Original subtitles

ANNOUNCER: Previously, on MasterChef Australia...

SOFIA: Onion. ANDY: Yuzu.

POH: Beetroot.

..our judges each set a challenge...

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: In French cooking,

there are five mother sauces.

..to level-up the contestants...

Please welcome Poh Ling Yeow!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

There's a bit going on,

hence why we've got to keep up.

(ANNABEL SCREECHES)

..to help our home cooks shine in the finals.

That is a damn fine dish.

I bloody loved that.

POH: You're thinking like a chef now, and you can taste it.

But it was the end of the journey for Luke...

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: You're going to be going a very long way.

..and Annabel.

ANNABEL: Had a bloody ripper time,

but it's just the beginning.

Tonight, we're rolling out the red carpet...

..for a guest beyond their wildest imagination.

Here we go.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM)

PETRO: Oh, my God!

(VINNIE LAUGHS)

VINNIE: What?! Far out.

I can't believe that everyone's here.

This is, like, so cool.

I haven't seen these people in forever.

All our friends are here,

and they've rolled out a red carpet for us.

Here they are, the final four! Yeah!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

It's pretty cool.

Right.

Reaching this point of the competition

is a truly remarkable achievement.

So, what we did, we have invited all your friends...

(CHEERING)

..to cheer you on.

I'm back!

It's so exciting to be back.

As you can see, we are one judge down.

Andy cannot join us today.

Et pourquoi? Parce que...

..Andy is busy

enjoying a new baby boy.

(EXCLAIMING)

POH: He looks like the cutest little burrito.

He does. (LAUGHTER)

He's like... He's so cute.

Andy will be back very soon.

He's sending all his love

and his best wishes to all of you.

Right, guys, if you can please

go up to the gantry, and don't stop cheering them up.

Please. (APPLAUSE)

LUKE: Go on, lads. GRACE: Good luck, guys.

It's looking very glamorous in here today.

Like, everything's, like, red velvet, and there's flowers,

so I feel like there could

be something really huge about to happen.

Now, I bet you thought that red carpet

was just for you.

CONTESTANTS: Oh.

GANTRY: Ooh!

Here we go.

In a season of superstars,

we've saved one of the biggest

superstars for this moment.

Wow.

My heart's pumping.

(SIGHS) I am so excited

to introduce you to this guest

that my insides are churning.

And frankly, I would like to let out an expletive

just to vent some of my... (LAUGHS) ..nervousness.

But I will not.

I will centre and continue.

Who is it? I don't want...I don't want to guess.

I don't want to guess. I don't want to guess.

I just want to be surprised.

She is a global icon...

..a philanthropist...

..a humanitarian...

..a woman known around the world for her heart,

her voice,

and her deep love of home cooking...

..with her own lifestyle brand

that includes gifting

and beautiful artisanal food products.

All the way from sunny California...

..please welcome to MasterChef Australia...

..the Duchess of Sussex... BELINDA: (GASPS) Oh, my God.

EMILY: No!

..Meghan Markle!

What?!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) HANNAH: Are you serious?

I know.

What is happening?!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Hi.

Alright, boys, split the floor! Split the floor!

Hello.

Hi, gentlemen.

Bienvenue, from MasterChef Australia.

Oh, thank you.

Hi. Goodness, welcome.

Thank you. I'm so happy to be here.

Welcome. Thank you.

What's going on?! (LAUGHS)

Well, hello.

I told you wouldn't forget this.

(LAUGHTER)

Huh? Ooh-ooh!

I feel really warm right now.

This is huge!

Like, what?

LYDIA: Wow! DOT: Iconic.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, here, today.

(LAUGHS) Are you serious?

No pressure. It's gonna be great.

Yeah, no worries.

LYDIA: Holy cow. That is super exciting.

Never in my wildest dreams

did I think it would be somebody of that calibre.

You've all gone a beautiful shade of red.

(LAUGHTER)

Am I, yeah?

Welcome. Do I call you Duchess?

Oh, call me Meghan. Absolutely, yeah.

Thank you. Welcome, Meghan, we are so honoured

you've joined us in the MasterChef kitchen.

How does it feel to be back in Australia?

Oh, we're so excited. We love Australia.

We had the most sentimental, amazing time.

We were here almost eight years ago.

We announced we were pregnant with Archie at the time.

So, it's full circle, here we are,

but thrilled to be here with all of you

and taste some really good food.

I've heard you've been cooking up a storm this season.

Oh, yeah. They've been amazing.

Are you a MasterChef fan?

Oh, my gosh, of course! Who isn't a MasterChef fan?

It's such a great show.

And I'm just really honoured

that I was asked to be able to be here with you,

and to be able to judge some of these meals, so thank you.

Thanks for having me. Thanks for dropping in.

Of course.

I'm gonna be a little bit cheeky, but I wanted to ask you,

which one's better -

American MasterChef or Australian MasterChef?

Oh, my gosh, I couldn't possibly do that myself.

Are you joking? It's OK, it's OK.

You don't...you don't have to... It's a dead heat.

Yeah, yeah. Both great.

We won't tell... We won't tell Gordon.

Blink twice if it's Australian. Yeah... (LAUGHS)

Oh, she's blinking! (LAUGHTER)

Meghan, we've seen how much

you love spending time in the kitchen.

How do you describe your cooking style at home?

My cooking style is really relaxed.

I grew up in California, and so, as you know,

we have incredible produce.

So, I think you just start to really love farm-to-table

at an early age.

My mom's an incredible cook,

and I grew up watching so many cooking shows.

So, I taught myself how to cook,

how to get creative with what you have,

and, um, yeah, I just love it.

And I love being able to nurture through food.

I think it's a beautiful thing to be able to do.

Can I ask you, please, Meghan,

what is your favourite dish to cook for the family?

That's a tough one.

It's a tough one because I have a lot of palates to appease.

Yeah, I was going to say that.

Uh, my husband, being from the UK,

loves a lot of meat, potatoes, cream sauce.

California girl - I like grilled fish, grilled meats,

lots of citrus.

I just like using really pure, natural herbs and spices.

You know, again, if you can pull fresh herbs, like...

Do you say 'herbs' or 'erbs' here?

Here we say 'herbs'. You do?

But please keep saying 'erbs'. OK.

Yeah, we love it. We love it. Don't stop saying 'erbs'.

Join the club.

Very good. OK, thank you.

I'm gonna do another one now, say, 'bay-sil'.

You say 'basil', right? Oregano is the other one.

Oh, yeah.

Oregano, also? Oh, funny.

Um, so any great fresh herbs and spices.

