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It was all about unfinished business on MasterChef Australia 2025, as some of the most unforgettable contestants who were left hungry for more returned for another epic Back to Win season.

From 2012’s Audra Morrice to more recent standouts like 2023’s Declan Cleary and 2024’s Sav Perera, the MasterChef Australia 2025 cast was stacked with fan favourites and some serious culinary talent, all stepping back into the kitchen for one more shot at the coveted trophy.

The chefs, once again, faced high-stakes Pressure Tests, Mystery Box Challenges, Service Challenges and, of course, those dreaded elimination rounds.

Standing between them and the crown was the formidable panel of MasterChef Australia judges: the ever-charming Andy Allen, food critic Sofia Levin, beloved cook Poh Ling Yeow, and multi-Michelin-starred French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.

In the end, it was Laura Sharrad — who’d came runner up twice in previous seasons — who finally got her flowers and was crowned the winner of MasterChef Australia 2025.

Read on to find out everyone that was eliminated during the MasterChef Australia 2025 season.

Everyone who has left MasterChef Australia 2025

Callum Han

Callum was the final contestant eliminated on MasterChef Australia 2025 during the grand final.

In the first round, Callum and Laura were neck and neck, with both receiving a score of 38 out of 40 for their dishes incorporating potato and rosemary.

However, Callum fell short in the second round when the final two were tasked with recreating Miko Aspiras‘ Botanical Garden cake. He struggled with time and ended up receiving a score of 35 out of 50. Laura’s final dish was very similar to Miko’s, and she scored 42 out of 50.

In the end, Callum’s final score was 73 out of 90, versus Laura’s 80, and he was eliminated from the competition.

Jamie Fleming

Jamie was the last two-time returnee standing, and was eliminated during the Semi Finals. He was beaten out by third-time returnees Callum and Laura, after a less-than perfect dessert.

During a post-elimination interview with Chattr, Jamie said that he expected to be sent home after his chocolate crémeux didn’t set properly.

“I think I’d already accepted it. I knew that perfection was required to be able to go through,” Jamie told Chattr. “There was no misconception on my part. I understand the level that the other two operate at, and I saw their desserts going out, and I knew that I had made a silly error with one of my recipes.”

Depinder Chhibber

Depinder Chhibber ended her MasterChef Australia journey in fourth place after being sent through to round two alongside Jamie.

She chose to take a risk and stepped out of her comfort zone by cooking chilli cinnamon gravy, cinnamon rice and apple and a caramelised onion chutney, topping it with a scotch egg, with cinnamon throughout its layers.

Unfortunately, her scotch egg was under, and the mistake saw her eliminated from the competition. Depinder told Chattr in a post-elimination interview that rather than being disappointed about being eliminated, she was upset that she wouldn’t be cooking in the MasterChef Australia kitchen anymore.

“I was feeling sadness because I was like, I’m not going to be able to come here again tomorrow and cook. That was the reason why I was genuinely upset. It wasn’t the fact that I was getting eliminated,” she said.

Ben Macdonald

Ben Macdonald was eliminated during a one-bite challenge set by New Zealand chef Vaughan Mabee. Depinder was immune and watched on as Laura, Callum, Ben and Jamie curated their appetisers.

While the judges were very impressed by all of the dishes made by the contestants, they all agreed that Ben’s was a little too overpowering, and mused that he could have benefited by removing a few ingredients.

Sofia told the contestants that, “up against perfection,” Ben’s dish “just fell short,” and he was eliminated from the competition.

Sarah Todd

The MasterChef Australia kitchen served up heartbreak this week as fan fave Sarah Todd was sent packing after a high-stakes 60-minute elimination round.

In a twist that tested their adaptability, Sarah and Jamie had to whip up any dish they liked, but with a catch. They could only use ingredients that Season 1 winner Julie Goodwin or Season 16 winner Nat Thaipun used in their winning dish.

For round one, Sarah found herself working with Nat’s picks, and while the initial scramble had her stressed, she soon found her spark. “I am not going to play it safe, I’m going to play Sarah,” she told the judges, ready to bring the heat.

She was sent through to round two, where she chose to cook an ambitious pork assiette, pork done three ways. Sadly, the dish didn’t deliver the wow needed to land her in the coveted top five, and she was sent home.

