Original subtitles

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Exciting!

Standing on the gantry yesterday,

I was feeling so excited that I was day two cooking.

But now I'm here, the nerves are at an all-time high.

Come on down, everybody!

I've seen the calibre of cooking.

They were all so good

and I thought all of them would just get in

and maybe they would send us home.

So I really need to make sure I can deliver today.

I want the apron really bad.

Welcome back to the MasterChef kitchen!

What a massive start to the competition.

Yesterday, group one all cooked their dream dishes

where ten of you sealed the deal

and got your hands on one of those crisp white aprons.

Ooh, group two, here we go.

Now it's your time to shine.

Make sure that you leave nothing behind the stove.

Because we've only got another ten aprons to give out tonight.

Tonight you have a 50/50 chance of getting an apron.

Those are great odds, so take full advantage of it.

As you learned last night,

anyone who doesn't receive an apron

will get a chance to cook again tomorrow.

But...

..there will be only four aprons on offer.

Pressure is on. The standard is so high

and I'm so determined to earn myself that white apron.

Jess? Hello.

Doooo! (LAUGHTER)

How are you? Very emotional.

And it's very surreal.

But I'm also similarly, like... (GROWLS) ..ready to go.

Oh, yes! Pumped.

Pat. Yo?

How are you, mate? Good.

Bricking it a little bit.

I was gonna say man of many words.

(LAUGHTER)

Emily. What's crackin'?

How are you feeling? What's going through your head?

I'm, uh, really excited.

Uh, basically, stay calm,

stay chill and show you a little bit of awesome sauce. So...

(LAUGHS) Love it.

You have 90 minutes to cook us your food dream dish.

And if it's love at first bite,

we'll reward you with a white apron.

The pantry is fully stocked, so please don't hold back.

Are you ready?!

ALL: Yes!

Your time starts now!

Go, guys! Go, go, go! Go!

WOMAN: I get to cook in the MasterChef kitchen.

This is a dream come true. But not only that, the pantry.

I'm so excited to see the pantry! (LAUGHS)

Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Where is everything?!

What do I need?

Parmesan.

Poh, there's too many things. I know, I know!

It's so intimidating when you first come in here.

Black sesame, black sesame.

Hello, octopus. How you doing?

Oh, sorry. You're right.

Sorry, sorry. Oh, excuse me.

Oh.

Here we go!

DOT: How you going, Vinnie? Good. How are you?

Good.

Having so much fun being in the MasterChef kitchen.

Although this is a really stressful environment,

I'm actually having a great time.

(HUMS HAPPILY)

Tomorrow is not promised so you just have to enjoy every moment.

I need spoons.

Hey, Dot. Hey, how you going, girl?

I'm good.

Chill, yeah. Yeah.

I feel like I'm a bit of a fun cook.

I like flavour, I like boldness.

Go, Dot.

I love lamb. I was actually born in New Zealand

so I feel like lamb is in my blood.

I'm cooking lamb backstrap

with dukkah,

a pea, mint and fetta hummus

and then a flatbread of course.

Cooking and food is such a huge part of my life.

I was born in New Zealand.

I moved to Australia when I was five.

I had quite a thick Kiwi accent.

You know, I was saying, like, six

and it sounded like different things.

I always struggled reading

but luckily my teacher clocked on

that I loved cooking with my mum.

So you know, while kids were reading, like, Harry Potter,

I was given recipes and cookbooks to read.

That's how I learnt to read, was reading recipes. Yeah.

This dish would make a young Dot proud

so I really hope it gets me an apron today.

Yeah, everything's going well. Um...

..we've still got enough time,

so I'm just trying to stay calm.

And the biggest thing I have to get onto soon is the flatbreads.

I think rolling them, leaving them and rolling them again

is for, like, the perfect air bubbles.

So I'm going to hopefully achieve that today

if I roll them out soon.

Whoo! Killing it. Focus! Breathe!

Bring it home, team.

Hey, Kanika. Hi.

How are you going? Giggling.

Oh, my God. Can you pinch me?

There you go.

Oh, my God. You're cooking something for us.

What is it. It's a street food.

OK.

And this is something I've grown up eating in Delhi.

It's called a Katori chaat.

So the Katori is made of shredded potatoes.

Inside, it's got tempered chickpeas and then topped with

coriander chutney and tamarind chutney with medjool dates.

Come on, Alyona! OK.

I cannot believe I'm actually here.

I grew up with very simple food.

It was mashed potatoes, chicken, some salad,

a little bit of bread.

So I'm doing just like a refined journey of my life.

I'm cooking quail.

Some fennel puree and a vibrant, beautiful salad to go with it.

It's so much bigger than just food for me.

It's like, um, creativity and joy.

I'm very excited.

