Original subtitles

(SOLEMN MOMENTOUS MUSIC)

ANDY ALLEN: Billy, you have rewritten history.

You are now the first cook ever

to win MasterChef Australia...

..not once but twice.

(CHEERING)

ANNOUNCER: Since the very beginning,

MasterChef Australia has turned home cooks

into culinary legends.

And now a new breed of home cooks

vie for the title.

You've only got 10 minutes to go! Yeah!

Every year, thousands of hopefuls apply.

Where you from? Townsville.

I'm from Venezuela.

Did I say it right? 'Roo'? Rue. Yeah, Rue, like kangaroo.

But only the very best...

(ANDY WHISTLES) Bloody awesome.

..are chosen.

JOCK: That's a bowl full of flavour. (LAUGHS)

Absolutely bloody gnarly.

Well done, buddy. Thanks, brother.

But this year...

(ALL EXCLAIM)

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

..it's more surprising than ever before.

(POP!) (SCREAMS AND LAUGHS)

WOMAN: The secrets and surprises come every day.

WOMAN 2: No way. JOCK: Yes, way.

ANNOUNCER: They'll never know what...

WOMAN: That's crazy. Are you kidding me?

MAN: You have to be ready for just about anything.

(ALL EXCLAIM)

..or who...

ANDY: Maggie Beer! MELISSA: It's Rick Stein!

..is just around the corner.

What's going on, guys?

I was trying to get them excited,

but it looks as if I've stunned them.

Let's go! Hustle, hustle!

Whew!

Cook after cook...

I've never done this before, so look out.

(PEOPLE EXCLAIM) Come on!

..location after amazing location...

How beautiful is this? WOMAN: Oh, wow!

Get it in the bowl!

..and challenge after challenge...

This is crazy!

I'm not gonna get all the elements up.

(EXCLAIMS)

WOMAN: I'm just a bit overwhelmed.

Just keep moving forward. (CHUCKLES)

These things are designed to be hard,

but they're not designed to be impossible, OK?

MAN: Service, please!

They will produce...

JOCK: Oh, my God.

It was cooked to perfection.

..the most surprising dishes...

The duck? Whoa!

..ever seen.

Shove it in your gob. Shove it in your gob and enjoy it.

But only one...

We're done!

..will claim the title...

You've nailed it!

Yeah!

..of Australia's next MasterChef.

(PEOPLE CHEER IN DISTANCE)

ANDY: Rowdy bunch! MELISSA: Ooh! This bodes well.

Are you ready for the first clap of the season?

Let's do it! Let's do it!

Whoo! Yeah!

(ALL CHEER AND CLAP)

WOMAN: It's actually really beautiful!

MAN: Oh, this is actually scary.

MAN 2: I've got goosebumps right now. I'm tingling!

WOMAN: This is crazy! Oh, my! I feel so emotional!

Come on in. Let's go!

(WOMAN SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

(ALL EXCLAIM AND CHEER)

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the MasterChef kitchen!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Can you actually believe it? No.

Look around you and take it all in.

You are here, in the very place where so many cooks before you

have come to make their dreams come true.

And now it's your turn.

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

You're not here by chance.

We've chosen you out of thousands of applicants

to compete for the ultimate prize -

that trophy,

250,000 large...

..and the title of MasterChef Australia 2023.

(ALL CHEER)

And in this season, we're taking the competition to the next level.

Learn to expect the unexpected...

..because this year,

it's MasterChef: Secrets & Surprises.

(ALL EXCLAIM AND LAUGH)

Ooh!

Alright, Rue, you're hiding from me.

I am! (LAUGHS)

How does it feel to be standing here in the MasterChef kitchen?

I feel like my alarm's gonna go off.

(LAUGHTER)

Theo. Hi.

You're just standing there. You're pretty chill.

What kind of food are we going to be seeing from you?

Well, I'm a big bread man.

We're very carb-welcoming here.

Yeah, so anything carb-related,

but a lot of my Greek culture as well, which...

I can hear my dad in my ear already,

like, "No, it's not... Don't do it like that! Do like this!"

You gonna be listening to that?

It's the same as when I'm at home,

like, "Shut up, Dad! I've got this! Come on!"

Righto, now, you guys have shown us

that you're the best home cooks in this country right now,

which means you've earned the right to stand here and wear one of these

because with this, you're now members

of the all-important MasterChef family.

(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

So should we make it official? Yes!

Rhiannon, you're up. Let's do this. Yeah!

Whoa-ho! That's what we like to see!

Thank you!

This is ridiculously amazing!

I never ever thought I'd see my name next to this.

It feels so good. It's just so crisp and white and beautiful!

JOCK: Grace. (CHEERING)

Thank you!

Larissa. Awesome. No worries at all. Thank you so much!

Adi, here we go!

This for me

is the MasterChef moment...

Righto, Robbie.

..and it really solidifies

that, yes, I'm actually finally on MasterChef

and I am a contestant this season.

It's extremely exciting.

Alright, Cath, it's you!

(LAUGHS) Wow, wow, wow!

Now it's real! It's real! Yeah!

Go, Cath!

Oh, wow.

(WHISPERS) Who's the last one?

I'm looking around and I'm looking at everyone.

Everyone's got an apron.

I'm looking at that apron.

So what does that mean?

Have you clocked the spare apron?

ALL: Yeah.

What could it be?

RUE: Someone under the box? (LAUGHS)

Someone under there? (LAUGHTER)

We told you. This is MasterChef: Secrets & Surprises.

So the first surprise of the season,

we've got one more contestant that's gonna join you guys.

So this cook knows what he's in for

and he knows how tough this competition can be

and he's made the decision to come back and give it another crack.

He's as deserving of a place in this kitchen today

as he was in season 13.

Oh, f...! What?

So...

..please welcome back our final contestant,

it is Brent Draper!

(ALL CHEER AND APPLAUD)

LARISSA: Welcome! Welcome, welcome!

Brent Draper.

I watched the episode

that he walked out on

and it was so emotional.

Jock! How are you, mate?

And I'm so happy that he's walked back into that kitchen.

This belongs to you. I believe you left it here.

You looked after it pretty good.

No stains on it. (LAUGHS)

Yay! (APPLAUSE)

WOMEN: Hi! G'day.

Mate, first thing for you, let's get it out of the way, how you feeling?

Yeah, good. Yep.

Um, obviously, elephant in the room,

how I left last time...

Um, I can't cook.

Just mentally, I'm just not there.

I just need to go home.

Mate, every single person in this kitchen is so proud of you.

The courage in making this decision

and holding your hand up and going, "I need to sort myself out,"

this competition is gonna be poorer without you, mate.

I can tell you that.

I went back home, just sort of had to find ground level.

I'm so much stronger mentally, physically

and it just sort of changed my whole life.

I'm back for myself.

I'm back for all the people who reached out to me on social media

and told me their stories.

I'm just... I'm back.

Mate, you look and sound like a different person.

You know, you've got out and you've really worked on yourself.

Mate, it's amazing to see. Yeah.

Last question for you. Yeah. Yeah.

Are you back to win?

Yeah.

It's a new challenge for me, a new purpose.

Just getting here is already...

You know, I'm starting to tick the boxes.

But the big box at the bottom is to win. Sorry.