“Obviously, I was devastated to be eliminated. I think that we all want to get to the end, and I think every day in the MasterChef kitchen is definitely another day where you just get to perfect your craft and really push yourself,” she told Chattr in a post-elimination interview.

Snezana ‘Snez’ Calic

Universally adored contestant Snezana ‘Snez’ Calic was sent home during a Time Switch challenge, in which she competed against Ben, Callum, Sarah, and Depinder.

The task saw the contestants given a stopwatch, with a time limit of 90 minutes, which needed to be used over the two rounds, unless their first dish made them immune from the second round.

Snez spent 49 minutes on her first dish, giving her limited time on her second dish, ultimately leading to her being sent home.

In a post-elimination interview with Chattr, Snez said that she had a feeling that she’d be going home after she served her Wagyu and Lardo Skewer with a Green Buttermilk Sauce and Aioli.

“I kind of knew that this dish was not the best, but also, look, I was so close! I never even thought I’d be in the top 10 or top seven, and so close to the top five, and so close to that final goal, so it’s not a great feeling,” she said of her elimination.

“But when Poh pointed out to look around and see who I was cooking with, I was so proud that I got this far with these amazing cooks and chefs around me this year.”

Alana Lowes

Alana Lowes found herself in a ‘dual duel,’ which saw her tackle a one-on-one cook against Sarah, while Laura went up against Snez. The judges deemed Snez and Sarah’s dishes the most impressive, so Alana and Laura cooked against each other in an elimination challenge and were required to use fennel seeds in their dish.

Laura served up a Chilled Squid and Fennel Noodle dish while Alana opted for a Sour Cherry Sorbet and Candied Fennel Stalks.

Unfortunately for Alana, the judges said that while her fennel seed flavour was there, it battled to shine through against all the other elements, and she was sent home.

“Initially, I was devastated because I had the best experience, but I also instantly felt the love in the room,” Alana told Chattr of her elimination.

“As the verdict came in, I could feel the hugs from everybody, even though Laura and I were standing by ourselves. The judges also had such beautiful and kind words for me – not only during the verdict of my final challenge, but throughout my whole experience on the show – like calling me ‘the flavour queen’ as I paired incredible flavours together.”

Audra Morrice

In a devastating turn, Sunday’s Elimination Cook saw Audra say goodbye to the MasterChef kitchen, again. Audra originally made it to the top 3 on MasterChef Australia in 2012, was a co-host for MasterChef Asia in 2015, and a judge on MasterChef Singapore. But, sadly, her second turn on Back To Win has come to an end.

Tasked with cooking a dish that transports you to another country, Audra went with a classic Spanish Paella. However, due to her dish’s numerous issues, including watery consistency and unevenly cooked seafood, she was asked to hang up her apron.

Andre Ursini

Andre struggled with Philip Khoury‘s Pressure Test: a plant-based dessert called Dawn of a Tropical New Day. Contestants had to create an intricately decorated dish, with coconut, white chocolate, fresh mango compote and coconut chantilly.

Sadly, Andre’s sponge and chocolate shell were too thick, affecting the flavours. After a good run in MasterChef Australia 2025, he was sent home.

Declan Cleary

Fans were left saddened after Declan’s Inside Out Skewers failed to impress, with the judges citing that the dish was incomplete. The cooking task was set by Aussie icon Maggie Beer, with the challenge being a “decreasing time versus increasing ingredients” task.

Sadly, Declan just missed out on a place in the top 10 thanks to his sauceless slaw, with the judges wanting to see a more cohesive plate.

Theo Loizou

Curtis Stone returned for another cook-along, which unfortunately sent Theo packing. Ben, Jamie, Sarah and Theo were tasked with his cooking Slow-Cooked Lamb Raviolo, and it looked like Jamie was in trouble when he had to redo his Ricotta.

However, Theo faced a bigger problem: his ricotta didn’t set, and his pasta was undercooked, leading to his elimination.

“I was really disappointed, but at the same time I was kind of relieved as well in a way,” he told Chattr in a post-elimination interview.