I want that white apron so much, so, so much.

I'm making sauteed prawns.

So prawns deep-fried with salted egg sauce

that's got bird's eye chilli, curry leaf

wrap it in milk and butter in it.

Think it's a great encapsulation of Malaysia

and the cuisine we have.

Trying to keep my nerves under control

but I'm gonna give it my best shot

and we'll see how it goes, right?

I'm cooking the judges my very good duck noodle,

so there's duck, there's noodle, there's a sticky soy caramel.

It's delicious. I hope they love it. OK.

Duck's a tricky one to get bang-on so I've gotta motor.

Looking good, mate. Looking good!

Alright, we're close there.

We need those spuds going. Need those spuds. Need those...

Pretty well on track.

Just want my sauce to reduce down and intensify a little bit.

Keep an eye on this lamb. Potatoes are not too bad.

I'm pretty happy with where I'm at.

I'm a very laid-back character,

bit of a country kid.

I've played footy and like blokey bloke type of scenarios.

But there's definitely that creative side

that a lot of people aren't aware of.

I think the biggest misconception about myself

is that I even do cook.

I think a lot of people would be surprised

with what type of dishes I can come out with.

The presentation side of cooking

is something I'm really passionate about,

and that's probably something nobody's really aware of.

SOFIA: Hi, Pat. POH: Hey, Pat.

Hello. How are you? How are you going?

This is pretty surreal. (LAUGHS) So tell us what you're making.

The dish is called bread & fat.

So I've got sourdough roasted in lamb fat,

pomme puree, salt-baked beetroot

pea and mint puree, salsa verde.

And it's a dish coming from my nan

who would make these amazing roasts but never eat it.

And we'd sit down and ask her, "Why aren't you eating, Nan?"

And she'd go, "I filled up on bread and fat."

Oh, classic. Oh, that's great.

So I one day was brave enough to try it.

It was fresh white bread

straight through the lamb pan drippings.

And I was like, "Oh, my God, that's what umami is!"

Can still remember that taste in my mouth.

It smells so familiar to me. Yeah. So comforting.

Depending on what mood you're in,

so I just love everything. You're in with a shot?

If I can pull this off and everything's balanced,

I love it and I hope... We believe in you.

Not if, get it done! When you love it.

Yes, I will. Yes. Thank you.

The food I love to cook is food that means something to me,

recreated in a more elevated way.

Alright, we're close there.

Thank you.

As you've seen, time flies in this kitchen.

You've already had 25 minutes. Get a move on!

Magic things can happen. Let's put you back on.

Looking really good, Bella. Thank you.

Good knife work. Thank you.

MAN: Just heard through the grapevine.

Pretty sure he's like a mad baker.

Yeah. Wow. Come on, Vinnie.

MasterChef kitchen, definitely a high stress tempo environment

but I'm definitely no stranger to high-pressure situations.

I am a registered nurse.

I work in the liver transplant ward.

Some days are pretty difficult.

I've loved my job like since I started it.

But there's always like that passion of food that I've had

that's been there for my whole life.

I love everything about food.

I love eating it. So good.

I love making pies.

I love cooking meat and I love making rustic Italian food.

But my dream in the future is to open up my own panini shop.

Just a little humble place,

like a hole in the wall type of thing.

And make everything from scratch

and make amazing combinations of food between some bread

that people probably haven't seen very often.

The name's been workshopped a little bit,

but I think we're going with Vinnie's Paninis. (CHUCKLES)

So being on MasterChef is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

that I'm not gonna take for granted.

What is he using over there? What is it?

I'm intrigued by this. Yeah!

Go, Vinnie. Go, Vinnie!

Nice to meet you. Let's have it. What's the dream?

The dream? Well, I want to open up my own panini shop.

Um, so I'm making my own bread today. I'm making my own...

Oh, so, you're making a panini? Yeah.

I'm making a porchetta panino.

I'm looking at everyone else's dish and so elegant

and I'm giving you a roll. But...

Ten aprons up for grabs. Yeah.

You got a 50/50 chance of getting one...

And you're making a sandwich.

ANDY: Ten aprons up for grabs. Yeah.

You got a 50/50 chance of getting one...

And you're making a sandwich? Yeah.

It's either gonna be incredible or an absolute disaster.

I think you're brave.

Yeah. You are. You are. Very, very brave.

All the best.

Andy's worried that I'm just making a sandwich

but this isn't just a sandwich.

I'm making a porchetta panino.

You know, I got porchetta in the oven.

My own bread,

making my own bocconcini.

And then I'll have a salad and a mayo to go with it.

Each element in this panino, I'm making it from scratch

and it shows the skill and techniques that I have on offer.

MAN: Vinnie, how we looking? How's the cheese?

