Adam and Callum faced three rounds in the finale, worth 100 points in total. The first round involved basic skills tests and Adam was in front after the first round. The second round was an invention test. Adam and Callum both received 9/10 from each judge for their dishes. The final round was a pressure test, cooking a Peter Gilmore dessert. Adam’s dessert scored higher than Callum’s and scoring 89/100 overall, Adam became Australia’s MasterChef for 2010.

Callum and Adam each spent time with a chef, from the markets to service, with Justin North and Peter Kuruvita. The top 24 contestants returned to the MasterChef kitchen for the last MasterClass. Alvin showed how to make his Drunken Chicken with Bruised Cucumber Salad and Fiona demonstrated her Chocolate Ganache Tart with Lavender Cream and Fresh Raspberries. Gary and George then felt the pressure in their own mystery box challenge.

Cooking dinner for the Governor-General and 30 guests, the contestants were judged on their dishes and their performance in the kitchen. Claire’s roast lamb main had a lot of prep work, and she needed help to finish her dishes, which were late to the table. The judges thought the flavours of Adam’s trout tartlet entrée were good and his dishes consistent. Callum’s fondant desserts were a hit. Claire was eliminated, and Adam and Callum are through to the grand finale.

The final four cooked three dishes that would appear in their cookbook if they became Australia’s next MasterChef. Maggie Beer was a guest judge. Each contestant explained the concept of their cookbook to the judges. The judges thought both Adam and Callum had cooked two stand-out dishes. They didn’t like Claire’s red wine sauce. Jimmy’s bisque had a “soapy” taste and his crème brûlée, although delicious, was soupy and he was eliminated.

Vue de Monde’s Shannon Bennett was a guest judge for the mystery box challenge. Jimmy had picked the ingredients, which included spices and lentils. The contestants had to make two dishes – one sweet and one savoury. Although the judges thought Courtney's dhal was good, they were unimpressed with her pakoras and said her Crêpe with Lemon and Ginger Curd needed another element. Courtney was eliminated, making Adam, Callum, Jimmy and Claire the final four.

The contestants had four hours to recreate Adriano Zumbo’s V8 cake, which featured eight different textures of vanilla and tempered white chocolate on the outside. Courtney, Alvin and Callum were judged to have made the three worst cakes. Alvin was eliminated because his cake was missing two layers and the presentation was poor. Jimmy was judged to have made the best V8 cake and his prize was choosing the ingredients for tomorrow’s mystery box challenge.

Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai was a guest judge for the invention test. The core ingredient was crustaceans and the contestants, working in two teams, had to cook a banquet. The blue team made three dishes and the red team cooked four. The judges thought the red team's dishes was more of a banquet and loved their chilli mud crab. The red team - Courtney, Alvin and Jimmy – won. Their prize was a sneak peek at tomorrow’s pressure test dish. They were also given the recipe.

At her restaurant, Universal, Christine Manfield showed Claire and Jimmy different spices and then used the spices to make Rare Roasted Venison with Garam Masala Potatoes. In the MasterChef kitchen, Gary demonstrated how to cook Smoked Trout with a Winter Salad and George made a childhood favourite of his, Prawn Kalamaki with Tzatziki and Herb Salad. Gary finished with a chocoholic’s dream dessert – Chocolate Gluttony with Spun Sugar.

Alvin, Aaron and Jimmy had to identify eight different kinds of fish. Jimmy got the most correct, so was through to finals week. In the next round, Alvin and Aaron had 40 minutes to cook fish and chips, in whatever way they liked. Alvin made chunky chips, whereas Aaron cooked skinny fries. George said both dishes were good but in the end, Aaron’s “soggy” chips let his dish down and he was eliminated. Alvin will join the other contestants in finals week.

The contestants cooked a signature dish for Matt and four guest judges – renowned chefs Alla Wolf-Tasker, Mark Best, Kylie Kwong and Jacques Reymond. Each judge marked the dishes out of 10 and the four best won a place for its cook in finals week. The judges awarded Claire’s dish the most points. Even though Callum failed to complete his plating in time, he tied for second place with Courtney. Adam is also through to finals week. Alvin, Jimmy and Aaron now face an elimination round.

Claire cooked off against chef Shaun Presland. The dish was a tuna tasting plate with sushi rolls, tuna sashimi tacos and tuna tataki. Claire’s thermometer broke in her oil and she had to use Shaun’s oil to deep fry her taco shells. Shaun finished early and helped Claire, who was upset. Gary gave Claire an extra 10 minutes and she plated up. The judges thought Claire’s dish had good flavours, but Shaun won the challenge, with an excellent score of 29/30.

