(DRAMATIC MUSIC BUILDS)
BRENT: Today it's the semifinals.
It's one cook away from the grand finale.
It's the massive Service Challenge.
Obviously someone's going home today,
and this is where we show people the...the cook we are.
RHIANNON: This three-course menu has been taking up a lot of my time,
a lot of my sleep.
But you know what,
it's definitely a menu that's gonna reflect me.
I want to show them that every single course
is gonna punch them in the face with flavour.
DECLAN: Everything I've been doing throughout the competition,
the way I've grown and listened and come home here
and just absolutely worked my arse off
has been leading to get where I am today.
(CHUCKLES) I want this more than anything.
What a journey. DECLAN AND RHIANNON: What a journey.
I can't believe we're nearly at the end of it.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC) (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Wow! Whoo! Oh, my God!
Jock's got his kilt on.
This is so cool.
Brent, Declan, Rhiannon,
welcome to the semifinal of MasterChef 2023!
(ALL CHEER)
Yep, yep.
Every challenge, every dish, all of your hard work
has led you to this point,
and the only thing that stands between you and the grand finale
is this Service Challenge.
Service Challenges, they're the toughest challenge in MasterChef,
and this semifinal will test even the most seasoned chefs.
Yeah.
Each of you, you need to cook an entree, a main and a dessert
for 20 diners, plus the three of us.
Do the maths - that's almost 70 plates of food
all on your lonesome.
Declan, Rhiannon, to achieve this mammoth task,
we're gonna give you four hours
before your entrees need to leave the pass, right?
Yep.
Of course, Brent,
as the winner of the Advantage Challenge with Curtis,
you'll get an extra 30-minute head start.
Meaning, you'll have 4.5 hours until your entrees need to leave the pass.
WOMAN: That's huge. Huge.
The two contestants who design and execute
the best menu overall will be our grand finalists.
And one more thing.
Alright. Oh!
It wouldn't be right to do your last service
without the legend, the main man himself.
Ooh! Oh, my God.
He's come back to guide you and push you
and make sure that you leave nothing on the table today.
Please welcome...
..Shannon Bennett!
(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
DECLAN: Whoo! RHIANNON: Whoo!
How lucky are we? Shannon Bennett's in the kitchen.
Here he is! Yeah, Shannon!
(JOCK BARKS)
Hey, guys. How are you?
RHIANNON: He's a bloody legend.
I'm gonna be leaning on him for sure.
My hands are clammy. Palms are sweating.
Shannon, semifinal, it's a bit of a rite of passage, isn't it?
It is a rite of passage,
because no matter what, no matter how prepared you are,
something is gonna go wrong,
and I think today is gonna be about who you are
from a character point of view,
and it's gonna be how you pick yourself up
and what you put on the plate.
Some very wise words there, Shannon.
Alright, shall we do this?
SEMIFINALISTS: Yes. Let's do it!
By the end of today, two of your will have won your place
into the grand finale.
Just remember that, whatever happens next,
you've earned your place in the semifinal.
We're proud of you all.
Brent, you start first, buddy. BRENT: Yeah.
Good luck. Your time starts now.
Go, Brentles.
(EXCITING MUSIC)
I've got an extra half an hour, so, yeah, I'm gonna use that
to my advantage and not waste a second.
I've got three great recipes in my mind.
Hey, Brent.
So I'm getting it down on paper.
And you've actually written the recipe down,
every bit of this recipe.
Yeah. Every ingredient.
Every ingredient, yeah. And weight.
And weight, yeah. Wow. Awesome. Impressive.
So, entree is XO octopus.
It's got a beautiful pickled ribbon daikon
and then a nice charred, warmed lemon.
It's on a beautiful skewer. It's hibachi.
It's packed with umami, it's packed with flavour.
Main is beautiful roasted pork belly, pork sauce,
beautiful charred salsa on top.
Yum! Sounds delicious.
Dessert is my little take on sort of a boba tea,
where I've got coconut ice cream,
beautiful tapioca pearls in a brown sugar sauce,
and then we've got pickled mango just to break it up a little bit,
and some macadamia crumb for texture.
I've made these dishes before, which is just gonna help me heaps.
Yeah, look, this is the... This is it.
This is... like, it's do or die today,
so I'm just not gonna hold anything back.