It's getting there. It's getting there.

Oh, wow.

Pressure point for me today will probably be in the porchetta.

It can't be raw. And I wanna get some crispy skin on there too.

When I've made my porchetta at home,

it's taken at least two hours,

but in a 90-minute cook, that's not gonna work.

So I've cut it down smaller

and I hope they cook in time.

Ah!

C'mon, guys, keep moving!

15 minutes to go!

(ALL SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT)

I'm just under the pump right now. (CHUCKLES)

I'm making a beef Wellington

with salted duck egg beurre blanc.

So I think the biggest challenge right now

is to get everything in there.

And I think I'll be set tonight. (EXHALES)

Tonight, I'm cooking a Yemeni feast.

It's multiple dishes and it's gonna be hopefully amazing.

I will do my best to make it the best ever.

I hope the judges like this and I hope I can pull it off.

I'm making vanilla eclairs

so, short, sharp and shiny little darlings

to melt in your mouth and treat the judges.

If I pull this off, I'm 100% getting an apron.

A white apron would mean a lot.

I mean, I wouldn't have left my four beautiful kids

if it wasn't something super important to all of us.

So it would mean the world. Yep.

I live in a little country town called Esperance

with my husband, Tim, and my four lovely kids.

I got married at 18 and 2 weeks,

and then when I was 23, I had my first kid.

Oh!

I knew even from then I wanted to choose to be

a stay-at-home mum.

And I'm really proud that I've done that.

But now's the time that I can explore my dreams.

Food is absolutely a lifelong passion.

When I was a kid, if you gave me birthday money,

I'd be like, "Ooh, I can buy a new cookbook."

I actually have probably 400 cookbooks.

It was always something inside of me

that wanted to learn everything.

MasterChef has actually been a driving force

in inspiring me to cook.

And I've been practising for, like, my whole life.

As a mum, I make pretty simple food for the kids.

But when I get to, like, spread my wings,

I love to do more fine dining.

This is a chance for me to prove myself.

I'm ready to give it my all.

Who wants some occy? Me!

I'm gonna make my family proud.

I am cooking octopus on a red pepper puree.

And I'm going for a real octopus's garden theme.

So I'm gonna try and create this little garden habitat for it.

This dish is all about technique and balancing flavour.

I've got the buttery octopus.

The rich nduja puree.

And then on top of that,

I've gone with more fine dining elements.

I've been really starting to like, delve into fine dining

and all that fun little like embellishments

that come with that.

To elevate this dish, I'm making citrus caviar pearls

and a squid ink tuille.

For my citrus caviar,

it's an agar-agar mix with a bit of water

and the citrus in there.

And I pipette little bits into a cold oil.

As soon as it hits the oil,

it forms this perfect little round cylinder

that pops in your mouth when you eat it.

Although I've been a stay-at-home mum

for the last 13 years, I have been honing my skills.

I want to prove to myself and the judges

that I belong in the MasterChef kitchen.

Keep going, Hannah! Looking good.

Come on, Petro!

Come on!

Thanks, Luke.

I'm here too. Oh, sorry, Aaron! (CHUCKLES)

I didn't hear. Luke's voice just cut through there.

A bit, you know, nervous now.

A bit chaotic, trying to get everything together.

I'm doing a butterfly trout and a kind of herb dressing on top

with some pickled red onion sumac

on a harissa yoghurt.

So the harissa is on now.

This dish represents the food that I grew up with -

fresh fish, a lot of Middle Eastern elements.

That's the food I love.

Really excited to be here.

I actually can't believe it.

I've dreamt of this for such a long time.

I've been watching MasterChef since the first season.

It feels completely surreal.

I feel like I'm in a dream state.

Cooking in the MasterChef kitchen for the first time

in front of the judges,

I'm a little bit starstruck.

So, has your food dream already come true just by being here?

Yes, it really has! Poh's right there.

(LAUGHS) Good luck. Thank you.

I think she's such an icon.

She's so sweet and generous.

She's just so wonderful, so kind.

And yeah, she's just so sweet.

(LAUGHS)

So I need to put up a great dish.

Ooh. That's good. I feel like I'm in a really good space now.

I've got all my elements done.

Ah, with this trout, there should be a boneless whole fish,

so I can really focus on filleting that fish

and then cooking it perfectly.

If you want one of these, you better hustle!

You only have 30 minutes to go!

(ALL CHEER)

That voice coach is paying dividends.

Bella, what brings you to the MasterChef kitchen?

I've always been inspired by MasterChef.

I remember sitting on the couch at 9 years old watching Laura...

At 9, and you were watching Laura?

In season six. Yeah.

So how old are you? I'm 20.

(CHORTLES)

Oh, bless you. Oh, man. OK.