Jonathan, Courtney and Jimmy cooked off in a pressure test recreating Christine Manfield’s dish, ‘Spice-Roasted Squab with Turnip Cake'. They were given 2 hours 10 minutes to complete the dish which included 55 ingredients. Courtney flustered throughout but managed to produce a top-quality dish. Jimmy also produced a great dish and had the best broth. Unfortunately Jonathan’s luck had run out and after incorrectly carving the squab, it was undercooked and he was eliminated.

Claire won the mystery box challenge and didn’t have to compete in the invention test. Avoiding the pressure test, she will also now cook off against a celebrity chef. The theme of the invention test was the Seven Deadly Sins. No one was declared the winner of the invention test – just the bottom three. Jonathan didn’t manage to plate up his ‘lust’ dish properly; Jimmy’s ‘sloth’ rissoles weren’t up to scratch and Courtney’s ‘envy’ dish lacked technique, so all three will be in the pressure test.

Gary cooked a Roasted Pheasant and George showed how to prepare and cook salsify, an unusual root vegetable. Courtney and Callum had a MasterClass with Lauren Murdoch, Head Chef at Ash St Cellar. She showed them how to make several tapas dishes, including Garlic Prawns with Basil and Grilled Chorizo with Crumbed Artichokes, Mint and Lemon Oil. Gary made Chocolate Fondant and George concocted an Amaretto Milkshake to serve with it.

Aaron, Jonathan and Marion had to name eight different nuts. Jonathan gave one incorrect answer and the others got two nuts wrong, so Jonathan didn’t have to compete in the next elimination round. Marion and Aaron had 15 minutes to cook a satay sauce, without a recipe. Gary and George thought both sauces were good, but said Aaron’s looked more appealing and was full of flavour. They thought Marion’s satay sauce was too thick and she was eliminated.

The contestants had to cook for 100 soldiers of the Australian Army in a field kitchen. The teams had to adjust their menus after they found out they were too similar. Each soldier voted for the team whose food they liked the best. Courtney’s meatballs were a stand out dish from the red team. Receiving 66 votes, the red team won the challenge. The blue team - Jonathan, Marion, Adam and Aaron - all faced elimination, but Adam used his immunity pin to avoid it. 

Claire had to cook a Green Peas and Egg dish by chef Adam Melonas, which used cutting edge techniques to create pea sorbet, a pea gel and sphericated peas. Adam helped Claire lift up the pea gel without tearing it. The judges enjoyed Adam’s dish but George and Matt wished there was more salt and black pepper. George thought Claire’s dish looked “juicier” but Matt said her gel was leathery. Adam was awarded the most points and won the challenge.

Alvin, Marion, Peter and Aaron had to create a macaron tower by Adriano Zumbo, made up of olive macarons, as well as raspberry and beetroot macarons. The pastry chef also joined the judging panel, who thought Alvin’s macarons were delicious. Both Marion and Aaron’s purple macarons were a disaster but the judges liked their pink macarons. Adriano thought Peter’s effort was the least impressive because his macarons lacked flavour and filling and Peter was eliminated.

Alvin won the mystery box challenge with his unusual combination of Snails on Egg Net with Pickled Rhubarb and White Chocolate Salad. The invention test was to cook, in pairs, a two course home-style meal and Margaret Fulton joined the judging panel. Claire and Adam won with Green Tea Chicken Dumplings and Fried Masterstock Chicken. Alvin, Marion, Peter and Aaron were judged to have made the worst dishes and now face a pressure test.

Alvin and Adam met Jan ter Heerdt, a third generation chocolate maker from Belgium and owner of Belle Fleur Fine Chocolates. He taught them how to temper chocolate and make Peruvian truffles. George showed the other contestants how to make Risotto with Wild Mushrooms and Mushroom Powder. Gary made Hollandaise sauce for George’s “adults only” version of Eggs Benedict, which featured a Ham Hock Terrine. To finish, Gary made a complicated classic, Gateau Opera.

The red team enjoyed a reward lunch and MasterClass at Bilson’s. Jimmy and Aaron had to fix a dish in the elimination challenge, which was Coq au vin. They had eight turns each to pick an ingredient to add to the dish to make it better. Both Jimmy and Aaron added eschalots, garlic, red wine vinegar, thyme and parsley. George liked Jimmy’s finished dish the best, while Gary preferred Aaron’s. The result was a tie and neither Aaron nor Jimmy was eliminated.

