It’s MasterChef Australia 2023 episode 23 and we’re smack bang in the middle of Home Cooks versus Pro Cooks week.

Like the previous episodes, tonight’s will see three contestants cook off against three pros.

However, the spin in tonight’s episode is that Declan, Adi and Cath will compete in a MasterChef blind relay against Louis Tikaram and his Brisbane-based Stanley Restaurant employees Benson Skelton and Mark David Tumacder.

In their teams of three, competitors worked together to create one dish; however, would be cooking one after the other, in a relay. The caveat? They aren’t allowed to communicate with the chef before them, so they need to try and predict what the planned dish is.

Fortunately for them, Jock Zonfrillo decided to give the Home Cooks team an advantage and let them pick their order. The MasterChef contestants decided that Declan would cook first, Cath second and Adi last.

As for the Pro Cooks, Andy Allen said: “Chefs, because you guys cook together every day, we’re going to decide your order.”

The Cook

Because Declan was the first cook in his team, he decided what was being served up tonight. He opted for a snapper with “Asian flavours”, which was a questionable choice considering their competitor restaurant specialises in Asian/Cantonese cooking.

“I’ve decided we need to go all out to impress the judges,” he explained.

While Declan prepared the ingredients, the camera cut to the waiting chefs in a yard outside, where Adi finally said what everyone at home was thinking.

“If you guys lose, nothing happens. Whereas if we lose, we’re in the elimination and we could go home. So, you guys could keep us safe, so think about that,” she pointed out.

Back in the kitchen, Benson began to prepare Team Pro Cook’s meal. Like his rivals, he chose a snapper but he also added tackling a Cantonese-style crispy chicken.

“It is a bit daunting going up against the MasterChef contestants because it is our reputation on the line, so the expectations will be quite high,” Benson said…meanwhile, the Nomad chefs watching at home were (probably) throwing their remotes at their TV.

Declan carefully placed all the ingredients in order on the bench, in an effort to help Cath know what to cook when she took the baton. However, unfortunately, Cath had no idea where to start upon arrival at the bench and began to chop up a basic salad.

Loui stepped up to the kitchen counter second for the Pro Cooks team, and, unlike Cath, it appeared that he telepathically picked up exactly what Benson had set him up to take over.

Both cooks started preparing condiments for their dishes, but it was Cath who wasn’t sure what to put in the sauce.

“I’m not even sure that what I’m doing is what Declan wanted me to do,” a puzzled Cath told the camera.

Like their first, the Pro Cook’s silent handover was flawless, and Mark picked up exactly where Louis left off. Adi, on the other hand, was shocked at what she was left by Cath, and couldn’t believe that Declan picked an Asian dish to cook.

“We’ve gone with some sort of an Asian flavour today, which I did not want to see. I’m also a bit concerned because I’m not sure where in Asia these flavours are coming from,” she said.

Adi did everything in her power to fix the sauce which she claimed needed “a lot of work”, and steamed the fish before plating up.

The Pro Team faced their first and only problem when Mark discovered that the rice was overcooked. The hiccup was easily fixed when the chef decided to leave the overcooked rice off the final dish.

The Judging

The Pro Cooks from Stanley served up their dishes of Crispy Skin Chicken, Steamed Fish Ginger, Shallot and Asian Greens to the judges, who were absolutely blown away.

“I’ve got no faults with any of it, it’s all perfectly executed,” Jock told the chefs and both judges agreed.

“There’s literally no faults in it at all. You’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here, it’s just simple food done at its absolute best,” Andy gushed.

After the rave reviews the Pro Cooks team received, it looked like it was over before the judging even began for the Home Cooks. And, one look at Jock’s confused face while tasting the rice confirmed their suspected fate.

“Start with the fish, it’s just a tad under,” Andy said. “If this was going to be you trying to take down the lords back there, everything needed to be peaking.”

The Verdict

Unsurprisingly, Team Pro Cooks from Stanley were crowned the “runaway winners” and Declan, Cath and Adi were sent through to compete in Sunday’s elimination.

MasterChef Australia 2023 continues at 7.30pm on Thursday, June 8 on 10 and 10Play.

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