Broadcast date
13-04-2020 • 61 episodes
Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen take the helm of the show that celebrates food and the love of food.
Jock, Melissa and Andy will be joined in the MasterChef Australia kitchen by a delicious assortment of the world’s best chefs, including Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal and Curtis Stone, to serve up the 12th helping of MasterChef Australia. The traditional MasterChef Australia recipe also boasts some new ingredients when the best of the best from the past 11 seasons return to the kitchen in MasterChef Australia – Back To Win.
Episodes of this season
1. Premiere: Immunity Challenge: Finale-Worthy Dish
The highly anticipated cooking show is back for an incredible 12th season, with a tasty new recipe - and cooking legend Gordon Ramsay will be in the kitchen the ENTIRE first week!Returning to the MasterChef kitchen are 24 much-loved and respected former contestants, Although these familiar faces from the past 11 seasons have forged incredible careers in the food industry, they all have some unfinished business - they are back to win.
2. Team Challenge
Each team must cook a three-course meal for 120 guests. The judges reveal three ingredients: black garlic, ginger and potatoes. Each team must feature one of the ingredients in each course.
3. Relay Style Team Challenge
Teams must cook a three-course meal in a relay style cook. Each team member starts a course and after 20 minutes must swap to the next course. The most cohesive menu with the best dishes wins.
4. Immunity Challenge: Keeping Up with Gordon
After impressing the judges in the round robin relay challenge, the winning team are back in the kitchen cooking for immunity and a chance to be safe from the next elimination.
5. Gordon Ramsay's 90-Minute Elimination Challenge
Every contestant is up for elimination, except the winner of the immunity challenge. The pressure mounts for all contestants to deliver delicious dishes and keep their place in the competition.
6. Ultimate BBQ Challenge
The contestants compete in the ultimate barbecue challenge, cooking for a staggering 1200 people. The team who least impresses will find themselves cooking in the pressure test.
7. Two-Round Pressure Test: Orana
In the first pressure test of the season, contestants must cook three dishes from judge Jock Zonfrillo's three-hatted, award-winning restaurant, Orana. The least impressive dish will send someone home.
8. Melissa Leong's Mystery Box
In the first mystery box challenge of the season, the 22 remaining contestants discover the ingredients have been chosen from all corners of the globe, by judge Melissa Leong.
9. Immunity Challenge: Judges' Taste Test / MasterClass
The five contestants with the most impressive dishes from yesterday's challenge find themselves back in the kitchen ready to cook off in an immunity challenge. Plus, MasterClass with Andy and Jock.
10. Judges' Ingredients Elimination Challenge
In this episode's elimination challenge, every contestant bar one, the winner of the immunity challenge, is up for elimination. The contestant with the least impressive dish will be going home.
11. 3-Round Team Showdown
The contestants are split into three teams of seven and compete in a three-round cook-off. After the third round, the bottom six contestants are revealed and will cook off in the next episode's pressure test.
12. Self Pressure Test
It's a pressure test with a difference. Each contestant has written their own pressure test recipe and has to create a dish to wow the judges. The least impressive dish will send its maker home.
13. Barter Mystery Box
The judges reveal that each contestant's mystery box contains four ingredients which they can barter with one another for. The top four dishes will see their makers cook for immunity in the next episode.
14. Curtis Stone's Time Auction Immunity Challenge
Today's immunity challenge with Curtis Stone sees four contestants compete in a MasterChef time auction. The more time they spend on buying ingredients, the less time they have to cook.
15. Textures Elimination Challenge
This challenge is all about texture. In round one, contestants must cook a dish with the best crunch. Round two is all about a gooey texture. The least impressive gooey dish will send its chef home.
16. Thai Team Challenge
The contestants leave the kitchen for a week of off-site challenges. Teams must make two entrees and three mains for 50 diners. The least impressive team faces a pressure test.
17. Pressure Test: Guess The Ingredients & Replicate The Dish
Helly Raichura, of Enter Via Laundry, bases this taste test on her popular dish, 'pasta not pasta'. Contestants who guess the least ingredients correctly must replicate the dish in a challenge.