(LAUGHTER) But I'm here to win.

MELISSA: Now that we're all here,

I think another surprise is in order.

(ALL EXCLAIM)

A very big surprise.

(APPREHENSIVE MUSIC)

In fact...

..we've loaded up the biggest surprise ever

in MasterChef history...

..on day one of the competition.

He's the biggest chef in the world.

His influence is universal.

Recipes, restaurants, books, television shows...

It doesn't end. Wow.

He has single-handedly revolutionised food

for the entire planet.

Oh, my God.

He's rewritten history

and redefined home cooking.

He's a household name.

A global superstar.

A phenomenon.

Please welcome...

..the one, the only...

..Jamie Oliver!

(ALL EXCLAIM WILDLY)

Oh! Oh, my God!

(ALL CHEER)

Whoo!

Oh, look at you lovely people!

Come on, then! (CHEERING)

Hello! So nice to meet you!

Mate, welcome!

Oh, my gosh!

(ALL CHATTER EXCITEDLY)

Oh, my gosh! (LAUGHS)

Jamie Oliver hugged me.

I cannot believe it.

I... I'm... (STAMMERS)

Um... (LAUGHS)

I have no words and I'm a woman of many words.

(CHEERING CONTINUES)

JAMIE: My friend. JOCK: How are you?

Darling, how are you? WOMAN: Oh, my God!

How you going? ANDY: Oh, mate.

Well, another normal day in the office. (LAUGHS)

I gotta stop shaking. Oh, same!

It's alright. Even I'm shaking. It's alright.

JOCK: Well, Jamie, that's an entrance and a half.

Welcome! Lovely to be here.

Look at you lovely lot! Good energy, man.

I love the show.

I love, you know, watching the seasons gone by.

It's the best version in the world by a long, long way

and just glad to be a part of it this year.

(ALL CHEER AND APPLAUD)

From a very, very early age,

you've really dedicated your life

to the producer, to the produce,

but also championing home cooking,

which is, you know, I mean, what MasterChef Australia is all about.

What does home cooking really mean to you now, 25 years on?

Yeah, I mean, I think... Look.

Home cooking, this is, you know, traditionally

the cookers of mammas, nonnas.

It's maternal.

You know, making us feel like we're back home

when we were, like, eight years old being fed by our nans, you know?

And food can do that. It's really powerful.

It's a really beautiful industry

and this show really helps to get new people into the industry

because it's an industry full of so much opportunity.

And if you go through London restaurants,

it's full of Aussie cooks and chefs.

It can take you anywhere in the world.

So whether you just do it for home

or whether you take it on as a career,

it's a beautiful thing and anything's possible.

JOCK: Amazing. ANDY: Ooh! Wow.

Righto, I think we've surprised you not once but twice now,

and now it's your turn to surprise us and Jamie.

We want you to kick this competition off

by letting us in on your best-kept secret.

We want to see your secret-weapon dish.

The dish that you whip out when the pressure's on

and you want to impress in this kitchen.

Let me tell you, you really want to impress today...

..because you'll have 90 minutes

and full access to the amazing MasterChef pantry and garden.

Wow! The pantry!

But the big question is...

..what are you playing for?

(TENSE MUSIC)

Well...

..it wouldn't be a season full of secrets and surprises without...

..a secret advantage.

(ALL EXCLAIM)

Are you kidding me?

Just because Jamie's here,

we're giving away the biggest advantage

ever seen in MasterChef history.

But...

..only the person who cooks the best dish today will win it.

Whatever is inside that box...

..it's for their eyes only.

ALL: Ohh!

And trust me, it's something that you really, really want.

Oh, gosh.

We've had some pretty big advantages in the past,

but this one definitely takes takes the cake.

It is a total game changer,

never seen before in this kitchen.

Oh...

So just before we kick you guys off, Jamie, any words of advice?

I'm sure you've got some.

Well, this is where it all begins.

Just put your heart and soul into it.

This is your opportunity to give us

a little bit of you, whatever that may be.

So I'm very excited to taste 18 different incredible dishes,

uh, and I'm hungry.

(ALL LAUGH) That's great.

OK, shake it out.

Let's do this. Let's do this.

Jamie, you want to do the honours?

Absolutely. Guys, good luck.

Your time starts...

..now! (ALL CHEER)

MAN: Let's go, let's go. WOMAN: Oh, my goodness.

WOMAN 2: Look at it!

WOMAN 3: Oh! MAN: Sorry, just behind you.

Tomato! Where are you? Chillies.

Oh! One went flying.

Where are the eggs?

I'm running into the pantry and I'm just laughing 'cause I'm like,

"What? This... It just feels so, like, natural."

WOMAN: Eggs.

MAN: You need eggs? Yes.

I'm looking around, sort of seeing everyone just, like...

.."What is going on?!"

Oh, gosh! Did I break an egg? I did.

JOCK: Alright, what's going on in here?!

MAN: Oh, hey! GRACE: I'm out! (LAUGHS)

MAN 2: Wow.

So this is it. This is the MasterChef pantry.

Are you drawn to anything?

JAMIE: Actually, I love the look of the fish.

We don't get any of this stuff back home, really.

CATH: Wow. Pork!

It looks great. Look at that.

I can't believe it.

I'm right here, right now, in the MasterChef pantry.

It's a lot bigger than what I thought it was.

I've got so much here!

It is the best supermarket on earth. It's fantastic.

JOCK: Cath. Oh, look at this.

I'm nearly full! What have you got?

I've got some pork, I've got some herbs...

What are you cooking?

I am cooking a ragu with some pasta, fettuccine pasta.

JAMIE: Wow. There you go. I love pasta.

Ragus, they normally take a lot of time.

So is time on your side? I know.

I'm doing it in the pressure cooker. So I'm going, I'm going.

(CHUCKLES)

Alright, I can come back in.

This is crazy!

Come on, Cath! Oh, man!

Um, what? Uh... What?! (LAUGHS)

Is Jamie here? Like, what?

I don't know. I'm still cheering.

I think I gave him a hug. I don't remember.

How is this possible? How is Jamie Oliver in the kitchen?

This stuff does not happen to me.

Oh, yeah, it's not on. It's not on. (LAUGHS)

Oh, my God. I'm very excited.

But I am here to impress. Yep.

She's made a lot of good stuff.

Some OK stuff, but a lot of good stuff.

(OTHERS LAUGH)

WOMAN: "Some OK stuff".

My name is Rue.

I am an oral health therapist, I'm 29 and I'm from Perth.

I grew up in Zimbabwe until about the age of 15...

..when my parents decided to move to Australia

to pursue a better life for myself and my siblings.

What's everything you've cooked?

I don't like to play favourites with my kids.

(ALL LAUGH)

Growing up, I would cook a lot of stews and rice

as well as sadza, which is a traditional Zimbabwean dish.

But whilst I like to cook savoury dishes,

my favourite thing to cook is dessert.

I'd love to open a little cafe

that does sweets, tarts, macarons,

eclairs, choux pastry, all that stuff.

(LAUGHS)

So my secret weapon will definitely be dessert.

Rue. Hello!

This is Jamie Oliver. Ah!

Nice to meet you. Jamie, Rue. Rue, Jamie.

Tell me, what are you doing? OK.

Let me into your thinking. Into my little world. OK.

