All language subtitles for Masterchef.Au.S15E35.720p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-WH

NARRATOR: Previously on
MasterChef Australia...

(CONTESTANTS SQUEAL)

Surprise!

..a week of wonder...

Oh, my goodness!

..got the creative juices flowing.

CATH: It's our chance to actually
surprise the judges this time.

MELISSA: Amazing.

And...
It's Nelly Robinson!

..a Pressure Test
inspired by Peter Rabbit.

Oh, look at that!

..was the end of Ralph's
MasterChef story.

Thank you so much, guys.

Whoo!
Whoo!

Then a caffeinated cook...

MALISSA: Today, with coffee,
it's all about balance.

..gave them two shots at immunity.

THEO: Immunity is more important
than ever

because there's only
eight of us left.

And Malissa beat the chef

and won a fairytale ending.

Congratulations, you win the pin!

Tonight, our top 8
face an elimination.

ADI: The competition is getting
harder and harder.

The odds are just getting
narrower and narrower.

And it's an absolute feast
for the senses.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

RHIANNON: Oh, black-apron day.
CATH: I know.

BRENT: I always smile on...
RUE: It's like a nervous smile.

(GIGGLES NERVOUSLY)

Top 8, I just can't believe it.

I'm feeling really lucky
that I'm still here.

But it's also elimination day.

RUE: Oh, my gosh.

CATH: We are all really good cooks,

but it just comes down to
what happens on the day.

ANDY: Hey!
Ooh!

Morning!

Damn!
ANDY: Come on down!

Wait till you see
what we've got in store for you.

ADI: Behind the judges there's
this weird scientific lab set-up

of a lot of colourful Petri dishes.

I've looked at a couple of
Petri dishes

under the microscope in my time,

but I didn't expect to see them
in the MasterChef kitchen.

Morning, everyone. How you feeling?

CONTESTANTS: Morning.
Good.

Yeah?
MAN: Great.

Yeah?
Yeah.

This competition, it is a marathon,
not a sprint.

Just like in a marathon,
you need to keep a clear head,

pace yourself

and just keep putting
one foot in front of the other.

And before you know it,
you'll be crossing that finish line

and one of you will be lifting
that trophy.

You've just got to stay ahead
of the game.

RHIANNON: Yeah.
CATH: Mm.

Theo, how you feeling?

I'm feeling alright, but, um...

..just looking behind you now,
though, it looks...

I don't know what's going on. It
looks like a lab or something, yeah.

So I'm a bit nervous now.

I may have failed science
in high school a couple of times,

so I could be in big trouble.

(CHUCKLES) Not book-smart,
that's for sure.

OK, this is a taste test,
but not as you know it.

(EXHALES)

It might look like these dishes

are filled with all sorts of
weird and wonderful caviar,

but, actually, each dish contains
a specially flavoured pearl.

CATH: A pearl.

Oh!

These pearls have all been created
by distilling individual ingredients

down to their purest flavour.

We've taken everything else away.

No aromas, no textures.

Interesting.

In this taste test,
it is your job to identify

the ingredient encapsulated
in the pearl

by just flavour alone.

It's so interesting.

So one by one,
you're gonna step forward

and taste one of
the flavoured pearls.

We're gonna start with
simple flavours first,

the ones that are easy to identify,

but they're gradually gonna get
tougher and tougher as we go along.

If you guess that flavour correctly,
you'll stay in the game,

if you get it wrong,
you fall into round 2,

from where someone
will be eliminated.

The taste test will end after
four cooks have guessed incorrectly.

Got it?
Yeah.

You got it?
CONTESTANTS: Yes!

Alright.

ADI: The competition
is getting harder and harder.

One slip-up on the day,
it's enough to send you home.

I don't even want to take the chance.

I just want to be safe in round 1.

Who's gonna go first? Well, I reckon
the way you walked in will do.

Which means, Theo,
you're up first, mate.

Let's go.
Go, Theo!

All ready, mate?

THEO: I think I've been preparing
my whole life for this challenge

because I've eaten
a helluva lot of food.

Remember, we're going from
easiest to hardest

and we're starting right here, OK?

I like to think I have a good palate.
I know flavours.

I am pretty good at picking up
on particular ingredients.

But when it's under pressure
like this,

it's so hard to just focus
on what's in front of you.

You can eat as much of that
as you like.

(CONTESTANTS LAUGH)

Get into it.

I know what this is, but my mind
is playing tricks on me.

What are you tasting?

A lot of bitterness.

Which means...
Coffee.

Coffee.

Correct.

Ah!

Whoo-hoo!

Rue, come on up.

MALISSA: Go, Rue!

My track history with taste tests

has been absolutely horrible,

so this is going to be hard.

Rue, historically, you've been
quite nervous about taste tests.

How are you feeling about this one?

Nervous. (LAUGHS)
Nervous?

What are you tasting?

Oh, my gosh.

The first taste I get
is like a hint of coconut,

but I can barely taste anything.

I'm doubting myself a little bit.

Oh, honey, come on.

Remember, your gut instinct
is usually right.

I'm going to go with coconut.

You are correct.

(CONTESTANTS CHEER)

I'm still in the game - look!

Oh. It plays with your mind.

Oh, my gosh. Wow.

I was so unsure.

Rhiannon, let's go.
Go, Rhi!

(APPLAUSE)

This taste test
is so deceivingly hard.

They've taken away
all your other senses,

so you can't see it,
you can't feel the texture,

you don't really know what it is.

It's, basically,
you're going in blind.

Mint.
Straight up?

Straight up.

Easy as that. It was mint.
Oh!

That just makes it so much harder.
Mm.

You're gonna start
second-guessing yourself.

Vanilla.

Boom.
(LAUGHTER)

The simplest thing can turn out
to be so difficult.

Vanilla.
Vanilla.

So far, everyone has been safe.

I just hope it's something
that I immediately know.

Thank you.

There's no smell,
but it's bright green.

It's a very earthy, robust herb,

something I would use in a roast.

I'm thinking it's thyme,
but it could also be rosemary.

I can identify them both separately
if I'm looking at them,

but now that I'm just eating
this pearl gel in my mouth,

I'm like, "God, which one is it?"

