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Callum Hann burst into tears in an emotional moment during the MasterChef Australia 2025 grand finale after he completed the final Pressure Test.

His competitor and long-time friend Laura Sharrad, who ended up winning the show, embraced Callum in a warm hug. The two smiled through tears as they celebrated each other’s journeys.

Reflecting on the overwhelming moment, Callum said his tears stemmed from gratitude for having his pregnant wife, Crystal and kids, Elle and Henry, there, not disappointment over his final dish’s flaws.

“It was incredible having my family there. It felt so different to a normal challenge because you’re normally in this MasterChef bubble where you’re away from your friends and family for such a long time, so the two worlds colliding was the best feeling ever,” he told Chattr.

“I think that’s where most of the emotion came from because my family sacrificed a lot and I was also doing it for them. The combination of having my family there, the pressure of the competition, and also the sadness that it was probably the last time I’d ever cook in the MasterChef kitchen. I

“It was quite an emotional time, but mostly for really lovely reasons.”

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Callum is very grateful for the support he’s received from MasterChef fans

Callum was undoubtedly a fan favourite on MasterChef Australia 2025, with many viewers disappointed that he wasn’t crowned the winner.

He told Chattr that he’s proud of the way he conducted himself during the season,a nd the positive support that he received as a result.

“It feels incredible,” he said. “I’m not a judge, so I can’t directly control the outcome [of the competition] but I can control how I conduct myself. I tried to conduct myself in a similar way that I do at home and in my businesses.

“If you’re kind, respectful and a decent human being, most other things take care of themselves. A lot of the lovely comments I’ve seen from people on social media haven’t just been about enjoying the dishes I’ve been cooking, but the way I’ve gone about them, too. I feel very humbled and proud.”

Callum added that while coming runner-up on his third attempt at the MasterChef Australia trophy is bittersweet, he’s proud of his journey.

“My overarching feeling is pride. If you said to me on day one of the competition that out of these 24 wonderful cooks you will finish second, I would have taken that.

“When you get to the finale and you have a 50/50 chance of winning, there is a bit of disappointment there, but if I was going to lose to anyone I’m glad it was Laura. She is a great cook, a very worthy competitor and also a great mate – we’ve been mates for many years in Adelaide. Short of me winning, it was the best outcome I could have hoped for.”

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Throughout MasterChef Australia 2025, viewers witnessed plenty of emotional moments as Laura Sharrad reflected on how Jock Zonfrillo shaped her cooking — a connection that goes back to her first season in 2014.

Laura reached the grand finale in MasterChef Australia Season 6, which was judged by Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston, but lost out to Brent Owens. After leaving the show, Laura went on to work for the late Jock Zonfrillo at Orana Restaurant.

Coincidentally, Jock joined MasterChef Australia as a judge in 2019, one year before Laura returned for her second try at the trophy for MasterChef Australia 2020: Back to Win.

Jock passed away in 2023, and Andy Allen, Sofia Levine, Poh Ling Yeow and Jean-Christophe Novelli took on the judging roles from the 2024 season. Those four were on the judging panel when Laura finally won the show during the 2025 season.

In a post-win interview, Laura reflected on Jock’s influence on her career and how it helped shape her skills enough to finally claim a MasterChef Australia win.

“Orana was the first restaurant that I worked in straight after the Season 6 finale. It was my first real full-time job, my first job in hospitality and my first job learning how to cook food that I didn’t grow up with,” she said.

“Learning from Jock and the chefs at Orana was like learning a whole new way of cooking. It kind of felt like I was learning to cook again for the first time so it’s very natural that his cooking continues to live on through my food.

“I feel very fortunate to have a platform like MasterChef that he was also a part of, and to be able to continue to cook the food that I love that’s so heavily influenced by the food that he loved too.”

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Laura on her personal growth on MasterChef Australia 2025

Laura was on maternity leave when she received the call to compete on MasterChef Australia 2025: Back to Win. Despite the obvious personal obstacles, Laura agreed to return and had her young daughter, Florence, with her throughout the long filming stint.

Laura told Chattr that she she had a lot of personal growth during the MasterChef Australia 2025 season, and attributes a lot of that to having her daughter by her side.

“Walking through the doors of the MasterChef kitchen this season, I was so ready and eager to tackle the competition. I felt really confident within myself to make it to the end,” she said.

“Looking back and reflecting on the experience, I feel like I grew the most in a personal sense.

“Perhaps because I had my daughter Floss [Florence] with me while filming, and I had to be there for her full-time when the cameras went rolling, I really grew as a mum and as an individual.”

Congratulations to Laura for winning MasterChef Australia 2025!

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Laura Sharrad was crowned the winner of MasterChef: Back To Win 2025 last night, edging out runner-up Callum Hann in a tense finale.

It was a long-awaited victory for the talented chef and young mum, who first competed in 2014 and returned for the 2020 Back To Win season — finishing runner-up on both occasions.

Since her 2020 comeback, however, Laura has faced persistent online trolling. Some viewers accused her of receiving favouritism or relying too heavily on pasta and Italian dishes. Her close friendship and professional ties with the late Jock Zonfrillo—who mentored her after her 2014 season—have also drawn public scrutiny.

Fellow MasterChef 2025 contestant Jamie Fleming recently defended Laura in an interview with Chattr, calling her a “powerhouse”. “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,” Jamie said.

MasterChef Australia fans defend Laura after finale win: ‘The comments are heartbreaking’

Now MasterChef fans have also taken to a Reddit thread to defend Laura’s win, saying they feel bad for her after she’s copped so much unnecessary backlash.

“There is a need to stop hating on Laura. It’s not nice. We’ve become a bunch of armchair critiques who watch from our homes and shed out commentary so vindictive that can ruin someone’s life. I was also part of this band and I feel pathetic about it,” one person said. “Just saw Instagram and the comments are heartbreaking on the winner reveal post. You don’t do that to anyone, this shit can break people for good. On a night when she’s won, imagine having to sit through the hate of the Internet and justifying that she deserved the win? It’s sad.”

Someone else agreed, saying they felt for Laura having to deal with the backlash after the high of winning the competition.

“The winner is no surprise to us all, but I am actually wondering, is the hate towards Laura too much? What has she done that all of us hate in majority? Poor girl has even put up a story on Instagram of Jamie supporting her. Imagine winning the trophy and reading all this, I do feel for her.”

Callum fans stick up for Laura after MasterChef win: ‘Still had a smile’

“I was rooting for Callum and was super sad for him, but I still had a smile when Laura picked up the trophy. It’s been a lifelong pursuit for her, just as much as it has been for Callum,” someone else said.

Another fan called the online trolling “unjustified”.

“The level of hate is completely unjustified. Her cooking style is very different from Callum’s, and she’s openly said she doesn’t deviate much from traditional flavours. Maybe you really need to taste her food to truly appreciate it,” they said, with another saying, “The hate towards Laura is uncalled for and just because of the edit she got. For people to be sitting at home and hating on her and her food every episode is insane like you haven’t even tasted it?? This makes me even more glad that she’s won!”

“Laura also constantly praised her competitors’ talent and constantly spoke of how hard she would have to strive to beat them. She’s humble and hardworking, just like Callum. Laura has dealt with the death of Jock, her beloved grandfather, and birthing her first kid in the last two years, and now she’s won. Good on her,” someone else applauded her.

And perhaps, most simply, one fan said: “Thrilled for Laura. Hope all the haters take a deep look inside themselves and get over it.”

Congrats to Laura on her win!

What a season! You can find the latest on MasterChef Australia 2026 here.

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MasterChef Australia 2025 returned with 24 former contestants battling it out on Back to Win for another chance at the winner’s trophy.

The stakes were high, as the returning contestants included former competitors who’ve built successful food businesses. Some are making multiple attempts at the title, though none of the cast had secured a win.

Ahead of the new season, judge Andy Allen told Chattr that he was impressed by the calibre of the contestants, saying, “The standard is the highest I’ve ever seen it.”

Join us as we recap each episode to update you on everything that happened on MasterChef Australia Back to Win 2025. While the 2025 season may be over now, you can find out everything you need to know about MasterChef Australia 2026 here.

Episode 60 recap

That’s a wrap! The mammoth season of MasterChef Australia 2025: Back to Win is over and Laura was crowned the winner after beating out Callum by seven points in the grand finale.

The finale came down to two intense rounds. Round one saw Callum and Laura faced with five classic flavour pairings, but they could only cook with one. They took turns knocking out options they thought the other would nail, leaving just potato and rosemary. Laura made a potato risotto with rosemary, while Callum whipped up oyster and potato noodles. Both dishes wowed the judges, ending in a tie at 38/40.

Round two featured Filipino pastry chef Miko Aspiras’s brutal pressure test. The contestants were tasked with making his insanely complex Botanical Garden cake. The time limit had them both scrambling. Laura’s chocolate pebbles came out too small, Callum’s were rushed, and he ended up ignoring parts of the instructions and going rogue, which cost him in the end.

Laura pulled ahead with a final score of 80/90, beating Callum’s 73, and took home the trophy.

“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.

Episode 59 Recap

The semi-final is here, and it’s a mammoth, three-course service challenge. Only two will make it to the Grand Finale, so there’s a lot on the line. Jamie, Callum and Laura are tasked with designing a three-course menu for 20 diners and the judges. They’re given just four hours until the entrées leave the pass and service starts.