Each team was given five Country Women’s Association (CWA) recipes to cook for 100 CWA members and each contestant was responsible for a dish. CWA member Alison Mutton joined the judges. Adam’s lamingtons was a win for the blue team, but the red team’s scones and jam were declared the best. Neither teams’ below par cakes won. The red team won the challenge and Jimmy and Aaron will face elimination because they made the worst dishes in the blue team.

The contestants cooked off against 2010 Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year, Mitchell Orr. His dish was Saffron and Bone Marrow Risotto with Prawns and Licorice Powder. The judges blind tasted all 11 dishes. They thought Mitchell’s risotto was beautiful. The judges were impressed with Peter’s presentation and Donna thought his prawn component was a stand-out. The judges said Peter, Courtney and Mitchell had cooked the best dishes. Mitchell won the challenge.

Devon, Courtney, Peter, Philip, Jimmy and Jake had an hour and 15 minutes to prepare a dish of their choice. The current contestants judged their dishes, but didn’t know who had cooked them. When the contestants tasted Jimmy’s soft shell crab dish, they had an inkling the former contestants were the cooks, saying it tasted like something Jimmy would have cooked. They decided Courtney, Jimmy and Peter’s dishes were the best and these contestants are now back in the competition. 

11 of the eliminated contestants had chosen to return for a second shot at MasterChef. There were four challenges to test their basic cooking skills, with contestants leaving after each round. They had to clean prawns; make a serve of perfect mashed potato; make ten French-style pancakes and cook an Eggs Benedict. After the final round, Peter, Devon, Courtney, Jimmy, Jake and Philip were left. They will now cook off to win a place back in the competition, with three spots up for grabs. 

George and Gary cooked a recipe from George’s recipe notebook from his apprentice days – Char Sui Salmon with Winter Melon and Wood Ear Mushrooms. George made Scallop Loukoumades with Taramosalata and Candied Lemon Zest, and Gary baked a Rhubarb and Blackberry Crumble Soufflé. The contestants headed to Donna Hay’s test kitchen, where Donna showed them how to style pasta and achieve perfect cake presentation. She also cooked a Caesar Salad.

Joanne and Jonathan had to recreate a dish by Brett Graham, chef and owner of the two Michelin-starred restaurant, The Ledbury. It was a roast pigeon with morel mushrooms and an onion tart. The judges thought the winglets in Joanne’s dish were overcooked and didn’t like the onion. Jonathan’s dish was judged to be a little on the salty side, but his sauce was praised. The judges said Joanne and Jonathan had both done a great job cooking the rest of the pigeon. Joanne was eliminated.  

The contestants had to cook two French-inspired dishes incorporating truffles. They were paired up and had five hours to get the Eurostar to Paris, find the truffle shop, buy their ingredients at the markets and cook their meal on the banks of the Seine. Joanne and Jonathan were the last to start cooking. Chef instructor at Le Cordon Bleu, Franck Poupard was a guest judge. Marion and Callum won, while Joanne and Jonathan were judged to have performed the worst and now face elimination. 

Marion cooked off against British chef Martin Blunos. His signature dish looked like a boiled egg with toast soldiers, but it was actually a dessert of vanilla ice-cream, pastry cream and mango coulis in an egg shell, served with shortbread. UK MasterChef judges, John Torode and Greg Wallace joined George to taste the finished dishes. All three judges rated Marion’s dish 8/10. John and George each gave Martin’s dish one more point and the chef won the challenge.   

In pairs, the contestants had to recreate four ingenious signature dishes of Heston Blumenthal. Aaron struggled with his “Meat Fruit” grapes and Jonathan burnt the paper thin pastry for the Taffety Tart, while Adam and Joanne remade their parsley mixture for the Snail Porridge after Heston tasted it. All four pairs managed to plate up their dishes, however. Heston, Gary and George judged Marion and Alvin’s “Sound of the Sea” dish to be the best and Marion was declared the overall winner.

The contestants travelled to London where their first challenge was to create a pastry inspired by the Imperial Crown. Many of the contestants fell short but Callum, after remaking his macaroon mixture, impressed the judges with his finished pastries. Winning the challenge, Callum’s reward was a MasterClass with Jamie Oliver, which he chose Jonathan to attend with him. Callum and Jonathan then headed to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards with Matt.