So I am making a chocolate and hazelnut tart.

So I have a crunchy feuilletine layer,

chocolate ganache and a whipped ganache on top.

So it's just like a take on Ferrero Rocher.

Oh, wow.

What's the crunchy bit you were talking about?

The feuilletine layer. Feuilletine down the bottom?

That's in the bottom? Yes, that's in the bottom.

You're hiding it. I'm hiding it. It's a surprise.

"Crunch!" Ha-ha!

That's punching hard, though, isn't it?

Basically forget all that savoury stuff.

We're just gonna go straight in... Gonna do a dessert.

..the dessert, but also the chocolate and the crunchy bits.

The ganache and the crunchy bits.

Alright, good luck, Rue. Thank you.

Ooh!

Oh, there's an energy in here now, isn't there?

Everyone is zoned in on that secret-weapon dish.

In a way, you're just asking for the essence of their best...

Yeah. ..without any heavy briefs.

So, I mean, what's exciting for me is what they're gonna give us

could and should be very diverse.

I mean, just in that little time in there,

we saw chicken feet, I know there's a ramen coming...

JOCK: Yeah. So that is on...

..I saw a whopping great fillet of beef.

That's nice, you know?

Little cheeky beef for the boys.

I'll have a couple of slices left.

It's exciting to see what that go-to meal is.

Brent. Jock.

How are you, mate? Good, good.

My friend. Hey, how are you?

Lovely to meet you. What are you cooking, man?

Yeah, so this is tamarind-glazed pork chop, miso carrot puree.

Got a nice fresh salad that goes on just for a bit of crunch.

I mean, pork chop is a beautiful thing.

What I love about this dish is it's single-minded,

there's only, like, you know, a few flavours here and there.

I want to eat this is what I'm trying to say.

Me too. Yeah. Good luck.

Jamie goddamn Oliver.

He's here and I am pumped.

I'm just stoked.

You know, I'm stoked to be back in the MasterChef kitchen.

This kitchen has got some of the peaks of my cooking in it

and also...

..one of the biggest lows in my life.

(SOMBRE MUSIC)

What's going on, mate?

I just can't get it out of my head.

And it's just affecting my cook, my sleep, just...everything.

It's just, like... I just can't break it.

I just need to go home.

It just took so much to let everyone know

that I was struggling with my mental health

and as a male, I think it's a very hard thing to do,

let alone on national TV.

Rest your mind, man.

But I was in a dark place.

That's a good one.

BOY: That's a beauty!

This one's a squid for sure.

Yeah, this one is.

You reckon? Yeah.

When I left MasterChef, I got help straightaway.

I've went and seen a therapist

and rebuilt my footings essentially.

No fish yet? No.

Family's really important for me.

So I bought a bus,

gutted it, renovated it

and then packed our little life up

and took off around Australia.

The last 11 months,

I've been cooking out of a bus without an oven.

So I've been cooking over fire

and a lot of barbecues and absolutely loving it.

I can't believe we caught this squid today.

WOMAN: I know. It's so good.

My cooking's gotten better and I'm stronger than ever.

My outlook now on life is just totally different.

Like, different person.

How you doing, brother?

This the freezer or the fridge? That's freezer.

I'm just so passionate about men's mental health.

Thank you.

Like, why aren't we talking about this?

Why aren't we as males just breaking the stigma around it?

One of the most important things, and this is what I tell everyone,

if something's not right,

you just need to, like, tell someone.

You're allowed to be vulnerable.

It's not about the stumble. It's not about where you were.

It's about the comeback

and it's about the person you are after that.

Honestly, my head's still up in the clouds.

How long we got to go? Oh, my God!

MELISSA: Oh, Cath!

She just ran away from us. See you, Cath!

Oh! No, you go, you go.

I'm just getting a pasta machine. We'll be here.

Hello. Hi! There she is.

I need to make a bit of room.

What are you making? What is your secret-weapon dish?

Well, it's a surprise.

So you're not gonna tell us? No, no, I will.

Isn't that this season? (LAUGHS)

So I'm making a pork ragu... Yum.

..with a fettuccine pasta.

I don't wanna freak you out... I know what you're gonna say.

What am I gonna say? Pressure cooker.

I've gotta get it on really quick smart.

You have got some serious work to do.

I've got some serious work to do. Jamie Oliver's gotta like it.

So I'd get to work. Thanks, guys.

MAN: This is how it happens every night.

Every night? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You sit over that side. (ALL LAUGH)

I'm Cath, and I'm a mum of two adult girls from Melbourne.

So I've devoted the last 20 years of my life

to my husband's business, to my girls.

And when the girls were little,

I think that's when my real love of food just evolved.

Cooking, for me, is absolutely about joy

and I've thought about a career in food for a long time,

but at this age, it is scary to put myself out there.

And then seeing Julie last year...

MAN: Go, Julie! (LAUGHS)

..really resonated with me.

She was in a different phase of her life

and seeing her jump in was just really inspiring.

I've got to pat myself on the back

and say, "Go, Cath," you know?

"Just be courageous. Go out and do it."

GIRL: We're very excited that you're finally going for it

and doing what makes you happy and what you're passionate about.

So that's awesome. Yeah, aww.

We're very excited about it. That's nice. (LAUGHS)

So now it's time for me

to do something for me that will bring me joy.

Alright, now, don't cut your hand, Cathy.

Just relax.

MELISSA: Hello! Hey, Malissa.

We're all competing for that thing...

I know. I want that thing! I don't know what it is, but I want it.

And to get the thing, I'm making tortellini with a seafood bisque.

Declan.

I've got my coconut chilli kingfish curry.

Oh, that sounds lovely.

My secret weapon is fish.

Fish is my game, Declan is my name.

(LAUGHS) He's got a tagline already.

"Fish is my game." There you go.

Rhiannon. Hey!

My secret-weapon dish today is Korean chicken bao buns.

They're risky business, but... "Risky business."

Can you slide? (LAUGHS) Yeah. Risky business!

Oop! (LAUGHS)

That's so risky.

Pinch me. (LAUGHS) What am I doing here?

How insane that Jamie Oliver's here!

They said, "Secrets and surprises."

Like, if that's the kind of surprises you guys are dishing out,

I am here for it today.

MAN: Oh, hello. Hello!

You legend. (CHUCKLES) Chicken Kiev.

Yeah, you're ruining me. I know.

It's too good. I'm too good to you.

You are. Thank you, sweetheart.

I'm Larissa, I'm a mum to twin nine-year-old boys,

and I'm from Adelaide.

Ready? Pinch the middle. Yummy.

I think Baba would be pretty impressed with these ones.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my babushka,

so my grandmother,

and there's no question that probably my love of food

came from my babushka.

Food from my heritage is in my DNA.

It's just something that I instinctively know how to cook.

Mm-hmm!

And I am just so excited to bring that to the MasterChef kitchen.

Larissa.

Hello! What are you making?

I'm making borscht and pampushky,

which are beetroot soup and some delicious garlic breads.

I'm putting my own little twist on it

because I like to make it a bit rich and bougie.

I use short rib and... JAMIE: Wowsers.

So your heritage, tell me about it.

So my family's both Russian and Ukrainian,

so this is very much signature food from my heritage.

I really felt strongly about representing my culture today.