Jamie is gifted a 15-minute head start thanks to an advantage won in a previous challenge. He decides on a menu filled with difficulty and technique, with a focus on a colour for each dish. His entrée is ‘Gold’, and he serves up a golden beetroot in different ways — rolled into a pie, smoked and roasted beets, pickled beets, and topped with grated fresh horseradish, vinaigrette and a smoked créme fraiche. For his main, he chooses the colour ‘Ruby’. This dish features quince and duck, and he even minces the duck to create his own sausage. His dessert is ‘Tawny’, and he chooses to plate up a roasted cauliflower ice cream, stewed apples with a whiskey caramel.

Laura chooses to celebrate native Australian food, and wants to avoid making any mistakes. She serves up an entrée of Western Australian pan-seared marron with lemon myrtle butter, a sorrel sauce, green ants and a native citrus gel. For her main, she cooks wagyu with eucalyptus-smoked potato purée, and finishes off with a yoghurt sorbet along with native fruits, strawberry granita and Davidson Plum.

Callum decides to use local produce and cook from the heart. He doesn’t want to get too ambitious or complicated — the opposite strategy to Jamie. For his starter, he plates up a barbecued South Australian kangaroo in a carpaccio style, along with a black garlic aioli and bush tomato condiment. He tops it off with pickled shallots, watermelon radish, sea blight and Jerusalem artichoke chips. For the main, he cooks a roasted lobster tail with saltbush butter, calamari noodles, potato, saltbush and fennel, with a pipi and lobster sauce. Finally, he rounds off the dinner service with a blood orange olive oil parfait paired with Geraldton wax oil and a Campari granita.

The judges are speechless when tasting Laura’s dishes, and agree she has executed all three courses perfectly. Laura’s outstanding cooks have secured her a place in the Grand Finale, but who will join her? 

When tasting Jamie’s dishes, the judges find some textural flaws, although they loved his sophisticated flavours. Callum’s dishes also had errors, with his kangaroo slices being inconsistent and making it lack finesse.

The decision comes down to the dessert — comparing Jamie’s cauliflower ice cream to Callum’s blood orange olive oil parfait. With Jean-Christophe declaring that Callum’s dessert is the best he’s had in a long time, and Poh saying it’s perfection, Callum makes it through to the Grand Finale and Jamie must hang up his apron.

Episode 58 Recap

Laura, Jamie and Callum switched spots with Poh, Andy and Jean-Christophe for the judges vs contestants episode.

Laura informed the regular judges that they were required to make a dish that made them first fall in love with cooking. All three of the professional Chefs struggled with the time limit, but managed to finish their dish just in time.

Jean Christophe made a lamb cutlet with rock for mousse, which was the first dish he made for his parents as a professional chef. His lamb was cooked perfectly, with Callum announcing that it was “bloody delicious”.

Poh made a Rempah Udang and Laura said that it was so good that it made her emotional. Sofia added that MasterChef has made her bloom more into herself than anyone she’d ever met.

Lastly, Andy presented the temporary judges with a blood cake. Despite not usually being a fan of the delicacy, Laura loved the dish, calling it a “banger”. Ultimately, the temporary judges were most impressed by Andy’s dish.

For the second round, the contestants faced off against the judges and were tasked with a relay-style challenge. The OG judges presented a pan-roasted duck breast with a radish and wakame salad, and the contestants served a Native Neopolitan ice cream

Stand in judges Rue and Theo thought the judge’s dish was really well-rounded. While they were similarly blown away by the contestants’ dish, it didn’t have enough of the core ingredient of ginger, and the OG judges won round two.

Episode 57 Recap

The top three competed in time auction, with the winner earning a crucial 15 minute head start in the semi final.

Laura traded in the most amount of time to get the ingredients she wanted, leaving her with just 50 minutes. Callum had 60 minutes for his cook, while Jamie had the most at 75 minutes, but his main ingredient was tofu, compared to Laura’s ribeye steak.

Callum served a coral trout with a burnt mandarin and fish head curry sauce, served with brown butter mandarin roti and Laura dished up a hiachi seared rib eye with Jerusalem artichoke fondants and a vibrant green sauce.

Regardless of Jamie’s lesser desired ingredients, he impressed the judges the most with his charred shallots, caramelised leek purée, burnt onion dashi, and silken tofu in a miso-tofu foam, and won the challenge.

Episode 56 recap

Episdoe 56’s elimination saw Depinder, Callum Jamie and Laura presented with two black cloches. After the ingredient beneath the first cloche was revealed, they had to choose to cook either a sweet or savoury dish with the ingredient they can see, or swap it for the one they can’t see.

On top of that, If they are one of the bottom two in the first round, they will have to cook in round two with use the other ingredient, to cook the opposite style of dish.

It was Laura, with a yuzu dessert, and Callum, who made a calamari and potato noodle dish, who won immunity from the second round.

Depinder took a risk in round two by making a dish rich in Indian flavours with a chilli cinnamon gravy, cinnamon rice and apple and caramelised onion chutney, topping it with a scotch egg, with cinnamon throughout its layers. Unfortunately for her, when the judges cut through the egg it was undercooked.

Meanwhile, Jamie made a technique-heavy ‘Negroni’ dessert that featured an olive oil and pine nut cake, a blood orange and Campari sorbet, basil and gin granita, and mascarpone flavoured with pine nuts soaked in walnut liqueur, plus some pine nut brittle.

The judges were thrilled with Jamie’s dessert, but they couldn’t get past Depinder’s undercooked egg, and she was eliminated from the competition.

Episode 55 recap

Depinder, Callum, Jamie and Laura were set a mystery ingredient task, with a $10,000 travel prize voucher on the line.

Each contestant stood in front of a door with a travel photograph on display and an ingredient hidden by a cloche. The contestants selected a cloche each and received their mystery ingredient.

Callum got a preserved turnip and chose to make a kangaroo and preserved turnip pho. Depinder’s ingredient was a sea urchin, which she’d never cooked with before, and she opted to make a Japanese-inspired pasta.

Jamie was delighted to score squid ink, and he made a simple dish of Charred Octopus with Squid ink Lentils. Lastly, Laura unveiled Spanish olives and made an olive oil cake dessert.

The judges loved Jamie’s dish the most, especially the way he’d used the squid ink, and he took home the $10,000 prize.

Episode 54 recap

Laura, Callum, Ben and Jamie faced a high-stakes immunity challenge set by New Zealand chef Vaughan Mabee and the contestants were asked to make ‘one bite’ wonders that represent who they are.

From Callum’s highly intricate mushroom and chicken tart to Jamie’s futuristic take on anchovies on toast, the judges found it hard to fault the contestants.

However, with one person needing to be eliminated, it was Ben’s stuffed chicken wings with whitebait mousse that sent him home, with Sofia stating that “up against perfection,” his dish “just fell short”.

Episode 53 recap

MasterChef Australia 2025 is coming to an end and the contestants competed in the final Immunity Challenge of the season. Their tast was to cook with a Mystery Box of ingredients that they hand picked themselves earlier in the season.

Callum’s smoked milo ice cream, pine mushroom Chantilly and persimmons, with Jerusalem artichoke-stuffed choux was fairly well received by the judges, but he received rare criticism from Andy, who said his ice cream was a little too smoky.

Ben made a one-bite oyster dish, which the judges said was lacking in acidity. Jamie’s razor clams, bacalao al pil pil, jamón, roasted potatoes, and tomato were deemed off balance because the salt cod was too salty (?).

Andy, Sofia, and Jean-Christophe loved Laura’s smoked whiting with salt-baked turnips and a turnip broth, but it was Depinder’s incredibly creative use of her ingredients in her curry leaf ice cream, a pumpkin and peanut butter purée, caramelised pineapple slices and a kokum granita that scored her immunity.

Episode 52 recap

Julie Goodwin and Nat Thaipun returned to the kitchen as judges, and Sarah, Jamie, Ben and Depinder had to choose between ingredients that each of the former MasterChef Australia winners used in their final dishes.

The first round saw Depinder and Ben — who both chose Nat’s ingredients — win immunity. Depinder made a curry roti dessert, which the judges raved about, while Ben opted for a pork-filled tortellini with a pork broth.

Sarah and Jamie were sent through to the second round, and the maker of the dish that the judges deemed the weakest would be sent home.

Sarah cooked with Nat’s ingredients and made a pork assiette, while Jamie used Julie’s ingredients and prepared an elevated version of elevated roast chicken and vegetables.

Unfortunately for Sarah, the judges found the pork belly slightly undercooked, and she was eliminated from the competition.

Episode 51 recap

It was the last chance for Immunity from Sunday’s elimination, and it was an emotional episode. Sarah, Depinder, Ben and Jamie received letters from their loved ones at home, and were asked to cook something that offered the judges a glimpse into their lives beyond the kitchen.

Sarah received a letter from her son Phoenix, and chose to make a fusion of two of his favourite dishes;
yakitori skewers and the classic sausage in bread.

Depinder’s was from her husband, and she decided to revisit a trip her family took to Kerala by making a sadya, a traditional Indian feast served on a banana leaf.

Ben got a note from his partner Sandy, and their daughters. His dish inspiration came from his own childhood in New Zealand and the values his parents instilled by both fishing and growing their own food in the garden, things he is also passing onto his girls. He made a kingfish, clams, mussels, and herb gnocchi with a vermouth cream sauce. 