I just need to pick one, and pick the
one that I'm slightly more sure of.

Thyme.

Thyme.

Unfortunately, thyme is incorrect.

OK.

It is rosemary.
Rosemary.

God, I second-guessed myself.
It's OK.

I'm so sorry, Adi.
No, it's alright.

That means that you're in round 2.
All good.

Please step to the side.

MALISSA: Good job, Adi.

I did not want to be in round 2,

and now I'm the first person
in round 2.

This is just not what I wanted
in the slightest.

Sometimes it is the flavours
that you know

inside out and back to front,

they are the most difficult
to recognise

when you don't have a visual cue
of what it is

and you don't have the texture
of what it is.

Be careful before you give
your answer.

Yeah, yep.

OK, good idea.

Brent, let's dance.

With, you know, someone gone
in the first lap around the group,

I'm thinking, like,
this might be really hard.

Go your hardest.
Like, "Oh, God, am I next?"

It seems so familiar.

I can't put my finger on it.

It's sweet.

And all of a sudden

I'm just thinking of
a bowl of porridge.

Honey?

Going with honey.
Yeah.

(TENSE MUSIC)

Nailed it. Honey.

(EXCLAMATIONS AND APPLAUSE)

JOCK: Alright, Declan's your name,
but are pearls your game?

That's what I want to know.

There's about 40 caviar balls
in front of you.

They're all the same size.

Thank you, sir.

And it's so hard when, texturally,

you can't taste it
in its, like, normal form,

and there's no smell.

I'm just gonna give it my best shot.

Love you closing your eyes.
It's like you're having a dream.

Um...

It's a very subtle flavour.

It's, like, quite fresh, like aloe.

It's not aloe, but, um...

The taste is on
the tip of my tongue,

but I don't have a clue what it is.

Bloody hell.

I'm gonna have to just go with
the colour

that I know is a bit of a clue,

and I'm thinking
maybe it's some herbs.

No, I'm just gonna
have to go coriander.

That's my answer.

Declan...

..coriander is incorrect.

You are in round 2.

It is in fact -
you're gonna kick yourself...

..cucumber.

Oh, bummer!

As soon as the judges told me
it was cucumber,

I bloody knew it.

Cucumber!

Yeah. (LAUGHS)

OK, we've been through one round,

and already we have
two in round 2, Adi and Declan.

Damn!

We're looking for two more.

Alright, now it's time for round 2.

Theo, you're up.

Ooh!
Oh, that face isn't good.

Lychee.
You are correct!

MALISSA: Well done, Theo!

Ready, Rue?

MALISSA: Come on, Rue!

Ginger?

Correct!

Oh! (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

Rhiannon.
MALISSA: Whoo! Come on, Rhiannon!

Onion.

Boom! Onion.
Oh, yes!

Oh, my gosh!

You are good, girl!

You are good.

My breath stinks.
(BOTH LAUGH)

It's very concentrated.
Oh, my God!

(JUDGES LAUGH)

Oh, my goodness.
(LAUGHS)

Oh, onion breath!

Just got that.
I told you.

I'm just waiting now -
is there a garlic one? Imagine that.

No-one wonder you guys
are so quick. It stank!

(RUE AND RHIANNON LAUGH)

OK, Cath.

(LAUGHTER)
I told you.

Get as far away from Rhiannon
as possible.

She's trying to put you off.

Alright.

CATH: Thank you.
There you are.

Oh. Mm.

Oh, beetroot.

You're right!
Oh!

JOCK: There it is. See?

So, Brent, we meet again.

CATH: Come on, Brent.

Mm.

Watermelon?

Correct.

It's like nothing,
and then all of a sudden

something just goes, "There it is."

It's weird, isn't it?

JOCK: Stepping up a gear.

Alright, here we go, round 3.

Now we're onto the hardest level.

OK, next up, Theo.

Come on, Theo.

Two wrong guesses,
looking for two more,

and now it's my third guess.

I'd better not get this wrong.

It's such a strong, strong flavour

that straightaway it hits me...

Oh, Jesus.

(SNORTS)

(CLEARS THROAT) It's chilli.

You're correct. (LAUGHS) It's chilli.

Ha. Righto. (COUGHS)

I am on fire,
literally and physically.

Whew.

I've got 'em all right. Come on!

MELISSA: Rue.

MALISSA: Come on, Rue!

Theo goes before me,

and he's gotten it, he's safe.

I'm hoping this is a lucky tasting,
and I'll be safe too.

Be calm.
Yeah.

Be critical.

RUE: Straightaway I can recognise
the taste.

Oh, my goodness. (COUGHS)

I can tell that there's
a spice there. It lingers.

(LAUGHS)

I actually know
what this tastes like,

but I don't know what it's called!

Wait! Wait!

It's just escaping my mind.

OK, work through it.

Where would you eat it?
What would you eat it with?

I've actually eaten
this stuff before,

but what the heck is it?

That's actually driving me nuts.

I'm thinking so hard.
Nothing's coming to my mind.

Oh, I'm unsure, but...

..I'm going to say...

I'm really unsure.

Your answer is...

Jalapeno.

It's wrong.

The correct answer is wasabi.

Oh!

I'm kicking myself.

I'm so sorry, Rue.

That means you're in round 2.

Oh, my goodness.
So hard.

Oh!
JOCK: That's how easy...

Come on, Rhi.

Oh!
Come on!

So, the timing isn't lucky.

Wow.
I'll give you that.

You've done well.
It's alright.

Oh! OK.

With Rue, Adi and Declan in round 2,
we're looking for one more cook.

You ready, Rhiannon?
Let's go, Rhi-Rhi.

All I can taste is onion.

Even though I had all this onion
in my palate,

they're so concentrated in flavour,
these pearls, it was instant.

Cinnamon.

Straight up.

That's just what I taste.

Well, you nailed it, so well done.

Whoo!
Thank you very much.

You're a master at this.
It's amazing.

Quick and decisive.

Alright, Cath.

Go, Cath.
Let's go, Cath.

Go, Cath!

CATH: Thank you.

So there's, yeah, one spot left

to go into round 2.

I don't want to be that person.

I'm actually feeling really nervous.

This is an odd taste.

(TENSE MUSIC)

I get this sweet, earthy flavour.