“It was quite hard this time around, against seasoned chefs. I’m, like, an infant in this industry, so I’m still trying to find my feet, and it was really difficult competing against such good cooks. It was really disappointing, though, because obviously I wanted to go further and win.”

Beau Cook

On last night’s Sweet Week Elimination Cook, the chefs were tasked with crafting a mindblowing dessert inspired by their childhood memories, and whoever impressed the judges the least would be hanging up their apron. After his Spider Splice with homemade Cola ice fizzled, the judges bid goodbye to Beau.

“It was a sense of disappointment and relief,” Beau told Chattr of his elimination. “Obviously, I’d had a really good couple of weeks leading up to that, I didn’t think I’d actually get to that point and do that well with some of the food. But, I was excited to get home and just get back into some projects.”

Samira El Khafir

Samira was sent home during an elimination that required four of the contestants to cook a MasterChef-worthy dish using a selection of the 40+ ingredients. She chose to make a Turkish Chicken and Eggplant Kofta, but her chicken, which she cooked on the hibachi, ended up being too dry.

It was the second MasterChef Australia 2025 journey that ended after a hibachi cook. Cath was also sent home earlier in the season because her cooking method on the hibachi caused some of the mushrooms to burn.

“I think there’s a curse about it, because the hibachi, for some reason, was just not as hot as it was meant to be,” Samira laughed in a post-elimination interview with Chattr.

“At the end of the day, it is what it is. It happened. I left, and it’s time to move on and focus on the future,” she added.

Darrsh Clarke

Darrsh was up against Ben, Callum, Andre and Samira in an elimination round set by viral online chef Andy Cooks. After their epic cheese-pull dishes were deemed not so epic in the first challenge, Andy challenged the chefs to create a “satisfying slice” to save their aprons.

Sticking to what he knows, Darrsh plated up a Choux pastry bun – with a twist! This time it was Choux-ception, with Darrsh attempting a Choux bun inside a Choux bun. The outer bun would have an orange blossom crème pâtissière inside, while the inner bun was stuffed with a pistachio praline.

Despite bold intentions, Darrsh used too many eggs and plated up a burnt pastry. With the judges unimpressed, Darrsh bid farewell to the MasterChef Australia kitchen for the second year in a row.

On his exit, Darrsh said, “meeting all of these amazing people, it’s been very inspiring to be around, and I think just having that energy to be around you really motivates you, and I’m really excited for what’s next.”

Tim Bone

Sunday night’s episode of MasterChef saw 12 of the contestants fighting for their apron in a Pressure Test. The challenge, set by Jean-Christophe Novelli, was to hero butter in a dish. Unfortunately, fan fave Tim Bone was sent home after choosing to cook confit duck with only 75 minutes of cooking time.

Tim plated up a Confit Duck with Celeriac Purée, Miso Mushrooms and Asparagus for the judges. Sadly though, the duck was undercooked and tough, while the other flavours were muddled and the butter didn’t stand out.

When speaking to the judges, Tim said: “The pressure does get to you, you do get in your own head.”

Tim lamented that he wanted to “get back to the bloke” he was the last time he was on MasterChef, because “he was just loving life.”

Rue Mupedzi

Rue Mupedzi went up against Sarah, Tim and Audra in a Pressure Test set by Blayne Bertoncello.

The cooks had to create Blayne’s technical Variations of Sourdough and Strawberry with Elderflower and Balsamic dessert. But instead of making one dish, they had to make five!

The judges were impressed with Audra and Sarah’s creations, but thought Rue and Tim’s were lacking. Ultimately, Rue was sent home, with the judges saying that her pastry cream was overcooked and her strawberry gum emulsion was almost entirely lacking.

“I was very bummed, because I felt like I still had so much more to showcase, so much more to give and unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen,” Rue told Chattr of her elimination.

“I felt like, Oh, I’m saving all these good dishes so that I can make them another time, and another time never came. So it was just like, you know, really disappointing not having had the opportunity to make some creative ideas that I had.”

Rhiannon Anderson

Rhiannon Anderson was sent home during a Surf and Turf challenge set by Josh Niland. The contestants were asked to create a dish with a spin on the classic meal.

Rhiannon opted for Lobster Wontons with Beef Broth. Unfortunately, Andy said she veered too far away from her usual cooking, and she was eliminated from the competition.