Jamie read a letter from his partner Clare, and their three children. Focussing on the classic family BBQ, he opted for an elegant yet nostalgic take on Wagyu beef cooked to perfection on the hibachi, paired with turnips, a miso and eggplant purée and a rich jus.

Laura got a letter from her husband Max and drew inspiration from a recent trip to the Northern Territory with them. She made a a dish called Native Australian Summer, consisting of wattleseed rough puff pastry, cinnamon myrtle crème pâtissière, muntries cooked in an apple caramel, a smoked paperbark- flavoured ice cream and topped with green ants. 

The judges shortlisted Depinder, Sarah and Laura’s dish as the best, but it was Laura that received immunity and was sent through to the top 5.

Episode 50 recap

The winners from Episode 49’s Everything Mystery Box were Callum, Laura, Ben and Depinder and they cooked for Immunity in Episode 50.

It was a Service Challenge set by chef Hugh Allen and each contestant was allocated one course in which they had to use a specific ingredient.

Callum was on starter and required to use a Tasmanian wasabi leaf. Ben got the entree and was allocated kelp. Lauara cooked the main, and the highlight ingredient was golden beetroot. Depinder received the dessert, and her course had to include green ants.

Callum, Laura, and Depinder all received glowing praise from the judges, but the judges said that Ben’s dish lacked a prominent enough kelp flavour.

Ultimately, Callum won immunity for his wasabi leaf, shitake leaf and Jerusalem artichoke, and he was sent through to the top five.

Episode 48 recap

Last night’s MasterChef Australia was a pressure-cooker showdown as seven contestants faced the brutal “Race Against the Clock” elimination challenge. With 90 minutes split across two rounds, they had to gamble: go big early or save time for a last-chance cook-off.

Each dish was judged instantly, and the bottom three had to return to the kitchen – using only the time they had left from round one.

Snez went bold with wagyu and lardo skewers, banking time by finishing in under 49 minutes. Ben played it safe with a refined King George Whiting dish in just 23:48, hoping his massive time buffer would pay off. Callum impressed with creative moules frites, earning instant praise and safety.

Depinder brought the heat with a speedy street-style curry, wowing Jean-Christophe. Sarah delivered a cheeky twist on eggs and soldiers using lamb skewers and pomegranate hollandaise.

In the end, Depinder and Callum were safe – Ben, Sarah, and Snez had to fight to survive.

With a whopping 60 minutes left, Ben delivered a show-stopping scallop cappellacci with prawn bisque. Sarah used her 49 minutes to craft a scallop pie with leek vichyssoise that screamed finesse. Snez, left with just 41 minutes, served a comforting mushroom ragù, but in a challenge this tight, “nice” didn’t cut it.

After an emotional deliberation, Snez was sent home, with Andy calling her “a fighter, a survivor” – and the one and only Snez.

Episode 46 recap

MasterChef Australia Episode 46 saw the return of the Lucky Dip round, and the 2025 version involved the remaining contestants picking a letter of the alphabet, which had an ingredient behind it that started with the same letter. If they weren’t happy with their first choice, they had the opportunity to pick again, but if they did that, they had to stick with their second choice.

Snez picked miso, Sarah chose pandan, Callum switched kimchi for quince, Ben got vegemite, Laura switched fish sauce for anchovies and Depinder stuck with coffee beans.

Sarah had never cooked with pandan before, and took a brave approach by deciding to make a Black Squid Ink Pani Puri with Scarlet Prawns and South East Asian spices. The judges liked her final dish, but said the pandan overpowered the flavour of the prawns.

Depinder’s Baked Alaska was a standout dish, and she recreated the classic by including a  coffee ice cream, a raspberry sorbet and a coffee caramel. Judge Jean-Christophe said he “loved it” and Poh congratulated her for pulling off such a technically challenging dish.

But Depinder was pipped at the post by Laura’s Italian pasta dish, with Japanese flavours and native Australian ingredients. The judges said it was the best pasta dish they’d tried from her and there was an emotional moment in the MasterChef kitchen when Poh noted that Laura had channelled her mentor in the late Jock Zonfrillo.

Laura was awarded immunity and will be safe on the gantry next to Jamie come Sunday’s elimination challenge.

Episode 45 recap

It’s getting down to the pointy end of MasterChef Australia, as there are only seven cooks left in the competition. The judges serve up a Mystery Box challenge with a twist: contestants open the first box to reveal garlic, but are informed there’s a second mystery box which will be revealed 30 minutes after they start cooking. There’s a lot at stake, as the top three contestants will fight for immunity tomorrow in an intense pressure test — giving the winner a guaranteed spot in the final six. 

Jamie’s second mystery ingredient is revealed to be coriander, and he makes a pan-seared flathead with mussel and nduja sauce. Andy appears to love his sauce and describes his dish as a “banger”.

Sarah takes a risk again and uses her mystery ingredient dill to serve up a savoury vanilla slice with chicken dill, cucumber gel and garlic cream. Although Andy seems to be on the fence about this one, Sofia seems to love it.

Callum is given thyme as his mystery ingredient, so he makes garlic and thyme the star. He serves up a garlic and thyme-stuffed chicken with pine mushroom and kohlrabi dumplings, along with a thyme and garlic velouté. As one of the front-runners, it’s no surprise that his dish wows the judges, and even gets a round of applause. He’s one to watch!

Depinder is gifted lemongrass as her second ingredient, and she creates a flavourful garlic and chicken curry. However, the judges say the chilli overpowers the lemongrass, so the cook didn’t quite serve up a winning dish today.

Ben’s second mystery ingredient is revealed to be mint, so he uses this to create a dish of pan-roasted scallops along with curried cauliflower puree. The judges are delighted by his use of mint, but the scallops were undercooked by a couple of minutes.

Laura — who some fans believe will win the show — opens her second mystery box to find chives. She puts together a dish of stuffed and rolled lamb saddle, and her meat ends up being cooked perfectly. However, while the flavours are solid, it just misses the mark of a top-three dish.

Snez is given rosemary as her second ingredient, and she embraces garlic to create a confit squid and garlic along with some garlic oil and rosemary bread. She really makes the garlic shine, and includes it in every part of her cook, which Poh was impressed by.

The top three dishes were produced by Snez, Jamie and Callum, so the trio will have a chance to fight for immunity tomorrow night.

Episode 44 recap

Back from Doha, Sarah, Snez, Alana and Laura faced off in a high-stakes elimination challenge, featuring a dramatic ‘dual duel’ format.

In Round 1, Sarah battled Alana with horseradish, while Laura and Snez took on hazelnuts, each aiming to avoid the bottom two.

Laura’s gelato disaster saw her in tears, though she salvaged her dish with a last-minute mascarpone whip, while Snez’s hazelnut-crusted cod impressed the judges. Meanwhile, Sarah’s horseradish cream-filled doughnuts and wagyu were well-received, while Alana’s bold dessert of Horseradish Ice Cream with White Chocolate, a Soaked Almond Biscuit, Goat’s Curd and Celery Oil had the flavour but pushed the savoury notes too far. As a result, Laura and Alana were sent into Round 2, where fennel seeds were the hero ingredient.

Laura delivered a refined Chilled Squid and Fennel Noodle dish that showcased deep, roasted fennel seed flavour and blew the judges away. Although Alana’s Fennel Seed Pavlova was impressive, Poh, Andy, Sofia and Jean-Christophe said that the fennel seed flavour in her dish battled to shine through against all the other elements, and she was eliminated.

Episode 43 recap

It’s the final day of International Week, and five contestants are going head-to-head for Immunity. The judges ask Alana, Sarah, Depinder, Snez and Laura to create a dish for Qatar Airways’ Business Class menu in 75 minutes. The winner will also walk away with a Business Class ticket for the flight home, so there’s plenty at stake.

Laura creates a luxury pasta dish: ricotta and mushroom tortelloni, paired with white asparagus, truffles and hazelnuts. 

Depinder serves up fine-dining Indian cuisine and plays to her strengths. Her prawn sukka is a dry prawn curry, with mango pachadi, tempered rice and a savoury banana bread.

Sarah hopes to make up for her disaster during the previous episode, and creates an Arabic-styled beef tartare with beetroot ice cream and lavosh bread. After the judges point out it may be too complicated to be served in flight, she changes her mind. In the end, she plates up a seared wagyu eye fillet, oysters, cauliflower puree, pickled cauliflower and lavosh bread.

Snez works on a seafood dish and presents a sheri fish after discarding her original idea of scallops with stuffed peppers. 

Alana goes rogue and cooks up a feast of… bugs. She pairs the controversial ingredient with a saffron buttermilk sauce, cous cous, caviar and a salad.

The judges declare that Depinder’s dish deserves Immunity. It’s thoughtful, flavoursome, and rich, which the posh Business Class passengers would love. She makes it into the Top 7 MasterChef Australia contestants, leaving Laura, Snez, Alana, and Sarah at risk of elimination on Sunday.

Episode 42 recap

The six contestants still vying for immunity are tasked with cooking in the Michelin-starred restaurant Idam. They are given 90 minutes each to create a degustation-style menu to celebrate Doha, with each cook given a separate course.

Snez, Alana, Depinder and Ben are given a savoury course, while Sarah and Laura are given a sweet course.

Snez is the first to present, and serves up a course based on the fish market, with sea bass, squid and consommé. The judges are impressed, with Poh saying it was “an elegant dish”.