It's really familiar,
but I'm not sure.

Some critical thinking
going on there.

That's good.
It's really playing with my brain.

Mm.

(TENSE MUSIC)

(TENSE MUSIC)

There's one spot left
to go into round 2.

I don't want to be that person.

I'm actually feeling really nervous.

(TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES)

Some critical thinking
going on there.

That's good.
It's really playing with my brain.

Mm.

"This is an odd taste."

And then, "Ha!"

Carrot.

Of course it's carrot.

Oh, thank goodness, hey?

Good on you, Cath.

Oh, it's amazing.

Breathe.

Brent, you're up.

Go, Brent!

The flavours of these pearls,
they're getting more difficult.

It's a pretty one, isn't it?
It is.

Subtle, that's all I'm tasting.
Subtle.

JOCK: Don't overthink it.

Yeah.
Yeah, I'm...

I'm trying to think it.

I'm getting a flavour that...

..I can taste it
in all these different dishes,

but I just cannot pick what it is.

(WHISPERS) Drives you crazy.

Work it through.

Oh!

You nearly have none left.
Yeah, I know.

I've got one more spoon left
of these pearls,

and my mind is absolutely blank.

I'm just really confused.

Answer time, dude. Let's go.

You have no more pearls to consume.

Brent, I need an answer.
I'm sorry, mate.

(TENSE MUSIC)

I was going to go turmeric.

Turmeric is your answer?
Yeah.

Turmeric...

..is incorrect.

Yeah.

So sorry, Brent. You're in round 2.

The correct answer was saffron.

Oh!
Saffron!

Yeah, not turmeric. Saffron.

Oh! Oh, man, like, I'm gutted.

I really would have loved
to be safe,

keep this thing safe
for another week.

Theo, Rhiannon and Cath,
congratulations, you are safe.

Oh! Oh!
Whew.

You may head up onto the gantry.

But you know what?
You've got to do this.

You've got to go into
the eliminations.

I haven't been in a second-round
elimination this season yet.

I've got the safety of the pin,
so let's do it.

That was hard. It was really hard.

Declan, Brent, Adi and Rue,

today is all about stripping things
back to their purest form.

In round 1 you tasted ingredients

that had been stripped back
to their purest flavours,

and in this round we would like your
dish to be inspired by something...

..very simple and pure.

And that is...

..colour.

CONTESTANTS: Oh.

CONTESTANTS: Oh!
(BRENT LAUGHS)

Yeah! Look at that!
Look at that!

It's a rainbow.

This is like being back in the club,

all these lights flashing.

(LAUGHS) It's beautiful. I love it.

In a moment, these light boxes will
cycle through a series of colours.

Whichever colour the box
in front of you stops on

is the colour that your dish
will need to highlight.

OK. Ooh.

Whatever you end up with,

that colour needs to be
front and centre of your dish.

Wow, that's awesome.

ADI: This is a really
interesting challenge,

'cause often when you're cooking,
if anything, I'm trying to introduce

lots of different types of colour
into my food.

I'm just trying to think of
something I can make

that's really monochromatic.

Like, I could do a pumpkin curry,
which is all orange,

or I could do a dessert
that's all orange.

OK.

Declan, what are you hoping for?

Um, green.

Yeah, like, match my eye colour.

CATH: Oh, how nice!

Declan, your colour is...

..red!

THEO: Oh! Red's good.

ADI: Red's good. Red's good.

Brent, your dish colour is...

Yellow.

That's alright.

Like saffron.

Like turmeric.

Too soon?
(LAUGHTER)

It's all good.

Adi, your colour...

..is green.

OK.
Oh, nice!

OK.

And Rue...

..your colour is orange.

OK, yeah.

For this round,
you'll have 75 minutes

to cook us anything you want.

We want your dish to be inspired
by your colour.

But it also has to be delicious,
right?

OK.

Because you know how it goes -

the least impressive dish
at the end of this round

will send its maker home.

So, you four, good luck.

75 minutes starts now.

Go, guys! Go! Good luck!
Go!

RUE: Today I got the colour orange,
and I can cook whatever we like,

so I'm thinking I need to play a bit
to my strengths,

which is dessert.

Oh.

Mm! Interesting.

But I am cooking against Brent,
Adi...

Whoops!
..and Declan.

Look, they're all really good cooks.

Where's the corn?

And Brent has a pin.

That scares me,
I'm not going to lie.

Looking through
all the fresh produce,

obviously there's oranges, you know?

But I feel like
if I went with oranges,

then the things that I'm going to do

is the things that I already do
all the time.

Prosciutto, um...

RUE: It's that thinking of
what I can do with flavours,

and I want to do something
unexpected.

But I'm wondering if today's
the right day to take a risk.

If I make the wrong decision,

I could be going home.

OK.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

RUE: Today I got the colour orange,
and I want to make a dessert.

Thinking of what I can do
with flavours,

orange is in carrots,
way predictable.

I want to do something unexpected.

OK.

And then I see some apricots.

That's it.

They look orange to me.

(CLATTER)
Ooh.

I have not really worked
with apricots.

CATH: Come on, love, come on!

But I just want to showcase
different flavours,

different things that go together

that I've been learning
whilst I'm here.

Keep going, Rue-Rue.

I'm nervous, but I'm thinking,

"OK, I have to really
back myself up today."

I'm hoping that the risk
that I take will pay off.

Mel goes with his bench.
Look at her with the yellow on.

You're matching Brent today, Mel.

MELISSA: I know, right?
Yeah!

So, you know, bit of bloody
serendipity, as they say.

Um, you know,

saffron, yellow,
got me into this shemozzle,

and now yellow is going to
get me out of this shemozzle.

It's a funny feeling,

because this year I haven't
been in this position yet.

I haven't been in
a second-round elimination.

But I'm gonna just focus on
being calm through this cook.

I've got a plan.

This dish is gonna be quite simple.

Um, nothing, like, crazy.

It's gonna be refined.

You know, I'm just gonna stick to
things I, you know, flavours I know.

So today I am cooking
a charred octopus.

It'll be sort of braised
in turmeric.

Nice yellow curry sauce underneath.

A salsa in there too.

I'm excited.

Yeah, it's good.