Artisan baker and owner of Brasserie Bread, Michael Klausen taught Aaron and Marion how to make an Italian flatbread, Schiacciata con L’Uva. Gary and George cooked a Barramundi and Lamb Cutlet with Mushroom Sauce and Hash Browns, and Julie Goodwin made one of her recipes, Scallops with Cauliflower Puree and Bacon Crumble. To finish, the judges made a Golden Gaytime tribute dish - Chocolate Ganache with Peanut and Caramel Ice-Cream.

While the red team lunched at Assiette, the blue team endured a taste test. The dish was a cake with 16 ingredients and the contestants correctly said eggs, butter, walnuts, pistachios and flour were in the cake. Matthew then said apricot and clarified “dried apricot” when Gary questioned him further. George explained the ingredient was actually apricot jam, made with fresh apricots and Matthew was eliminated. George revealed his taste test cake was a carrot cake.

The red and blue teams had to cook a three course meal which would be worthy of the Qantas business class menu. They had to plate up in the galley of an airplane and serve it to the judges in the hanger outside, including Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce. Both teams had a prawn entrée and quail as a main but the judges preferred the red team’s Teriyaki quail, cooked by Adam. The blue team’s chocolate cake dessert was a success but the red team won the challenge overall.

Jonathan cooked off against Josh Emett, Chef de Cuisine at Gordon Ramsay’s Melbourne restaurant, Maze. The dish was coral trout wrapped in chicken skin, with turned vegetables and a lemon thyme consommé. Jonathan had never cooked a consommé or turned vegetables before, but his finished dish impressed the judges. Matt and George rated Jonathan’s dish 7/10 and Donna gave it 8/10. The judges all gave Josh’s dish 9/10, however, and he won the challenge. 

The pressure test dish was Beef Stroganoff and fresh parsley pasta but the contestants were not given a recipe. The youngest cooks in the competition, Sharnee, Callum and Matthew, had to guess what was in this 70s dinner party classic after tasting it and had 60 minutes to recreate it. Although the judges liked her pasta, Sharnee used chuck steak instead of beef fillet and didn’t use paprika in her Stroganoff, which was the key spice the contestants needed to add. Sharnee was eliminated.

Guest judge Julie Goodwin also chose the mystery box ingredients. Marion won with Spring Rolls with Cream Cheese, Lemon and Mint Filling. The invention test was a “reinvention” test, with the contestants putting their own spin on an Aussie food icon - the Chiko Roll. Jonathan won the challenge with his Classic Beef and Vegetables with Reduction and Corn Pastry. Sharnee, Callum and Matthew were judged to have made the least impressive dishes in the challenge and will face a pressure test.

Callum and Sharnee joined Will Studd to learn about cheeses and how to make Baked Clarines with Red Wine and Thyme, and Fondue. George and Gary cooked a Steak Sandwich with Kidney and Pommes Soufflé. Kylie Kwong demonstrated a Stir-fried Eggplant with Homemade Chilli Sauce dish and pastry chef Darren Purchese showed the contestants how to cook a beautiful, intricate dessert – Fruit Carnival with Sugar Tuile, Aerated Fruit Chocolate and Toffee Apple.

The red team enjoyed lunch at Lotus with New York chef David Chang. In the MasterChef kitchen, the blue team had to recreate a Chicken Korma to escape elimination. They had to guess which spices were used in the curry and Jonathan’s finished curry was judged to have too much chilli, while Skye’s was too heavy on saffron. Skye and Jonathan then had to name various spices one by one and Skye was eliminated when she mistakenly said ground cloves was garam masala.

The theme of the team challenge was molecular gastronomy, which saw the contestants use unfamiliar techniques to create a three course meal. Chefs Brent Savage and Ryan Squires were mentors. The red team's theme was the beach and the blue team's was carnival. The judges didn’t think the blue team’s scallop entrée reflected their theme but loved their popcorn ice cream dessert. The red team’s kingfish main course was a hit and they won the challenge.

Aaron and Adam had one hour and forty-five minutes to produce three dishes and were not supplied with any recipes. Three guest judges arrived with one ingredient each which would form the basis of their dish. Matt Moran brought in lemons and requested a Lemon Curd Tart. Kylie Kwong arrived with silken tofu and requested Salt and Pepper Tofu. Ian Curley brought in eye fillets and asked for a Chateaubriand, chips and Béarnaise sauce. Adam won the challenge and the immunity pin.