Good luck. Yeah.
Thanks, Andy. Oh, come here.
I've got all the timings.
Just got a few things that really need to get on super quick,
just so that it has time to cook.
And that...that is this pork belly.
I want super-crunchy skin, really tender meat.
DECLAN:
RHIANNON: Yeah, he's going well, isn't he?
The method I do, I've tried and tested this so many times at home.
I start really low temp, nice and slow cooking.
Fat sort of renders down, confits the meat.
Finish it right at the end super hot, the skin pops up.
And it works every time.
Rhiannon, Declan, you ready for the most important cook of your life?
Yeah. Let's do it.
Well, your four hours' prep time starts now.
(CONTESTANTS CHEER) Good luck, buddy!
I didn't get much sleep last night
because I just had this ticking over in my head,
the process of how I'm gonna be curating the best menu.
I think I've shown in some of my past cooks
that I can really switch into, you know, Chef Declan,
and that's my take on today.
Alright, alright, alright, let's start off here.
This menu today are dishes that I love, but elevated.
THEO: Come on, Dec! Whoo!
Hey, Declan. Shannon, how you going?
Good. OK, tell me, what are you cooking?
Um, so, the menu's gonna be harmoniously South-East Asian.
For entree, I've got my take on a prawn toast,
and I'm doing a scampi toast.
I'm gonna be putting some beautiful caviar on top of that.
OK.
And then for the mains
I'm following it up with blue-eye trevalla,
crispy skin.
I'm gonna have a green curry in the bowl,
steamed rice, Thai eggplant.
OK.
And then for dessert
I'm doing my take on a Paris-Brest.
Oh, yeah.
I've got a pandan coconut creme pat...
OK.
..some charred pineapple and a tamarind caramel.
OK.
So, you know, the biggest thing for me is gonna be prepping it.
Well, OK, we're already, what, 10 minutes in.
10 minutes in.
OK, well, you realise that this first hour
is the foundation that's going to set you up
for the rest of the cook, OK?
Yeah, alright. Thanks, Shannon. Alright? Good luck.
My menu is ambitious.
Oop.
But everything I've learnt,
it's all, hopefully, gonna shine through in cooks,
and earning my spot in that grand finale.
MALISSA: Let's go, Declan! CATH: Come on, Dec.
Curry in a hurry.
Developing flavour to a good sauce requires time.
Alright, parsley, lemongrass.
So I know I need to start on that curry sauce
for my green curry with blue-eye trevalla main.
MALISSA: I feel like that's so Declan.
Like, he's gonna push himself, you know?
Show what he's got, which I like.
He's not just playing it safe.
With my entree,
I'm going for, you know, a prawn toast,
but I'm trying to make it a bit bougie and use scampi.
That's a lot of... That's a lot of scampi.
But prepping this is gonna take a lot longer than what I've thought,
so I need to really push.
This is the most prep I've ever done in my life.
Alright, Rhiannon, take me through. What are you doing?
I am doing betel leaf scallops with a Thai green gel,
bitter melon and roasted peanuts for entree.
For main I'm doing beef ribs in the pressure cooker,
like a massaman-style flavour.
OK. Um, yeah.
And the potatoes, you're tricking them up and doing a...
Tricking them up. Potato fondant.
So beef rib, one per portion, and then a cucumber salad
with coriander and everything like that to lighten it up.
And then I'm doing lemongrass panna cotta,
finger lime gel and tropical fruits.
OK.
What I want you to do is load it.
It would love to see texture, flavour and salt...
You got it. ..and sour and sweet.
That's what I'm going for.
Good luck. Thank you.
I'm getting straight onto my desserts.
(SINGSONGS) Pineapples.
ADI: Watch Rhi-Rhi pound it.
That's how I get my frustrations out.
(LAUGHS)
A little bit of beating some lemongrass.
So, I'm getting my panna cotta mix on.
Panna cotta needs, you know, three to four hours to set.
Who doesn't love a wobbly panna cotta?
Like, it's literally something I have cooked at home
for so many years,
so I know what I've got to do.
Obviously I haven't made this many,
but when you've got a lot of kids and that,
you do make quite a lot when you're at home too.
THEO: She's already done her panna cotta.
GRACE: Ooh, well done, Rhi.