Well, round 1 was all about flavour.

Now round 2, it's all about colour.
I'll start today.

I'm wearing, you know,
a yellow blouse,

so if I was assigned yellow,
like Brent is today,

I might do, like,
a yellow fish curry,

really drive the turmeric and really
make the basis of the dish

a beautiful, delicious,
aromatic, punchy curry.

If I picked yellow...
Yeah?

..today,
I'd do a banana souffle.

Ooh!

I'd paint some yellow stripes
up the side of the ramekin

so when it came up, you had some
nice clear visual recognition,

and you think 'yellow'
when you eat banana as well.

Yes.

So I think hit the brief
first and foremost.

Second of all, souffle, 'cause I
know nobody else would do it.

Getting strategic.

Is there any one
that you wouldn't want

out of these four colours?

Hm.
I'm not mad on orange...

Mm.
..I've got to say.

I was gonna go red.
Red, chilli, easy.

Romesco, tomato.

Yeah, it's just a personal opinion.
Yeah, alright, sorry.

(ALL LAUGH)

RHIANNON: Let's go, cheer squad.
MALISSA: Come on, let's go, Declan!

(CHANTS) Let's go, Declan. Let's go!
Whoo-whoo!

Look, it's tough
being in another elimination.

Tomato paste, sesame, pepper.

But I've worn a black apron
enough to know

I need to give it my all
like I have the last couple of cooks.

Alright.

I've been working harder than ever,
practising and studying

and researching,

and that's just what I want
to show the judges today.

Gonna do a Thai-style dish.

It's traditionally called
khao moo daeng,

and it's sort of a red braised pork.

Khao moo daeng,

it's pretty much like pork, rice
and a chilli sauce,

but I'm doing my own spin
on this dish.

I want to show to the judges
I've learnt techniques.

So I'll have my pork, red broth
and the really punchy red sambal,

and then I'm gonna do rice noodles.

I'm gonna pass them through
a potato ricer

and hopefully just get

these awesome, stringy,
chewy noodles.

It's a very tricky process.

Has he got food colour in there?
Oh, he does, yeah.

If they want red, I'm gonna be
giving them red today,

so using the red food colouring,

it's actually, like,
one of the traditional ways

of getting that red colour
into the meat,

and then it's gonna go
in the pressure cooker,

braising for about half an hour

before finishing it off in the fryer.

Oh, Declan. Look at Declan.
(MALISSA LAUGHS)

I've done myself a mischief
and bloody didn't put my gloves on,

and my hands are stained red,

but it's not gonna change
the flavour of my dish.

So... Nurse to bench 3, please!

(LAUGHS)
Come on, Adi! Run, run, run!

CATH: You got the green lid
on there. She got something green?

She's got no ingredients.

What are you doing, Adi?

ADI: Not sure yet, love.

OK, good luck.

I'm still really unnerved
going into this cook.

I've got green. It's not the colour
I initially wanted.

And it's hard to shake that off.

It's looking like quite
the colourful cook. One hour to go!

Whoo-hoo!
Come on!

(GANTRY CONTESTANTS CLAP)
MALISSA: Come on, guys!

Whoo!

I just feel like the warmer colours,
like the yellows and the oranges,

were probably more suited
to my type of cooking.

Um...

I have no idea what I'm cooking.

(WHISPERS) Green chillies.

So I'm grabbing green herbs
and vegetables.

Come on, Adi!
Come on, Adi!

I am so nervous
at the thought of going home,

but my brain is blank.

THEO: Go, Adi.
MALISSA: Come on, Adi.

(CLOCK TICKS)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Would you have gone
sweet or savoury?

Um... Depends what colour, I guess.

I think I would have gone savoury
with yellow.

Yep, same.

Sweet with orange.
Yeah.

Savoury, red.

And sweet with green.

What is she making?

She needs to move faster.

ADI: We've got 75 minutes
to make a dish inspired by colour.

I've got the colour green,

but I'm struggling to formulate
a clear idea of a dish.

(WHISPERS) It's alright.

You're OK.

As much as you try and say
to yourself, "Stay calm,"

you know you could be going home,

and that plays on your mind.

I've just been having the best time
in this competition.

I'm learning and growing.

To be here I've had to put
my job as a doctor on pause,

and I've spent the last 15 years
working really hard

at becoming a specialist,

and now I've just kind of upped
and left that for this food dream.

I needed to do this.

It was this itch I had to scratch.

And being here has just solidified
how much I love food,

and I'm not willing
to let this dream end yet.

OK.

so if I'm gonna have
any chance today,

I need to shake off the nerves.

Come on, Adi!

Running back to the pantry,

I'm just hoping some bolt
of inspiration will strike,

and then it clicks for me.

Kingfish.

Whoop. Oh.

It's a beautiful neutral fish

that can take on
so many different types of flavours,

I think it's gonna pair beautifully
with a green sauce.

Oh!
Oh, it's huge!

Nearly bigger than you!
I know.

That's huge.
It's a kingfish.

I'm gonna cook a dish
that I really enjoy eating.

I'm gonna make a Middle-Eastern-style
kingfish sashimi,

make a green sauce, like, a zhoug.

I honestly love raw kingfish so much.

Go, Adi. Come on, Adi.
Come on!

I want to go as far as I can
in this competition,

so hopefully the judges love it
the way that I do.

BRENT: Dunkaroo, dunkaroo!

Brent.
Hello, Brent.

G'day, g'day.
Yellow.

Yellow.
Colour me sunshine, mate.

What are you cooking?
Um, so, I've got octopus in there.

Yeah.

I've got some turmeric in there.

I'm trying to stain the octopus.

Yep.
Nice.

Yep, and then I'm gonna make
a yellow curry sauce

which will then go with
the charred octopus at the end,

salsa in there too.

I'm loving this, like,
you're at home here.

Yeah.

All you've got to do
is make it yellow.

Just got to make it yellow.
Do you think the pin's safe?

I think at the moment
I'm feeling pretty confident.

'Cause you've got to think,

a pin is for when
you come up with a challenge

you're uncomfortable with.

Yeah.

But you've always got to think
about the worst-case scenario,

which is you going home.

Yeah, 100%, yeah.

Don't be afraid to use it
if you need to.