So I'm calling the dish Wattles

and I want my choux to look like wattle flowers

and the filling is wattle seed, yuzu and miso

with a little yuzu veil on top.

(WHISTLES) I was not expecting that.

That's the dream.

Hey, Mena. Hi.

Tell us what you're making.

So I've got a bit of a fusion thing going on.

A little bit of Italian and a little bit of a Filipino.

I'm making ravioli oxtail

with a kare-kare beurre blanc,

some pickled bits and some crispy eggplant.

OK. Ah.

And then I'm gonna make... (HISSES)

Sorry! Scared the shit out of me!

Watch out. (ALL LAUGH)

You work that dough, Belinda.

Whoo! I'll work that dough, baby!

Go, Belinda! Go, Bel!

Those biceps, girl!

Whoo!

I am making an egg yolk ravioli

with a burnt butter sage sauce.

Gonna put a parmesan crisp in

and...and I think that's it.

I want the apron like crazy. I'm gonna run away with it.

If I could run up there and grab it, I would.

Think I'm definitely a threat.

Um, that, you know, little sneaky ninja in the background.

That looks amazing, Emily.

Yeah, boy, thank you.

I was basically brought up in a little Chinese restaurant.

My parents originally came from Guangdong, China,

and kind of settled in Dubbo

'cause my pop opened one of the first Chinese restaurants there.

I was the little Asian kid under the counter,

so I used to pop there and I'd be like,

helping take orders if I could.

Used to always just watch them cook.

A lot of the restaurant food was very westernised.

You know, the beef black bean, the Mongolian lamb

and kind of that.

But in reality, we don't usually eat that at home.

Alright guys, let's mix this up.

When it comes to my cooking style,

it's really very authentic Chinese food.

Very like spicy or something really sour,

some intense traditional herbal flavours.

Food that people have never seen before or haven't eaten before.

I cook Chinese food with heaps of love and no MSG.

It's cracka-lacking indeed.

I'm cooking my rendition of wonton noodle soup

with a Chinese chicken herbal broth.

POH: Whoa! Check this out! So it has some goji berries,

longan, astragalus root.

So you really nourishing us today.

I am making sure that you stay healthy

so you can keep me on the show.

I love your energy.

I'm gonna flavour bomb the judges like crazy.

Do we have oven mitts here?

I'll just use tea towels.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: This is superb already. Nice and flat.

Equal. Perfect. Thank you.

I'm doing a butterfly trout

and my fish needs to be cooked absolutely perfectly.

I'm gonna be cooking this fish on the hibachi, so open flame.

It's gonna carry a really nice, smoky, luscious flavour

into that trout.

(GANTRY CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

This is unbelievable. Like, you know,

all these surroundings are so...

Well, they're actually kind of familiar

'cause I've been watching the show for so long.

I mean, I've been watching this show since...

..your first season, Poh.

Oh, really? Yeah.

I think Petro is awestruck over Poh.

You're a big name in the household. My mum loves it.

Understandably, they are such icons.

That is a lot of flame!

Ah, that's alright. That's alright.

This is unbelievable.

I think Petro just really needs to take a breath and focus

and just really give his dish

all of the attention that it deserves.

It's looking good.

Careful, Petro.

It's looking good.

I have some hibachi anxiety. Yeah.

Hibachi is dangerous.

Oh! Jesus.

Oh, my gosh.

There's only ten aprons tonight. And there's only four tomorrow.

And I have to give this cook everything I've got

to get one of those ten aprons.

And it kicks you.

Happy with that.

I'm cooking octopus with an nduja puree and pickled fennel.

But I really need to try and elevate this,

show some techniques and nail these flavours.

What am I doing? 100.

Now that my citrus caviar is done,

I can move on to my squid ink tuille.

Happening.

As it hits the pan, it starts to bubble

and it creates this like lace-like texture.

That black contrast against your red puree,

I think is gonna give this dish a real wow factor.

OK, we're done.

But I have to be so careful with it because it's quite thin.

We're done.

Octopus has been in the pressure cooker

and it's perfectly tender.

Now I need to get onto a really hot pan to get some char onto it

to give that smoky flavour.

I've been waiting so long to get into this kitchen,

everything has to be perfect.

You're like a musical conductor. Look at that, you're everywhere!

Huh? It does feel like that

but it's just the same as raising four kids.

I can't wait to try your food, by the way.

Oh, why, thank you.

Oh, that is not what I want.

Dot's working so clean, man.

So calmly as well. So calm, so clean.

I'm feeling good. Feel so at home.

(SIGHS)

Relax.

I think I'm forgetting

I'm actually in the MasterChef kitchen.

(HUMS HAPPILY)

You're OK, girl. You're OK.

Think it's going well.

I'm just getting my peas ready for my salad.