Alana’s second course was inspired by the amphitheatre, with a smoked eel cream, muhammara, and a bay leaf za’atar chicken skin. Andy says the muhammara was “powerful”, but the smoked eel cream “didn’t stand a chance”.

Ben’s serves up a third course of charred octopus with red pepper jus, camel lardo and potato. The judges are impressed and Andy praises the way Ben cooked the octopus.

Depinder was inspired by the spice stalls and serves up a chicken biriyani along with a mint and pomegranate raita for the fourth course. Andy calls it “delicious” but doesn’t think it’s right for a degustation fine-dining setting.

Sarah serves a dish she isn’t proud of after a disastrous cook. Inspired by the National Museum, she attempted to make a bridging course, with a chutney on the base, topped with blue cheese and sheep’s cheese chocolate, and topped with a tuille. Poh says the cook “pushed it way too far”, and the flavours were too intense.

Laura’s final course was inspired by the Golden Mosque, so she attempted to recreate the building on a plate. It’s a pistachio financier with blood orange and karak tea gelato surrounded by gold tiles. Poh declares it’s “exquisite” and says she “loves it”.

Laura’s and Ben’s dishes were the top two of the day, and Andy calls them “unbelievable.” In the end, Ben walks away with Immunity.

Episode 41 recap

The top eight are whisked away to Doha for the start of International Week. The contestants are given a spread of ingredients celebrated in this region of the world, including pistachios, lamb, cinnamon sticks, Medjool dates, kefir, black limes, pickled green plums, and more. They are asked to use one ingredient from the box to create a “cracker of a dish.” The top two will win Immunity for the rest of the week, so there’s a lot a stake.

Jamie is first to present his dish, and serves up a spice cured hamour with saffron, date, loomi tea and a kishk emulsion. His dish is called complex and sophisticated.

Fan-favourite Callum presents a black lime hamour with zucchini and kefir sulud with flatbread, which really impressed the judges. His dish was praised as “top-tier cooking” and the cook was called “a star”.

Both Jamie and Callum walk away with Immunity for the week, and Jamie is told his dish is “the kind of food that wins this competition”. Could Jamie be the winner of MasterChef Australia 2025?

Episode 40 recap

The contestants arrive to find crates with different country names on them, with each tasked with picking a crate and “taking the judges to that place”. Metaphorically speaking of course, they don’t literally have to fly the judges to Europe.

A very special prize is teased for the top four chefs, which heightens the competition, with most of our seasoned chefs picking European delicacies from Italy, Spain, and France.

Laura blows Andy away with her Sicilian rabbit ragu, a dish that she and her husband fell in love with on their honeymoon to Mt Etna, while Jamie also impressed the judges with his Spanish seafood dish, despite describing it as a “wet, soupy rice”.

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It was Audra and Snez on the chopping block, with Audra electing to cook the seafood from her paella separately, meaning the flavours of her dish didn’t combine. Snez made a Turkish dish with stuffed apples, but Poh and Sofia were left confused by the dish, with Sofia even dubbing it an “interesting texture”.

Unfortunately for Audra, she was eliminated before making it to *dramatic drumroll please* international week. The top four chefs, Laura, Jamie, Sarah and Ben won business tickets to head to Doha.

Episode 39 recap

This episode’s two-round Immunity Challenge was super creative, and some of the dishes that appeared were truly drool-worthy. For the first round, the remaining nine contestants were split up into three teams and asked to nominate a champ to whip up a dish on the MasterChef Australia barbeque in just 45 minutes.

The Purple Team (Depinder, Audra and Laura) nominate Laura as their champ, and she serves up a coral trout with native salad and a Warrigal greens emulsion.

The Grey Team (Jamie, Callum and Alana) nominate Jamie as their champ, and he creates a delicious Japanese pancake, okonomiyaki, along with charred squid, prawns and a herb salad.

The Green Team (Ben, Snez and Sarah) nominate Sarah as their champ, and she gets creative with a BBQ cabbage and duck bolognese.

The judges praise all three dishes, but Jamie’s okonomiyaki comes out on top, giving the Grey Team a chance to fight for immunity.

In the second round, Jamie, Alana and Callum have a chance to win immunity. Each contestant is given a chance to pick a mysterious portrait of a historical figure who has made their mark on the culinary world.

Alana picks Dame Nellie Melba, and serves up a peach melba with a tonka bean and salted honey parfait, a strawberry and raspberry sauce, poached and pickled peaches, and Thai basil oil to finish. The judges love the textures and flavours.

Jamie gets the Duke of Wellington, and creates a lamb wellington with parsnip instead of pastry, comparing it to a spring roll. While Andy is concerned about the cook, considering Jamie sears it in the pan twice, and then deep fries it, the dish actually presents beautifully.

Callum picks Anna Pavlova and decides to make a Russian Babushka doll-themed pavlova. Yum! He fills his meringues with strawberry and lemon coulis, a strawberry and fig sorbet, fresh figs, a fig leaf oil, fig leaf sherbert and a crème fraiche mousse. The judges are so impressed with his take on the pavlova, that Callum ends up walking away with immunity.

Episode 38 recap

Episode 38’s Elimination Pressure Test has been set by award-winning pastry chef Philip Khoury. He asks Alana, Snez and Andre to recreate an intricate dessert called Dawn of a Tropical New Day in just two hours and 15 minutes. It’s a plant-based dessert, with coconut, white chocolate, fresh mango compote and coconut chantilly.

Snez is determined to avoid elimination, and stays relatively calm and focused through the challenge. While she struggles with tempering the coconut chocolate at first, she ends up mastering the dessert. Andy calls it “crazy good” and says it’s almost identical to Philip’s creation. Wow!

Alana previously went home after struggling in a Pressure Test, so she doesn’t want to make the same mistake this time. However, a mistake during the first part of the recipe leaves her rushing to catch up, and she accidentally dips her hemisphere in chocolate. The judges believe it’s a good effort, although not as precise as Snez’s.

Andre isn’t a dessert guy, so it’s no surprise he struggles with Philip’s plant-based delight. In the end, his ratios were all wrong, with his chocolate shell and sponge ending up being too thick. This results in Andre being sent home.

Episode 37 recap

We love a Monday Mystery Box episode! This challenge is one you can recreate at home using your trusty airfryer. The 10 remaining contestants have to use an airfryer to whip up a tasty dish, using the airfryer for one or more of their elements. They’re not allowed to use the oven, and the bottom three will be sent to fight for their lives in an elimination challenge.

In an odd move, Sarah decides to make a completely carrot-themed dish, which Jean-Christophe says is “risky”. After presenting a carrot medallion, carrot puree and carrot gel to the judges, she’s deemed the winner of the night and takes home a $5000 Harvey Norman prize voucher. Declan will be proud!

However, Alana, Snez and Andre struggled with their airfryer elements and are deemed the worst cooks of the evening. They’ll have to face each other in the elimination challenge during the next episode.

Episode 36 recap

Aussie icon Maggie Beer popped into the MasterChef kitchen to say hello and set the remaining 11 contestants a fun new activity, with the challenge being a “decreasing time versus increasing ingredients” task. Basically, this means that the contestants must create a dish from a certain pantry haul within a shrinking time limit.

Callum had previously done this challenge and decided not to go with his prior decision of waiting for the final pantry reveal, and instead picked the 75-minute time frame, wanting to create “a celebration” of verjuice. While the rest of us Googled what verjuice even is (a highly acidic juice made by pressing unripe grapes, crab-apples or other sour fruit, according to Wikipedia!), Depinder and Ben waited until crunch time, waiting to see what final ingredients would be revealed, leaving themselves only 55 minutes for the cook.

While the risk paid off for Depinder, with the judges loving her curry, Ben wasn’t quite as lucky with his pan-roasted ocean trout, with Andy thinking the dish was too heavy. However, it was Declan who missed out on the chance of making the top 10, with the judges not sold on his skewers and slaw dish.

Episode 35 recap

Aussie legend Curtis Stone is back again to set his second challenge for the remaining chefs in an Immunity Cook. The chefs must create their own ice cream flavour, with Winter as their inspiration. The winner’s icecream will be sold for a limited time in Coles around the country!

With 90 minutes on the clock, the chefs have not time to waste. Callum plans a boysenberry blast, and serves the judges Boysenberry Ripple Ice Cream with chocolate-covered honeycomb, served with boysenberry meringue, boysenberry jelly, honeycomb, blackberries and violet gin granita. Also, going with a single dessert theme is Laura, with Sticky date pudding with a Sticky Date inspired Date and Cinnamon ice cream.

Audra and Depinder find inspiration in Chai flavours. Depinder’s Masala Chai Ice Cream Sandwiches are a “triumph” according to Curtis. The judges also loved Audra’s Chai tea Ice Cream, but Sofial thinks the tea flavouring is a little strong.

The winner by miles is Laura’s Sticky Date inpired ice cream, and she wins immunity for the week. Better run to Coles to grab her signature Date and Cinnamon ice cream before it runs out.

Episode 34 recap

It’s an Elimination Cook day. Afler placing in the bottom four last episode, Sarah, Ben, Theo, and Jamie are on the chopping block. And it’s none other than Aussie celebrity chef, Curtis Stone setting a Cook Along challenge.

That challenge? Our four chefs have an hour to produce a Slow-cooked Lamb Raviolo alongside Curtis. It’s a dish that, according to Curtis, usually takes up to 3 hours to cook and serve.