You got this.

I've worked hard to get that pin,

and I really want to keep it for,
you know,

when it gets to those really...
pointy end of the season.

I had a lot of goals set
this time around.

I want to win this thing.

These, that and that.

MALISSA: Come on, Rue!

Work fast!
Ooh!

OK.

So, today my colour is orange.

I am making a lemon verbena parfait

with...with an apricot coulis

and some compressed apricots.

I have not made this dish before.

I've made elements of the dish,
different elements,

but this exact flavour, no.

Crazy, but, like,
you know, that's the challenge,

and I love that.

(LAUGHS) I am challenging myself.

THEO: Go, Rue!
RHIANNON: Come on, Rue.

So, Rue's cooking a dish
which features apricots.

There is a huge risk

with cooking with something

that you've never really
cooked before.

Oh, my God, live on the edge,
girlfriend.

No, thank you, not for elimination.
I'm playing it safe in these things.

MALISSA: Come on,
get that parfait on.

RUE: I need to start on
the lemon verbena parfait

because I do know that it needs
a lot of time in the freezer.

RHIANNON: Is that
the passionfruit ones, Rue?

Um, lemon verbena.

I will infuse my lemon verbena leaves
into the milk-and-sugar solution,

and whilst that's happening,
I start my compressed apricot.

I popped some thyme in the bag,

so whilst it cooks, I want
that thyme to infuse in the syrup

and...we get some goodies, hopefully.

I do not want to go home.
I'm not going home.

I'm not. (LAUGHS)

I refuse.

Well, not everything
is sunshine and rainbows.

This could be your last cook
in the kitchen.

45 minutes to go.

JOCK: Let's go!

(JUDGES CLAP)

CATH: That's it, Adi, well done.

Declan's just chucking chillies.
Oh, my goodness!

You've caught me red-handed, so...
(LAUGHS)

Talk to me about your dish.

So, it's not a traditional Thai
khao moo daeng.

You've got Declan's version
of it today.

I'm gonna be doing it with noodles.

I just want to make the most
of this 75 minutes...

Excellent.
..and give this a crack.

How are you feeling?

Just most worried about the noodles.

Um, so, yeah,

I haven't done a backup option.

But if you back yourself,
then back yourself.

Yeah, thank you, Mel. Alright.
You've got this.

Thank you.

Alright, come on, Deccy.

My noodle mix.

So, you've got your rice flour,
tapioca flour, xanthan gum.

That's the go, Dec. That's it.

Oh, sheesh.

I'm gonna pass them through
a potato ricer.

The tricky thing is that
it all comes down to texture.

If my ratios are off, my noodles
will break up in the water.

Are you gonna maybe put rice on
as a backup?

Pardon?
Consider rice as a backup?

What's the time?

Yeah, it would be a lot easier
to do rice,

but I've got to prove that I deserve
my place in this competition.

I'm just a 25-year-old tradie
from the Northern Beaches.

This could set me up for my future.

OK.

He's gonna put it in the water.

Right.

But, yeah, I guess all eyes
are on these noodles now

and if they're gonna work out.

Oh! This is it now.

Oh, scary.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Alright.

Are you gonna maybe put rice on
as a backup?

Pardon?
Consider rice as a backup?

If my ratios are off, my noodles
will break up in the water.

Oh, scary.

Let's go, Deccy!
Declan, give us some noodles!

Let's have a look!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Well done, Declan!

It's satisfying to watch,
and it's even more satisfying to do.

Thank God.

Bloody wizard you are.
Oh, Declan, that's awesome.

Yeah, happy with the noodles.

I've just really got to work on
my chilli paste to go with my pork.

There's no time to relax
or take it easy.

I'm gonna need to sort out
my sambal.

I'm just really concentrating
on getting this balanced enough.

I'm just gonna motor.

I feel like I'm,
if I'm not sweating,

I'm not working hard enough.

Turn it down to 130.

I've been cooking as fast as I can.

I'll go the other side.

My tapioca crackers are in the oven.

I put my sashimi to the side,
and now I've gotta work on my zhoug,

which is the main green element
to my dish.

Zhoug is a really deeply
herby condiment

from the Middle East

which is full of parsley
and coriander,

it's got spices in it, acidity.

It's always really punchy.

I'm just trying to really balance
this zhoug out now,

so it's obviously very herby.

I want this to be really nicely
balanced and really flavoursome,

because I'm gonna cover
my sashimi with it

so that it's got a little bit of
time to infuse the flavours.

So, it's got acidity coming through,

a little bit of sweetness
from the honey.

It's seasoned.

Slight bitterness to the herbs.
Yeah, no, I'm happy with that.

Go, Adi.
Go, Adi.

Thanks, guys.
Come on, Adi!

(TENSE MUSIC)

Rue, is your syrup on?

Sorry?
Is your syrup on?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

I have my compressed apricot
in the sous-vide.

Yum!

I have the lemon verbena leaves
infusing in the milk

for my parfait.

I am trying to work so quick

because I know how quickly
time goes in this kitchen.

CATH: What's the next step, Rue?

I'm just blitzing my coulis.

My coulis needs to be
a bright orange,

because I just want the parfait

to be in a sea of orange,
bright orange.

But this mixture
is looking way too thick.

THEO: Oh, she's watering
that one down a bit more.

What's that, Rue?

Um, some plum liqueur.
Mm.

So, I decide to use
a Japanese plum liqueur.

It's quite strong.

But I'm hoping that it will
just enhance the apricot flavour.

Is it yum, Rue?
It's yum. Yeah.

MALISSA: Rue, you've gotta get
your parfait in, quick.

Oh, shit.

And someone yells out,
"Rue, don't forget your parfait."

I'm like, "Oh, no."

Oh, my God, Rue.

I'm so focused on this coulis

I've completely forgotten
about my parfait.

Have you tasted it?
Yes.

Taste good?
Tastes like lemon verbena.

Beautiful.

But I am feeling pretty confident
that will be enough time to set.

I've made it a few times and it's
worked quite successfully for me.

Good job, Rue.

JOCK: You've got 20 minutes to go.
Come on!

Yes!
Yeah, go, guys!

Come on!

Oh, yeah, Declan!

Whoo!

I've started my curry sauce.