(EXCITING MUSIC)
CATH: Well done, Rhi! Fantastic job!
Whoo-hoo! Well done, Rhi!
Whoo! Yes!
Smells really good.
Now I'm moving onto...
I'm probably gonna have to start getting my aromats for my sauces.
So, I've got two really important sauces
in my menu today.
I've got the XO sauce for entree,
and then obviously my pork sauce for the main course.
(WHISPERS)
You know, my sauce game has really elevated this season.
I've set a high standard for myself and I want to hit that every time.
So now it's just up to me to deliver.
Oh, how's that with the garlic? It's really... Oh, the garlic!
How good is that?! Look at that garlic!
Whoa!
Ah!
(LAUGHS)
Is that for the garlic?
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Chefs, you've got 2.5 hours before your entrees
need to start leaving the pass.
Gantry, get behind them, come on.
(ALL CHEER WILDLY)
RUE: Deccy needs to move. PHIL: Looking good, Deccy.
Come on, mate. Keep on pushing.
ROBBIE: Come on, brother. Concentrate, man.
Declan. Declan.
Gents, how are you? Good, mate.
Um, how are you? Good.
I think, you know, one of the only things
that was gonna be my battle today
was my prep.
I wanted to smash out a lot of the prep in that first hour,
but it did roll into that second hour.
And... It's a big battle, man.
It is, like, you forget things.
Especially with the dishes that I'm doing,
so many ingredients are going into them.
OK.
But you've still got to finish what's going on here
and this is getting on cooking.
Yeah, I know it's a big push. Sweating already.
Here's the thing with your menu.
We can tell that you're really trying to push the boat out.
We can tell that you're trying to push yourself,
which we love, but there comes a point
where pushing yourself too far can lead into execution problems
'cause you don't have the time.
Because if you start falling behind, the wheels could fall off on that.
(TENSE MUSIC)
ROBBIE: Come on, Decca. Come on, brother.
Make sure you're ready for entree, 'cause if not, it'll just snowball.
DECLAN: Yeah, thank you.
Andy, he's worried
that my menu is too complex to execute in time.
Oh, it's so hard.
There's obviously a lot of steps to do
and a lot of elements to execute.
I've just got to keep my game face on
and...and stick to my plan.
I've really gotta keep on moving.
How you going, mate? Yeah, good. How are you going?
Yeah, not too bad.
Alright, so we've got that, that, that.
I'm pretty on track.
I know my entree - scallops - is a quick cook.
My panna cottas are done, so it's all about the main.
I'm doing a beef short rib
with a fondant potato and a cucumber salad.
Pressure!
Yeah, so the beef short rib, I want to keep them tender
and falling off the bone.
I want it to have punchy massaman flavours.
God, my eyes.
Cloves.
I love big, bold flavours.
It's just how I am.
It's my personality.
So you can smell a lot of spice coming out of the paste.
Lemongrass, ginger, garlic, chilli, dry spices.
Ooh!
CATH: Yum! Look at that!
(GANTRY CONTESTANTS CHATTER)
Rhi! Yummy!
Get loaded and get 'em on.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Which one do we want?
Straight into pommes fondantes.
You know, normally, I'd just do, like, a big bowl of massaman
with potatoes in there,
but I'm trying to show some skill today,
so I'm thinking fondant potatoes.
Fondant potatoes are so decadent
and they're silky and they're buttery.
They'll be crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
And it's gonna kinda look French,
but it's not gonna taste French.
I know it's labour intensive,
but I also feel like you've really got to bring your A-game,
because it's semifinals.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
I buggered that one up. Bloody hell.
Take your time. Don't cut your fingers.
I'm proud of you for what you're doing,
but you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself.
They're not easy. No.
Yeah, I'm a bit worried, because this is gonna take a long time,
and I've still got so much to do.
CATH: Come on, Rhi.
Your entrees should be ready to serve in two hours!
ANDY AND MELISSA: Come on!
ANDY: Come on, let's go!
JOCK: Step it up a gear!
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(INTENSE MUSIC)
How good is that?!
I think I'm where I should be.
I've got my sauce on, so it's gonna tick away.
CATH: Sauce has been going, you know, for ages.
It's gonna have so much flavour in it.
The octopus are braising away.