Joanne, Callum, Peter and Skye entered the pressure test and George revealed that they were about to recreate his Oyster Terrine. Damien Pignolet featured as a guest judge and also advised the contestants during their prep time. Jo and Skye struggled with shucking the four dozen oysters but all four contestants managed to complete the dish within the three hours.  Peter was eliminated as his dish was the least impressive of the day, having overcooked his oysters and undercooked the onions.

Claire won the mystery box challenge with her Steak and Smashed Potatoes with Pickled Cabbage and Mustard Butter. The contestants were paired up for a vegetarian themed invention test and goat’s cheese was the core ingredient. Matt and George were joined by six meat loving men for the judging. Aaron and Adam won with their Pumpkin Curry and one of them will win immunity later this week. Callum, Skye, Peter and Joanne face a pressure test which will send one of them home.

Matt Moran and George made Potato Ravioli on Leeks with Potato Crisp. Matt cooked Crab and Corn Quesadilla and George made Quail Dolmades and Yoghurt with Tahini Vinaigrette. Matt also made a Frangipane Tart with Fresh Berries. Aaron and Jonathan joined chef Fergus Henderson to learn about nose to tail eating. They tasted Pig Trotter Stuffed with Mashed Potatoes, and Brawn with Chicory and Crispy Ear Salad. They then learnt how to cook one of Fergus’ signature dishes, Crispy Pig Tails.

Marion used her immunity pin to avoid the elimination challenge, handing it over to George. While the red team had a reward lunch and cooking lesson at Red Lantern, Jake and Joanne had to face an elimination challenge. It was a taste test and the dish was a Thai green curry with 23 different ingredients. After naming several ingredients correctly, Jake was eliminated when he said palm sugar was in the curry and it wasn’t.

The team challenge was to make 8000 canapés for 2000 guests at the sail away party on the P&O Pacific Jewel cruise ship. Each team made four different kinds of canapés (4000 in total) and each guest voted for the team whose food they liked the best. The red team won the challenge with 1138 votes to the blues’ 762 votes. The blue team had to choose three members to face elimination. Marion, Joanne and Jake were nominated as they had worked on the troubled salmon sashimi. 

Aaron cooked off against Maggie Beer, making her pheasant pie. He misread the recipe at one point and ruined his pie case by putting the pastry in the oven without refrigerating it with the filling first. Aaron made another pie case and while the judges thought Aaron’s finished pie had great flavours, the pastry was undercooked. Matt Moran (who was a guest judge), Matt Preston and Donna Hay all gave Maggie’s pie 9/10 and she won the challenge.

The pressure test dish was an impressive seafood platter by chef and restaurateur Rick Stein. The platter had 15 different elements and Jake, Jimmy and Matthew had two hours to recreate it. Jimmy cut open his sea urchin and lobster badly and the judges thought the presentation of Jimmy’s seafood platter was clumsy in general. Jimmy was judged to have made the least impressive pressure test dish and he was eliminated.  

Lamb’s brains were in the mystery boxes and Marion won with her Crumbed Brains. The invention test theme was pasta and Marion chose seafood as the core ingredient. Matt shocked Aaron by smashing his plate of Fennel and Prawn Tortellini with Chipotle Truffle Oil on the floor before he explained he did so because Aaron’s dish was so unique and brilliant, he didn’t want the other contestants tasting it. Aaron won the challenge and Jimmy, Matthew and Jake face the pressure test.

In MasterClass, George and Gary made pizzas - Pizza Bianca and a classic Margherita. Some of the contestants spent time with Chef Peter Gilmore of Quay restaurant, who cooked a squid and oyster dish and taught the contestants about edible flowers. George demonstrated a chicken, hummus and raw vegetable salad, and both Gary and George made rice pudding.

The red team had lunch in the Chandon vineyards and Claire and Jake also enjoyed a helicopter ride. Facing elimination, the blue team had to create a dish using any of the various ingredients provided. The catch was they had to match their dish to the sparkling wine they were given to taste. Jimmy, Matthew and Fiona were judged to have made the least impressive dishes of the group. The judges decided the beef steak in Fiona’s dish wasn’t a suitable match for the wine and Fiona was eliminated. 

George’s restaurant, The Press Club was reopening and for the team challenge, the contestants cooked and served the celebrity guests and culinary elite at the relaunch. Callum had to remake his soup and ran to the supermarket three times to buy ingredients. He also sent out raw chicken in one dish. Each customer gave the team who was responsible for their table a score out of ten. The red team won by 12 and a half points and the blue team now face an elimination challenge.