The lamb needs to be done. It needs resting time.

Have to make sure it's pink in the middle, blushing.

Um, but we want it nice and toasted on the outside

because it is rubbed in the dukkah.

OK, guys, 15 minutes to go!

Good luck! (GANTRY CONTESTANTS CHEER)

How is there only 15 minutes to go?

15 minutes. 15 minutes.

I've spent so much time getting this flatbread dough right,

feel like I've been in a trance.

Keep up the pace.

Need to get this rolled out. I need to cook my lamb.

The pressure's on.

This is not hot. What...?

Keep going. Yeah. I'm trying.

Oh, she's stressing out. Yeah.

OK, the flatbread's flatbreading. Fabulous.

You got this.

ALYONA: Towards the end of the cook,

it's important to stay on track what I'm actually doing.

So, yeah, there's a lot of elements.

All my elements are on the go.

It's just like I'm trying to make sure I balance the jus.

Have to make sure I balance this fennel puree and cook the quail.

Breasts are almost done.

just gonna have to finish legs in the oven.

LEQAA: Oh, my goodness. I'm actually working so hard

for the Yemeni feast.

They are seven dishes and they are a lot.

They all have different components.

I'm working so hard to get them all done in time.

It will work. I'll make it work.

ANDREW: Oh, going a thousand things right now at the moment.

Um...

I was expecting the, um, the Wellington to brown up by now.

But it's not doing that.

I'm just trying to crank up the heat a bit more

to hopefully speed up that process.

I've got my fingers crossed.

KANIKA: I've got a lot of things to do.

I have to temper my chickpeas

and I have to fry my Katori, which is the hero element.

So I'm freaking out right now.

Yeah, this is not gonna hold the shape.

Come on, Emily.

Yeah, man. I can't even open the flour!

The Chinese herbal soup is simmering.

And it is...

The chicken flavour's coming through.

So are the red dates and the goji berries.

And I'm working on my wonton filling as well.

I am sweating!

Prawns, chicken mince, coriander,

Hainanese chives.

My scallion oil and the prawn oil.

Basically, my goal is to actually flavour bomb

the judges out of their, you know, pants.

Wow. Look, Emily knows what she's doing.

I feel you.

Making sure that my wontons are nicely wrapped.

I have my ancestors screaming down at me,

making sure that there's only three wontons on there.

You know, three means, you know, birth or like to grow something,

but four means death and five means no.

So if I want this white apron, I need three on the plate.

And then hopefully I'm done.

Hopefully, they love it.

Are you good, babe?

MIIN: I'm just trying to finish this as best as I can.

WOMAN: Oh, my God, he's making bocconcini.

MAN: Yum! Get this man a panini shop ASAP.

I'm feeling a lot of pressure at the moment.

I know that there's a lot to get done

and not much time left at all.

I'm making my mayo and making my salad

and I'll finish off my cheese.

ANDY: Where's your porchetta?

Still in? Don't open it.

I just want it to get real crispy.

Yeah, so do I. (LAUGHS)

My ciabatta looks nicely browned, crispy, crunchy.

It's got that real old bakery- type woodfire feel to it.

Oh, that's nice! looks good, Vinnie.

(ALL EXCLAIM)

Thank you!

I pulled my porchetta out of the oven.

That's hot.

I'm crossing my fingers now.

Just watch your fingers. Yeah.

Because I've had to adapt this recipe,

I'm putting my whole dream on the line with this porchetta.

Bro, so good, so good!

My porchetta is looking good.

I'm confident I've cooked it perfectly.

So I'll start making my panini.

Feel like I can win one of those white aprons.

Five minutes to go!

Oh, my goodness!

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Wow! Look at the sauce. The colour is superb.

Thank you. It smells lovely.

That's done.

It is risky to do a dish that is so familiar,

like a roast dinner.

But I believe I can plate it up in a way

that makes it more than just meat and vegetables.

It should be pretty good.

This sourdough crouton, it's a bit of a magic about the dish,

'cause not only does it create the texture element,

but it also tastes like a piece of roast lamb.

That memory of my nan's bread and fat,

I want to deliver that on the dish today.

One more for good luck.

Almost finished. Two minutes to go!

(ALL CHEER)

ANDY: C'mon! Two minutes!

I can't see anything. Yeah, they're good.

(ALARM BEEPS)

Sorry. Is that driving you mental?

Yes, there's a lot. There's a lot of alarms.

Chaotic, trying to get everything together.

But hopefully, it'll all be fine.

I'm starting to plate things up.

I'm getting my harissa yoghurt down.

Petro, how does it taste?

Yeah, it's actually, it's actually good.

I'm feeling really confident.

There's so much big flavour within this dish

but I still want them to taste the fish itself.