18. Locally Sourced Mystery Box
This episode's ingredients are sourced by locals who grow fruit and vegetables in their backyards. The three most impressive dishes from the mystery box challenge will cook in an immunity challenge.
19. Sushi Train 100 Plate Immunity Challenge
Three contestants are told they must prepare 100 small plates each, consisting of five different dishes. All dishes will be served on the sushi train and will be colour-coded in this blind tasting.
20. Take-Away Elimination Challenge
In today's take-away elimination challenge contestants must make a dish that will stand the home delivery test. Contestants have 90 minutes from the start of the cook to completed delivery.
21. Double Twist Team Challenge
Contestants learn that there will be a twist with every challenge this week, so they must think on their feet to survive another week in the MasterChef kitchen. Tonight two twists really stir the pot.
22. Pressure Test: Darren Purchese's Passionfruit Pavlova
Contestants have three hours to complete a simply stunning Darren Purchese dish, but in the final hour of the cook, a twist that no one could anticipate is thrown at the contestants.
23. Mystery Box - with a twist!
Contestants have 75 minutes to cook a dish using one or more of the eight ingredients in the mystery box. The contestants are pushed to the limit when a twist is delivered to their benches.
24. Katy Perry Immunity Challenge & Masterclass
Katy Perry guest judges a very special Hot 'N' Cold challenge to honour the iconic MasterChef theme song. The contestant with the best dish will find themselves safe from the elimination.
25. Elimination Cook-Off Challenge
Contestants are cooking off against the other contestant on their bench. The best dish from each bench will be safe, while the remaining contestants must cook in the elimination round.
26. Sweet or Savoury Service Challenge
Jo Barrett and Matt Stone from Oakridge Wines mentor this service challenge, with each team cooking a sweet or savoury menu. The team with the least impressive menu faces the pressure test.
27. Peter Gunn's Black Box Elimination
Contestants must replicate chef Peter Gunn's 'Black Box' from his restaurant Ides. The contestant with the least impressive dish will be going home.
28. Vegan Mystery Box
Contestants must create a vegan dish using at least one ingredient from the mystery box set by vegan chef Shannon Martinez. The top four dishes will cook off in the next immunity challenge.
29. Instant Noodle Immunity Challenge
This episode's immunity challenge is fought in two rounds. In one round, contestants must create a delicious dish using instant noodles. The top two from round one must make a nostalgic and comforting dish.
30. Kingfish Elimination Challenge
Josh Niland of The Fish Butchery breaks down a kingfish for each of the contestants to choose a cut to cook with. The contestant with the least impressive dish will be going home.
31. Two Dish Relay Challenge
Each team must cook two dishes: one main and one dessert. Each contestant has 20 minutes to cook and they have just 45 seconds to hand over the dish to the next contestant in the relay.
32. Kirsten Tibballs' Meljito Dessert Pressure Test
Queen of chocolate and guest chef Kirsten Tibballs reveals that, for the pressure test, the contestants must create her wow-factor dessert the meljito.
33. Family Photo Mystery Box
The contestants lift the lids of their mystery box to find a photo sent by their loved ones. The contestants have 60 minutes to create a dish inspired by the memory in their family photo.
34. Fairytale Immunity Challenge
Contestants must create a dish inspired by one of seven classic fairytales. With an open pantry and garden, the contestant with the best dish and the strongest concept will win immunity.
35. Ice cream Elimination Challenge
Contestants must make a dish that has two different flavoured ice-creams that only work when they are eaten together. In round two, they must make a dish using one of five unusual flavour pairings.
36. Citrus Challenge
Contestants cook a sweet or savoury style dish championing a citrus fruit of their choice. In round two, they use the same fruit, but their dish must be in the opposite style.
37. Coskun Uysal's Meat/Protein Dessert Pressure Test
Contestants discover they must create a dish inspired by chef Coskun Uysal's chicken rice pudding dessert. With this in mind, they must create their own dessert featuring a meat or protein.
38. Luck Of The Draw Mystery Box
This episode's mystery box ingredients are decided entirely by the luck of the draw, with numbered lottery balls corresponding to 25 ingredients on display.
39. Highest Score Immunity Challenge
Each round in this immunity challenge is worth 10 points and the contestant with the highest score at the end of round three will win immunity and be free from the upcoming elimination.