But the timer is set, and Sarah, Ben, Theo, and Jamie get to work. But keeping up with one of Australia’s top professional chef is a tall order for some. Sarah pulls ahead of Curtis throughout the challenge, and so does Ben. But Theo almost immediately falls behind.

Despite a valliant effort throughout the competition, Theo’s serves up last. Ultimately, his undercooked pasta and bad timing gets him sent home. Sarah, Ben, and Jamie hold onto their aprons.

Episode 33 recap

Torres Strait Islander entrepreneur, author and chef Nornie Bero was the guest judge for today’s Mystery Box challenge. Inside the Mystery Box are all Native Australian ingredients: emu fillet, yabbies, mackrel, pepperberry, Warrigul greens, strawberry gum, saltbush, pearl onions, yams, sunrise limes, and ooray plums. Chefs have 75 minutes to cook up a dish with only their under-bench essentials and Nornie’s Native ingredients.

Many of the chefs have never cooked with Native ingredients. But Snez is excited by the ooray plums and attempts to cook a version of her favourite Serbian potato-based dumpling dessert, Knedle. Meanwhile, Laura is passionate about cooking with Native ingredients and opts to make Yabbies and Yams, which uses all the ingredients except for the wild tamarinds and emu fillet.

The bottom four for the Elimination Cook must be chosen, however. With his impressive Emu Carpaccio, Callum is safe. But Ben, Theo, Sarah and Jamie’s lack of experience with Native ingredients let them down and landed them in next episode’s Elimination Cook.

Episode 32 recap

Sweet Week comes to a cracker of a close with an Elimination Cook. Upon entering the Masterchef Australia kitchen, the remaining chefs were greeted with 4 adorable children dressed as mini-me versions of the judges. The kids were the ultimate clue for the theme of the day’s challenge: serve up a dish in 75 minutes inspired by their own childhood memories. Whoever’s dish failed to impress the judges would hang up their apron.

Everyone digs deep for this challenge. Depinder opts to make a Tropical Lamington with Mango and Passionfruit. A dish inspired by the first time she tried a Lamington as a kid after her family arrived in Australia. Also, looking to memories of family for inspiration, Theo makes Fried Baklava with Liquid Nitrogen Thyme and honey ice cream -inspired by his grandmother’s own baklava recipe.

But the judges are most impressed by Sarah’s Cereal, a cross between her mother’s cookie jugs and, well, cereal. Andy is delighted, “I couldn’t’ve felt more childlike.” Likewise, Snez’s Honey Cake with Crème Fraiche and Lemon Honey Syrup boasts over 10 layers of deliciousness. Poh can’t believe the layering Snez achieved in just 75 minutes.

Unfortunately, Theo’s innovative Bklava and Beau’s discombobulating Spider Splice dessert placed them in the bottom two. While his Baklava had perfect crunch, it was among the least impressive dishes of the night. In the end, despite his pure love and joy for the competition, Beau’s “confused” Spider Splice with homemade Cola Granita and Vanilla Ice Cream got him sent home.

The remaining 12 chefs have officially made it to the halfway point of Masterchef Australia: Back To Win. We can’t wait for what’s in store for the second half of the competition.

Episode 31 recap

The end of Sweet Week draws closer and closer, but not before the judges set an immunity challenge and a taste test with a jiggly twist. The chefs are greeted with a table full of bright jelly cubes on small plates. Each cube is infused with the flavour of a single ingredient without the real texture of that ingredient to help the chefs guess.

First ones out in the taste test were Snez, followed by Alana, Beau, Jame and Andre. Depinder and Ben don’t make the cut either, leaving Theo, Declan, Sarah, Callum and Audra to fight it out in the Immunity Cook.

Round 2 is a sequel to the first challenge, where each chef has 90 minutes to create a dessert using the ingredients from the cubes. Declan serves an Almond and Mango Tart with Pandan Coconut Ice Cream. Unfortunately, he’s let down, according to both Poh and Jean-Christophe, by his undercooked tart.

Ultimately, it’s Callum who cooks up an “elite” dessert, according to Andy. His Gin and Tonic: gin and grapefruit mousse, rhubarb granita, roasted rhubarb, and basil snow earns him immunity to the surprise of no one.

Episode 30 recap

Poh set a Pressure Test in Episode 30, and surprise, surprise, it was another dessert! But, it wasn’t just one dessert — Beau, Callum, Andre, and Laura were tasked with recreating three of Poh’s sweet dishes: her Milly Filly, Rhubarb Tart, and Chiffon Cake.

Callum struggled with the task, and Andy pointed out some flaws in his dishes during judging, declaring, “I think Callum is human after all”. Poh added that he could have been in trouble if this were an Elimination Challenge. Andre did an acceptable job, but the judges weren’t blown away by his dishes.

Meanwhile, Poh, Sofia, Andy and Jean-Christophe were seriously impressed with both Beau and Laura’s creations. But, in the end, it was Laura who won Immunity.

“I am so thrilled with the result. I think everything tastes spot on,” Poh said of Laura’s desserts.

Episode 29 recap

It’s Sweet Week on Masterchef, and a Mystery Box challenge will decide who competes in the next immunity round. So, what’s in the box? Goo! Our chefs must dish up a gooey creation for the judges and the top 4 dishes go through to Tuesday’s Pressure Cook.

Despite being grossed out at first, Callum’s Chocolate and Macadamia Cremeux with Parsnip and Salt, and Vinegar, blows the judges away. Judge Jean-Christophe even praises the dish as Michelin Star worthy.

Not so lucky, Sarah has a “bad day at the office” according to Jean-Christophe. Her Chocolate and Caramel Fondant disappoints all the Masterchef judges.

Andre sticks to his roots and opts for a sweet twist on an Italian staple. His sweet Gnocchi with Amaro Caramel and Almond Ice Cream gets him through to the immunity cook-off with nothing but praise from the judges.

Joining Callum and Andre in the Pressure Cook next episode will be Laura and Beau. Laura’s indulgent Amaretto Affogato with almond Semifreddo and Amaretto Caramel is a clear favourite – and even though desserts aren’t his strong suit, Beau wows the judges with his gooey caramel Tiramisu, aka his “Tiramigoo”.

Episode 28 recap

Episode 28 featured another elimination. This time, the contestants participated in two rounds. In the first, they took part in a challenging laksa taste test set by one of Australia’s most renowned Malaysian chefs, Junda Khoo of Ho Jiak. The four contestants who guessed the wrong ingredients landed in round two: Samira, Jamie, Theo, and Beau.

In Round Two, the four contestants cooked a MasterChef-worthy dish using a selection of the 40+ ingredients that made up Junda’s laksa bomb dish from Round One.

The judges loved Theo’s Murtabak and said Jamie’s Khao Sio was cooked perfectly but lacked fish sauce. They were impressed with Beau’s peanutless Chicken Satay but were unsure about Samira’s Turkish Chicken and Eggplant Kofta.

Poh, Andy, Sofia and Jean-Christophe pointed out that Samira’s chicken patties were dry due to the amount of lean meat she used, and she was eliminated from the competition.

Episode 27 recap

It’s a Dough-Fest in the MasterChef Australia garden! Twelve contestants were given a Service Challenge, which saw them tasked with cooking a dough-based savoury dish and sweet dish in teams within four hours.

The teams were:

• The Orange Team: Theo, Andre and Beau.
• The Turquoise Team: Declan, Laura and Sarah.
• The Pink Team: Samira, Alana and Ben.
• The Yellow Team: Jamie, Audra and Snez.

The Orange Team served Gnocchi with Porcini Bolognese Ragu for savoury, and Sourdough Lemon Meringue Doughnuts for sweet. The Turquoise Team, a dish of Choux Buns with Craquelin, Fried Pizza with Stracciatella, Sugo and Salumi XO sauce. The Pink Team opted for a Slow-Cooked Lamb Pita dish and Chinese Doughnuts and The Yellow Team went with an Asian Cold Noodle dish with [rawns and a Cream-Filled Brioche Bun for their sweet.

When it came to judging, Poh, Andy, Sofia and Jean-Christophe said that the Yellow Team’s rush to finish was evident in their noodle dish, with the sauce tasting bitter. However, they were wowed by the Turquoise Team’s creation and  Declan, Laura and Sarah scored immunity from the next elimination.

Episode 26 recap

Episode 26 was another Pressure Test, but this time no one would be eliminated. Instead, the cooks behind the best two dishes would score Immunity.

Depinder, Callum, Theo, Audra, Andre, Beau, and Alana battled it out for the prize. Unlike normal Pressure Tests, which are set by esteemed chefs, the contestants were asked to create their own Pressure-Test-Worthy dish.

The standout dishes were Depinder’s Matcha Cake and Callum’s Cafe Grande dessert that left Poh, Andy, Sofia and Jean-Christophe in shock.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Poh told Callum.

Upon tasting it, all four judges agreed that his dish was highly technical and perfectly executed.

It was Depinder and Callum who scored Immunity from the next elimination challenge.

Episode 25 recap

Today’s Mystery Box was also an epic head-to-head challenge as each pair of contestants was matched with the same Lee Kum Kee sauce. The winner in every pair would earn a spot in this week’s immunity challenge.