Yeah, good on you.

It's a tricky world, so... Yeah, absolutely.

And food brings people together.

Absolutely.

I cannot wait to taste this.

Thank you. Thank you, darling.

I think particularly now

I feel like I have a responsibility to represent my culture.

There's no question that it's a really difficult time

with what's going on with Russia and Ukraine right now.

It's the innocent people, it's my family,

it's civilians that are caught up in this situation.

We have family in both countries.

One of my aunties was talking about how they're saving potato peelings

'cause they don't know where their next meals are going to come from.

The shops are empty. There's...

You know, everything's been looted.

There's no water, there's no electricity.

Like, they have to save potato peelings to feed themselves.

Like, can you just wrap your head around that?

Oh, thank you very much. Thanks.

Like, how lucky are we in this country?

Do you need eggs? Yes, do you have a spare?

Yeah, go for it. You're a champ.

You're a dream and they look great.

Oh, yeah. Hello, sausage.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.

You know, look at... look at what we have.

It's so heartbreaking.

Um... It's pretty close to home.

So today I'm going to give this everything

and I hope I can make everyone proud.

I'm so happy with how these have risen.

Nailed it! Good, bro.

Ricotta's on. Absolutely nailed it.

Andrea!

I'm doing the most classic sauce of Italian cuisine,

which is fresh tomato sauce with homemade gnocchi.

Well, gnocchi is wonderful comfort food.

Nice, simple, fresh.

Hello, Amy. How are you? How's it going?

Excited to hear about your dish.

A green sauce, cured sardines and a fennel flatbread.

I love sardines, so that's a good start.

Antonio! Oh, my God!

I'm excited to see what you're doing.

I'm going sweet.

I'm doing raspberry blondie tart

with raspberry insert and a white chocolate cremeux.

Phil.

I'm making my take on meat and three veg -

eye fillet beef and red wine jus.

You're in the MasterChef kitchen cooking meat and veg

for us and Jamie Oliver.

Yeah, it's crazy. It's crazy.

(HUMS)

# But you say I'm just a friend, but you say... #

MAN: Sing it, man! WOMAN: Are you singing?

Mm-hm. WOMAN 2: Come on.

Take it away for us, please, Ralph. I need some music.

OK. (LAUGHS)

I'm Ralph, I'm 32 and I'm an auditor from Perth.

For the secret-weapon cook,

I'm usually very calm and collected,

but the pressure's already on 'cause Jamie's here.

We're gonna get an education today. This is good.

So the dish I've decided to make...

I thought about it real hard

and I wanted to show that I'm technically capable

and I'm very good with pressure.

But this dish is a bit risky.

Whoopsie-daisy.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong.

Sorry. I'm getting a bit messy on your side here.

Ralph. Hi. How's it going?

How are you, pal?

Seeing him coming through the doors, I almost passed out.

(PAN CLATTERS) Oh, my God!

You good? Just a little bit rattled.

I see you're gonna be doing pasta. I am.

So I'm making a ricotta and egg yolk ravioli.

Oh, wow. I know that dish very well.

Oh, God, even more pressure. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Just getting my ricotta together.

I'm gonna add some garlic in there as well.

I'm gonna make that with a brown butter sauce as well.

Nice. This is a very textural experience.

So if that pasta's too thick, that's not gonna be great.

And, of course, when you're putting it together, you're doubling it up.

Then it cooks and doubles up again. Correct.

When you're making it, it has to be sealed all the way around,

otherwise it's gonna get waterlogged and then it's game over.

It's game over. Yeah, I know.

Is that enough pressure points for you?

You've added a bit more, so I appreciate that.

But I love this dish. I love this dish.

I love it. Thank you very much, guys. Mm-mm.

Freaking out a little bit, knowing Jamie loves this dish

and it's a super-complicated dish, to make things even worse.

A little bit of pressure.

Um... Ooh.

Time flies when this guy's in the kitchen!

30 minutes down, one hour to go.

Let's go! Come on!

RALPH: Let's go! WOMAN: Whoo-hoo!

Ooh! Oh, what? An hour?!

How quick has that gone? Oh!

Oh, my God.

Man!

I still don't have this ragu in the pressure cooker.

OK.

At home, I do the slow cook

so it could be, you know, four or five hours

that I have it in the oven.

Let's get these bad boys in, hey?

I'm a little bit...

I'm still... I'm a bit frazzled, actually.

It's small garlic.

I'm going, "Oh, no, am I gonna get this ragu done in time?"

Oh!

Ooh!

Whoa! Whoa there!

(TENSE MUSIC)

CATH: I'm a little bit...

I'm still... I'm a bit frazzled, actually.

Whoopsie-daisy.

I'm going, "Oh, no, am I gonna get this ragu done in time?"

Arggh!

Let's get this lid on.

Function, function.

Fingers crossed, fingers crossed now!

Oh!

WOMAN: Hi. Hi, Jessica.

Yeah, just cooking my doppio ravioli

with a tomato sauce and breadcrumb gremolata.

Yum! I reckon you've got one or two Jamie's books.

Am I right? Oh, one or two?

I have almost all of them. (LAUGHS)

Hey, Theo. How are you, mate? Yo!

This is just gonna be a pita bread

that's gonna go with burnt cauliflower with a romesco sauce.

I am pumped. Yeah?

Jamie Oliver? Like, come on. That's crazy.

I'm coming. I'm coming.

No, we're coming for you! (LAUGHS)

Adi. I love making ramen.

I make them with chicken feet for some gelatin.

You know it's just gonna wrap around your mouth.

And that fat, we've got potential here,

when your lips are kind of like...

What a time to be alive. (LAUGHS)

Grace. Hello!

JAMIE: Hi, Grace. Oh, my goodness! Hi!

What's this first dish?

I'm Croatian, so I've got cevapi-style spiralled sausage.

Love that. Cevapi but with skin?

But with skin.

It's actually lovely to see that. It is.

When you start to spiralise it like that,

it feels more like a cut of meat.

It does!

It feels more like it's saying something, that curly sausage.

What's happening here?

So I'm gonna do a fennel pickle for you.

Oh, a love a pickle.

We've got Turkish bread almost done in the oven now.

Turkish bread as well? Yeah.

It's actually... A sausage sandwich?

Yeah. I love it. (LAUGHS)

Do you want the sausage sandwich? I love it so much.

I love a sausage sandwich. I think you're in the right place.

Thank you. Good luck.

WOMAN: How you going, Ralphie?

I feel like I'm a mess. I'm trying to keep it clean.

I've just got mess everywhere.

Oh, pressure's on!

Oh! I am freaking out.

What am I gonna use?

I don't know where my bench is!

My name is Alice. I'm 29, from Sydney.

I'm a researcher

and I studied history and economics at Harvard and Stanford,

so a lot of what I do is very cerebral,

but food and cooking for other people

is very much what I love to do.

I want to combine the head and the heart,

you know, the love of cooking and my creative side

with my intellectual side.

So for my secret weapon,

I really think that this dish

is a representation of who I am as a person

and the kind of cook I want to be.

Hi, Alice. G'day, Alice. Wow!

Can you please fill us in on what you're cooking?

I'm doing a modern-day version of a Chinese mooncake.

They have a cakey outside, but I wanted to make it a mochi.