“I’ll stick to the original [Surf and Turf],” Rhiannon told Chattr in a post-elimination interview.

“It’s so funny because it was mine and Dino’s first date meal, and I always cook it for him, the original. So, I’m definitely not going on the modern take anymore,” she laughed.

Jimmy Wong

Viewers said goodbye to another lovable MasterChef Australia contestant when Jimmy Wong was sent home during the Pressure Test set by celebrated pastry chef Steven He.

Jimmy was emotional when he found out that he was leaving the competition, but told Chattr that despite his disappointment, his time on the show was “magical”.

“To be quite honest, I’ve enjoyed every minute,” he added.

Matt Hopcraft

Loveable dentist Matt Hopcraft was the fourth person eliminated from MasterChef Australia Back to Win 2025.

The May 18 episode kicked off Showstoppers week, and the first stop was an Elimination Round. The contestants were asked to create a dish with “tabletop theatre,” and Sofia explained that each dish would need to have an impressive flair.

Dephinder’s Raj Kachori Volcano did just that, with Andy saying that her dish worked “seamlessly”. However, Matt, Rue, and Snez’s dishes missed the mark, and they were announced as the bottom three.

Ultimately, it was Matt who was eliminated for his Anzac Biscuit Bombe Alaska dessert named The Rising Sun because his meringue split.

“It’s kind of gutting,” Matt said of his elimination. “Everyone’s going to be eliminated at some point, except for the one person who wins, but you want to be eliminated cooking something that’s really good, and you’ve just been beaten by other people who’ve done better.

“So it’s a little bit disappointing, but I was still really, really proud of what I did by taking a risk and trying to push myself to meet that particular brief.”

Steph De Souza

Steph De Souza was put up for an elimination cook after Jamie guessed the wrong ingredient in the taste test. Jamie’s team was told that they were able to cook anything they like, but the pantry was only made up of ingredients from the taste test.

While Jamie struggled with his overcooked duck, Steph seemed relatively happy with her Crispy Pork Belly with Belachan Sauce.

However, the judges weren’t on the same page. They said that there was too much Belachan in the caramel sauce, and that the fat hadn’t rendered on the pork.

“I was actually really happy with my dish. So it’s always disappointing when you go out on something that you like,” Steph told Chattr in a post-elimination interview.

Looking back on her dish, Steph said that despite her elimination, she was proud of what she served the judges..

“I still stand by it, which is probably stupid,” Steph laughed. “I really liked it. I really honestly felt that the sauce kind of balanced out the fattiness of the pork, but you know, everyone’s got different palettes, and I do like things that are really funky and really strong.”

Sav Perera

Fan favourite Sav Perera was eliminated during the Episode 6 Pressure Cook round.

Sav was put up against Ben, Sarah and Darrsh after the squid dish she cooked in the Mystery Box round wasn’t big enough for all of the judges to try.

During the elimination round, Sav forgot to chill her chocolate tin, which meant that it didn’t have enough time to form a shell, and bent out of shape when she tried to take it out of the mould.

Cath Collins

Cath Collins, who finished fifth on MasterChef Australia 2023, was the first Back to Win 2025 contestant eliminated.

Cath chose to cook a Japanese-inspired dish: marinated Japanese grilled mushrooms, furikake, pickled wakame, smoked soy cream, and shiso gel on the hibachi. However, her cooking method caused some of the mushrooms to burn, which led to her elimination.

Cath told Chattr in a post-elimination interview that she was “just devastated” to be the first person sent home from the competition. She said that it “never, ever entered” her mind that she’d be gone so early.

Pete Campbell

The first departure for 2025 was a particularly sad one. At the beginning of the episode, Andy announced that Pete Campbell was leaving MasterChef Australia.

“Before we kick things off, I’ve got some news,” the MasterChef judge began. “Due to personal reasons, Pete is unable to continue in the competition, and we wish him nothing but the best.”

A Network 10 spokesperson told Chattr that Pete left the show due to a medical diagnosis, which Pete has since confirmed is cancer.

“During production of MasterChef Australia: Back To Win, Pete Campbell received a diagnosis that required him to step away from the competition to focus on his health,” they began.