I actually like a lot of heat in my food.

So, anything with a little bit of spiciness.

Not too much where it's overpowering,

but really balancing out the flavours

and mixing a little savoury and sweet, I think,

is always helpful.

So, just be playful.

Is hubby into the spicy food?

He can handle a really good curry.

Oh. Yeah, he does well.

He does well. You know, but we just do a lot

of barbecues because the weather is really nice,

and, of course, use whatever's seasonal and available.

And the kids are great eaters.

We're very lucky on that front. Whew!

I know, I know. Thank goodness.

The kids jump in a lot, especially with the garden.

I think it's really... It's such a nice luxury to be able

to have so much space and things to cook.

And if they say, "Mama, can I have dessert?"

You say, "If you can pick it, you can have it."

You can't pick chocolate!

No, you can't pick chocolate, which is great.

So, you can go pick a nice piece of fruit or whatnot.

But, no, we always have a nice, as my husband would say,

pud after dinner.

But I think what's really sweet is that they all chip in.

Family time, I think, is really key to connect through food.

So, as many meals as we can do together,

we always do.

It's beautiful.

Well, guys,

Meghan didn't just pop in to say hi.

We tasked her with setting today's challenge.

Meghan, everybody is dying to know

what's behind this curtain.

Shall we? Let's do it.

(WHOOPING, EXCLAIMING)

Is everyone ready? CASPER: Ready.

Are you sure?

Here we go.

(EXCLAIMING, CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Very nice.

Alright, so you have quite the bounty here.

Really wanted to do things

that gives you something to play with.

So, you have, of course, some citrus,

you have lemons.

Macadamia nuts.

Some beautiful, local Australian honey.

Quince.

Strawberries -

this one's near and dear to my heart.

This is what we grow at home.

Celeriac - interesting one.

Lots of great apples here.

Mandarins. We also grow those at my house.

Brussels sprouts.

My kids eat Brussels sprouts.

That's impressive.

We have Jerusalem artichoke.

I'm curious to see who wants to play there.

And some gorgeous rainbow carrots, too.

So, there is a lot of optionality here.

The hope is that you'll really hone in on one

as your hero item.

These are all things that, for me, feel really nostalgic.

And I love if there's a connection that you can find

when, as you're cooking something,

what is the story behind it?

It almost feels like an heirloom, right?

What is something from your family

or from a memory, something sentimental

that we can also taste as we taste your dish.

OK, guys. Select one ingredient from what's on offer

and make it the feature

of a dish fit for a duchess.

You'll have 75 minutes on the clock...

..and the pantry and garden are open.

The stakes could not be higher.

Whoever creates the best dish

will earn immunity from tomorrow's elimination...

Wow.

..securing the first spot in the top three

and the semifinal.

Wow. Oh.

It's big.

That is huge.

Getting to that semifinal

is bucket-list stuff,

and I want to get there so badly.

So, for the best part -

please, Meghan, can you kick off the challenge?

I get to say it? You get to say it.

I'm very excited about this. (LAUGHTER)

Drag it out. Make it last. Yeah, exactly.

Really milk this one.

Gentlemen, are you ready?

Ready.

Alright, your time...

..starts...

..now!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Come on!

Go, Vinnie!

VINNIE: It is absolutely electric in here.

It is definitely a different energy

in the MasterChef kitchen today.

This is absolutely insane,

that the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, is here.

It's so interesting

some of them run to the pantry first.

Do you want to come into the pantry?

It's amazing. I would love to see the pantry.

Come, come, come. SOFIA: Yes!

I've got a few ideas bouncing around in my head.

Go, Vinnie!

I just need to refine them -

try and make this dish

as fit for a duchess as possible.

It's dreamy. A dream.

These are all kind of sorted into different cultures.

Wow. Yeah.

I just love some of these flavours

I haven't even heard of, like wattleseed.

Oh, have you had it? No.

Oh, you would love it.

Oh, some edible flowers? Edible flowers.

Love that. Wow. Proteins.

Wow, wow, wow, wow. Cheese.

This is a cook's dream.

Isn't it amazing? It's a dream.

Have you ever tried this?

Pilly berry. Isn't that yum? Oh, it's great.

(CHEERING CONTINUES)

I'd love to cook in here.

(LAUGHS) Next time.

LUKE: Come on, lads, we ain't got all day.

LYDIA: Go, Casper! EMILY: Yeah, Aaron!

Go, bro!

VINNIE: It's loud, man.

A spectator sport.

SOFIA: He's doing the Jerusalem... Hey!

Yeah, Casper!

Meghan, it is so amazing to have you here.

Everyone is so excited. Oh, thank you.

We're so excited you've brought this beautiful seasonal produce.

It doesn't feel limiting. No.

They really have a lot of options.

So many options. Which is, you know,

sometimes can be overwhelming.

It can. Where it's not just honed in.

That's right. But either way,

I can't wait to see what they do.

It'll all be so different. Yeah.

Meghan, what would you cook? Oh, my gosh!

That's a great question.

You know, I would probably

go with something that feels meaningful to me.

Yeah.

We grow a lot of carrots in our garden.

My kids love growing them.

I would take the tops of them,

probably do a great pesto with it.

Look at those carrot tops. Yeah. Perfect.

And the flavour in there is great.

It would be really nice with a nice fish dish or, um...

So many things.

So many things! Yeah, yeah.

OLAOLU: Beautiful carrots, Aaron, mate.

BELINDA: Oh, so pretty. The colours.

AARON: The moment I hear Meghan say

that she wants something sentimental,

there's, like, a light-bulb moment that happens in my head.

And I just remember

when my grandma used to cook this dish for us

and pump it full of carrots,

because it was one of the only vegetable dishes I'd ever eat.

Aaron. Hey, Poh.

Look who I've got with me. Hi.

How are you? Hi, Aaron. Excited for this.

How are you feeling? I'm...

I'm very nervous now. No, don't be nervous.

Have fun. What have you locked in on?

I've locked in on the carrots, actually.

So, I'm trying to make a...like, a traditional Malaysian

bang kuang char,

which is kind of like stir-fried vegetables,

but I'm trying to make it more elevated

and amp up more of the carrots in it.

And then, to serve,

I'll have potato starch, cupped.

The little top hats? Yeah.

So, these little moulds here,

there'll be, like, a really...like,

kind of runny batter, and you dip it into the batter,

and then you fry it, and it makes these little kind of...

Oh, my gosh, I've never seen that before.

Yeah, yeah. Fantastic.

So, that comes from... 'Cause we're from the same culture.

So, it's a really traditional dish.

