The MasterChef Australia 2026 finale was a showdown between Petro Papathomas and Vinnie Gibaldi, and saw Vinnie crowned the winner after getting an impressive score of 80 out of 90.
Vinnie not only received bragging rights, but he also scored a grand cash prize of $250,000 as well as the coveted MasterChef Australia trophy.
The finale consisted of two challenges — a Mystery Box and a complex Pressure Test set by an international chef.
The first challenge was scored out of 10 by regular judges Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin, Andy Allen and Jean-Christophe Novelli, meaning the contestants could earn a maximum of 40 points. Meanwhile, an international chef joined the panel as a guest judge for the second challenge, bringing the maximum score for that round to 50 points.
Read on to find out how the MasterChef Australia 2026 finale played out.
What happened in the first finale challenge of MasterChef Australia 2026?
The MasterChef Australia 2026 finale kicked off with a visit from Petro and Vinnie’s families, who had come to cheer them on from the gantry.
The judges announced that the first test of the day was a Mystery Box. Inside was a variety of ingredients handpicked by the guest judges this season, including flathead, duck and black garlic.
Vinnie decided to cook duck breast with a spicy glaze and artichoke skins, but it wasn’t long before he faced his first potential disaster; he overcooked his duck. After a quick breakdown, he decided to pivot to charred flathead with salsa and lemon salt.
The judges were blown away by the dish, with Andy saying the fish was cooked “perfectly” adding that he thinks the fish dish is better than the duck could have been.
Meanwhile, Petro put together two Szechuan caramel and chocolate tarts. As he was about to serve them to the judges, he realised one tart was more cooked than the other and was worried about inconsistency.
Jean-Christophe said they were “fantastic”, and while Sofia remarked that it was “heartbreakingly delicious”, she pointed out that the edge of her pastry was overcooked.
What happened in the second finale challenge of MasterChef Australia 2026?
The second finale challenge was set by world-renowned pastry chef Cherish Finden, who claimed the second task was one of the “most difficult” challenges she’s ever created, adding that she will be a “tough” judge.
Both contestants were tasked with recreating her Chinese afternoon tea, which consisted of a range of delicate cakes that required precise and advanced techniques. Petro and Vinnie were given a whopping five hours to recreate the dessert, and with the complexity of the dish, they needed every minute.
Not far into the second challenge, Vinnie messed up again, forgetting about his coconut, which was meant to be combined in with other ingredients earlier. Over on the other bench, Petro was having issues too — overwhipping his cream twice in a row.
Petro’s struggle only escalated when he realised he’d skipped an entire page of the recipe and failed to make the coconut and pandan mousse, with the disastrous challenge quickly becoming a battle of who could make the fewest mistakes.
In the end, both men finished their dessert towers, but neither was completely happy, knowing there were a number of flaws in their creations. But, it was Petro who was most disappointed in his final dish, breaking down in tears after the time ran out.
The judges loved Vinnie’s mandarin orange, and equally so with the fire crackers, but said the teapot was the weakest link on the plate.
Petro was nervous about his dish, but the judges were really impressed, with Andy saying he was “in love” with the teapots. However, Sofia and Poh were critical of the pandan mousse.
What did the MasterChef Australia judges score the finalists?
Round One – Mystery Box
Vinnie
- Andy: 9 out of 10
- Poh: 9 out of 10
- Sofia: 9 out of 10
- Jean-Christophe: 10 out of 10
Total: 37 out of 40
Petro
- Jean-Christophe: 10 out of 10
- Poh: 8 out of 10
- Andy: 7 out of 10
- Sofia: 7 out of 10
Total: 32 out of 40
Round Two – Pressure Test
Vinnie
- Andy: 9 out of 10.
- Poh: 9 out of 10.
- Sofia: 9 out of 10.
- Jean-Christophe: 8 out of 10.
- Cherish: 8 out of 10.
Total: 43 out of 50.
Petro:
- Jean-Christophe: 7 out of 10.
- Poh: 7 out of 10
- Andy: 7 out of 10.
- Sofia: 7 out of 10.
- Cherish: 7 out of 10.
Total: 35 out of 50.
Overall score
Petro: 67 out of 90.
Vinnie: 80 out of 90.
Stream MasterChef Australia 2026 grand finale on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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