In one of Melbourne’s laneways, Marion cooked off against MoVida’s Frank Camorra. She had to cook two of his dishes; Bomba and Cornets with Chicken Liver Pâté. Donna and George scored both Marion and Frank’s dishes 8/10. Matt liked Marion’s cornets better than Frank’s and she won the challenge by one point. Marion now has an immunity pin which she can use to avoid one elimination of her choice, right up until the final week of the competition.

Carrie, Peter and Jimmy flew to Melbourne for the pressure test. They had to race to source their ingredients at the markets and then headed to a hotel to meet the judges and Stephanie Alexander. The pressure test dish set by Stephanie was Grilled Duck Breast with a Confit Duck Neck Sausage and Sour Cherry Sauce. Carrie forgot to plate up the spinach component of the dish. The judges thought Carrie’s sauce was too thin and sausage too grainy and she was eliminated. 

The contestants were given a recipe to make pizza dough and chose their own toppings for their pizzas, which they cooked in pizza ovens outside. Fiona won the challenge with her Caramelised Onion Pizza with Pear, Prosciutto and Walnuts. The theme of the invention test was Modern Australian and Fiona chose tropical fruit as the core ingredient. Marion won with her Mango and Lychee Stack with Fish Sauce Caramel and Chilli Sugar. Peter, Carrie and Jimmy face a pressure test elimination.

Peter Kuruvita from Flying Fish showed the contestants different types of crustaceans and made Marron Salad with Fennel, Avruga and Asian Dressing, and Steamed Marrons with Ginger Chilli Shallot Sauce. In the MasterChef kitchen, Gary cooked Sticky BBQ Pork Ribs and showed the contestants how to make mayonnaise. George made a Waldorf Salad and Gary cooked Veal Saltimbocca. For dessert, George cooked White Chocolate Cannelloni with Strawberry Soup.

While contestants from both the red and blue teams enjoyed a reward lunch at Sailor’s Thai, Philip, Callum, Carrie and Jonathan faced an elimination taste test. The dish was a Bouillabaisse with 24 ingredients. It was a sudden death challenge - the first person to name an ingredient incorrectly was out of the competition. The contestants named 16 ingredients correctly before Philip said there was white wine in the dish. There wasn’t and Philip was eliminated.

For the team challenge, the contestants had to find a family at a supermarket who would let them cook a three course dinner at their home. Matt and Curtis Stone joined the two families at their homes for the meals. The two families gave the teams equal points and since Matt and Curtis also didn’t agree on a winner, it was a deadlock. Carrie and Jonathan from the blue team and Philip and Callum from the red team will face elimination because their dishes were judged to be the weakest.

Aaron, Matthew and Joanne cooked off against Adam Humphrey and Lovaine Allen, chefs and owners of Restaurant Arras, and their pastry chef. They had to cook Arras’ signature dish, Rack on Black, which saw Aaron straining pig’s blood in order to make black pudding to wrap around lamb. The judges liked the potato in the contestants’ dish but the lamb was undercooked. The judges said it was a close contest but team Arras was awarded the most points.

Fiona, Daniel and Alvin were not given a recipe and could only rely on tasting the pressure test dish of schnitzel with chips and coleslaw before cooking. Alvin thought it was a pork schnitzel, which was correct, but Daniel and Fiona thought it was veal. In the pantry, Daniel then picked up pork, thinking it was veal. As well as confusing his meats and overcooking his schnitzel, Daniel used store-bought mayonnaise in his coleslaw and the judges decided he should head home.

Peter won the mystery box challenge with Chilli Crab with Pasta Chips. The invention test’s theme was international cuisine and the contestants cooked in trios. Chicken was the core ingredient and each team made a dish from a designated country. Matthew, Aaron and Joanne were team Mexico and won with a twist on tacos which featured jalapeno granita. All three will participate in the celebrity chef challenge. Team Britain – Fiona, Daniel and Alvin – will face an elimination challenge after their dish was judged to be the least impressive.

Some of the contestants headed to Chef Justin North’s restaurant, Bécasse, to learn how to cook Roast Pork with Charcuterie Jus and Potato Puree. Gary made Roast Duck with Flower Salad and George cooked Confit Duck with Lentils. Chef Kumar Mahadevan dropped in to give tips on Indian cooking, making Prawn Okra Curry and George showed how to make the perfect Crème Brûlée.

The blue team enjoyed a reward lunch and MasterClass at Pilu at Freshwater. For the first round of the elimination challenge, the red team contestants had 10 minutes to make pesto. The judges rated Sharnee, Courtney and Daniel’s pesto efforts as the worst and they went through to the second and final elimination round. They had to name herbs and Courtney was eliminated after she incorrectly named mint as spearmint.