Stand out pair Laura and Depinder battled it out with Chiu Chow Style Chilli Oil, and both opted for desserts. Depinder creates a chilli oil ice cream with a coconut sago pudding and a lychee and lime granita. Meanwhile, Laura makes a chilli caramel with pineapple, coconut and lime sorbet and
Koreon chilli crisps. The judges gobble up both, but ultimately Depinder takes the win.

Audra and Ben battle it out with Hoisin sauce as their weapon of choice. Playing to her strengths Audra whips up duck pancakes, while Ben opts for a creative rice pudding dessert with coconut, blackberries, dark chocolate and a hoisin caramel. But Audra’s duck pancakes took the win.

Depinder, Callum, Theo, Audra, Andre, Beau and Alana are the seven who will go on to battle it out for this week’s Immunity Cook.

Episode 24 recap

Viral week was still in full swing on this week’s MasterChef, with viral food influencer chef Andy Cooks setting the challenges. Round one challenged our cooks to pull off an epic cheese-pull, while second round pushed chefs to create a ‘satisfying slice’.

Round one is a tight 45-minute turnaround. At the final tasting, Depinder’s samosas are off the charts, and Jamie’s Korean cheese corn with bulgogi beef super impresses the judges.

Sadly, Andre’s 4-cheese Zeppole with anchovy and onion isn’t fully cooked, as was Sofia’s bread. Darrsh’s blue cheese fails to yield an epic cheese-pull, placing them at the bottom for round two.

Round two offers the contestants 75 minutes to create the ‘perfect slice’. Callum tops the cohort with a strawberries and cream dessert with a chocolate disk. Meanwhile, Samira claws her way from the bottom in round one to judge favourite in round two with Lamb maqluba.

With his blue-cheese being an epic-pull fail and his choux pastry totally burned in round two, Darrsh bids farewell to the MasterChef kitchen.

Episode 23 recap

It’s viral week on MasterChef and our cooks are dealing with deli meats and fast fusions. Who will be granted immunity?

Before round one, the chefs are greeted with a smorgasbord of deli meats. The challenge? Serve up the ultimate deli sandwich featuring at least one of the meats on the counter.

Jamie, Declan and Andre top the class for this round. Jamie plates up a Croque Madame sandwich with béchamel, ham and gooey hot honey. After frying his taste buds and mistaking capsicum for scotch bonnet pepper, Declan powered through with a classic ham and cheese combo with homemade crisps and pickles. Andre also opted for classic deli delish with a Sicilian caponata and ricotta cream sandwich.

Inspired by the viral cronut, the challenge of creating one perfect mash-up dish stood between one of our chefs and immunity. Jamie opted for Korean fried chicken tacos, Declan created a ‘lobby-lair’ lobster eclaire, and Andre concocted a caprese salad with ravioli and a sweet custard filling, which he called a ‘caprese dolce’.

Ultimately, the judges awarded Declan immunity.

Episode 22 recap

Dessert Masters winner John Demetrios returned to the MasterChef Australia kitchen to set a Pressure Test for Snez, Andre, Ben and Laura. They were tasked with recreating his Chocolate Meteor.

Andre faced some troubles when he overheated his chocolate, which put him behind. Then, he overcooked his biscuit. To make matters work, the balloon remained stuck inside his dish. Unsurprisingly, the judges had some pretty harsh criticism for his dessert.

Ben had a similar problem; while he was happy with his dish, he too was unable to remove a piece of balloon from the chocolate shell at the end, which meant the judges were unable to flambe his chocolate egg. However, they were impressed with the other elements.

On the other side of things, the judges were blown away by Laura’s creation, with John calling it “absolutely delicious”. Snez also produced a near-perfect-looking replication, and the inside was just as good.

In the end, the judges deemed Snez’s dish the best, and she won Immunity for the next challenge.

Episode 21 recap

Social media sensation Mango Sooshi joined the MasterChef judges for an Italian-themed Mystery Box challenge.

However, the home cooks weren’t told who had set the challenge, and Joe, Carlo and Andrew watched them make their creations from a private room with a TV screen.

During the cook, Sooshi Mango weighed in on the happenings in their typical “Italian nonna” characters, which they broadcast online. Once the dishes were ready, they entered the MasterChef kitchen and gave feedback to the contestants. 

The trio and MasterChef Australia 2025 judges loved Laura, Snez, Ben, and Andre’s dishes. Laura made Chestnut Garganelli with Osso Bucco and Peas, Snez served a Fregola Soup with Baccala and Pipis , Ben whipped up Salt Cod Croquettes with Sugo and Basil Mayonnaise while Andre presented the judges with Buttermilk Ricotta Gnocchi with Charred Cucumber Consommé and Borage Oil.

Those four contestants were sent through to the next Pressure Test, which will be another Viral Week challenge.

Episode 20 recap

The teams that didn’t win Episode 19’s Team Relay were sent through to an Elimination Challenge set by Jean-Christophe Novelli and were tasked with creating a dish that celebrated butter.

The judges loved Samira’s Fateh Jaj with Andy raving about it and saying that it’s likely the best thing he will eat all month. The judges also loved Alana’s dessert, which Sofia called a “love letter to butter”, and Audra’s Frangipane Tart impressed Jean-Christophe to no end.

On the other side of things, Ben’s dish of Lamb Filet in Beurre Noisette, with Freekeh Tabbouleh, Anchovy Butter and Parsnip Purée is not all he hoped it would be, and the judges agreed. It looked like there was a chance Ben would be sent home wearing his Immunity Pin. Tim was also in trouble – his duck dish was undercooked and the fat hadn’t rendered down.

The judges said that Beau, Jamie, and Samira had the best dishes of the day, and Ben and Tim were the bottom two. Ultimately, Tim was sent home.

“Obviously, getting eliminated is never fun, and as I’m watching it, I’m coming up with, like, 10 other dishes I could have cooked instead of the damn attempt at doing a confit duck in 75 minutes,” Tim told Chattr in a post-elimination interview.

Episode 19 recap

The contestants geared up for a high-stakes Team Relay challenge, where they were split into four teams.

Each member is responsible for one part of the dish, then passes the baton to the next, with just thirty seconds to communicate before the handoff. They were asked to include potatoes in more than one component on their plate.

The teams were:

• Purple Team – Depinder, Laura, Andre and Callum
• Yellow Team – Darrsh, Audra, Theo and Beau
• Red Team – Sarah, Samira, Jamie and Alana
• Green team – Snez, Declan, Tim and Ben

The judges loved the Yellow Team’s dish, with Poh Ling Yeow calling the pork “perfect” and Sofia adding that it was a “solid dish”. The Purple Team also got rave reviews from the judges.

The Green Team were given positive feedback about their cooking of their pan-fried whiting. However, they failed to include more than one variation of the potatoes and were disqualified. The Red Team also struggled with communication, and Jean-Christophe Novelli wasn’t impressed with the dish.

It was the Purple Team who took out the win, with Sofia saying she could have “devoured the whole thing” on her own.

Episode 18 recap

Episode 18 saw Tim, Audra, Sarah, and Rue compete against one another for another Pressure Test—which, unsurprisingly, was a dessert again. They were asked to recreate five plates of guest chef Blayne Bertoncello’s Sourdough and Strawberry with Elderflower and Balsamic.

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 knew I was gonna go home. I didn’t think I I deserved to stay more than [Tim],” Rue told Chattr in a post elimination interview.

“He also worked really hard in that Pressure Test, and he did have a few flaws, but I feel like a bad pastry cream is, like, you know, you’re gonna go home, because that was pretty much the base of the dessert.”

Episode 17 recap

In Episode 17, the MasterChef Australia contestants geared up for a Mystery Box challenge with Ixta Belfrage. The box contained prawns, bonito, masa flour, coconut milk, mango, basil, okra, pineapple, limes, dried hibiscus, and cinnamon sticks.

Of course, there was a twist — there was an extra small Mystery Box and contestants wouldn’t know the ingredient inside it until 30 minutes into the challenge. The contestants were required to use at least one item from the main Mystery Box, as well as whatever was in the second box, and the bottom four dishes would be sent through to the next Pressure Test.

There were chillies inside the second box, which most of the contestants integrated well into their dishes. However, Tim, Audra, Sarah, and Rue struggled with their cook, and they will compete against each other in the elimination round.

Episode 16 recap

The two teams that failed to impress the judges the most in episode 15 headed into the elimination round, which meant that Alana, Darrsh, Jamie, Laura, Rhiannon, Audra, Rue, Samira, Sarah, Snez and Tim were all cooking for their lives in the competition.

They were set a task by Josh Niland to create a dish with a spin on the classic Surf and Turf.

The judges were unsure about Rhiannon’s dish — Lobster Wontons in Beef Broth — and Darrsh’s creation of Beef Bone Marrow Sticky Date Pudding with Fish Sauce Butterscotch. However, Darrsh scraped through and Rhiannon was sent home because the judges weren’t impressed with the skin on her dumplings.

“I was actually really upset because this was not how I wanted to go out,” she told Chattr in a post-elimination interview.

“But I also know that I did push myself beyond my limits. So, I was just really proud of what I did this season. I definitely didn’t want to go at that particular time, and I would have fought as long as I could. But, it just wasn’t my day.”

Episode 15 recap

The scene was set for an impressive challenge, with Episode 15 taking place underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge with the iconic Opera House as a backdrop. The contestants were divided into teams, and asked to elevate a classic pub feed.