Oh, my...!

So it's a 'moonchi'. Did you say 'moonchi'?

Yeah. I love that!

That is creative. I'm digging this. Look at your face right now.

If you can execute this beautifully

you may have a play for that golden box.

Who knows?

Come on, Alice. Thanks. 'Bye.

So every year for the harvest festival,

which is our equivalent of Thanksgiving

in Chinese and Asian cultures,

we give mooncakes, which is almost like a teacake.

No-one really likes to eat them

because they'll have a salted egg yolk interior.

And mochi is this squidgy, glutinous rice exterior

and inside people fill it in with, you know, red bean or black sesame.

So I decided I would make my own version of a Chinese mooncake,

but with a mochi exterior.

I'm trying to re-create a filling

using chestnut paste and coconut oil

that resembles a little bit the salted egg yolk,

but doesn't take you quite there.

I'm creating a dish that is new to the judges

So I'm just hoping that the judges will like it

and that it pushes the envelope.

This shouldn't come as any surprise.

You're 45 minutes down, 45 to go.

Come on! Come on!

(JUDGES CLAP)

BRENT: Oh, this is what it's about!

MAN: It's what it's all about, mate. Hey!

This is what you get out of bed in the morning for.

My secret weapon is, you know, definitely flavour

and I just don't want a plain carrot puree,

so I sneak some red miso into it, lift it up a bit.

Yee-hoo-hoo!

Parsnip puree? Potato puree? Whatever. Pumpkin puree?

Not today. It's carrot puree.

The pork chops have been in a brine

and I've got Kashmiri chillies, vinegar,

annatto seeds for that red colour that you got

and then tamarind, which is that major flavour I want in there.

And now I'm just gonna put it on the hibachi

just to get that bit of caramelisation,

render that fat down and inject that smoke.

It's almost like a happy place.

I can smell that smoke

and it reminds me of being with my family on the trip.

You getting through OK? Just want a spoon there, brother.

What's that? Yeah, go for it, mate.

Shouldn't have that many spoons on your table, mate.

Hey? Robbie!

How you going, my brother? What have we got here?

Just, like, a crab curry. Crab curry?

Very exciting. Look, you got different galangals and gingers.

I'm gonna give you a good taste of Darwin very soon, brother.

So define Darwin food, you know, for a Pommy that's come over here.

Good hunting, good seafood.

But I live in the bush, brother. Yeah.

So things like crabs and your fish here,

can you get access to that in the bush?

All day on my property, brother. I live on the ocean.

Really? So you don't even go to the supermarket?

No. Just go foraging?

Foraging, yeah. What a beautiful thing.

I'm Robbie, I'm 65 and I'm from Darwin.

I'm a traditional owner at Arnhem Land in Willagee.

So being Indigenous and where I come from,

the land is very important to our people and our culture.

We survive off the land.

Food and cooking is bringing

all your friends together and the family together.

Push those around the other side with the heat.

We have 10 kids and 17 grandkids,

so it's always a big family gathering.

$95 for that food, please! (LAUGHTER)

Beautiful. Perfect!

This is Robbie's magpie goose and it is tender as.

The reason I decided to do MasterChef

was that cooking has been a part of my life since I've been here

and it's something to give me an opportunity

to go do bigger and better things.

Being an Indigenous person on a TV show

gives an opportunity for most Indigenous people

to realise you can reach your goals.

You know, people can see that, "Oh, yeah, he can do it, we can do it."

So, guys, you've got heaps of time left.

30 minutes.

(PEOPLE EXCLAIM)

WOMAN: That has gone way too quick. (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

ROBBIE: How you going, darl? RUE: Good.

You kick arse. (LAUGHS)

For my chocolate and hazelnut tart,

all my elements are ready to go.

So I have my chocolate ganache, my whipped ganache.

OK.

And my crunchy layer,

which is feuilletine with hazelnut and white chocolate.

Oh, perfect.

My dessert is inspired by Ferrero Rocher.

That idea actually came from my mum.

When we were younger,

she used to bring those Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

For us, that was, like, such a bougie treat.

OK.

I take my tart shells out of the oven.

One tart shell is really good.

The second tart shell...

..one corner has collapsed a bit.

One of them, look at that.

(OTHERS EXCLAIM) But that's OK. I have one.

I am, like...

I'm riding on the one good tart shell

because I'm not gonna use the collapsed one.

I start building up my tart shell

and I start to put the crunchy hazelnut feuilletine layer

on the bottom.

(CRACK!)

Oh, no.

I broke my tart.

MAN: Oh, no!

(SIGHS) Why was I doing that?

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

RUE: Oh, no!

I broke my tart. Oh, no!

Oh, my goodness.

(SIGHS)

Why was I doing that?

It's really broken.

I'm not gonna do the cracked one.

But I'm just praying that the flavours are there.

How did we have so much time and now we have nothing?

(BOTH LAUGH)

CATH: I was behind in getting the pork ragu on to cook.

So how's my ragu coming along?

I don't really know 'cause it's in the pressure cooker.

Pasta dough's done and now it's time to cook it.

Oh! I didn't put my water on. I forgot my water for my pasta.

I have got time pressure and I haven't put my water on.

Can you believe that? Argh!

I'm never in this much rush.

Just coming behind ya.

Normally I'd have a glass of red wine whilst I'm doing it.

So where's my oven?

Not today.

Listen up! Listen up! You've only got 15 minutes to go!

JAMIE: The focus.

The focus is intense.

ROBBIE: This is where the show begins, brother.

MAN: I know.

LARISSA: You good, Robbie? Yeah, darl.

You are so calm, Robbie. I don't understand.

How are you so calm? (CHUCKLES) I think age.

(LAUGHS)

Chillies on top there, brother.

Sick, brother. Looks sick.

How you going, brother? Good. You?

You all done? Are you done?

Yeah. Oh, shit.

(LAUGHS) Why you sweating for?

My man!

RALPH: For my ricotta and egg yolk ravioli,

my brown butter sage sauce is done

and I still have time to finish the ravioli.

The precision of this is very important

so the pressure's really on.

What a time to come around. Oh, wow!

I was gonna say! Wow!

But the stress level to not crack it was really through the roof.

First cook in the kitchen.

Jamie Oliver. I know.

There's an extra level of stress when he walks through the door.

You know, especially making Italian as well, and he's like...

He knows this dish well, so my heart is racing a little bit.

It's looking amazing. Finish strong.

Yeah, let's go. Good stuff, Ralph.

Thank you, guys. It's time to cook the ravioli.

I'm very nervous right now.

The only thing I'm thinking about is whether that egg yolk is gonna run,

'cause you don't know until the judges cut into that ravioli.

So fingers crossed.

ANDY: Heads up, everyone!

10 minutes!

Whoo!

This looks interesting. So this is the fun part.

Oh, wow! Shaping it beautifully.

I've got all my elements done. So now comes the fun part.

I start plating up. Wow.

This is my favourite part of the cook

because it makes me feel like an artist.

Piping the creme diplomat, piping the gel.

Then add the black sesame tuile, put the moon-chi in the centre

and start painting it with gold dust

to give it that bit more glam.

ANDY: Can I look at these? LARISSA: They're about to come out.

Oh! Whoa! They look insane!