The blue and red teams had to prepare a three course meal of classic French cooking. Tony Bilson and Michel Roux mentored the teams as they cooked recipes from their cookbooks. The judging panel was Matt and Chefs Tetsuya Wakuda and Guillaume Brahimi. The judges thought the blue team’s lobster and duck dishes were outstanding. The challenge over, Matt revealed the blue team had won. All of the members of the red team now face an elimination challenge.

Jonathan cooked off against Justin North, chef and owner of Bécasse and Etch restaurants. The dish was roast rack and crisp confit belly of suckling pig, and involved butchering a whole pig. George thought Jonathan’s pork belly was too salty. Donna Hay was a guest judge and admired Justin’s presentation. Matt and Donna liked Jonathan’s cutlet better than Justin’s, but George said the cutlet he was served by Justin was nice and moist. Justin’s dish was awarded the most points.

Joanne, Dom and Matthew had to make a black forest cake in the pressure test. When he was pitting cherries, Matthew didn’t notice a pip went into his bowl of cherries. Dom’s finished cake only had three levels of sponge instead of the five it was supposed to have. George found the pip in his slice of Matthew’s cake but it was Dom who was eliminated because the judges thought the other contestants’ cakes were better than his.

Skye won the mystery box challenge after cooking crispy duck with red wine and raspberries. It was an Indian-themed invention test and from the core ingredient options of chicken, goat and pulses, Skye chose goat. Jonathan won the invention test with spicy red goat curry with Indian spicy frozen yoghurt. The three least impressive dishes were from Dom, Joanne and Matthew and they now face a pressure test elimination round.

Some of the contestants headed to Sake restaurant to learn how to make agedashi tofu and tuna sushi with chef Shaun Presland. George cooked his own take on a burger - meatloaf gourmet burger with onion rings - and Gary demonstrated how to hide veggies in kid’s sausage rolls. Gary also made jam donuts coated with lavender sugar and to finish, Gary and George cooked white sausage with truffle and caramelised onion.

The blue team had a reward lunch as Jonathan and Adele faced their elimination challenge. They had to fix a flawed Bolognese sauce, using one ingredient of their choice per step and were allowed ten steps in total. Adele added tomato paste as well as chopped tomatoes, and Gary said the tomato favour of her sauce was too harsh. Matt thought Jonathan’s amended sauce had a lot of complexity. Jonathan’s sauce was judged to be the best and Adele was eliminated.

Callum was the captain of the blue team and Dom captained the reds. The challenge was to cater for nine-year-old Phoebe’s birthday party, with 150 guests. Every contestant had to cook a dish, which both the parents and kids voted for. After the party, the blue team received the most votes, escaping elimination. Of the red team, Jonathan’s dish only received one vote and no one had voted for Adele’s sausage rolls, so they now face an elimination round. 

Callum cooked off against pastry chef Philippa Sibley. Her dish was a caramel parfait glace with salted peanut caramel and milk chocolate mousse, which Callum had 1 hour and 45 minutes to replicate. Callum had trouble tempering his chocolate and eventually gave up on the chocolate plaque which supposed to top the dessert, so he could finish in time. The judge were impressed by his effort but gave Philippa’s dessert the most points.

Kate, Fiona and Carrie had to recreate a Peter Gilmore dish for the pressure test. Peter also joined the judges when they rated the contestants’ attempts at his recipe for poached free range chicken with black truffle and spring vegetables. Kate’s chicken didn’t cook properly in the water bath because she had wrapped it in too much cling wrap and because of the raw chicken in her dish, she was eliminated. 

The mystery box challenge was to create a signature hamburger. Marion won with her ‘Duck Duck Pig’ creation and chose the key ingredient for the Japanese-themed invention test. Faced with eel, tofu and yellow fin tuna, Marion chose tuna. The best dishes were made by Callum, Marion and Alvin. The three worst were from Carrie, Fiona and Kate, who will now face a pressure test. Callum won with his Tuna Tataki with Pickled Daikon and Wasabi Avocado, and will now cook off against a celebrity chef.

Alvin, Adele, Claire and Sharnee headed to Cabramatta for a MasterClass with Luke Nguyen. Gary showed the other contestants how to make his mum’s roast beef meal, with Gary’s mum visiting the MasterChef kitchen to demonstrate her Yorkshire pudding recipe. George and Gary made different types of bruschetta and George cooked his own twist on lasagne. Dom and Kate were then treated to a dessert of roast peaches and zabaglione.  