Something my...my maternal grandmother, again, my pawpaw...

So nice, yeah. ..she made it for me a lot

during New Year's,

and it reminds me of that. Oh, I love that.

So, I'm gonna bring a bit of home to the table today.

That's exactly the type of story I'm talking about,

where you can feel a connection.

I get to know you through your food.

Yeah.

Carrots are some of Meghan's favourite ingredients.

Ooh. Love carrots.

And I love that you're doing a traditional dish, Aaron.

I feel like, in the last few challenges,

you've really leant into your... I have. Malaysian heritage.

..your heritage. Yeah. A lot.

And you've really started to feel a really

strong emotional connection to your food,

which is really important. Oh, that's beautiful.

I'm really excited for this. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Good luck, Aaron. Good luck.

Thank you.

JACK: Aaron, you're a show-off, mate.

EMILY: Yeah, mate. (LAUGHTER)

(CONTESTANT CALLS INDISTINCTLY FROM GANTRY)

(LAUGHTER) Ah!

How cute!

AARON: I'm a little flustered, you know,

like, trying to have a conversation with Meghan

was kind of, like, trying

to talk to your first crush.

(LAUGHS)

He has great knife skills. EMILY: Oh, look at that!

Woo!

Let's go!

You're amazing at this, by the way.

Oh, so are you... (LAUGHS) You could just...

You could just step in and do the job.

It's very fun.

There are three other amazing cooks

cooking with me today.

Alright, that's done.

This is a competition.

I have to think, "How can I separate myself?"

I've chosen celeriac,

and I'm making a celeriac ice-cream.

I'm making a dessert.

It is surprising, but I do want to stand out

from the rest of the pack, so I'm taking a big risk.

Petro. Hello.

Meet Meghan. Hi.

Meghan, so, so nice to meet you.

Pleasure to meet you.

I'm so excited to see what you're cooking.

Yeah. So tell us, what are you cooking?

I'm making a celeriac ice-cream.

Um...

Wow.

So, I'm doing a dessert.

OK. Um... (CHUCKLES)

It's just amazing, with all the offerings,

that you chose to hone in on a dessert,

and a celeriac-based dessert.

It is...

I am mesmerised by that choice. Do you think this is mad?

Do you think this is mad, Meghan?

I think it's brilliant!

(CHUCKLES)

Have you ever had this before, Meghan?

Celeriac ice-cream? Yeah.

No. Have you? No.

No! Have you? Me, either.

It's the first time that I'm making it.

OK. So, with celeriac ice-cream, are you thinking

of different textures and flavours to put around it?

I'm doing a hazelnut crumb and toasted hazelnuts.

I'm doing some sauteed celeriac cubes.

Um, I am doing some pickled green apple.

Um, and then, I'm doing a brown butter-bourbon caramel.

OK. It's a little bit of a risk. Yes.

Because you could go much safer,

but I'm excited to try it.

Well, Petro,

Meghan says she's very excited, so make it good.

No pressure. Yep.

There is not much time left. Not much time.

I've got to get this ice-cream in.

We won't distract you. Alright, guys. Thank you.

Good luck. Good luck. Thank you.

I cannot wait to see this.

This is Petro from Dessert Masters.

I can't believe it. (LAUGHS)

Meghan seems really excited, which is great.

So, I just need to perform now

and deliver what I have promised.

I think it's fascinating. Incredible.

Yeah. It's just so innovative.

And I think it's easy to make a safe choice here.

I'm feeling a little bit crazy right now.

It's very ambitious.

I'm doing a vegetable dessert

for Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

I can't wait to try this dish. Yeah. Me, too.

I'm really excited by that. So creative.

And the fact that we can go

straight into semifinals is huge.

That is a dream of mine.

So, hopefully, the risk

of making this dessert today pays off.

Come on, Petro! Go, Vinnie.

Come on, guys!

Come on, Aaron!

This is, like, definitely the, like, most vibey day

I've had in the kitchen so far.

Like, having the Duchess of Sussex here

is, like, unbeliev... What?! That is crazy!

Now I'm really gutted to not be cooking today.

OK, Meghan, I've got a little treat for you.

Oh. Come with me.

A treat? (LAUGHS) Yes.

So, we heard this story

that the last time you came to Australia, you asked

to borrow a kitchen to make banana bread.

Yes, yes. We went to see a family in Dubbo.

So, I've kind of made my own version of it for you.

OK? SOFIA: Mmm.

That's so thoughtful. Thank you.

So, I've done a little coconut and banana and date number.

Oh, my gosh, thank you! Look at that.

You're welcome. That is so sweet of you.

It's just so thoughtful. My pleasure.

Oh, my God. What are they eating there? Look.

EMILY: Is that cake? I think it is.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(GROANS)

Mmm.

It's so good. So good!

I have never done coconut in a banana bread.

You're gonna have to share this recipe with me, please.

I will absolutely share the recipe with you.

Thank you. (LAUGHS)

GRACE: Can't believe Pets is using celeriac

to do an ice-cream.

I can't believe that Meghan

is mesmerised by my celeriac dessert.

But I just need to execute it.

What is that? This is my anglaise.

LUKE: Did you add pepper to it?

Uh, pepper and vanilla.

I'm so intrigued.

I've never paired all these flavours together,

but I just...in my head, they work.

Celeriac.

It's kind of got a celery flavour but a lot more nutty,

more creamy.

And then, the pepper adds a little bit of fruitiness

and just a light amount of spice.

This is...this is the mind of a chef,

not a home cook. That's right, that's right.

This is the mind of a chef.

JACKIE: How does it taste?

GRACE: How is it tasting, Pets?

It needs a lot more celeriac.

OK. Oh.

I'm going to have to try and inject that flavour,

because without a really good celeriac ice-cream,

um...

..I don't have a dish.

POH: OK, Meghan,

I'm going to be so feral right now

because when we do the time calls,

we have to yell really loud. Alright.

So just be ready for it. I'm gonna be like a foghorn.

OK? OK.

Ignore. Copy that.

Pretend you're at a fish market. It's all good. (LAUGHS)

OK. Ready?

Mm-hm. Top four, 45 minutes to go!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

You've got this!

LYDIA: Come on, Casper!

Casper, those artichokes look unreal!

Yum. CASPER: So good.

They're just, like, a better potato, you know?

Totally. Yep, agreed.

So, today, I'm going for Jerusalem artichokes.

And I'm gonna serve them

with a, like, chargrilled octopus.

Like, a bit of a play on, you know,

the classic octopus and potatoes,

just elevated.

I want to make this the best octopus

that we've ever seen in this kitchen.