Shit!

I can't believe it. The skin is scorched.

This is not good.

Can ruin my chance of getting that apron.

Get it on the plate!

Get it on the plate! Come on, Hannah!

DOT: The atmosphere is crazy.

C'mon! Get it on a plate!

Oh, my God! Ha-ha!

And this is chaotic.

Oh, shit.

I've put the hummus down.

I've got my lamb. It's cooked to perfection.

So I really need to lock in

and make sure it's MasterChef-worthy.

This is it!

10!

ALL: 9!

8, 7,

6, 5

4, 3

2, 1!

That's it!

It's weird 'cause my dish isn't even there.

Nice work, guys! Whoo!

LEQAA: Um, I am pretty happy. I hope the judges like this.

And I hope I did this dish or this feast justice.

And yeah, I just only can wait and see.

I don't think I need to tell you

just how important this tasting is.

We only have ten aprons to give away.

And just like last night, if your dish blows us away,

we'll give you a white apron on the spot.

We would like to taste a dish from Hannah!

This is it. This is my dish. I'm happy with my dish.

I've hit it with everything I've got.

I'm ready to take this next step.

Oh, wow.

OK.

I really, really need one of those aprons.

Oh, wow.

SOFIA: That looks stunning.

I have done a charred octopus

with a red pepper and nduja puree.

And I call it the Octopus's Garden.

ANDY: Wow. OK.

What is with you guys, man?

Stressing me out. (LAUGHS)

You got some fans at home? Yeah, I have a few fans.

Yeah, yeah. I got four fans that are, like, really little.

Your own... Your own fans. My own fans.

My own little cheer squad. Nice. Who are they?

Um, so I've got four kids.

Did you test this one out? Yes.

And do you know what they love octopus.

Wow. Sounds expensive.

Shall we? Yes, Please?

Yeah. OK.

You have four kids at home? (LAUGHS) Yeah.

They're not close.

You know? No.

They're all the way over the other side of Australia.

Don't make me cry. Yep.

Like that's so hard. Are you prepared for that?

I am.

That's all I need to hear.

I'll pump your tyres up now. The dish is exceptional.

I really loved it.

The nduja and red pepper sauce

gives a really lovely sweetness and spiciness to the dish.

And then the pickled fennel,

'cause I was searching for acidity,

and that was where it was coming in.

And the potato just lets everything

kind of mellow out a bit. Um, really loved it.

Thank you. Yeah, Hannah.

Just a really accomplished plate of food.

Beautiful occy. Really buttery and tender.

And just the presentation was just amazing.

You know what is amazing?

After doing the most important job

on the planet in the world as a mum

to knock out a dish like this.

It's flavours, it's everything. There is precision.

You are really unique.

Thank you. Thank you, guys.

That feedback is so validating

because I have four kids that I'm leaving.

But I can do this and I will do this

and I'll give it my all because I'm sacrificing so much

to be here.

Dot, we'd like to taste your dish next.

DOT: Time flies in the MasterChef kitchen.

That was a lot.

But if I'm honest, I'm actually feeling really proud of myself.

I've got all the elements on the dish.

I really hope I've done enough today to get a white apron.

Wow, look at the colours.

Better yet, an instant apron.

What have you made us?

Today, I've made pistachio dukkah lamb backstrap

with a three pea salad and a mint pea and fetta hummus.

Oh, and a flatbread.

(LAUGHTER) Sorry.

What have you given up to be here?

I'm actually getting married in 32 days.

Um... (CHEERING)

Yeah.

Yeah. So this...

Yeah. This isn't really the pre-wedding diet I had in mind,

but we're rolling with it.

Um, and, you know, there's no time like the present

to follow your dreams.

Beautiful. Yeah.

Shall we taste? Let's hook in.

Alright.

Dot, this flatbread is some of the best flatbread

I've had in this kitchen.

It is so beautiful, so light and fluffy.

And this whole dish is simple

but very sensitively put together.

I vibe with this hard.

You know, it's bright, fresh, zingy,

really nicely cooked piece of lamb,

but simple but really wholesome and delicious.

SOFIA: This is the exact kind of fresh, seasonal,

nourishing dish that people buy the cookbooks of.

So keep doing it.

That's it. We're done.

Wow. Thank you. Yeah, wow!

We'd like to taste your dish next, Miin.

Oh. Yeah.

I've made huang dan xia, which means salted egg prawns.

So it's prawns wrapped in kataifi pastry, deep-fried.

And then it's salted duck egg sauce.

(SPEAKS CANTONESE)

So in Canto, I just said that was really spicko.

(LAUGHTER)

I would say zero faults.

And then the sauce is rich and vibrant and alive.

Food like that, you belong in. That is all.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Next up, Kanika.