“The MasterChef family supports Pete in his recovery and hopes to see him back doing what he loves in the kitchen very soon.”

Shortly after Episode 3 of MasterChef Australia 2025 aired, Pete took to Instagram to confirm that this departure was due to being diagnosed with cancer.

“Didn’t even get to cook for the judges! But you know what they say… ‘if you have cancer, you should go get chemo,’” he wrote.

“A massive thank you to everyone messaging and checking in, you’re all so nice.”

MasterChef Australia season 17 airs in 2025 on 10 and 10Play.

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MasterChef Australia 2025: Back To Win came to a nail-biting conclusion tonight, with Laura Sharrad being crowned the winner on her third season of the hit reality series.

Laura first appeared on MasterChef in 2014 on Season 6 when she was just 19 years old, becoming the youngest ever contestant to reach the top three. She returned for a Back To Win season in 2020, where she finished runner-up.

Now, Laura’s finally nabbed the winning title after a stellar season of cooking in the 2025 season.

What happened in the finale of MasterChef Australia 2025?

The MasterChef Australia 2025 finale consisted of two rounds. In round one, Callum and Laura were shown five classic flavour pairings, but they’d end up using only one of them.

They were presented with two golden knives, and whoever chose the first golden knife had the first choice to remove one flavour pairing. It was a game of strategy, and both contestants worked to remove items they thought their competitor would succeed with.

The final flavour pairing they were left with was potato and rosemary. Laura cooked a potato risotto with rosemary while Callum cooked a creative take of oyster and potato noodles, and the judges were thoroughly impressed with both dishes.

Callum received a 9 from Andy, 9 from Sofia, 10 from Jean Christophe and 10 from Poh. Laura scored a 9 from Andy, 9 from Sofia, 10 from Jean Christophe and 10 from Poh. Meaning, that the score was dead even at 38 out of 40.

Round two was a pressure test set by Filino pastry chef Miko Aspiras and Laura and Callum were tasked with recreating the most technical and complex dish he’s ever created, a Bontanical Garden cake.

The time limit was a struggle for the grand finalists, and both had issues with their chocolate pebbles; Laura’s were too small, and Callum’s were rushed. Because of the time crunch, Callum went rogue, rather than following the Pressure Test instructions.

While both contestants presented a complete dessert to the judges, Callum was clearly overwhelmed by the end of the Pressure Test and burst into tears when the time ran out.

In the end, Laura received a 8 from Miko, 8 from Poh, 9 from Sofia, 9 from Andy and 8 from Jean Christophe. Callum scored a 7 from Miko, 7 from Poh, 7 from Sofia, 7 from Andy and 7 from Jean Christophe.

That meant that Laura’s final score was 80 out of 90, compared to Callum’s 73, and she was crowned the winner of MasterChef Australia 2025.

“This is the most surreal feeling in the whole entire world, I’m just truly so proud of myself for coming back for a third time and completely setting myself up for heartbreak, and pulling off what I never really thought I could do,” Laura said through tears.

Laura’s time on MasterChef: Back To Win 2025

Laura said winning the title for the 2025 MasterChef season would be the “perfect closing chapter” and she fulfilled her dreams, beating fellow South Aussie chef Callum Hann in an exciting finale.

The third-time lucky contestant dedicated the season to her daughter Florence, who she gave birth to in 2024.

Laura dazzled the judges this season, winning immunity numerous times, and cooking some standout dishes like her Italian pasta dish with native Australian ingredients in episode 46, which saw Poh note in an emotional moment that Laura had channelled her mentor, Jock Zonfrillo.

From Sicilian rabbit ragu, to hand-cut tagliarini with yuzu kosho, Laura consistently blew away the judges week-to-week, scoring immunity three times. She also won the ice cream challenge set by Curtis Stone, which saw her creation of her Sticky Date Pudding & Butterscotch ice cream sold in Coles nationwide.

Laura’s previous MasterChef Australia attempts

MasterChef Season 6, 2014

Laura first appeared on MasterChef just over a decade ago, finishing as runner-up behind Brent Owens, scoring 80 points to his 83. She became the youngest contestant ever to win an immunity pin during this series, after facing off against Michelin-trained chef Donovan Cooke, crafting a Sicilian-inspired crispy-skinned snapper with a caper, anchovy, and tomato vinaigrette.