The octopus looks like it's starting
to turn a little bit yellow,

which is really good,
which is what I wanted.

And then I'm just onto
my salsa right now,

which is gonna be very yellow
as well.

The salsa, I've got to keep it
yellow, but I also want, like,

that refreshing flavour,

'cause I've got quite a heavy-hitting
curry sauce.

It's a tricky one, because
what can I get that's yellow

that will provide me

with that refreshing pop
sort of flavour that I want?

So basically I think if I put corn
and pineapple on the hibachi,

get that smokiness through it,

and the sweetness
will start to come out,

they're gonna marry up beautifully.

And with a nice charred,
pickled octopus -

oh!

OK, let's get this cut up.

It's good. I'm actually
really enjoying this.

'Cause it's sort of a puzzle,
you know?

It's a big yellow puzzle.

I'm trying to do
all the pieces together.

I feel now
I've really found my groove,

found, like, my lane
that I love to cook in,

and I think it's starting to,
you know, show on the plate.

CATH: Smells awesome up here, Brent.

You've definitely hit
the yellow brief.

MALISSA: Good job, Adi.

Hello, green goddess.

Yes, green goddess.
Green everything.

How is your dish going?
Look, it's good.

I've got my sashimi in the fridge.

I've got this dressing,
like, a zhoug dressing.

I've got the tapioca cracker,

and I'm just gonna do
a little avocado mousse,

just whipped-up avocado
and sour cream,

and I'm gonna plate it pretty.

Good.
Yeah.

Um...

This needs to be amped up
and balanced a bit more.

OK, OK, yeah. Sure, I can do that.

Making it zingy.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

What makes a zhoug the best thing
ever to slather over everything

is that it has heat,
it has acidity...

Yes, yes.

..as well as that beautiful
savoury characteristic to it too.

Absolutely.
I think you can tweak this one.

Alright, I'll do that.
OK?

Thank you.

Salt.

Oh, my God. That's what happens...

..when you're frantic.

Just when I feel like maybe
I'm on top of things,

I feel like I'm not
on top of things,

judges come and tell me
to adjust something,

so just gonna work as hard as I can.

I am so nervous today,

and then to hear that the zhoug
could have more in it,

it's just making me feel
so uncertain.

I've already slathered a lot of
the zhoug that I'd made before

on my kingfish, but that's OK,
we'll get it done.

We'll just have to get it done.

I need to rush,
but I don't want to rush.

I'm at risk of going home today.

It's all kind of getting to me.

Um, what do I do?

If there's ever a day to show us
your true colours,

today is that day.

Five minutes to go!

Come on, Declan! Go, Rue!

Come on!
Come on!

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

CATH: Oh, look at that!
Look at the octopus!

(CATH GASPS)

Hey, Brent, that looks awesome!

Yeah, octopus is, yeah, really good.

It's tender.
They've got a little tiny chew.

Checking the octopus,
and it's perfect.

It's ready to get on the hibachi.

I'm tasting the curry sauce,

and it is flavourful and delicious.

And salsa is refreshing, it's sweet,

it's got hints of smoke through.

The cook couldn't have went
any better.

This is you.
This is you playing at home.

Yeah, yeah.

(TENSE MUSIC)

But the pin does funny things
to you.

Like, it starts to self-doubt you.

All these thoughts
are just racing around my head.

(APPLAUSE)

Good, Brent?

Yeah.

I don't know
whether to play it or not.

Oh, it's bad now.

RHI: He's worried about his pin.
THEO: Yeah, I know. But it's good.

So hard.

Getting all the way
to the top 8, even getting a pin.

You know, work so hard to get here,
and then to go home with a pin?

It'd break my heart.

How you feeling?
Trust your gut, Brent.

There's four minutes left,

and I don't know whether
to play the pin or not, so...

..I am a little bit worried
at the moment.

Um...

What are you thinking?
Um...

To pin or not to pin?
Yeah, I know.

You happy?
Yeah, I think...

I'm...I'm happy, yeah,
but I just don't know what...

Then this is the point where you
tell me, "I'm not playing the pin."

(TENSE MUSIC)

Mouth-watering, I think.
Make a decision, mate.

Come on, Brent!

Come on, Brent.

There's a chance that there's three
amazing dishes behind me

and I go home with a pin.

(CONTESTANTS YELL)

CATH: What are you doing, Brent?
What are you doing?

Come on, Brent!

(GANTRY CONTESTANTS SHOUT AND CLAP)

BRENT: There's four minutes left

and I don't know whether
to play the pin or not, so...

Me, personally, I'd play it.
Huh?

I'd play it.

Are you happy?
Yeah, I think...

Uh...um...I'm happy, yeah,
but I just don't know what...

This is the point where you say,
"I'm not playing the pin."

THEO: Make a decision, mate.

Come on, Brent.

There's a chance that there's
three amazing dishes behind me

and I go home with a pin.

Nah.

I don't know where I am right now.

I am using the pin,
I'm keeping the pin.

Are you playing it or not?

Nah.

Confidence.

Ooh-whee!

I've just gone to grab it

and I've just gone, "Back yourself."

I'm not using it.

I'm...I'm literally not using it.

This is my style of cooking. Um...

I think it tastes great,
so, yeah, you know what,

back myself, go for it.

It's up to the judges now.

CATH: Come on, Declan!

Looking beautiful!

Where's my spoon?

My sambal is a rich, beautiful,
red colour, yeah.

It's smelling really good.

I taste it and it tastes amazing.

Yum! Yum!

And now it's time to plate up.

Noodles in the bowl
and they're looking epic.

CATH: Oh, Declan, look at that!

I'm slicing my pork.

Yummy. Yummy, yummy, yummy.

Pouring that beautiful red broth.

I've shown plenty more techniques.

You know, the...
the twice-cooked pork belly.

Um, the noodles.

Balancing out a broth and...
and pounding out a chilli sambal.

I'm super proud of what I've done.

I just hope that the judges
are gonna be impressed.

(APPLAUSE)

MALISSA: Come on, Rue!
Two minutes left.

OK.
You need to hurry.

Yeah. OK.
Come on.

RUE: Two minutes to go
and I think everything's looking OK.