Are they plump? Yeah!

OK, we're done.

Taking the pampushky out of the oven and they're so plump and brown.

Beautiful. They are...perfect!

Alright.

I made a herb oil with some dill, lots of garlic,

some sunflower oil, and I pour these all over the pampushky.

There we go.

I'm tasting my borscht

and I get this really familiar richness.

We good. ROBBIE: That looks amazing, love.

Thanks, Robbie. I'll just eat that for my dinner.

(LAUGHS) I know. I'm tempted just to take it home.

You have four minutes to go!

(APPLAUSE)

Come on!

Very exciting.

This... Oh, man, this is where it really happens.

This is like... This is what I remember now.

I'm...losing it.

I'm very, very happy with the cook of the pork.

It's tamarind-heavy

and then I've got this carrot miso puree that's a little bit sweeter.

And my secret weapon is flavour

and it's definitely there in this dish.

So, you know, hopefully, they love it.

So there.

Oh, the last couple of minutes is just crazy.

I've still got the ragu in the pressure cooker.

So I let the steam out...

OK.

It's looking good.

I just hope that the ragu had enough time to cook.

I cannot wait until I see my family's face

when they see me presenting my food to the judges and Jamie Oliver.

I am... I'm gonna video that.

Got one minute to go. One minute. Come on!

One minute. Whoo!

One minute! Whoo! Let's go.

Let's go! Whoo! Come on!

(CHORTLES) Fluffy.

Yes.

Just need some salt.

Oh, my God. It's stressful.

Yum, bro. I'm so happy.

You've done a good job, my brother.

Thanks, bro.

And here's the dreaded 10-second countdown.

JUDGES: Ten, nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four, three,

two, one.

(JUDGES AND CONTESTANTS CHEER)

We did it!

ALL: Ohhh! Oh, my God. I...

(LAUGHS)

Good job, fellas.

It was chaos. (LAUGHS)

Brother!

Alice. Good?

I actually cannot believe that Jamie is gonna be eating my food.

To be here cooking and feel the energy in the room, I love it.

Like, I could get very addicted to the feeling. (LAUGHS)

What I love is when they tell you exactly what they want it to be

but then the pressure's on them to deliver that.

Exactly right. I love that, yeah.

Well, good news is we reckon there is some cracking food out there

after just our first cook.

Whether that's got something to do with this guy being in the room

or whether it's got something to do with this shiny gold box next to me.

We are looking for one dish

to win the biggest advantage ever seen on MasterChef

and the first dish we'd like to taste...

Is from Larissa.

(APPLAUSE)

Go get 'em now.

LARISSA: There's so much emotion in this dish for me

and I'm really, really excited

to be able to represent my Russian-Ukrainian culture.

JAMIE: Mmm!

I poured so much of myself into this

and I hope that that comes through.

So, Larissa, tell us what you've cooked.

I've cooked you borscht and pampushky,

which is a Russian and Ukrainian dish.

Pampushky. Pampushky.

Wonderful. Well, let's get stuck in here.

(WONDROUS MUSIC)

Larissa.

I can see... Yes.

..the energy and the emotion bubbling just under your eyes.

I'm just super overwhelmed.

I'm just so grateful to be here...

..representing my culture, and to be able to cook this for you,

like, it just, it means so much to me

to be able to feed you food that I grew up on

and food that my babushka loved on me with.

(BREATHES SHAKILY)

I feel the emotion that you're giving me

not just by you standing here being emotional,

but all of the emotion, all of the history

and the culture that's in... in this bowl of food.

Thank you.

This dish is just so beautifully complex...

..and rich and layered and skilled.

This is the exceptional food that we're looking for.

Thank you.

We've things going on in the world at the moment.

I mean, it's kind of profound that you're here this year

with a both Russian and Ukrainian dish.

Yep.

Can I give you a little secret... Yeah.

..uh, that no-one really knows?

So I've had two Ukrainian families living with me

for, like, the last seven months.

Oh.

We've done fundraisers with top chefs from Ukraine.

So I've had my fair share of borscht.

Yep.

So this is...

..absolutely delicious.

Oh, thank you.

It's got layers of flavour, depth of flavour.

You've taken the humble earthy beetroot into an incredible soup.

But also that choice of using the meat and bones

has this kind of layer of fat around the edge of the bowl

which in your mouth, you know, the fat and the acidity

is just like another layer.

You've got these lovely, little, cute, fluffy, white bread.

Amazing. Thank you. Thank you.

You bloody beauty.

Oh, stop. Like, honestly.

And not just the flavour-wise -

because the balance is insane in there -

but the textures.

you know, having the textures

of those julienned carrots versus chunky potatoes in there...

..it is unbelievable.

Thank you.

This is why we audition thousands of people every year -

to find this.

It is bloody delicious.

This is competition-winning food. Stop.

Oh, my goodness. Thank you. Well done.

Like, thank you. Thank you so much. Nice one. Well done.

Whoo!

I am... I honestly...

Not in my wildest dreams

could I have ever imagined such wonderful feedback.

Um...

Wow. (LAUGHS)

Next up, it's none other than Brent.

Yeah! (APPLAUSE)

It's a funny feeling walking my food back up to the judges again

and Jamie Oliver, of course.

I'm, like, pretty...pretty, like, nervous.

Alright, mate. What have you made us?

Uh, righto. So I've got a tamarind-glazed pork chop.

So carrot puree.

And then a little crunchy peanut chilli salad number.

Yeah. Pork chop. Humble.

Nice.

Delicious.

The idea of making carrot, the most humble,

sort of potentially boring vegetable on the planet interesting...

Well, you've done that. Yep, for sure.

I love the way you're thinking, like, fatty pork,

like, tangy, sort of tart tamarind, you know?

So there's real intelligence there.

(EXHALES) Delish.

Yep.

Brent, good to have you back.

Yeah. Good to be back. Great to have you back.

This dish, it's flat-out flavour, hundred-mile-an-hour.

Is that your secret weapon, do you think?

Yep, definitely.

There's a lot of great stuff. Silky smooth puree.

The chop, you know, having it sit in that brine

for the majority of the cook and then putting it over the fire,

that's just made the texture of it sensational.

I love that spicy, sour tamarind chilli glaze

over the top of the perfectly cooked piece of pork chop.

The miso carrot puree, also really lovely,

but you do have two really dominant forces in one dish

and I'd probably say focusing on one really strong idea

and then letting everything just quietly support it...

Yeah.

..is a really good way of being able to do what you do best -

flavour - but just making things a little bit more cohesive.

Yeah.

I agree with everything Mel just said.

But I think the most important thing for you today

was blowing off the cobwebs...

For sure.

..and to start the journey again.

So, mate, well done.

Awesome. Thanks, guys. Appreciate it.

(APPLAUSE)

Good work, Brent.

Thank you, brother.

Alright.

So next up, Grace.

Yeah, Grace! (APPLAUSE)

Cevapi-style spiralled sausage

with some Turkish bread, a fennel pickle and some goat's cheese.

There is something universally beautiful about a large...

(LAUGHS)

..curly sausage. (JUDGES LAUGH)

(POSHLY) People like a good sausage. (NORMALLY) No, that doesn't help me.

(ALL CACKLE)

Even if I put a posh accent on it, it still sounded rude.