Oh, wow. I've made you a Katori chaat.

And inside, I've a tamarind, date and jaggery reduction

and mint and coriander chutney.

(CRUNCH!)

Oh, cool. Oh.

(ALL EXCLAIM)

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: And especially when you think

it's just vegetables and spices and herbs and that's it.

POH: So fun. So vibrant.

I could have just polished that entire thing on my own.

Well done.

Alyona.

I made quail with some fennel puree

and hazelnut pangrattato.

SOFIA: You've cooked that quail superbly.

I love that sauce.

Just looking at the viscosity of it

as you poured it on the plate.

Bella, you're next.

The dish is called Wattle. It's a choux au craquelin

with a wattle seed, yuzu and miso whipped ganache,

a miso Chantilly and a yuzu veil.

Wow, we're in good hands.

20 years old, like, just obsessed with food.

The perfect choux

and then you just, like, flex and put a veil on top.

The standard of food is just amazing.

Belinda, come on down.

I've made an egg yolk ravioli

with a burnt butter sage sauce.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE AND POH: Yes.

Everything as a combination with the pine kernels

is just incredible.

Well done. You should be very proud.

The competition for these remaining aprons is so intense.

If anything, it seems more intense than last night.

Pat, you're next.

I'm super proud of what I've cooked

but there's always self doubt

of whether everything is cooked to the MasterChef level.

And I'm just absolutely praying that they love the dish.

Bloody hell.

POH: Bloody hell. ANDY: Yeah! OK, Pat.

(LAUGHTER)

What have you made, Pat?

Uh, the dish is called Bread & Fat.

Piece of sourdough has been roasted lamb fat.

There's a pomme puree, a pea puree,

salsa verde, salt-baked beetroot.

And the sauce is a, um, port wine reduction.

Pat, what's your dream?

Long term, I'd love a small coastal, um, eatery.

Short term, I wanna go to Tassie

and learn butchery from Pezza. Oh, nice.

Um, and, yeah, keep feeding the passion.

Shall we taste your dish? Yep.

This plate of food

is proof that you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

Because every single element on there

is perfect.

I think this is one of the best examples of seasoning we've seen

in the competition so far. ANDY: Oh!

Because there is so much going on

and every single thing, you have left no stone unturned.

I'm gonna point out two things.

The pomme puree - that is Michelin-star level.

That is as good as it gets in this kitchen.

And then this...

Like, mate, so good!

It's crunchy on the outside,

but then you've still got light fluffy sourdough to play with,

which does the mop job

better than anything. Like, well done!

I am so, so happy for you, man. Thank you.

It's incredible.

You've obviously got a big heart, a delicate touch

and the potential to go very, very far in this competition.

Thank you.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: I believe there is only one word for this.

Is fantastic!

ALL: (CHANT) Apron! Apron! Apron! Apron! Apron!

POH: I think it's decided!

Well done, mate.

Thank you. Well done.

That feedback was...was something I never expected.

I still can't believe it. It's like, pinch me.

Like, uh, am I dreaming? I don't know.

The next dish we'd love to taste belongs to Emily.

EMILY: One of the ten aprons is already gone.

The stress levels are high

but I know that my soup is gonna really have

some intense traditional herbal flavours in there.

I know my wontons pack a punch.

They're little balls of fury!

So I'm really hoping that, you know,

this put together going bam equals

"Please give me a white apron."

G'day, guys.

Hello, hello, hello. Hello, hello, hello, indeed.

What have we got here?

A wonton noodle soup.

With a Chinese herbal chicken broth.

Shall we taste? Yeah.

I wanna... Need a spoon 'cause I wanna get soup.

Emily, we've had lots of dumplings

come through this kitchen...

..and that is a very good bowl of dumplings.

Whoo-hoo.

I love the point of difference with the herbal broth.

A lot of people don't realise how much the Chinese focus

on the medicinal value of food on a day-to-day basis.

And I love that as a point of difference.

The dumplings were like perfect. Perfect.

And the filling - loved the texture in there.

You could literally taste the pork versus the prawn.

I reckon that's one of the tastiest all-round dishes,

like, flavour-wise, that's one of the tastiest we've had.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

We're really looking for the next superstars of food.

And if you're going to be one of those...

..you're gonna need one of these.

Thanks so much.

Thank you so much.

I'm absolute bewildered. Look at this thing.

This white apron, it means a big step

in a direction I think I've always wanted to follow.

Next up, Petro.

Looking at my dish, I am kicking myself.

The question is just gonna be is that fish skin too burnt?

What is the dish?

I've cooked a butterflied rainbow trout

with a harissa yoghurt

and a herb dressing.

The flavours, like, knockout.

Wow. Absolute knockout.

Everything is peaking.

