MasterChef Australia’s most famous alumni returned to be part of a Mystery Box Challenge as another gripping week of competition kicked off. Julie Goodwin, Adam Liaw and Kate Bracks each took charge of a box, for which they’d personally selected the ingredients, leaving the contestants to decide whose cooking style would likely suit them best.

MasterChef’s past winners judged some beautiful dishes, like Deb’s glistening Sticky Fig and Carmel Cake with Vanilla Custard, prepared using Kate’s ingredients. But it was Audra who cooked the dish of the day, using the produce selected by Adam to make a Braised Pork Belly with Soft Boiled Egg and Handmade Noodles.

The excitement of the star-studded Mystery Box Challenge gave way to Pressure Test terror on Monday, with Emma, Filippo and Wade taking on Gary’s Classic Quiche Lorraine. The deceptively difficult dish proved to be a challenge too far for Filippo, his use of cheddar cheese over Gruyere giving the edge to his rivals and sending him home.

Tuesday brought Audra’s long-awaited shot at Immunity, against Bar H owner and head chef Hamish Ingham. Tea was the core ingredient of the challenge, with Audra selecting Amina and Kylie as he helpers. Maintaining her perfect record as Immunity assistant, Amina won the entrée with her Tea-Smoked Duck Breast, but Team Hamish prevailed in the main and dessert rounds.

Catering for 450 guests, the contestants faced their biggest Team Challenge yet on Wednesday, catering a Sri Lankan wedding under the guidance of the great Kumar Mahadevan. Finally breaking the curse after seven long weeks, the Red Team finally enjoyed a win, cooking Kumar’s recipes – like his delicious Vegetable Korma – to perfection.

The MasterChef Kitchen witnessed tears and selfless gestures galore on Thursday, as the losing Blues competed in a two round cake-themed Elimination Challenge. In a nightmare scenario, close friends Ben and Emma cooked off against each other, with Ben unexpectedly toppling the skilled dessert maker and sending her out of the competition.

The week concluded with a French-themed MasterClass: Gary testing out a few ‘no more tears’ methods as he prepared a delightful French Onion Soup with Gruyere Toasts, which George followed with a Black and Gold Roasted Spatchcock with Pomme Galette. An altogether lighter end to an emotional roller coaster of a week.