40. The Aussie Pressure Test
It's an Australia-themed pressure test. First up contestants must cook a delicious savoury pie and sauce. The bottom four must then create a dish celebrating what Australia means to them.
41. Teams Of Two Communication Challenge
Teams of two must create two dishes using a chosen ingredient. Dishes must be identical in taste and appearance, but they will not be able to see each other while they cook, so communication is key.
42. Benjamin Cooper Jungle CurryPressure Test
Benjamin Cooper, Executive Chef of Chin Chin Melbourne, sets tonight's pressure test where contestants must recreate his jungle curry with rice and roti without a recipe.
43. Smokin' Mystery Box
Today's mystery box is all about smoke. Contestants can use any method of smoking as long as one element has been smoked with a smoking gun. The top four will cook in tomorrow's immunity challenge.
44. Pumpkin Immunity Challenge
Today's immunity challenge is all about resourcefulness. The contestants are each presented with a pumpkin and have 90 minutes to cook three dishes that feature the pumpkin in some way.
45. Atlas Elimination Challenge
Charlie Carrington of Melbourne restaurant Atlas sets this elimination challenge, focusing on food from different countries. The contestant with the least impressive dish will be sent home.
46. The Golden Mystery Box
With new rules this week, a contestant will be going home every three days! Today, the chefs use the contents of a very shiny Mystery Box to create a dish that makes them stand out.
47. 5 Minute Ingredient Immunity Challenge
Every five minutes an ingredient that can be used in their cook is revealed to our contestants. They can start cooking at any time but only have access to the ingredients revealed up to that point.
48. Blind Taste Test Elimination
This elimination will take place over two rounds, the first of which is the classic blind taste test. The first four contestants who guess incorrectly will go into round two.
49. Use Everything Mystery Box!
The judges reveal that the contestants need to use all the ingredients in their mystery box to create two dishes - a sweet and savoury dish - in 75 minutes.
50. Immunity Challenge
Three heavy hitters of the competition go head-to-head. Who will make top six?
51. Elimination Challenge - Top 6
In today's elimination contestants are challenged to cook a classic dish. Could this be Reynold's final cook in the MasterChef kitchen?
52. Colour Inspired Mystery Box
Today's mystery box is inspired by colour. The dish can be sweet or savoury and contestants can access the pantry with the garden also in play. So why is Melissa so emotional?
53. Cloche Choice Immunity Challenge
In the battle for top five, contestants must choose two cloches and cook with the ingredients underneath. They can give up one cloche and select a third, however they must cook with the third ingredient.
54. Phil Wood Pressure Test
Phil Wood, from two of Victoria's finest restaurants, reveals that round one is a pressure test. Contestants have 75 minutes to replicate his dish: potatoes duchess with shiitake mushrooms and cauliflower.
55. Last Chance For Immunity Challenge
The race to finals week is on! The makers of the top three dishes from the mystery box challenge will battle it out for one last chance at winning immunity this season.
56. No Rules Challenge
Who will make the finals? With no set rules in place, the contestants must mutually decide the cook time to create a dish, sweet or savoury, that best proves to the judges they have come back to win.
57. Mammoth Elimination Challenge
In this mammoth elimination challenge, the contestants discover not only will they be cooking a four-course meal for the MasterChef judges, but for six of the hottest chefs in the country.
58. The Union Jack Mystery Box
The contestants discover the mystery box, covered in a Union Jack flag, has been set by guest chef Gordon Ramsay.
59. Ordinary or Extraordinary Elimination Challenge
In this elimination challenge, contestants must choose to use either ingredients from an ordinary pantry or an extraordinary pantry.
60. SemiFinal - Three Becomes Two
In the semifinal challenge, our top three contestants compete for a place in the Grand Final. At the end of this challenge, three become two.
61. Grand Final
After a long culinary journey the two finalists are competing for a $250,000 cash prize and the title of MasterChef Australia 2020.
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This season's cast
Andy Allen
Himself - Judge & Host
Himself - Judge & Host
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Jock Zonfrillo
Himself - Judge & Host
Himself - Judge & Host
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Melissa Leong
Herself - Judge & Host
Herself - Judge & Host
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