It's under two hours till service
and I've still got a mountain of work to go.
I know how much I've got to push...
..push on to get this done.
So I really need to get onto the dessert now, so ice cream is first.
The dessert needs to be perfect
because it's quite simple.
So I just need to make sure that everything is bang-on.
This dessert is gonna be, you know,
it's a really nice toasted coconut ice cream on a crumb of macadamia,
some pickled mango, and then, you know,
you pour this tapioca pearl syrup all over the top,
almost like one of the boba teas.
Look, I'm always nervous about desserts,
'cause they're not my A-game,
but part of this challenge is to put out a dessert,
so that's what I'm gonna do.
This year I've made a couple of ice creams.
You know, a couple have been belters.
And then a couple have probably been better eaten with a straw.
SHANNON: Another five minutes and it would have been fine.
In summation, a Cherry Ripe Puddle Pop.
(LAUGHS)
So I really want to give it plenty of time to churn and set.
Happy? Yeah.
Yeah? Good.
You know, I don't want a runny ice cream today.
MALISSA: Whoo! Go, Rhi!
(TENSE MUSIC)
RHIANNON: So the potatoes are finally cut,
and now I really need to get them on.
CATH: Hey, Rhi, just a little bit of cholesterol with the potatoes?
(LAUGHS)
All that butter is gonna get soaked up into that potato,
so they're gonna be beautiful and luscious and buttery.
Keep an eye on it. Get on something else.
Get onto the rest of your list.
I haven't seen much activity on your scallop dish prep.
Um, yeah.
Getting that blanched and...yeah.
I've really got to move to get this entree done.
Oh, my God, I'm only just starting with my entree.
I'm doing scallops with betel leaf
and a bitter melon and coriander salsa.
This is like a Thai green nam jim gel.
And I'm also, like, making a nam jim dressing,
but I'm making it into a gel.
I just want you to be able to put it in your mouth
and just go, "Explosion of flavours."
It's a very me entree.
Big moment. I've got my scampis prepped, in the fridge.
That's it, Declan. Come on, mate! Whoo!
I've got my curry bubbling away.
Mm.
It's delicious.
Now I'm just working on my choux pastry.
Time has disappeared so quickly
throughout this cook.
What about your fish prep? When are you starting that?
Well, I sort of wanted to start it now.
So, we've got to pick some time up really quickly, OK?
I still have so much to do for the entree and dessert,
but need to move on to filleting this blue-eye for the main.
Fish knife.
Ah, here.
Cooking with fish is my strength, so I've really got to back this up.
Far out.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
This is so intense.
I just can't stop working at this point.
Time is getting away from you all.
We've only got 90 minutes until service.
(GANTRY CONTESTANTS YELL)
(INTENSE MUSIC) CATH: Come on, guys!
I can smell something burning. Yeah, I can too.
(GANTRY CONTESTANTS WHOOP)
Shit, shit, shit, shit.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
Oh, are they burnt?
Jesus.
They're burning, they're burning, they're burning, they're burning.
Get them out? Get me a lifter.
Oh, shit. They're burnt. They're gone.
Yeah. They're gone.
Oh, damn!
Bloody hell.
SHANNON: Shit, shit, shit, shit.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. RHIANNON: Damn!
I put so much time into these potatoes for my main course.
Bloody hell.
But now they cannot be served.
So not where I wanted to be.
And I don't have time to make more.
So I really need to think about how I'm gonna pivot
and figure out what I'm going to do.
At this point,
I'm just pushing forward with the entree.
I need to get that done.
I'm now in, like, rush mode.
I've got to get this entree ready.
I've got to get the betel leaves all picked beautifully.
Bloody hard with these leaves.
I've got to make a salad
and finish this nam jim gel and cook the scallops.
There's so many components still to be done just for the entree.
Now is the time to keep calm and carry on cooking.
You've only got 60 minutes to go.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Little bit longer.
I need to be serving entrees in less than an hour.
You've really got to motor. Yeah, I am.
There's a lot to do in the next hour.
But I'm not ready to move onto my entrees.
I need to pipe my choux buns for my dessert
because I'm not gonna have enough time when service has started.
I really want to get those choux buns looking beautiful.
Mate, they're not easy to do. No.
And in this time, and the amount you've got to do.
Correct.