And normally, I'm pretty cool, calm and collected

in the kitchen.

But today, you know what? I'm feeling...

I'm definitely... I'm feeling a little bit of pressure

to cook for Meghan.

Can you just hold your hand up for me.

You got a bit of a shake.

Just a little bit of a shake. Yeah.

I'm bloody nervous, serving Meghan today.

See, I never thought I'd be cooking for the Duchess.

Oh, look what he's doing. Jerusalem artichokes.

I love them. Mmm.

She is such a big deal.

And she has this, like, aura around her.

Um, so it might get

a bit overwhelming at times,

trying to, you know, concentrate.

Yeah. I feel like I've never been, like, so nervous.

So, if I can put up, like, the best dish possible

with the Jerusalem artichokes, I'll be pretty stoked.

I can't wait to see what they're gonna cook.

PAT: Is that beef I see, Vinnie.

VINNIE: Always, mate.

(LAUGHS) Go, you good thing.

I've decided to go with celeriac today.

Um, it's a really cool ingredient, I feel like.

So, my dish today is gonna feature celeriac in two ways.

And then, also, a really nice steak.

Celeriac is kind of underrated.

I remember the first time I had it.

My dad used to make these awesome lamb shanks,

and he told me that he wasn't making mash,

but he was making celeriac.

And I was like, "What the hell is that?"

But then, when I had it,

I, like, absolutely fell in love.

Hey, Vinnie. Hello, hello.

Vinnie, meet Meghan.

Hello, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too.

What are we cooking? Uh, today,

I'm gonna be making a really nice piece of steak,

but that won't be the star of the show.

So, I'm gonna be making a caramelised-celeriac puree.

And then, I'm also going to be using the sheeter

to turn some celeriac into some really long sheets

and roll them up into, like, a flower.

Beautiful. So, you're gonna have

two different textures and tastes to the dish.

This is very ambitious with such a short amount of time.

Yeah. Yeah.

I'm really excited for this dish.

Thank you very much. Good luck, Vinnie.

Thank you, thank you. You got this, Vinnie.

MIIN: Let's go. Who would have thought?

You know, you come on here,

and you make a roll for MasterChef,

and you get to meet the Duchess of Sussex.

(LAUGHS)

I have an idea for these little celeriac flowers.

Ah, clever, Vinnie.

So, I'm gonna use a vegetable sheeter

and make a little ribbon of celeriac.

GRACE: Vinnie, that's unreal.

Nice, Vinnie.

Cool.

Then, I've got my long sheets of celeriac,

which I'm just rolling up.

My flowers are now ready to be cooked.

So, I'm gonna sear them off really well.

It's going to show how far I've come

and how much I've grown as a cook.

Vinnie, this looks amazing! So good.

Thanks.

Alright, come on, let's lock in.

Meghan, I've got to ask you -

now that you're in the MasterChef kitchen,

how does MasterChef Australia stack up to your cooking show,

With Love, Meghan? Oh, my gosh.

Well, we had so much fun on my show,

but it's very different.

I mean, it was about hosting and hospitality

and taking it easy for home cook.

So, this is probably... BOTH: ..the antithesis.

Exactly. The antithesis of that.

The stakes are so high. You can feel the pressure.

Smells fantastic, Vinnie. Yes.

You're making us really hungry.

But also, I do love that they have so much support...

Yeah. ..from, you know,

everyone else who's been on this season with them.

Yeah.

And you can feel their excitement.

Yeah, you can. So, from that standpoint,

it feels very much the same because it's just about cooking

for joy and cooking for fun.

Um, they're also cooking to win.

Yeah, they are also cooking to win.

DOT: Oh, my gosh, he's still chopping!

So, right now, I've prepped all my veg

for the bang kuang char.

The stir-frying happens right at the last minute.

In all this time, all I've done is just chop.

Time is against me right now.

I should probably get started on my sambal.

OLAOLU: Get it, Aaron. Let's go!

So, I chuck in some aromats, the chillies.

You've also got the fermented shrimp paste.

It is paramount that I taste and balance everything.

I'm trying to do my, uh...my ancestors proud.

Along with my bang kuang char,

I'm making these little cups to elevate the dish.

So, the idea is that you'll have the filling that goes inside.

You'll top it with a bit of sambal,

and just...it's like a one-biter.

It's almost like an open-faced spring roll.

I'm just not sure if this is gonna work

because I've never done this before,

so we'll see what happens.

PAT: Here we go.

Aaron's doing his little... Ooh!

..thingies.

I put the mould into the batter...

..but the batter keeps sliding off,

back into the bowl.

It's just not working.

BELINDA: Why are they not sticking?

I'm hoping I can get there.

Um...yeah.

Hopefully, I'll have something to serve.

JACK: Let's go, Aaron. HANNAH: Keep going, Aaron.

Alright, it's time for a 30-minute time call.

Fun.

I think you should do it. Can I?

I think you should. Can I tell them personally?

Oh, is that your style? Yeah.

Here we go. OK.

Let's make it personal. I don't like to yell. Here we go.

Vinnie. Yes.

30-minute time call. Oh, OK.

I'm just telling you personally.

(LAUGHS) OK. Thank you very, very much.

I appreciate that. You're very welcome.

I'm gonna work faster now.

(LAUGHTER)

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: That's great, I love that.

I got to keep my pace up.

Casper. Hello.

This is your 30-minute time call.

Oh, thank you. (LAUGHS) You're very welcome.

He's very elegant.

This is definitely like an ASMR time call.

It's kind of nice, for a change.

She is so graceful. Oh, look at her.

Aaron.

Hey.

You've got 30 minutes left. Yes, thank you.

Just letting you personally. Thank you.

OTHERS: Aw! I appreciate that, thank you.

CASPER: And she almost, like, looks

through your soul a little bit when you're talking to her.

Last but not least, Petro. Hello.

Just letting you know it's your 30-minute time call.

OK. Thank you. You're very welcome.

Thank you. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Oh, my God, Aaron!

I think they started blushing a little bit.

I know.

SOFIA: That was a very intimate time call.

It was, very.

CASPER: But you can't really let that, like,

slow you down too much.

You just have to go like, "Hmm, yes, there she is,"

and just keep going.

I'm feeling pretty motivated, yeah,

It's, like, electric, the energy.

I think, just, like, the calibre.

You know, we've got...you know, Meghan today.

Cooking for her is crazy.

The first spot in the semis is crazy as well.

Um...

Cut myself.

Oh. Oh, my God. HANNAH: Did he get himself?

All of a sudden,

I cut myself with my peeler.

Casper's cut himself.