My coulis tastes like apricots,

but with, like, you know,
just a punch from the plum liqueur.

And I have that thyme flavour
in the compressed apricots.

This parfait has come out
in one piece.

And I'm thinking, "OK, I think
everything's coming together."

But I am worried because I have not
really used these flavours before.

I am just hoping

doing this risky business I did
pay off.

One minute, guys! Let's go!

Oooh-whee! Come on!

(TENSE MUSIC)

ADI: I am so frazzled,

I wanted to have all this time
for plating

and I'm rushing
to even get a complete dish.

I'm just using the fish that I have.

I've just sort of removed
some of my older zhoug off it.

I didn't change my zhoug too much.

It's just got a bit more heat
and bit more acidity in it.

This is not where I wanted to be.
I just have put something down.

I haven't had time to
even taste it all together.

So, I'm worried.

MALISSA: Come on, Adi!
You're nearly there!

JOCK: Alright, gantry, you ready?

Here it is. 10...

ALL: 9, 8, 7,

6, 5,

4, 3,

2, 1!

That's it!
(CHEERING)

Holy shit!
MALISSA: Well done, guys!

Whoo!

Whoo-hoo!
Whoo! Well done!

(CHEERING CONTINUES)

CATH: Oh, that was awesome, Brent.

BRENT: I've balanced everything
to...as much as I can.

So, yeah, it's up to the judges now.

Yeah. (LAUGHS)

I'd hate to go home with a pin.

Um...

Oh, shit. What have I done?

ADI: Go, Rue-Rue.

RUE: I am happy with my dish

and I think I have hit the brief

with using orange as my inspiration.

There is a lot of flavour.

But I've not really cooked
with apricots before.

I just hope the judges will
also think that it tastes good.

Hi, Rue!
Hello.

Hello, Rue.
Hello.

Rue, what did you make us today?

I made a lemon verbena parfait
with an apricot coulis

and some compressed apricots.

When I thought of orange,

I wanted to, um, think
a little bit outside the box.

I thought if I used an orange,
it would be quite straightforward.

And I thought, "OK, let's think
of...something else that's orange."

And I went with apricots. (CHUCKLES)

OK. We'll taste now. Thank you.
OK. Thank you.

ANDY: Thanks, Rue.
Thanks, Rue.

Disappointed for, uh, for Rue.

Um, the...the parfait's a little
bit soft, which is a shame.

The flavour's nice.

It's got a really mild, beautiful,
lemon verbena note to it,

and the compressed apricots, you
know, they've got a nice flavour.

There is just a hint of thyme
in there

which goes beautifully
with the lemon verbena.

The coulis - um, that plum liqueur
really drives this coulis.

It is so jarring.

And...and I think
she's just poured...

I think it's volume on the plate,
though.

Yeah.
Don't you reckon?

Yeah.
I think that.

I would've loved her to cook the
booze off. Like, it's...it's boozy.

Yep.
And, yes, a lot less on the plate.

Um, I think she's got to the point

where that's her orange element,
you know.

She had to commit to it.
Yes, the apricots...

It's really boozy and out of balance.

Yeah. I like that
she thought out of the box.

I just wanted to love this
more than I did.

Is she safe as houses?
I...I'm not sure.

(SIGHS) OK.

NARRATOR: In the mood to cook?

Grab your aprons and try these
delicious MasterChef-approved recipes

on 10 play.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

DECLAN: I'm super proud
of what I've done,

but I'm nervous because I know
it's not a traditional take

on a Thai khao moo daeng.

So I really hope
I've elevated my dish enough

to save myself from elimination.

JOCK: Declan.
MELISSA: Hi, Declan!

Hello.
Hi, mate.

Hello.

Look at that!

Would you like to tell us
what you made us?

This is my take
on a Thai khao moo daeng.

So, how did you go about
being assigned the colour red

and then interpreting that
into a dish?

Um...instantly, um, like, that
red braised pork came to my mind.

Traditionally, khao moo daeng
is served with rice,

um, the chilli sauce on the side
and the pork.

But I just sort of wanted
to elevate that a bit.

I love noodles and I thought, you
know, I could use that with the pork

and then just
this beautiful chilli paste.

So, I'm proud of this.

OK. Thanks, Declan. We'll taste.
Alright.

We'll let you know.
Thank you.

Thanks, Declan.

Smells epic. Looks good.
Incredible.

Thank you.

The lovely thing about what is
going with Declan is that

you can see he's growing
when he's thinking about food.

The pork belly's nice.

It's beautifully cooked
in the pressure cooker.

But the sambal is probably where,
you know, it sets the dish alight.

It's super zingy and fresh and spicy
and sour and sweet.

Yeah.

Brief ticked.
A delicious bowl of food.

And I really hope that this is,
you know, the evolution of Declan.

I loved this dish of food.
It makes me really happy.

I think the noodles are perfect.

They have great density to them.

They're long, you know,

they haven't sort of broken apart
because the dough isn't right.

He knows what he's doing. I'm
really, really pleased for Declan.

I'm just so surprised that Declan
can go from an elegant fish dish

and then swing into
something like this

which is just...
polar ends of the spectrum.

Both in cooking, in technique,
in flavour. Everything.

I mean, the broth -
executed beautifully.

Like, Declan's...

As you said,
he's thinking about food these days.

ADI: What I have plated up
is not what I had in mind.

I wanted this to be beautiful
and balanced.

I was a bit stressed and I took
too long to come up with something.

I'm hoping that I've managed
to get some flavour in there,

but I'm really worried
about my zhoug.

Adi.
Adi.

Hi, guys.
How you going?

(DEJECTEDLY) Oh, yeah, you know.

Right. What have you cooked?

I've made a Middle Eastern-inspired
kingfish salami

and tapioca crackers.

It's green, for starters.

That is one thing
I will give myself.

You seem a bit dejected.
Yeah, I am.

It's rushed, which I think
shows in the plating.

And I don't think it will be
as balanced as I wanted it to be.

So I'm disappointed.

Ohh, no.

It's, like, I've wanted to do this
for so many years.

So I think if this was the end,
I'd...I'd be disappointed.

Righto. We'll taste now.
Thanks, guys.

Thank you.
ANDY AND JOCK: Thanks, Adi.