• Blue: Alana, Darrsh, Jamie, Laura and Rhiannon
• Orange: Andre, Beau, Ben, Callum, Depinder
• Green: Audra, Rue, Samira, Sarah, Snez and Tim

Like most MasterChef challenges, this one had a twist. Three of the contestants started the meal, and the other three teammates stepped in halfway through to finish it.

The green team was sent straight through to the Immunity Challenge as their starter contained scales, and the main was overcooked.

While the judges were impressed by both the Orange and Blue teams, the Orange team took the win, meaning that Andre, Beau, Ben, Callum, and Depinder were safe from the upcoming elimination round.

Episode 14 recap

After Monday’s creative Mystery Box challenge, the four contestants facing the Pressure Test were Tim, Rue, Ben and Jimmy. Ben had an immunity pin, but decided not to use it this time.

For this pressure test the challenge is set by two-time World Pastry Champion Steven He. The challenge? Oh, just create a literal balloon puppy out of chocolate sponge, shortbread, sour cherry compote and a white chocolate black tea ganache. Can’t be too hard right?

Unfortunately, Tim and Jimmy had never tempered white chocolate — so creating a balloon animal out of it wasn’t an easy feat.

After a long and grueling three hours, the balloon puppy closest to Steven’s was from Ben. While it resembled more of a rabbit than a puppy, it was pretty spectacular.

Sadly, it was Jimmy’s puppy that was the furthest from Steven’s. Andy even called it a “potato ready to sprout”. Jimmy was then eliminated from the competition.

Episode 13 recap

Episode 13 saw another Mystery Box challenge, with a twist. Unlike the normal mystery box where you open the lid to see what’s inside, this mystery box needed to be unwrapped.

Made from paperbark, vine leaf, lotus lead, pandan, corn husk, cabbage, betel leaf, banana leaf and parchment paper — the challenge this week was to cook a dish wrapped in one these ingredients. The catch? They will only know if their dish is properly cooked once the judges unwrap it.

Highlights from this week’s mystery box challenges were Laura’s “incredible” paper bark and lemon myrtle wrapped coral trout with arrigal greens, Snez’ melt-in-your-mouth cabbage rolls, and Jamie’s tamales with banana leaf.

Unfortunately, the bottom four for this challenge were Rue, Ben, Jimmy and Tim. So who will be going home?

Episode 12 recap

Episode 12 kicked off with Showstoppers Week. This week contestants were cooking to save themselves, with a pesky challenge all about “tableside theatre”. What does that mean, you might ask? Well, it’s all about adding flair to a dish, it’s that va va voom dining experience. Think: fire and liquid nitrogen.

Facing off this challenge were Rue, Theo, Andre, Depinder, Beau, Snez, Tim, Matt and Jamie. Stand out dishes this week were Depinder’s flavour explosion with dish ‘Raj Kachori’, Beau’s theatrical ‘Home among the Gumtrees’ dessert with black tea ice cream and Anzac biscuit, and Jamie’s “well-executed” comte custard, macadamia and pear sorbet with flavoured cloud.

This left Matt, Rue and Snez’ heads on the chopping block. Ultimately, it was Matt’s “wet” Bombe Alaska that sent him home.

Episode 11 recap

In Episode 11, the MasterChef Australia contestants were divided up into four teams for a Service Challenge run by judge Jean Christophe Novelli.

The teams were as follows:

• Brown: Andre, Depinder, Rue, Theo and Ben.
• Green: Laura, Jimmy, Samira, Alana and Rhiannon.
• Blue: Darrsh, Declan, Audra, Callum and Sarah.
• Grey: Snez, Matt, Tim, Beau and Jamie.

They were asked to cook a dessert and a main. One dish had to be a classic French dish, and the other should have a French twist.

Two teams were awarded Immunity — the green team and the blue team. Meaning that Andre, Depinder, Rue, Theo, Ben, Snez, Matt, Tim, Beau and Jamie were sent through to the upcoming Elimination Challenge.

Episode 10 recap

Episode 10 of MasterChef Australia Back to Win 2025 saw celebrity chef Curtis Stone return to the show as a guest judge for the Immunity Challenge.

Up for the cook were Snez, Ben, Andre and Jimmy, who were tasked with recreating Curtis’ Pork Loin with Beurre Monté, Braised Fennel, Pistachio Dukkah, and Carrot Puree. However, they’d had to use their initiative as they weren’t given a recipe.

Ben and Snez impressed the judges the most. Snez for her perfectly cooked pork, and Ben for practically making a carbon copy of Curtis’ creation. But it was Ben who scored the win, giving him Immunity (again!) for the next elimination round.

Episode 9 recap

During Episode 9, the cast was set the task of cooking with kitchen leftovers provided by the judges.

Andy’s group consisted of Jamie, Beau, Callum, Rhiannon, and Tim and was given Herb stalks. Jean-Christophe’s team consisted of Snezana, Laura, Samira, Andre, Rue, Alana, Ben, and Matt, and they got rinds.

Meanwhile, Poh Ling Yeow‘s group of Audra, Darrsh, and Depinder had pastry offcuts and Sofia Levin‘s group of Declan, Jimmy, Sarah, and Theo were given leftover pickle juice.

It was Andre, Jimmy, Snez, and Ben who impressed the judges the most, and they were sent through to the Episode 10 Pressure Test, where they will face off in the hope of winning Immunity.

However, the fun didn’t end there; the judges crowned Andre’s dish the winner, and he scored a $5000 LG voucher to help stock his dream kitchen. 

Episode 8 recap

Episode 8 saw the return of the Cube Taste Challenge, which involves blindfolded contestants tasting small cubes of food that they had to correctly identify to avoid elimination.

However, the challenge had a twist this year: contestants were divided into three teams of six, and only one person per team participated in the challenge. The first contestant to guess wrong in the Cube Taste Test would send their entire team to the Elimination Challenge.

Jamie made the first blunder by incorrectly identifying a strawberry cube, and he, Steph, Andre, Snezana, Tim, and Matt were sent through to round two. They were told that they could cook anything they liked, but only the ingredients from the Cube Taste Challenge would be available.

Jamie struggled after overcooking his duck but managed to get a fresh piece cooked and served right before the time ran out.

Meanwhile, Steph was happy with her Pork Belly dish. However, the judges said the fat on the pork hadn’t rendered, and the bechamel in her sauce was too strong, and she was eliminated from the competition.

Episode 7 recap

Guest judge Shannon Bennett handed the MasterChef 2025 contestants a 20-minute Challenge. It was pretty self-explanatory—they could cook whatever they wanted as long as it was done within 20 minutes.

The judges were impressed by most of the dishes served to them, though there were some criticisms. Poh told Rhiannon her prawns were undercooked, and Andy said Audra should have used more acid in her seafood dish.

“It was so tough to choose a winner,” Sofia told the group. “But there was one dish that had us fighting over the last morsel.”

That person was Theo for his Loukoumades with Mandarin, Lemon, Thyme and Honey Syrup and Mahlab Glaze. As a result, he was granted immunity from the next Elimination Challenge, the Cube Taste Test, which will air on Sunday.

Episode 6 recap

Episode 6 of MasterChef Australia was the first Pressure Test of the season, and Sarah, Darrsh, Ben, and Sav battled it out to remain in the competition.

The queen of Chocolate and Dessert Masters alumni, Kirsten Tibballs, set the task, which involved recreating a chocolate tin filled with ‘caviar’ — made of coffee on chocolate mousse and cake.

Kristin was impressed with Ben and Sarah’s final dish, but thought Darrsh’s chocolate tin was too thick.

However, the judges deemed Sav’s dish to look the most different from Kristen’s, and she was eliminated from the competition.

Episode 5 recap

Episode 5 was the first Mystery Box Challenge of the season.

The episode saw guest judge Peter Gilmore reveal a box of ingredients including chicken, baby squid, lemon, eggplant, cherries, spring onion, vanilla, oloroso cherry, prunes, dark chocolate, leeks, kombu, and gochujang.

The contestants had 75 minutes to make their dish, and were required to use at least one of the ingredients from the box. The three dishes that impressed the judges the least were sent to the next Elimination Cook, where they’d be joined by Sarah, who was still off sick. Those chefs were Darrsh, Sav and Ben.

Episode 4 recap

In Episode 4 of MasterChef Australia the contestants were asked to cook dishes that represented how far they have come since their first appearance on the show.

Audra was safe after winning the challenge in Episode 3 and watched on from the galley. Sarah, who was unwell and missed the challenge, was automatically sent through to the next Elimination Cook.

It was Tim, Samira and Cath who landed in the bottom three. Samira for dulling the flavour on her Shakirya, Tim for choosing to cook a sub-par Toastie and Cath for burning the mushrooms on her hibachi grilled Japanese dish.

However, Cath’s dish ultimately impressed the judges the least, and she was the first person eliminated from the competition.

In a post-elimination interview, Cath told Chattr that she was “devastated”, but tried to stay positive by reminding herself how lucky she was to be invited onto the show in the first place.

“Someone has to go first, you know, and that’s me. Reflecting afterwards, I’m just so proud and just really grateful,” she said.

“I did have a little bit of a laugh about myself thinking, ‘Well, you know what, someone has to go out first’. I remember saying to Rue, ‘I’m a sacrificial lamb’. But I tell you what, I’m a beautiful, slow-cooked lamb, that is so delicious,” Cath added.

