ten of Australia's best farmers. Billie and Georgia had 60 minutes to use any of these ingredients from the box to cook their dishes. Billie picked goats cheese, strawberries, Daintree vanilla, Ligurian honey, pear cider and pineapple sage while Georgia picked vanilla, goats cheese and strawberries. Billie's baked strawberries with grapeseed oil cake lacked flavour in her strawberry parfait. Georgia earned high praise in her goats cheese and vanilla ravioli with strawberry broth despite her pasta being too thick, scoring 23 points out of 30 while Billie scored 21.

In the second round, the finalists must cook a dish for their respective family and friends in 90 minutes. Billie's fennel, ginger, orange and scallops dish earned praise but the presentation of her dish let her down, scoring 25 points to the total of 46. Georgia took the lead again with her mushroom dish three ways that received overall praise on the execution and presentation, earning 27 points to 50 total.

The last round faced Billie and Georgia to recreate a monumental interpretation of a dessert Botrytis cinerea (a grape rot which produces some of the sweetest dessert wines in the world) made by Heston Blumenthal. In five hours, Billie manage to redeem herself in keeping her control of recreating the dish as Georgia fall behind throughout the challenge and therefore, led to her decision of disregarding the sugar ball to focus on her other elements at the last five minutes. In the tasting, Billie earned overall positive feedback from the judges with her take of the dish while Georgia had missed out the sugar ball and her grape gel was grainy. She was scored 7 points each from Matt and Heston and 8 points from Gary and George, tallying to the overall score of 80. Billie then scored 36 points (9 each from all of the judges), finalizing the score of 82 points.

 1,840,000 #2 [65]
Winner Announced – Billie won the grand prize of $250,000, an Alfa Romeo Giuletta, and a monthly column in the magazine Delicious. She was also offered a job on the spot by Blumenthal at his UK restaurant, The Fat Duck.[66] Georgia, as runner-up, won $20,000, while Jessica, in third-place, won $10,000. 2,133,000 #1

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  3. ↑ "Top 24 MasterChef contestant booted off the show for having professional experience". news.com.au. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "'MasterChef' cook Mario kicked off show, Jessie gets chance". msn.com. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
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