First strike with a little peeler.

EMILY: Oh, damn. Casper's already injured?

The first time I've, like, ever cut myself in this kitchen,

and it's in front of Meghan.

Kind of embarrassing.

Casper.

(CHUCKLES) (LAUGHS)

DOT: Oh, God. JACKIE: Good luck.

How are we doing?

Casper.

(CHUCKLES) (LAUGHS)

How are we doing? I'm good.

Nice to meet you...well, again. I already met you. Yeah, sorry.

So, Meghan, Casper is... He's a very intuitive cook.

He's great with a mystery box, and he is unflappable.

The guy does not break a sweat. (LAUGHS)

Except today, apparently.

Except today. Except today.

He's the colour of Poh's dress.

What ingredients are you going to focus on today,

and what do we have here?

So, I'm going to do the Jerusalem artichokes.

I'm going to be doing a Jerusalem artichoke puree,

Jerusalem artichokes that are crushed,

and then this is going to be a vinaigrette

that's going to dress the octopus.

So, like, an nduja vinaigrette.

Oh.

And then, I also... Like, I guess, you know,

I sort of, like, resonate with you, how you like some

spice in your food, too.

So, yeah, a little bit of spice. That's very thoughtful.

And I guess, like, take it back to Cali, as well -

I'll put some grapes in.

Wow! Oh, I wasn't expecting that!

Interesting.

OK, so I love that you're thinking about me.

It's creative. Alright.

Good luck, Casper. Good luck.

Thanks, guys. Smells good already.

Make it good enough to feed a duchess.

(CHUCKLES)

It's sort of, like, making me go a bit... Whoa!

Like, there's a lot going on right now.

You alright, Casper?

You've just gone a bit red, that's all, mate.

(LAUGHTER)

Just kidding. Love you, mate.

(KISSES)

I'm taking a bit of inspiration today,

from what Meghan was saying up the front

around how she loves spice,

she loves some grilled fish.

So, I hope that it'll work in my favour.

It is quite the medley of flavours he's talking about,

between nduja and grapes. Occy.

We say 'occy' in Australia. (LAUGHS)

Oh, really? We shorten everything.

The octopus, yeah.

But that, I mean,

that's very creative and also very bold.

Yes, it is. Because I can't actually

close my eyes and picture

how it's all going to taste together.

But he has a vision. Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

I love that. I love how secure he feels in what he's doing.

He's very good at pulling unusual flavours together.

Mm-hm.

Evidently.

OK, today is the day to step up.

Mega, mega big!

15 minutes to go!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

VINNIE: But you know what? We're in a bit...

We're in a bit of a rush.

KANIKA: Oh, it smells so nice in here!

LUKE: Let's keep motoring, Aaron. Keep pushing, brother.

You're so close.

AARON: I'm looking for some crispy cups when this cooks.

LYDIA: Are they working, Aaron?

So, with my dish,

I know how to stir-fry.

I know how to make an amazing sambal.

I've never made these cups before.

DOT: Too thin. Yeah.

Is it supposed to stick? Yeah.

Goddammit.

So, I go back, try and readjust,

thicken it.

JACK: Oh, please work. Keep going, Aaron.

If the cups don't end up on the plate,

I'm leaving out a major component of this dish.

LUKE: Come on, Aaron. Please, brother.

ALITA: How are they looking, Az?

It's like a cup.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Here we go!

Be delicate!

The cups are working,

and, oh, my God, I'm actually gonna get them on the plate.

Yeah, it's actually the texture I'm after.

But I also need to stir-fry my carrots

for my bang kuang char.

I've got my carrots in the stir-fry now.

So, that's just cooking away.

Then, I'll add everything in stages.

GRACE: Aaron, that's smelling so good, dude.

Yeah, Aaron, ridiculous.

JACK: Happy, Aaron? Uh...

..I'll probably let you know in a couple of minutes.

Keep pushing, man. Keep pushing. Yeah, keep going, boy.

Lock in, man. Lock in.

Make it sparkle for Meghan Markle!

Ten minutes to go!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) I had to. I had to.

(BOTH LAUGH)

Well done. Well played.

VINNIE: What? ANNABEL: You need to hurry up.

Hurry up? Hurry up, yeah.

Oh. That's you, mate.

BELLA: Come on, Petro!

PETRO: Those are...good.

A little bit more, and we'll be there.

I need to finish cooking off my steak.

Puree is pretty much done.

I'm just going to fix the texture on that.

Cook my flowers, and then get my sauce done.

I feel like I've got a really clear vision

of my steak and celeriac dish,

and I feel like my flavours are all going to be banging.

I've just tasted my celeriac puree.

It's really, really nice.

It's got that really nice deep, rich flavour

from the caramelisation.

Sorry, Dad. I feel like my celeriac puree

is just that little bit better.

Not to say that yours wasn't, but, yeah. (CHUCKLES)

ALYONA: Vinnie, are these preserved lemons?

Preserved.

OK, that's cool.

Now that my celeriac flowers are seared off,

I'm gonna poach them in a little bit of chicken stock

and some preserved lemon.

Vinnie, that's cool.

Thanks.

I taste it...

..and it hits me.

I've got some really big, rich flavours.

I need to think quick.

It's going to be way too rich,

so what can I do here to fix this,

and try and make this dish

as fit for a duchess as possible?

I need an acidic element that's going to cut through

and just lift everything up.

You can never really go wrong with a nice

salsa verde or gremolata.

I'm gonna use the top of that celeriac root

with a little bit of the stalks,

and use that in my gremolata.

I just think some nice fresh citrus,

some fresh herbs to kind of bring it together.

LUKE: Oh, Vin, look at that.

You can't teach that, man.

I just thought of that, just then.

You can't teach that. (LAUGHTER)

Raw talent.

Mate, I've missed the... I've missed the heckling.

(LAUGHTER)

PETRO: Pickled apple is done.

Caramel done.

I'm sauteing off my celeriac.

ALYONA: How's that ice-cream, Petro?

With the ice-cream, my concern was that there wasn't enough

celeriac, so I've added more.

GRACE: Is it a bit more celeriac-y?

Yes? Yeah.

Nice. Yeah.

Definitely a bit more celeriac flavour.

It's a good amount.

And I'm going to start tasting everything,

and see what needs adjustment.

The risk factor on this dish

is ten out of ten.

I'm trying to balance all these elements.

Um, it's a little bit tricky.

Yeah, we've got spoons. We've got spoons.

MEGHAN: Great.

Petro. Yes.

Do you mind? Yeah, go for it.

We're going to crash your party here.

Give it a crack.

Making me nervous.