Episode 2 recap

MasterChef Australia Episode 2 saw Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay put eight contestants to the test in a Keep Up Challenge, which involved recreating two of his dishes, with an Immunity Pin on the line.

Ahead of the episode, MasterChef Australia 2025 judge Poh told Chattr that Gordon “takes no prisoners”, which was clearly demonstrated in the episode.

The Hell’s Kitchen star dished out his instructions at a speedy pace as Rue, Cath, Darrsh, Callum, Ben, Rhiannon, Audra and Matt barely managed to keep up.

In the end, it was Ben who impressed the five judges the most and was awarded the only Immunity Pin of the season.

Episode 1 recap

The MasterChef Australia 2025 premiere kicked off with an appearance from Gordon as a Celebrity Judge, who told the contestants they’d be split into three teams and competing in a Service Challenge.

The Blue Team consisted of Samira, Depinder, Theo, Jamie, Alana, Jimmy, Laura. The Red Team had Steph, Andrew, Sav, Pete, Declan, Beau, Tim, while the Green team was made up of Rue, Rhiannon, Matt, Audra, Darrsh, Ben, Cath.

The judges announced that three more contestants who’ve competed on MasterChef multiple times would return: Sarah for the Blue Team, Laura for the Red Team, and Callum for the Green Team.

“You’ve got people like Laura, Callum and Sarah who are obviously there for a third time. And I feel like that goes to show how much this competition means to people,” judge Andy told Chattr of the veterans’ return.

But the Green Team impressed Gordon and the judges Poh, Andy, Sofia, and Jean-Christophe the most, and they were sent through to the Immunity Pin challenge in the next episode.

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

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MasterChef Australia’s Sav Pererra is hanging up her contestant’s apron to join the judging panel on MasterChef Sri Lanka. And, the skilled Sri Lankan chef is proud that by sticking to her guns and cooking food that’s authentic to her roots has landed her in such a coveted position.

During Sav’s time on MasterChef Australia 2024 and 2025, she focused on cooking Sri Lankan-inspired dishes. Unfortunately, she was criticised on social media for not choosing a larger range of cuisines, with some people going as far as to question her cooking skills and calling her a ‘one trick pony’.

However, in the end, Sav got the last laugh because her decision to stay loyal to cooking dishes that represented her Sri Lankan culture ultimately scored her the judge role on MasterChef Sri Lanka.

“It was one thing that I was criticised for a lot, because I chose to fly the Sri Lankan flags so high on season 16,” she explained. “And with that came a lot of love from the Sri Lankan community and a lot of Australians as well, saying, Well, we [now] know that Sri Lankan cuisine is not like Indian food or anything else.”

“But with that, on the downside, it was like absolute cyberbullying that I faced, which is awful, just constantly people not understanding that just one dish is not the same as anything else.”

“But it was the right move for me to be staunchly blunken, and now, look where it’s led to. The production company has faith in me to go, ‘Yep, she knows what she’s doing.’ I always say that because I’ve been a contestant, knowing that I have one-fourth of the power to change someone’s life, the way that my life was changed, is incredible.”

Sav has spoken candidly on Instagram about the online backlash she faced for staying true to Sri Lankan dishes on MasterChef Australia, but told Chattr that there was a satisfaction in proving the naysayers wrong when she landed the MasterChef Sri Lanka judging gig.

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“It is a huge full circle moment, and it’s funny, because it’s kind of a nod to the haters going like, ‘Too bad, look at where I am now.'”

Will Sav expect contestants to cook local cuisine on MasterChef Sri Lanka?

While Sav represented Sri Lankan cuisine on MasterChef Australia, she told Chattr that the food that the MasterChef Sri Lanka contestant cooks will come down to personal preference.

“I’m not going into it expecting a lot of people to just be cooking in Sri Lankan food, because we can already see from our contestants that they’re diverse. They’ve got different things they want to showcase to us.”

Joining Sav to judge the contestants’ dishes will be Rohan Fernandopulle, Kapila Jayasinghe and Australian chef Peter Kuruvita. Reflecting on the dynamic between the judges, Sav said that while she initially felt “imposter syndrome” about joining such accomplished chefs, after speaking to MasterChef Australian judge Poh Ling Yeow, she realised she brought something unique to the team.

“I do speak to Poh quite often. I keep in touch with her quite a bit, because she’s also here in Adelaide. I think the most helpful thing that she reminded me time and time again is that when you’ve been a contestant, you never forget that you have been on that side of the bench, and that’s the greatest asset that you have as a judge.”

How to watch Sav on MasterChef Sri Lanka in Australia

Sav has grown a dedicated following from her time on MasterChef Australia, with many of those fans hoping that they’ll be able to watch her in her new role as a judge on MasterChef Sri Lanka.

Sav told Chattr that the show will be available to watch in Australia, and said that she personally pushed to make happen.

“When we go to air, I’m pretty sure we’ll have an overseas platform. It’s something that we’ve insisted on anyway, between Peter and I, because he’s from Sydney and here, yeah, so there should be digital viewing and it it will be in English, because it’s going to be in all three languages in Sri Lanka. So we’ll have it with either subtitles or a dubbed version.”

Stream MasterChef Australia on 10Play.

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MasterChef Australia 2025: Back To Win came to a nail-biting conclusion on Tuesday night, with Laura Sharrad being crowned the winner, scoring seven more points than runner-up Callum Hann to take out the title.

The finale episode pushed the remaining two contestants to their limits, with the scores being dead even after round one. However, it was the round two pressure test set by Filipino pastry chef Miko Aspiras that saw Laura gain an advantage of Callum as they both tried to recreate a complex Botanical Garden cake dish.

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.

This resulted in Laura earning 80 out of 90 points in total, with Callum earning 73. 

MasterChef fans ‘heartbroken’ for Callum after tense second challenge

With things being so close in the competition, the Pressure Test was Callum’s downfall and fans felt bitterly disappointed for him.

“The ending of the second cook, it broke me seeing him cry. [It was] like he could feel the trophy slipping away, with his family up in the gantry cheering him on,” one person said in a Reddit thread. “That aching realisation, it’s not that easy. I was crying right along with him, it just hit so hard.”

“Good for Laura finally winning but I’m extremely sad about Callum. In my opinion, Callum, alongside Sarah, are the cooks that elevated this season,” someone else commented. “I’m just absolutely gutted that either of them didn’t win.”

MasterChef fans call out editing of finale: ‘It was so obvious’

While there is no disputing Laura was a worthy winner, some fans called out the editing of the episode (and the season), saying the “winning edit” was obvious.

“Coming here 10 minutes into the episode, it’s already obvious with the edit Laura is going to win,” one person remarked on Reddit.

“Laura deserved the win, but I wish the editing didn’t have us already knowing she was going to win from day one,” someone else said.

Other MasterChef fans felt annoyed about the flack Laura copped all season from viewers, with armchair critics accusing the show and judges of favouritism when it came to the talented chef.

“The series editing was bad in how it stacked the deck for months — but I still think if she [Laura] had been a man with that kind of editing and time showed to her (COUGH, CALLUM), that the perspective would be completely different,” one person theorised. “Laura also constantly praised her competitors’ talent and constantly spoke of how hard she would have to strive to beat them. She’s humble and hardworking, just like Callum. I’m just tired of the obvious misogyny.”

What a season! You can find the latest on MasterChef Australia 2026 here.

Stream the MasterChef Australia grand finale on 10Play.

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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 Wincame 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.

The MasterChef Australia 2025 finale saw her face off against MasterChef returnee and co-owner of how own Cooking School, Callum Hann.

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

Laura and Callum during the first round of the MasterChef 2025 grand finale. Image: Ten.

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.

What did judges Andy Allen, Jean Christophe Novelli, Poh Ling Yeow and Sofia Levin score the finalists?

Callum received a 9 from Andy, 9 from Sofia, 10 from Jean Christophe Novelli and 10 from Poh Ling Yeow. Laura scored a 9 from Andy Allen, 9 from Sofia Levin, 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.

Miko’s Botanical Garden cake. Image: Ten.

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.

Laura on MasterChef: Back To Win. Image: Ten

From Sicilian rabbit ragu, to hand-cut tagliarini with yuzu kosho, Laura consistently blew away the judges week-to-week, scoring immunity three times. The MasterChef Australia contestant 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 fine dining restaurant Orana in Adelaide, before launching her own restaurant Nido.

Laura has now appeared on three MasterChef seasons. Image: Ten

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”.

Who was the MasterChef Australia winner in 2024?

The MasterChef Australia 2024 finale was between Josh ‘Pezza’ Perry and Nat Thaipun. Nat took out the win with a score of 71 compared to Josh’s 68.

“I couldn’t believe it, I was in shock to be honest, especially having my family there as well, I couldn’t believe it,” the MasterChef Australia winner told 10.com.au.

Laura pocked $250,000 MasterChef prize money, as well as bragging rights for being the winner of the 2026 season.

Brent Draper wins MasterChef Australia 2023

Brent Draper and Rhiannon Anderson battled it out in the MasterChef 2023 finale, with returnee Brent snatching the win with a score of with 63 points over her 52 points.

“This is a big win but it isn’t just for me. Honestly, it’s for every single person who backed me, who reached out and shared their hard stuff and stories with me, it’s for all those who never gave up,” Brent wrote in a Instagram post celebrating his win.

“This win is for us and I couldn’t be happier than I am right now in this moment!!”

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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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