After the show, she worked with Jock Zonfrillo (prior to his MasterChef judging days) at his critically acclaimed restaurant Orana in Adelaide, before launching her own restaurant Nido.

Masterchef: Back To Win, 2020

Becoming the first person in MasterChef history to finish as runner-up twice, Laura came back for another standout cook, only being pipped at the post in the finale by Emelia Jackson. The final cook-off was one of the most intense seen on Aussie screens, as Emelia and Laura faced off in a high-pressure, four-hour service challenge.

Laura received backlash during this season, due to her close relationship with mentor Jock, and was accused of fans of cooking too many pasta dishes. At the time, she called the commentary “unfair and frustrating”.

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Laura Sharrad has well and truly proven herself on the MasterChef Australia grand stage — reaching her third finale on the 2025 Back to Win season.

However, despite her impressive track record on the cooking show, Laura has been met with a lot of criticism on social media, with many fans predicting that she’ll win when the season was only part-way through.

Some even went as far as to call the show ‘rigged’ in Laura’s favour. “It seems to me that the ‘judges’ have decided that Callum or Laura will win. Decided before the show began,” one person wrote on Twitter.

However, Jamie Fleming, who competed alongside Laura on MasterChef Australia Season 6 and 17, told Chattr that he believes Laura is extremely deserving of her place in the 2025 finale.

“She’s a powerhouse,” Jamie told Chattr.

“Laura can sometimes appear like she’s coasting because she’s just at a high level. She understands the competition. She’s a fantastic cook. She understands flavour, and probably doesn’t get the amount of props that she may deserve for some of the strategies that she implements,” he continued.

“At the end of the day, the whole competition is about what’s put on the plate, and whether it’s tasty. Like, is this dish yummy? And I can tell you, from doing this twice with her and experiencing her cooking regularly, she is a phenomenal chef, and absolutely deserves to be where she is. And I think that tonight is going to be a fantastic showdown. It’s going to be interesting to see who comes out on top.”

Who does Jamie think will win MasterChef Australia 2025?

Jamie spent the entire season competing against Laura and Callum, and narrowly missed out on making the grand finale when he was eliminated during the semi-final.

So, one would think that Jamie would have some insight into who he thinks will win MasterChef Australia 2025. However, he told Chattr he believes it could go either way.

“I think it’s on a knife-edge,” he said. “I hate to be the diplomat, but honestly, I don’t care who wins, because I think that both of them are so deserving. And I guarantee you likewise, if this were me in the grand final, and you were asking one of the other two, they’d say the same.

“We’ve all worked so hard. We’ve worked so closely together. Now that I’m out, I’ll just be a nice spectator and look forward to seeing who comes out on top.”

The MasterChef Australia finale airs on August 12 at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.

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While we’re used to reality TV contestants talking strategy on shows like Australian Survivor, when you put a bunch of experienced chefs together to battle it out over the MasterChef title, it’s no surprise strategy comes into play.

With challenges getting more extreme as the series goes on, our favourite chefs are often tasked with not only figuring out what they want to cook, but what kind of advantage they can take going into the cook to stand out from their counterparts.

The time auction challenge in the second-last episode saw the final three contestants – Laura Sharrad, Callum Hann and Jamie Fleming – bid on ingredients across three categories. They had 120 minutes in which to bid, with a catch: the more time spent bidding, the less they’d have less on their clock to cook. When the auction began, Laura spent 40 minutes securing ribeye eventually leaving her with only 50 minutes for her cook, while Jamie picked the tofu for free, giving him a full 120 minutes of cook time.

Jamie’s strategy in this moment was to coax out maximum depth of flavour from long cooking techniques by using the least-popular dish, tofu. In doing this, he believed he’d be at an advantage compared to Callum and Laura, due to the fact they’d have less cooking time than him.

MasterChef: Back To Win: Jamie reveals why contestants are getting more and more strategic

Jamie’s strategic play paid off, with Jamie winning the vital 15-minute head start in the Semi-Final cook. While he unfortunately didn’t make it through to the finale, he told Chattr strategy has become an important part of being in the MasterChef kitchen.