Making homemade sausages is not easy, no matter what anyone says.

Utterly delicious.

Thank you so much. Really, really good.

Well done, Grace. Adi.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

I've made a miso ramen with a sesame chilli oil and a cured egg yolk.

Everything's in there perfectly balanced.

Alkaline noodles in a 90-minute challenge

plus that broth - amazing.

Really, really good.

Thank you, guys. Thank you. Thank you.

Antonio.

(APPLAUSE)

Raspberry blondie tart with a white chocolate cremeux.

I always like it when you get, like, you know, a strapping lad,

tattoos, you know.

In the wrong situation,

you could look quite scary, do you know what I mean?

Yet you knock out this elegant dish with, like, thoughtfulness.

You've been bothered to put the raspberry dust on one side.

You've been bothered to contrast that

with just a little lime zest on the other.

It's delicious. (APPLAUSE)

Thank you.

Jessica.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

I've made a doppio ravioli.

My husband never cooked, and bought your five-ingredient cookbook

and every Saturday he makes a dish from it.

I'm so grateful to you, Jamie. Oh, bless. That...

I can see you're very emotional.

Oh, thank you.

Is that just relief that it's taken this long to get him cooking?

(ALL LAUGH) Probably.

15 long years.

They're beautiful ravioli. Oh.

I'm getting the pine nuts with the spinach.

Very subtle flavours, really delicious,

and set off by that slightly sweet-and-sour sauce.

Amazing stuff.

(APPLAUSE)

Next up, it's Cath.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Here we go.

Oh, man.

My first cook was very stressful.

I was in such a rush,

so I'm a little bit nervous about my ragu.

(SIGHS)

MELISSA: Cath, I can see the fruits of your labour on your apron.

Yes. Yeah. Yeah. But what's the dish?

It's a pork ragu with pangrattato and fettuccine pasta.

Oh, goodness.

So, um, I'm 54.

I've got two older daughters, 23 and 20.

I've loved being a mum, so it's just been the best thing.

So, this journey now, it's "Where is it for Cath?"

So I said to my family, I've got an announcement

and I just said, "Right, that's it. I'm...I'm...I'm doing it."

And they was, you know, cry...

My daughter was crying and we were just screaming.

My dog was going crazy.

(ALL LAUGH)

It was just a really joyous moment,

Amazing. I love it. Yeah.

The pasta's really good work.

I love that you did it a little bit thicker.

It was nice and al dente.

The ragu is tasty.

It's...it's nice.

But it feels to me, it's falling a little bit shy.

Yeah, sure.

It's always gonna be a struggle

to make the best version of a ragu in 90 minutes.

So I think the lesson here for you is choosing the right dish...

Mm. ..for the right cook.

Yeah, yep.

This is great advice from Jock. Oh, absolutely.

I think, like, the fundamentals are all there

but the secret ingredient, of course, is time,

which you didn't have, but I love your enthusiasm.

And I think this whole experience is about growing and soaking it all up

and challenging yourself.

I think you're in for a really good ride.

Thanks. Thank you.

Cath, I bloody love ya.

Like, your passion, your energy, like, it's full throttle.

That's where it needs to be.

This is the start of the journey for you

and I'm keen to see what's next.

Can't wait. Thanks, Andy. Thanks, guys.

Thank you. Thanks. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Theo.

Burnt cauliflower on a tomato romesco sauce

and soak it up with some pita bread.

JAMIE: I love that kind of flavour you get from the burnt leaves.

We haven't seen the burnt leaves,

you know, so I think possibly you've overtrimmed it.

Yep. But delicious food nonetheless.

This might be bread of the day. Fantastic.

Thank you.

Andrea.

Let's go!

Homemade potato gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce.

I've seen nonnas picking these little bits of skin out.

I'm all in for rustic cooking,

but in a way that skin is getting in the way

of that kind of cloudy, pouffy gnocchi with a lovely tomato sauce.

Thank you very much. Cheers. ANDY: Nice one, Andrea.

The next dish we'd like to taste belongs to Rue.

Yeah, Rue!

I am...happy sad.

(LAUGHS)

I don't even know if that's a thing

but I'm happy sad.

I am happy that I've been able to have everything on the plate.

I'm sad that I have a wonky tart shell.

So I...

(LAUGHS)

..I am embarrassed.

Rue...

..what is your secret-weapon dish, please?

I have made a chocolate and hazelnut tart.

With, obviously, a tart shell that has character.

So, yeah. (LAUGHS)

I'm gonna take the dent just to put you out of your misery.

OK, OK. Perfect.

So talk me through the layers

before I put it into my mouth.

So pretty much, like, my inspiration was actually my mum.

She used to buy Ferrero Rocher when we were really young.

So I have a crunchy feuilletine layer,

hazelnut and milk chocolate ganache,

and also a white chocolate and hazelnut whipped ganache on the top.

(SIGHS)

Go on, girl. Absolutely amazing.

It starts with that pastry case.

There was a dent, but it is fine, perfectly cooked.

But then you've got these different layers

that gives you the complexity, it gives you the contrast.

But very often when you do that, you get sweet, sweet, sweet

and actually so much sweet that it almost just is noisy.

And I think your restraint on the sugar

has given you this ability to really taste the nuts

and the almost savoury bits and the saltiness in the chocolate.

Delicious. Well done. I love it. Thank you so much.

This is so good. Very, very good.

Where did you come from? Zimbabwe.

This is... (ALL LAUGH)

Honestly, the feuilletine

is crispier and more delicate than Ferrero Rocher.

And then you hit that ganache

and it's like savoury and rich

and decadent.

This is exceptional work, Rue. Well done.

Thank you so much.

The nostalgic trip of Ferrero Rocher...

..you distilled into something elegant and...

Better. ..better.

It's better. Better.

Well done.

Yay!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

So proud of you.

You're safe here, hey?

I'm so proud of you.

Righto, Ralph. Let's go, matey.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Yoo!

RALPH: Looking at Jamie Oliver,

one of the best chefs who knows his pasta very well,

especially egg yolk ravioli.

I'm thinking if the egg yolk doesn't run...I'm done.

Like, I'm gonna fall. I'm gonna cry. I might pass out. I am done.

Ralph.

Yes. Righto, mate. What have you cooked?

So I've made a ricotta and egg yolk ravioli in a brown butter sage sauce.

Egg yolk raviolis.

Yes.

Live or die...

Yep.

..on this moment.

(SOFTLY) Can I come closer?

Mate, get in there.

Get in there.

RALPH: Come on.

ANNOUNCER: In the mood to cook?

Grab your aprons

and try these delicious MasterChef-approved recipes

on 10 play.

So Ralph... Yes.

Egg yolk raviolis. Yes.

Live or die on this moment.

Can I come closer? ANDY: Get in there.

Get in there.

RALPH: Come on.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

JAMIE: Ooh! You've still got it. There it is, mate.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Yeah!

Thank God.

(JAMIE LAUGHS)

Why on earth did you do that for your first dish?

Are you mad? I like pressure, I guess.

I mean, I like the fact that you're not frightened.

Delicious and very brave.

Ravioli is always tricky

'cause you're putting two bits of pasta together

and they're gonna swell.

So you did all of that really technically, beautiful.

It's got simplicity at the heart

and you really knocked it out of the park.