While Devon and Jonathan faced elimination, the red team left to enjoy their reward lunch at Luke Mangan’s restaurant, Glass. There was to be three elimination rounds, worth one point each. Devon and Jonathan had to name different types of eggs and Jonathan won when Devon said an emu egg was an ostrich egg. They then had to separate eggs and whip the whites into firm peaks. Jonathan was the first to hold his bowl of egg whites upside down for 10 seconds without them dropping. Jonathan won a second point and Devon was eliminated.

For their first team challenge, the contestants took over two Italian restaurants in Sydney. The team who made the most money by 9pm won the challenge and it was up to the customers to decide how much they would pay for their meals. The red team made the most money and won the challenge. After the challenge, Sarah decided she needed to be with her family and left MasterChef. The judges decided that Devon and Jonathan from the losing blue team performed the worst during the challenge and they now face an elimination round.

Alvin cooked off against Luke Nguyen, chef and owner of Red Lantern in Sydney. They both cooked a Vietnamese banquet of three dishes: Hanoi Crisp Parcels; Hue Pancakes, and Barramundi which was wrapped and grilled in a lotus leaf. Luke gave Alvin tips as they cooked and Alvin finished his sauce at the very last second, completing his dishes. The judges blind tasted the banquets and while they enjoyed Alvin’s dishes, Luke scored the most points.

The Top 24 arrived at the MasterChef house and then headed to the MasterChef kitchen. The contestants had 90 minutes to create a dish that was a childhood memory for them. Gary shook Alvin’s hand, he was so impressed with his Drunken Chicken with Bruised Snake Bean Salad and Alvin won the challenge. He will now cook off against a celebrity chef and if he wins, Alvin will be given an immunity prize, which he can use to escape an elimination if need be.

After a mystery box challenge, Matthew, Joanne, Fiona and Callum were through to the Top 24. Jason, Claud, Tony and Jo were sent home. Kate announced she was leaving MasterChef to be with her family, freeing up another Top 24 spot. The contestants cooked a Neil Perry fish dish in a pressure test and Neil also judged the dishes. Alvin, Skye, Dom, Kate, Carrie, Devon, Sarah, Sharnee and Jake rounded off the Top 24. Graeme, Bel, Jennifer, Stuart, Jason, Mark, Katie, Henry, Lacey, Richard and Greg were out of the competition.

The six contestants who won Top 24 spots cooking against Matt Moran were treated to a Masterclass with him in ARIA’s kitchen. Matt showed them how to make seafood canapés. The other contestants learnt how to cook a dish of baby vegetables and techniques for grilling meat by George and Gary. George also made a raspberry dessert with jelly, granita and champagne.

The first challenge was a series of kitchen prep tasks. The final task saw Marion, Daniel, Adele and Courtney cut salmon fillets of the correct weight and they were given their Top 24 aprons. For the next challenge, the remaining contestants cooked Matt Moran’s quail, pumpkin and gnocchi dish alongside the chef himself. Jonathan, Peter, Aaron, Adam, Philip and Kate cooked the best versions of Matt’s dish and were through to the Top 24.

The contestants who scored the lowest in the signature dish challenge had to compete and be judged in pairs in an elimination round. The teams had to source ingredients from farms and cook two dishes. When they started cooking, Andrea decided to leave the competition and her partner Philip cooked the two dishes himself. Although his risotto was roundly condemned by the judges, they loved his strawberry tart. Philip, Jennifer, Kate, Richard and Stuart were through to the next round. Justin, Anthony, Kim and Siobhan were sent home.

The contestants each cooked their signature dishes but were judged by their fellow contestants, not the judges. The women tasted the men’s dishes and voted for the best three. The men voted for the best three women’s dishes but there was a tie. Claire, Bel, Adele and Skye were through to the qualifying round, along with Jimmy, Jonathan and Alvin. Beef Wellington was the pressure test dish for this round. The judges liked Jimmy and Claire’s Beef Wellingtons the most and Claire and Jimmy were rewarded with the first spots in the Top 24.

MasterChef 2010 kicked off with the top 50 contestants cooking a BBQ dish of their own choosing. The ten contestants who cooked the dishes the judges liked the least had to face an elimination round. Cookbook author Donna Hay arrived as a guest judge and the contestants had to recreate her pavlova recipe. The five best pavlovas earned their cooks a place in the next round, but Nicolette, Jason, Irmgard, Amanda and Michelle were sent home.