Mmm. Interesting. Concerns?

Um...

Look, Petro, you're a brilliant cook,

but you definitely need

to try everything together with this dessert.

Yep.

Yes. Yeah.

Mm-hm. Yeah.

Even more so than usual, I would say.

Yep. Thank you, guys. I'm gonna give it a crack.

Thank you.

What have I done?

This is so stupid.

Why would you make a celeriac ice-cream dessert?

We're running. He's running.

I'm freaking out.

PETRO: After tasting my celeriac ice-cream,

Sofia's face seemed a bit concerned.

I think, "Oh, God,

"what have I done?"

She obviously thinks this isn't balanced at all.

Oh, boy.

There's so much at stake today -

a direct ticket into the semifinal.

Come on.

And on top of that, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex,

is here, in the MasterChef kitchen.

I need to put something beautiful and refined.

Still a lot to do and to balance,

because I honestly have never made this before.

Um, so I'm gonna have to taste and adjust.

No mucking around.

The celeriac ice-cream -

it's really fresh, with just a light amount of spice,

which complements my roasted celeriac cubes.

I've got my hazelnut crumb...

Not too much crumb.

..and my bourbon caramel

to add a little bit of lusciousness.

And then, this pickled apple

is really going to cut through all of that.

Make it delicious, Petro.

I put everything together, I taste it...

GRACE: Trust yourself. Trust yourself.

It isn't bad.

I don't know, I think I like it. (LAUGHTER)

LYDIA: Yeah. Yeah, you should.

It needs a bit more salt.

It needs a bit of lemon zest with the apple.

But overall, I think it's really good.

I just need to play around with the ratios

GRACE: Come on, Petro.

LYDIA: What's that, Casper?

CASPER: Jerusalem artichoke puree.

Yum. PAT: Taste good, Casper?

Yeah.

I've got my Jerusalem artichokes all prepared, both ways.

My spicy nduja vinaigrette's coming along really nicely.

And I'm just starting to hibachi my octopus.

Casper, moment of truth. Yeah.

How are you doing?

I'm pretty happy with the cook on the octopus.

Like, it's...it's tender.

So, now, we'll just get, like, a touch of colour on it.

OK, great.

And I'm really happy with my Jerusalem artichokes, too.

Oh, that is not what I was expecting.

Nice and crispy.

And then, my puree, over here,

I'm also really happy with, too, like, the texture of it.

It's super silky.

Oh, yeah, beautiful.

Um, may we?

Yeah. Go.

Um, duchesses first, I feel. (LAUGHS)

It'd be rude not to.

Very good. That's a terrible poker face.

Oh.

Um, OK, OK, OK.

Gonna get it all together?

Yep. Just charring some more octopus now.

Whew!

We're gonna have to totally wash our hair tonight.

(ALL LAUGH)

Good luck, Casper. Thanks, guys.

Homestretch.

Oh, wow. (LAUGHS)

Meghan liked my puree, which is, like...

..lovely.

PAT: Nice, Casp.

Oh!

Happens to the best of us, Casper.

Go off, kings. Five minutes to go!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

That's what the kids say, apparently.

They do?!

VINNIE: Alright, that's done.

Let it rest a little bit.

This steak needs to be perfect medium-rare.

Let's have a look.

CONTESTANTS IN GANTRY: Oh!

Perfect! Yes! Yeah!

DOT: Hey, Vinnie, beautiful!

That looks lovely. Thank you.

Cook on the steak is perfect.

Exactly how I wanted it.

And now, I'm just thinking about my plating up.

So, I think I'm going to do, like, this little herby number

on the bottom of the flowers,

so they're kind of like flowers in the grass.

And then, do my steak dressed on the side,

and, like, my puree just in between.

Everything's very rich, very heavy.

So, hopefully, the gremolata

will make sure that it can't be too heavy of a dish.

ANNABEL: Stunning, Vinnie.

GRACE: Keep pushing, guys.

The semifinal is so close -

one minute to go!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Go on, Aaron! EMILY: Come on, Aaron!

Finish strong, man.

AARON: The whole stir-fry element of my bang kuang char

is finally done.

And there's so much beautiful colour, and it's just delicious.

ANNABEL: Go, Aaron! GRACE: Go, Aaron.

I'm actually pretty happy.

This dish is usually eaten on Lunar New Year,

and I want it to eat and taste like a celebration.

I've made something

that I'm proud of, and is something from my past.

And, you know, hopefully that's enough.

Time's up in ten...

JUDGES AND GANTRY: Nine,

eight, seven,

six, five,

four, three,

two, one!

That's it! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

How did you guys go? Very well, I think.

Yeah, I was really happy.

I love the sportsmanship.

I know. It's so good.

Yeah, it's really beautiful. I just love

how supportive they are of each other.

Oh, you are sweating!

(LAUGHTER)

Now, the moment of truth.

It's not every day a duchess sets the challenge

in the MasterChef kitchen.

The first dish we'd love to taste was cooked by...

..Casper.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

CASPER: It's a weird feeling, taking my food up to Meghan.

I've got some smoky octopus.

Wow.

She loves some grilled seafood.

Spicy nduja vinaigrette.

She loves a little bit of spice.

And then, grapes as a bit of a, like, a callback

to where Meghan's from, in California.

They grow heaps of grapes there.

So, I'm hoping that brownie points

from the Duchess is the way to win this challenge.

Casper, tell us what ingredient you chose and what you made.

Today, I chose the Jerusalem artichoke,

and I've made a barbecued octopus with Jerusalem...

(CLEARS THROAT)

..with Jerusalem artichoke puree

and some fried, crispy Jerusalem artichokes.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Are you a little bit nervy, Casper?

Well, you know, a ticket to the semifinals

is on the line,

and very high-calibre guest judge, so...

(LAUGHTER) ..yeah.

That's so sweet.

Should we try it? POH: Yeah.

So, you've got one of those.

Poh is our official

food divider. Master plater.

She is very fair, very artistic.

No-one misses out on any...

No, so every single component that you need

for the perfect bite.

Yes, absolutely.

Thank you.

OK.

OK, so I think this is beautifully balanced.

I love how silken

the Jerusalem artichoke puree is.

It's pitch perfect, actually.

Thank you.

And that crispiness that you have

on the other version of the Jerusalem artichoke,

it really is highlighting that as a featured ingredient.

I love the heat.

So, the sauce is...

He's going in for more. (LAUGHTER)

Um, and also I will say, I think the char on the octopus,

it's really beautifully cooked, and it's really,

really beautifully complemented by the other choices you made.

Thank you.