(ADI SNIFFLES)

Um...OK.
Let's talk about how it looks.

MELISSA: I think she admitted
she felt rushed.

The plate exemplifies that.

There's that, but, like, if this
tastes epic, you forgive the plating.

The balance,
that could be the deal-breaker.

It looks vibrant. And it is green.

It does...it does fulfil the brief
in that regard.

But it...it...it's just let down
in the fact that it isn't balanced.

If you put a zhoug on a plate,

it's boom, it's pow, it's whack,
it's wow, you know?

It's...it's really...

A secret weapon sometimes.
It is, you know?

And it really brings things to life

in a zingy, vibrant, delicious way.

And it should be...
In your face.

It should be definitely
in your face.

Yes.

I liked the tapioca crisps.
They were nice and crunchy.

Um, the fish, I mean,
you couldn't see it,

but it was beautifully prepped
and sliced evenly across the plate,

but it was very hastily prepared
in terms of the presentation.

But for me there's no getting away
from the sauce.

It's just not a good version of it.
Mmm.

The fish, I don't think
she should have covered with zhoug.

You know, I really would have loved
the contrast

of beautiful sashimi versus
a really bright and fiery zhoug.

Not like it marinading in it

and then you kinda lose the beauty
of...raw kingfish.

Yeah.

Danger zone.
Mmm.

BRENT: Walking up to the judges,

I'm a little bit worried

and I'm second-guessing myself.

There's a chance
that I might go home with a pin.

I'm wondering...
have I made the right decision?

(TENSE MUSIC)

Brent.
(BRENT CHUCKLES) G'day.

How are you, mate?
Good.

He's nervous, I reckon.
(CHUCKLES)

(SIGHS)

What have you cooked us, Brent?

Uh, so I've done you an octopus
yellow curry with a yellow salsa.

Mate, you, uh, must be

reasonably confident, I'm guessing,

given you didn't play your pin.

Yeah, um, I am.

Also, at the same time,
I'm sort of second-guessing,

but it's too late now.

So you are a bit worried!

(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY) Yeah.

I was about to throw the pin.

Alright, mate, we're gonna taste it.

Thank you.

Thanks, guys.
Thanks, mate.

Colour brief - check.
Yeah, massive, massive tick.

Go for it.
Thank you.

You know, the guy knows his way
around a piece of octopus. My God!

The octopus is perfectly cooked.
It's...

And perfectly hibachi'd as well -
the way he kept the tail ends

off of the edge of the hibachi
so they didn't burn.

It is fantastic.

I'm so happy for him
because he's...he's racking up

good cook after good cook
after good cook now, you know?

Yeah.
Yeah, I agree.

The flavours are considered

and they come together in the most
beautiful way on the plate.

The curry,
it has a richer texture to it

and also it's amped up with flavour.

I think it balances really well
with the flavour of the octopus.

Then the yellow salsa.
Like, you know, the corn is sweet.

And then the pineapple sour in it.

It just like...
It just comes together so, so well.

The yellow salsa of dreams,
that's what it's called.

I cannot believe that he was even
thinking about playing his pin.

(LAUGHS)

Like, he's got to trust himself more
because that is absolutely faultless.

(TENSE MUSIC)

RUE: Whew.

(EXHALES)

In round 1 today,
we tested your palates.

And in round 2, we gave you
a palette - a colour palette.

Everyone here hit the brief.

More than that,
two of you really nailed it.

Brent, it's probably the best dish
we've seen from you

in the competition so far.

Yay!
(APPLAUSE)

And...Declan.

(CONTESTANTS CHEER)

THEO: Well done!

Fantastic red-hot sambal.
Spot-on. Well done.

Ohh!

Well done, mate.

Good job! I'm coming through here.

Oh, my gosh!
Not what I wanted.

Adi and Rue, sorry to say,
but both of your dishes had flaws.

Ohh,

But the flavours in one dish
worked well enough

to get it across the line.

Ohh.

The dish...

..and the cook
who is safe from elimination...

..is Rue.

Oh!

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

Unfortunately you're going home.

That's OK.

OK.

(WHISPERS) Oh, my goodness.

(SIGHS)

(EXHALES)

Adi, you wouldn't know that you only
came into food just a few years ago.

You've got such a deep understanding
of cooking and cuisines.

And if you take that
and run with it,

we know that you're gonna go far.

What's your biggest takeaway

from your time here
in the MasterChef kitchen?

Ohhh! So much!
I'm really proud of myself.

And I'm really grateful
for this opportunity.

And it's been amazing to get
to learn so much from you guys

and from you guys.

And, yeah, it's bizarre that I ever
got to stand here and I got this far

and I think for someone who just
started cooking a few years ago,

I did OK.

It just goes to show, if you put
your mind to it, you can do it.

It'll be the same
when you get out there.

Yeah.
So, follow your food dream.

I'll do it.
'Cause I think you're gonna make it.

Thank you so much.
For now, it's time to say goodbye.

Come on!
(GIGGLES) Thanks, Jock.

Thanks for cooking.
Thank you. Thank you so much.

Don't you dare stop.
OK, I won't. (CHUCKLES)

Yeah, don't stop.

Thanks, Andy.
Good luck.

Alright. Bring it in. (LAUGHS)

This has been a really
huge journey for me.

(CATH SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
Oh, thank you.

And I'm really proud of myself

that I did something very different
to my career.

Something that
I'm very passionate about.

Being in this kitchen,
it's just solidified that.

Thanks. Thanks.
(APPLAUSE)

Ah. Oh.

And...I'll just take that
with me forever.

Give it up for Adi, everybody!
ANDY: Adi!

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERING)

NARRATOR: This week
on MasterChef Australia,

one of them will win
a guaranteed spot

in the top 5.

THEO: I wanna stand out.
I want to be at the top.

And a lot can happen

as we near the pointy end
of the competition.

RHIANNON: So awesome!
ANDY: Ready to get your hands dirty?

(SIZZLING)
Ooh!

Wow!
(BLENDER WHIRRS)

So prepare to salivate.

(CRUNCH!)

MELISSA: It's magical.

Toothsome.

Juicy.

Intoxicating.

JOCK: Perfect.

I mean, really perfect.

Captions by Red Bee Media