“Strategy is super important,” Jaime told Chattr. “I think [that] Callum is a great strategist when it comes to the competition. I think that the people who always stand out, they do so from a strategic perspective.

“If everyone’s going one way and you go the other, it’s a great opportunity to stand out, and that’s a conscious decision by everybody within the game,” Callum elaborated. “And it is a game, we all know the rules very well, and we all know our strengths and how we can stand out, and I think that’s really important.”

Jamie says he wouldn’t do anything different if he had his time again on MasterChef

Jamie said his strategy in the semi-final was to be “completely different”, adding he wanted to make a menu that was “super aspirational”.

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“I got a little bit ahead of myself and didn’t quite take into account everything that always happens in a kitchen, which, you know, generally comes down to everything taking about 50 to 60% more time that you thought it would, and then little things going wrong here and there,” he told Chattr. “So was it a misstep from me doing what I did, potentially. Would I do it very different next time? No, not really. I showed exactly what I wanted to show last night with the menu that I created. And even though the execution wasn’t quite there, the beautiful thing about food is I can go and cook it again another time, and smash that other parts. It’s just a learning experience.”

What’s next for MasterChef’s Jamie Fleming?

It’s already been a big year for Jamie, but he’s got his sights set on making the most of the opportunities MasterChef has provided for him.

“Post MasterChef for me is a lot more of saying yes to opportunity,” Jamie told Chattr. “We’ve got our little spot on the Sunshine Coast in the Hinterlands, Spill Wine, and we’re continuing to put out delicious little snacks, and that venue is, in itself, our little love letter to wine and celebrating a lot of beautiful producers from Australia and around the world.”

The MasterChef Australia 2025 finale airs on August 12 at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.

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The MasterChef Australia 2025 finale is upon us and one returning contestant is set to take the crown, marking their third shot at the title.

Laura Sharrad and Callum Han are the final two standing from the 24 returning contestants in MasterChef Australia’s second Back to Win season.

With a whopping 59 episodes in the bag, the finale is bound to be a nail-biter. Here’s everything you need to know about the MasterChef Australia 2025 finale.

When is the MasterChef Australia finale on?

The MasterChef Australia 2025 finale airs on Tuesday, August 12 2025, at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.

Who’s in the MasterChef finale?

Laura and Callum are in the MasterChef Australia 2025 finale. Laura came in as a runner-up on Season 6 and Season 12. Callum, who’s also a third-time returnee, came second on season two, and fourth on season 12.

Jamie Fleming narrowly missed out after being eliminated during a service challenge in the semi-final. While the judges were blown away by his entrée and main, his dessert let him down after his chocolate crémeux didn’t set properly.

“I just fell a little bit short, but I’m okay with that, and I got beaten on the day by two amazing people,” Jamie told Chattr in a post-elimination interview.

Have any of the MasterChef Australia: Back to Win 2025 contestants won the show before?

No, the season is strictly for returning contestants who haven’t won the show before.

However, there’s a slight caveat to the rule. Callum competed on a spin-off of MasterChef Australia in 2012 called MasterChef Australia All-Stars, which was a mini season. He won $20,000 for his chosen charity, Cancer Council Australia.

What are the betting odds for the winner of MasterChef Australia 2025?

Sportsbet had a betting category available earlier in the season, but it’s closed now that the show is nearing its finale.

The last published betting odds had Laura tipped as the winner with odds of $5.00. with Callum sitting at $10.00. The finalists have been sitting with the best two odds to win for the majority of the season.

The MasterChef Australia 2025 finale airs on August 12 at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.

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The MasterChef Australia 2025 winner will be decided by judges Poh Ling Yeow, Andy Allen, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Sofia Levine, who have guided and critiqued the contestants all season.

However, with such a small group making the final call, some viewers have wondered if a blind taste test by the judges in the finale might make things fairer.

“For me, at the end, it really should have been a blind taste (even with Laura using a lot of Australian ingredients),” one Reddit user speculated. Another added, “I think a blind tasting is a very good idea, and not just for the semi-finals.”

However, Jamie, who placed third on MasterChef Australia 2025, told Chattr that the contestants on the current season had such distinct styles that a blind taste test by the judges wouldn’t have removed any ambiguity.

