The taste test dish was paella. The most points the contestants could score was 10. Eamon was out with only two points when he said thyme, which wasn’t in the dish, and Rachael was out with eight points when she said water. Kirk had ten points after correctly naming stock as an ingredient.

The contestants could choose between chocolate and strawberries for the dessert-only invention test. Kirk chose to cook a flourless dark chocolate cake, Eamon embarked on a chocolate delice and Rachael attempted to make strawberry bavarois.

When Rachael’s fourth bavarois attempt failed to set, she served a semifreddo instead. Watching Eamon’s meticulous work on the different elements of his delice, Matt remarked he’d been possessed by a French pastry chef.

After tasting Kirk’s flourless dark chocolate with chocolate-dipped raspberries and coulis, Gary said it was a good chocolate cake. George said, however, that Kirk’s presentation was very “Home Economics Year 11”.

Gary said the flavours were there in Rachael’s strawberry semifreddo with vanilla Chantilly and strawberry syrup, but the semifreddo was basically “a popsicle”.

The judges were transported by Eamon’s chocolate delice with salted caramel, with Gary actually licking his plate. Gary told Eamon his was one of the top three desserts he’s had this year and Matt said it was the type of dessert that comes out of a three hat restaurant.

Matt and George gave Rachael’s dish 5/10 and Gary rated it a 4. Gary and Matt gave Kirk’s effort 7/10 and George gave it 8 points. All three judges rated Eamon’s “freakishly good dessert” a perfect 10.

After two rounds, Eamon and Kirk were equal first place on 32 points and Rachael had 22.

Andrew McConnell, chef and owner of Melbourne’s Cutler & Co restaurant, set the pressure test dish of roast chicken with braised artichokes, broad beans and burnt butter sauce.

The chicken was to be cooked in a salt crust, which would act like a pressure cooker, keeping the meat moist. Inside the crust was also hay, which would impart a subtle “barnyard” flavour. The contestants had two and half hours to replicate the dish.

Eamon battled to encase his chicken in the dough, which kept falling apart, while Kirk scrambled to plate up in time. George said his diced vegetables were crunchy as a result of Kirk running out of time.

Gary said Kirk’s chicken breast was lovely, though, and liked his burnt butter sauce. Gary pronounced Eamon’s burnt butter sauce excellent and enjoyed the kick of his aioli. Matt said tasting Eamon’s chicken was like lying on a “haystack on a warm summer’s day”.

Rachael was a little teary as she presented her final dish, which Gary said looked gorgeous. George said her chicken was a highlight – moist and delicious.

Rachael’s dish was rated 8/10 by all the judges, which gave her a total of 46 points. Gary and Matt gave Kirk 8 points and George rated his dish 7/10. Kirk scored 55 points in total.

All three judges gave Eamon 9/10, giving him a total of 59 points and the title of Australia’s first Celebrity MasterChef. Eamon had won $50,000 for the charity of his choice, Swim Survive Stay Alive and the Olympic swimmer also won the MasterChef trophy.