That occy is just so tender.

It's the easiest thing to eat, and it is so tasty as well.

Completely agree with Meghan - that puree is...

It's velvet. Mmm.

And I thought the little pops of sweetness from the grapes

were a really nice touch as well.

Awesome cooking. Thank you.

Really great cooking.

Well, first I need to see how strong the table is...

(LAUGHTER)

..because it is genius.

The way you've introduced

the most ugly root vegetable

on the planet to something so creative,

so original and so tasty.

This, for me,

is a message saying, not just,

"I want to end up in the top three..."

"..but this is the way I am,"

and that's worth a lot.

Yes! Come on!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Well done.

Allez, c'est parti!

Thank you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE CONTINUES)

It is a bit of a surreal moment.

When I found myself on this season of MasterChef,

I think the last thing I expected was Meghan Markle,

the Duchess, eating my food,

and enjoying it too.

So, I would really love to win this challenge.

OK, next up, Vinnie.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

VINNIE: I definitely feel like this dish is a testament

to how far I've come,

like, the elevated techniques.

Hopefully it's not too rich,

and I've done enough to put me straight into the semifinals.

I think that's it. Thank you.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Thank you.

Just a little bit. Look at you, holding back.

I know, the restraint! Restraint.

(CHUCKLES)

So, tell us, Vinnie, what was your ingredient?

Today, I chose the celeriac...

..and I made a crusted eye fillet

with celeriac puree and some celeriac flowers.

It doesn't actually look like a Vinnie dish really.

Mmm. Come a long way.

You sure it's not Marco Pierre White over there?

(LAUGHTER) No, no. No.

Much smilier. (LAUGHS) Yeah.

I'm intrigued to find out what's going on

under this little slice of celeriac.

If, Meghan, would you like to...

Shall I do it with as much flair?

You can certainly try.

I'm glad you noticed. I'm glad you noticed.

(LAUGHS)

There we go. (CHEERING)

Thank you, guys. Yeah, nice.

So, there we go. Nearly there.

Vinnie,

I think it's a really beautiful dish.

It really shows your whole journey.

Your plating, just how refined all the elements are.

And the fillet was just cooked incr...

Filet. The filet... (LAUGHTER)

..was cooked perfectly. Mm-hm.

The cuisson was spot-on.

Thank you.

Your puree is rich. It's lovely.

It's silky.

This little flower shape is actually very well done.

Alongside this very well cooked beef,

it's delicious, inviting,

and thank you for the lovely dish.

Thank you.

I love this dish.

I mentioned my husband

is a real meat-and-potatoes kind of guy.

This feels like the most

elegant, elevated version of that.

H would love this dish...

..and I'm so glad you did the gremolata,

because that brightness, it just brings it to life.

It's just a very easy, craveable dish.

Thank you very much. You're welcome.

It's very good. Well done.

You're thinking more and more like a professional cook,

not a home cook.

And that's the stuff that makes us

the happiest to see. Thank you very much.

Well done, Vinnie. Thank you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

That's, like, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I definitely feel like, you know,

I have a shot at immunity today.

Fingers crossed.

Well done, mate. Thank you. Thank you.

Next dish we'd love to taste is Aaron's.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Go, Aaron!

AARON: There is that worry factor

of the dish being too simple.

But also, my heritage is all over this dish.

So, hopefully, it's enough.

Hello.

Aaron, tell us what you've made.

I've made my grandmother's version of bang kuang char.

so it's a bit more carrot-forward

because, when I was younger, that was the only kind

of vegetable I'd eat.

When she sauteed it, it was really sweet.

So that's what I've tried to do today,

tried to bring out more of the carrots

and try to emulate a bit of her recipe.

So, when you think of this dish, how long would it usually take

when your grandma makes it at home?

It would take hours for her

because she'd be there,

on, like, a little plastic stool,

big round chopping block with a giant cleaver,

just going at the vegetables slowly.

On the ground. Yeah.

Yeah. And be like...there was...

Newspaper. Newspaper

and the coloured buckets... Mm-hm, yeah.

..that you put all the vegetables in.

So she'd separate the vegetables.

Oh. Yeah. (CHUCKLES)

Such good memories, I love that. Yeah.

I love that you did something that was sentimental to you.

And also, just to taste family cooking.

Yeah. It's fantastic.

Thank you.

Can you tell us, what is your grandmother's name?

English name is Mary.

Mary.

That was my grandmother's English name!

Really? Yeah.

(BOTH LAUGH)

I can't wait to dive in.

(CRUNCHING)

Good crunch.

Yeah.

It's so satisfying to hear. Mmm.

OK, let's start with the sambal.

It is so good.

I love that you're honouring your grandmother's recipe

and all the flavours of it.

I can't say, necessarily, that the carrots

are what's standing out as the featured item,

but I do think it's really balanced.

I love the crunch and the textures.

And, yes, that sambal -

I would bottle it, and I would take it home with me if I could.

(LAUGHS) It's great.

Aaron, I love how this has so many,

you know, childhood memories for you.

I loved eating the little... Mmm.

..little fried hat. It was very delicious.

It was incredibly crispy.

Love, love, love the sambal.

Great job on that.

And well done on the heat

because it's, like, very, um...not antisocial.

Like, it's still very... (LAUGHTER)

That's such a good way to describe it.

It's good. It's good, yeah.

There is so much to love on this plate.

It's fresh, it's funky,

it's spicy.

It has absolutely every flavour profile

going on in there.

Love the garlic, as well. Sorry to interrupt.

Uh, we've had a phone call to the studio.

(LAUGHS) Hi, my love!

G'day.

Hi. My husband's here.

(EXCLAIMING, LAUGHTER)

I want you to meet the judges. Here we go.

GRACE: Oh, my gosh.

What's going on? Have I interrupted something important?

Well, we are...we are actually in the middle

of tasting all the dishes.

We have four incredible cooks here.

Here they are. Aaron's here.

Vinnie's back there.

Casper and Petro.

Hello. Say hi, guys.

Um...it's amazing.

They're so talented. We wish you were here.

He's in Canberra right now. POH: Oh, yeah.

With the veterans.

The chandeliers in the background -

that's very nice. Yeah.

We fancied the joint up... Yeah, they go all out here.

..for your beautiful wife.

Good set you guys have. Wonderful.

I wish you could try this.

These dishes are fantastic.

Can I see? Yes.

(LAUGHTER) Yeah.

Can you see it OK?

It's really delicious, and there's a hot sauce that...

Well, you know me. It's a sambal,

and it is so good.

I don't know if...

I think it might be too much for you, though.

It's spicy.