The fish. The flesh is cooked perfectly.

But the skin has let you down.

It's burnt and it's quite bitter.

So all of that flavour work

that you've done with everything else,

it just gets taken over by the bitterness.

I think you know it. Oh, yeah.

I don't think you're gonna get an apron today

because of it, mate. I'm really sorry.

Thank you. Thank you.

To hear that I'm not getting an apron

just because of my burnt fish

is, um, absolutely gut-wrenching.

Next up, Jess.

Hi, guys.

I've made you vanilla eclairs.

Perfect eclairs, diplomat cream.

Velvety. Um, but the icing, it's a bit thick,

so it's made everything a bit too sweet.

Navarone, you're next.

A lot of pressure at the moment.

Everyone is gunning for an apron

and all of them are such amazing cooks.

NAVARONE: My dish is my very good duck noodle.

SOFIA: Um, the duck, it's a little bit under.

I would have just liked it a tiny bit more.

But one little mistake could mean the difference

between getting an apron and not.

LEQAA: It's a Yemeni feast.

ANDY: I loved every single dish.

I would just say a little bit of seasoning.

That's what turns like a home cook into,

like an extremely bloody good cook.

This is a beef Wellington with salted duck egg beurre blanc.

Andrew, there's no denying that

that is a sexy cross section of food.

Um, I think to make this

a genuinely successful fusion dish,

you could have punched even harder with the salted duck egg.

Mena!

VINNIE: Watching everyone's dish get tasted, I'm thinking,

"Have I done enough?"

MENA: I've made for you a kare-kare tortellini.

So Filippino meets Italian in a dish.

ANDY: Felt like you just tried to put everything on that dish.

You know? Just pull it back a little bit.

Next up, it is Vinnie.

Yeah, Vinnie!

The judges are nitpicking little mistakes

and definitely doubting myself.

They weren't even sold on my sandwich idea to begin with.

ANDY: Talk us through this bad boy. What's going on?

VINNIE: So it's a ciabatta bread.

It's got a roast porchetta in there.

There's a chilli mayo,

handmade bocconcini

and also a fennel, apple and radicchio salad.

Do you think it's a risk to make a sandwich to get a white apron?

A little bit.

I hope that you can taste each individual part

and see the love and effort that I've put into it.

OK. I'm ready. Yeah.

I think you've achieved everything you set out to do.

And...and it's just so delicious.

You should be really proud of that plate of food.

Thank you.

Thank you for being just entirely true to yourself

and your dream. I absolutely tasted all the love.

That was a wild time. It wasn't just a sandwich.

It was a bakery, a roast shop, a cheese maker,

condiments, absolutely everything.

I think you've done a really great job.

You're in the right place.

You know, you are incredible. Rustic sourdough ciabatta.

I've never had one like this ever before.

In 90 minutes, from scratch.

Everything is absolutely impeccable.

And that is big.

Thank you, thank you.

Well, Vinnie - brave, that was very, very brave.

In fact, I'd go as far to call that crazy.

Crazy that you put

your spot in the competition

in the hands of a sandwich.

You just don't see that in the MasterChef kitchen.

You definitely don't see it in your first challenge

to get a white apron.

But you know what the craziest thing is?

That sandwich...

..is gonna earn you an apron.

I literally feel like I've just jumped out of an aeroplane.

There's so much more to me than just sandwiches

and I can't wait to show everyone

my creativity and my inventiveness.

And I'll make sure to do everyone proud.

Well, the quality and calibre of cooking in these auditions

has been sensational.

Three of you have already received a white apron...

..which means there are only seven left.

If we call your name out, please step forward

and claim your apron.

Hannah.

Kanika!

(SQUEALS)

Yes!

Alyona.

Miin.

Bella.

Belinda!

Only one apron left.

Come on over and put on one of those...

..Dot!

PETRO: Yeah, I am a little bit disappointed

that I wasn't able to get an apron today.

I know that I'm gonna have to come back tomorrow

and give it my all.

To everyone who's not won an apron,

we are so excited to see you all cook again tomorrow.

Remember, that dream is still alive.

Goodnight. See you later.

MENA: Tomorrow, I'm going to fight.

And I'm going to get something spectacular on that plate.

ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night...

..it's an epic battle...

Argh! It's my final chance.

I'm going to give it my absolute all.

..for the final four white aprons.

LEQAA: I am fighting for my dream.

It feels like fighting for my life.

These 20 incredible home cooks...

Oh, hell, yeah!

..will stop at nothing...

To get an apron, I'm actually gonna have to fly

pretty close to the sun.

..to bring a show-stopping...

It's gonna be iconic.

..jaw-dropping...

..life-changing dish.

I've made a big promise,

so I really hope I can deliver.

Captions by Red Bee Media