Well done. Thanks.

Mate, very good.

Getting it perfect like that

where the egg yolk is just oozing out

is half the battle, right?

I'm so excited as to what you're gonna cook us

over the next few months

because that is a job very well done, mate.

Thank you so much. Thank you, guys.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Good job, mate.

Malissa, let's go.

Prawn and ricotta tortellini with a seafood bisque.

You can't stop looking at Jamie Oliver, can you?

I know. (LAUGHS)

That harmony between cheese and seafood isn't an easy one.

No.

So you've picked the right cheese to do.

Also the bisque is traditionally French,

so I quite like the way you've done your take on it.

Absolutely delicious. Thank you.

Next up, it's...Robbie.

ROBBIE: Curried chilli crab.

The galangal is the forefront for me

and it really speaks to you knowing this produce

and knowing these flavours.

An absolute party in your mouth.

Those two bits of beautiful meat I had were so juicy.

Try some of that frybread. Oh!

That's where it's at.

But that is just perfect. Nice and spongy.

Exciting flavours.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

You did well, mate.

Next up, Rhiannon.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Korean chicken bao buns with a finger lime sauce

and a pickled cucumber.

The chicken's bad-ass.

The spicy sauce is, like, giving me a proper little kickin'.

Give me a sofa. Couple of beers.

I'm all yours, mate. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Declan. Let's go.

Coconut chilli kingfish curry.

What style of curry would you call this?

I'd say it's a Northern Beaches curry.

There you go. That's perfect. Straight out of Freshwater.

Perfect. Perfect. Straight out of Freshwater.

They're printing the T-shirts already.

I really love it.

I'm delighted by how expertly you've cooked that fish.

Honestly, that curry is very, very good.

Awesome, Declan. Thank you, guys.

Thanks, guys. Thanks, guys.

Next up, Alice.

I'm the last one and I've created a dish that is new to the judges.

Wow! Oh, hey. Oh!

The moon-chi is a modern-day version of a Chinese mooncake.

It's kind of my own invention.

So I'm just hoping that the judges will like it.

Alice, what have you made us?

A chestnut mooncake mochi, or a moon-chi.

Moon-chi. (CHUCKLES)

I just made that up. Alice, who are you?

What do you do?

Um, basically do a lot of economics research,

look at financial risk around the world

and advise financial companies.

Wow.

Where did you study?

I went to Harvard and Stanford.

Of course you did. Yeah, there you go.

Here we are. OK.

And so between that and food,

has food been in parallel with this?

Food has been in parallel.

You know, so much of my work is the brain and food is the heart.

And I would love to find a way to marry the two...

..because they are very much who I am.

Damn. Stop it.

You're gonna make me cry. Seriously.

(LAUGHS) I'm done.

We've just pulled another one to our side.

It's like there's one more of us and one less of them.

I love it. (LAUGHS)

And so you've made something I've never heard of here.

So a moon-chi.

So obviously it's a cross between a mooncake and mochi.

Yes. I just want to try it.

(TENSE MUSIC)

JOCK: So you've made something I've never heard of - a moon-chi.

It's a cross between a mooncake and a mochi.

I love it.

I've never had anything like that before.

As an equation, as a set of sums, like, it's equal.

It balances.

You've got this kind of 'squadge'

but then you got the crunch of the tuile.

The tuile's not a garnish. It's like it's needed.

It's like there's that contrast.

The chestnuts are almost savoury but then you've got the...the sweetness

and then the perfume of the beautiful fruit around it.

Delicious. Really, really tasty.

Thank you, Jamie. Well done.

Thank you very much.

I think your secret weapon is the way you think about food.

Everything that's on the plate is carefully considered.

The moon-chis themselves, the thickness of the skin,

the bounce of the skin,

using chestnuts just to mimic that egg yolk texture

of a mooncake is very impressive.

That's exceptional.

It's clear you have the brain and the conviction

to do anything you want to do.

This is very, very exciting.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Congratulations, Alice.

Well, well, well, what a way to start the competition, eh?

Yes.

It was a brilliant day

and I think, Jamie,

everybody here would agree with me,

having you in this kitchen is the biggest thrill, mate.

Yep.

It's been my pleasure, honestly.

The level of cooking has been fantastic.

So much variety in the food that you've done,

so many skills shown.

Yeah. Amazing flavours.

Brilliant.

And the best news is it's not over yet.

Jamie's gonna be joining us again.

What? Tomorrow.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

We gonna do some cooking.

Oh, yeah! (CHUCKLES)

Now, I bet you're all itching to know what's in here.

But only one of you will have that itch scratched.

Three of your dishes really blew our minds.

The first one was cooked by...

..Alice.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

The next dish...

..was cooked by...

..Rue.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

And the final dish we loved...

..was cooked by...

..Larissa.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Larissa...

..you couldn't have fit more emotion in that bowl if you tried.

(MELISSA LAUGHS)

That's the kind of food that we crave in this kitchen

and the kind of food worthy of a secret advantage.

Congratulations, Larissa!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Larissa!

Oh, my God! CATH: Oh, wow!

Larissa! How did that feel?

I... (STAMMERS)

Honestly, like, I'm floored.

Last night I was laying in bed, I'm like, "How did I get here?

"What am I doing here?"

(STAMMERS) And I am floored.

Thank you.

(EXHALES)

The biggest secret advantage that this competition has ever seen.

It is all yours.

Oh, my God.

But...

..only you...

..are about to find out what it is.

Wow!

So all of you other scallywags...

Yeah. ..see ya later.

Bye-bye.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

What?! (CHUCKLES)

Oh, hey.

Oh, my God, it's so lonely here. (CHUCKLES)

(SOFTLY) Oh, wow!

It's gone quiet all of a sudden, hasn't it?

Very quiet. (CHUCKLES)

Righto, Larissa, we have been teasing this all day.

You ready to find out what it is? Yes.

Come on up.

So this is...

..the Second Chance Apron.

Yeah, we said it was big and it is big.

So this apron...

..it means...

..that if you're ever eliminated from the competition,

you get the chance to cook again to get back in...

Wow.

..in the very next elimination.

That's huge. That is huge.

That is never heard of before.

OK.

You could not get a bigger advantage in this kitchen ever.

This apron has to remain a secret.

OK.

You cannot tell a soul.

OK. Promise?

Promise. Pinky promise. All the pinky promises.

Yes, I got you. Take it now.

Hide it.

And we will see you tomorrow.

Lastly, congratulations. Thank you.

Well done. Thank you so much, guys.

See you tomorrow, Larissa. Thank you.

See ya. See ya.

Cook, girl.

I'm dying to tell everyone but I can't say anything.

I have to keep my mouth shut.

That's hard for me.

(SOFTLY) No way.

No way!

ANNOUNCER: Tomorrow night on MasterChef Australia...

No!

..more secrets and surprises are in store...

Oh, my God!

This fills me with equal quantities of excitement...

And anxiety?

..and fear.

..as our home cooks tackle a challenge

faced by every household around the country.

Let's go. Hustle, hustle!

Oh!

And...

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...

Ooh!

..cooking along with none other

than Jamie Oliver.

Yeah!

..Jamie reveals a secret of his own.

This is a dish that changed my life.

Captions by Red Bee Media