“I think that blind taste testing would not have mattered from probably around top eight in this competition, in particular last night, if you didn’t say whose dish was whose, I guarantee that you could still tell whose dishes, because we all cook differently,” he explained.

Jamie added that the differences between the contestants’ cooking styles started to shine towards the end of the competition.

“I think that’s probably one of the things in this Back to Win competition that I really started to notice, and it’s when I started to put my foot down. Around that top eight mark was when people [started to] try to say something with their cooking, and they cook within their own style, and they just ended up cooking better.”

Jamie breaks down the differences in his, Laura’s and Callum’s cooking styles

By the time the MasterChef Australia 2025 semi-final rolled around, it was plain to see that all three contestants generally took a different approach to their dish choices.

Jamie pushed himself but generally focussed on making the food he chose to a very high standard. Callum tended to try outlandish dishes, while Laura often incorporated native elements into her dishes. Jamie broke down the difference between the way they approach their decisions.

“Laura’s dishes are unmistakably Laura’s dishes, likewise Callum’s. And I think by the end of it, likewise mine,” he said.

“I was very concentrated on limited things on the plate, and just concentrated on doing them really well and succinctly. Callum is all about getting as many weird combos and chucking as much technique at the plate as possible. And Laura is so dedicated to just beautiful flavour combinations that rely and showcase a lot of her technique with a Japanese background and the native background, and obviously her Italian heritage.”

For this reason, Jamie added that “the blind tasting would be completely irrelevant.”

“I guarantee you that if the judges were blind in any of last three or four weeks of television, they could tell you exactly who cooked what.”

MasterChef Australia airs on Sundays at 7pm and Monday – Tuesdays at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.

Want to CHATTR with us? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for more entertainment news.

Jamie Fleming might have narrowly missed out on making the MasterChef Australia 2025 grand finale, but he didn’t walk away from the competition empty-handed after securing a $10,000 travel prize.

During Episode 55, Jamie, Laura Sharrad, Callum Han and Depinder Chhibbber competed in a mystery ingredient challenge, with a $10,000 travel prize voucher on the line.

The challenge involved contestants picking a hidden ingredient that was inspired by one of the judges’ overseas travels. Jamie opted for Sofia Levine‘s Greek Island cloche, which contained squid ink, and he made Charred Octopus with Squid ink Lentils, a Squid ink reduction and hot Potato Foam.

During the cook, Jamie told the judges that if he wins, he’d take his partner Clare to the Greek Islands after their previous travel plans were quashed by COVID, and said that he planned to pop the question to her while there.

As we all know, Jamie won the challenge, so does he have a fiancée now?

He told Chattr that he hasn’t proposed to Clare yet, but hinted that it may not be far away.

“We will be using the travel voucher. [The proposal] hasn’t been done yet, but who knows? We will definitely announce if and when it happens,” he said.

“It’s been something we’ve been talking about for a long time, but we’re just enjoying each other, enjoying being back with each other at the moment and enjoying some family time, and we’ve been enjoying watching the show along with everybody else,” he added.

Jamie reveals how he will use the $10,000 travel voucher

While Jamie hasn’t had a chance to use the travel voucher yet, he said he has big plans for it, and going to Greece will be just the beginning.

“Greece is absolutely on the cards for the travel voucher,” he told Chattr. “I think that utilising that travel to put us in that part of the world, and then extending from there.

“There are so many trips that we sort of missed out on over the years because of this, that and everything else. There are a lot of friends that we haven’t seen in a long time. There are a lot of wine labels that we work closely with that have been inviting us for ages, so just getting over there.”

Jamie added that he was so grateful that the prize was a voucher, so he and Clare had no choice but to take a well-deserved vacation.

“The secondary thing is it’s a forced holiday. It’s not like, if that was just cash, we would say we’d go on holiday [but ] then utilise it to help us with something within business. So this way, it’s actually forcing us to take some time for ourselves and go enjoy the fruits of our labour.”

We’ll be waiting for that engagement announcement on Instagram!

MasterChef Australia airs on Sundays at 7pm and Monday – Tuesdays at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.

Want to CHATTR with us? Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for more entertainment news.