Good, well, go and enjoy it. I'm very sorry to disturb you.

All is well here. And I'll see you later.

OK, I'll see you later. Say bye to everybody.

And there's the crew. Bye.

(LAUGHTER)

Love you. Talk to you later. Bye.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!

DOT: That was nuts!

Oh, my gosh!

Just when you think you're at the peak,

we're FaceTiming Prince Harry.

This is nuts.

How exciting!

What a lovely surprise.

Honestly, I'm still chuffed.

He's a charmer, isn't he? Yeah.

Aaron, I don't know how I'm going to top that,

but, um, like I was saying,

there's a lot to love about this dish.

It's really tasty, so well done, Aaron.

AARON: Thank you.

I think your grandmother would be very, very proud

of this dish and what you've done.

You've done her proud. Thanks, Aaron.

Thank you. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

AARON: The last thing I'd expected was Prince Harry

on a FaceTime call, hearing how delicious my sambal is.

Like, what is my life?

Have a good chat with Harry? Yeah. Great chat.

OK, when that phone came, I had a panic attack.

I thought something was wrong.

GRACE: That is cray-cray.

It was wild.

VINNIE: What an awesome day!

It's time for dessert.

You're next, Petro.

PAT: Yeah, Petro! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

This will be really interesting.

PETRO: This dessert is something pretty crazy

that I haven't done before,

with some very interesting flavours.

(EXCLAIMING) Ooh, wow!

Hopefully, the risk pays off.

Petro, tell us what you've made?

Uh, celeriac ice-cream

with some sauteed celeriac,

some pickled apples and a hazelnut crumb.

So, I just want to ask, who's had a celeriac dessert?

Anyone? Hands up! JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: No.

No. Anyone? Anyone in the gantry?

No-one will be crazy enough to do that.

CONTESTANTS: No. Surely.

Petro, not a single hand up. (PETRO LAUGHS)

Uh, yeah, I haven't had one either.

(LAUGHTER)

This is the first one. Very brave.

I can't wait to dive in. SOFIA: Let's.

Thank you.

OK. Um...

OK.

Um...

I am...

..rubbing my temples...

..because I can't understand how this is so good.

(CHUCKLES) (EXCLAIMING)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(SIGHS)

This is...

..so extraordinary.

The execution is beautiful.

I think you can see the balance in the flavours

of that peppercorn really coming through

on the ice-cream.

The texture of the ice-cream is beautiful.

Obviously, the vanilla is there,

but that celeriac is very perfectly featured.

The earthiness and the nuttiness,

it's not overpowered.

I also love the variation of colours,

the textures that are popping.

To be that creative and that courageous

to make something that is new, that you've never tried,

to push yourself,

to believe in yourself that much...

You did it!

And it feels very Michelin-star to me.

Yes. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE: Yeah.

Well done. Thank you.

Well done. Thank you so much.

Petro, suck this up and store it.

I will!

That's a massive compliment. For a bad day.

I will.

Do you realise how good this is?

This is more than a restaurant dish.

It's perfection.

You've managed to transform

such a powerful vegetable

to something so delicate, sweet, subtle.

And it keeps coming back,

the celeriac is really making this effect.

And on top of that, you've got

the audacity of having lemon, apples,

tarragon, whisky...

(TABLE BANGS) ..vanilla!

I mean, this is crazy.

It just tastes perfectly harmonious.

You've got the celeriac ice-cream,

which is this earthy sweetness, this intrigue.

And then, as you finish that mouthful,

you get the pepperiness right at the end.

And the vanilla just enhances all of that together.

The crumb - it's kind of giving

a little bit of, like, Anzac biscuit and tea.

I think you've made

your best dessert, in front of the Duchess of Sussex.

Oh, my God. (CHUCKLES)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Thank you, guys. Thank you.

I cannot believe how much they loved my dessert.

Oh-la-la-la-la! Look at that.

So good.

PETRO: I think Meghan calling my dessert...

Good job! Thanks, mate.

..a Michelin-star dessert

might be the best thing I've heard...

..all competition.

Oh!

Oh, my God.

I have loved every second of being here.

I was already in love with Australia,

and this has just made me over the moon.

I'm thrilled to be here. Thank you for the hospitality.

Truly, it's been incredible.

And all of these dishes are well worth

flying over here for,

so thank you, gentlemen.

Really, job well done.

So cool you're coming back again next year.

(LAUGHTER)

Meghan, thank you so much

for making the trip from the other side of the world.

Everybody put your hands together for Meghan Markle!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

LYDIA: Meghan's so lovely, and she was so supportive.

It was really beautiful to watch.

Shall we talk about the dishes?

Yeah. Alright.

Casper, let's start with you.

It was so beautifully balanced and composed,

what you put together.

And truly, those Jerusalem artichokes,

just the perfect texture,

married in harmony

with some of the best occy - as you say -

I've ever had.

Job well done.

Thank you.

Vinnie,

as I mentioned, it is a dish

that my husband would love so much.

It was this perfectly elevated Sunday roast.

Thank you.

Aaron, well, you know

I am head over heels over that sambal.

(LAUGHTER)

It is so delicious.

Your grandmother would be so proud of that dish.

And I really appreciate, as well, the story

and the memory that you can connect to that plate of food.

Thank you.

Petro,

forevermore,

I think I will associate you with celeriac...

(LAUGHTER) ..which is the most

unexpected thing, I would think...

Yeah.

..on meeting any of you on this show.

But it was extraordinary, frankly,

what you managed to do with a vegetable,

and turn it into a dessert that is so incredibly elegant.

Well done to you.

It came down to two dishes today.

Casper.

And Petro.

You two made it almost impossible to decide.

But the first member of our top three,

and going straight into the semifinals...

..is you...

..Petro!

Oh! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Oh, my God!

Ha!

Thanks, mate.

This is unbelievable.

It means the absolute world

to get straight into that semifinal.

I'm gonna remember this day forever.

Congratulations, all of you.

Well done. Bravo!

Thank you.

I hope you enjoyed yourself. Oh, my gosh, I loved it.

I can't wait to go back to the hotel

and tell H all about it. Really?

That's awesome. He'll be here in a little bit.

That's awesome.

ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night...

..their loved ones sent letters...

"Dear Aaron, you've done so well to get to this point

"in the competition."

..and one special ingredient.

Oh, my goodness, Vinnie!

You got this, bro.

Now, one dish stands

between them and the semifinal.

There's a lot riding on today's cook.

CASPER: If I make my parents proud

with this dish, job done.

VINNIE: Is this dish the one

that does send me home?

Captions by Red Bee Media