How to make choux buns, it's been something
that I've loved learning throughout this competition.
THEO: Go, Dec. You're so bougie.
Yeah.
Four. Five.
The choux pastry, I thought,
"How can I amp this up and elevate my dish?"
Five.
One.
So I'm doing a Paris-Brest style, which is five little choux buns
that once baked in the oven will morph together.
ROBBIE: You're really laying it out, son.
I've never done this style before, and, you know, it's a bit risky,
but I'm going as fast as I can,
and I just hope that it's gonna pay off.
Here they come,
which means you have 30 minutes till service!
(GANTRY CONTESTANTS CHEER AND CLAP)
RHIANNON: Bloody hell.
BRENT: Diners are coming in.
They're expecting feeds very shortly.
Entrees are about to go out in half an hour.
There's so much to do.
So all of a sudden, I'm like, "This is really happening."
Yeah, so I'm just working on the octopus now,
so I've got to skewer these little bad boys.
So I've got go hard as I can.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Um, how's your... Your octopus all good?
Yeah, it's good. OK.
And the pork, what's going on with the pork?
Yeah, it's just, um...
It's cooking away.
What temperature are you cooking the pork belly at?
150. 150.
For as long as possible. Long as possible.
Finish it at about 230. Crackling.
OK. Normally, crackling...
You've done it this way before? Yeah.
See, conventionally, I've always cooked pork crackling another way.
How do you normally do it?
I normally just crank up the temperature first
when you get that pork going,
because that's where there's less humidity in the oven.
Because, obviously, once it's puffed up
and it's all crispy,
you're not going to get any issues with humidity in the oven
where the moisture from the actual pork meat
is actually then entering into the oven.
Yeah.
I cook pork belly this way at home all the time.
It works perfectly.
So I really didn't think too much about, you know,
putting so much pork belly in the oven
and it sort of making it quite humid in there.
I'm, like, banking on this pork belly being crunchy.
That makes this dish.
That's texturally where you get that crunch.
And I won't know if it's going to work until right at the end.
But I don't have time to sort of do any more,
so I crank the oven up.
Yeah, feeling the pressure. There's a little pinch right now.
Um, but definitely not gonna give up.
I knew there would be a point through this cook
where it would be, like,
you know, "I can't do it anymore."
So this is that point
where I just have a little chat internally,
you know, prep myself back up.
I can get the entree out quick as I can
and then reassess it.
But it is hectic.
ROBBIE:
CATH: They've all just got a few issues all of a sudden.
ROBBIE: Yeah, bang.
Take a breath, Rhi!
PHIL: Let's go, Deccy, come on, mate.
Yes. Yeah, it's pretty hectic.
Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Whatever you're doing, drop everything and focus on your entree
'cause you've got 15 minutes to go.
Come on, guys! Go, go, go!
(MUTTERS)
You've got to move, mate. You've got minutes till service starts.
Yeah.
Keep going through your head what you've gotta do.
ROBBIE: Come on, brother. Just do this one.
Beautiful.
I've left my entree to the last minutes.
I'm doing scampi mousse on toast with some caviar.
What's the process?
Are you making them crispy at all,
or are you putting the scampi mousse straight on, then you're frying?
What are you doing?
So I'm putting it straight on,
dipping it in panko-sesame crumb and then frying it.
And then put the caviar on top? Correct.
I still need to blitz up my scampi mousse.
There's shallots, spring onions, chilli, garlic, galangal.
You just keep pushing. How long on this mousse?
This... It's five minutes. OK.
Five minutes. I'm gonna... I'm putting a timer on.
Alright.
I feel like, you know,
under the pump, a lot of stress, a lot of pressure.
And I'm rushing and trying to get everything done in this time frame.
Ah!
Ooh, shit!
Shit. What's happened?
He's cut himself bad.
Ah, gee.
(DECLAN SIGHS)
This is pretty bad. I've given it a good knock.
SHANNON: You've cut yourself. Yeah.
Bad?
Pretty bad.
(GANTRY CONTESTANT GASPS)
It's all falling apart.
(SOMBRE MUSIC)
Have you got some duct tape or something? Some electric...
A cut is never something you want in the MasterChef kitchen,
let alone in the semifinals.
It's gonna be setting me back even more.
Ah, gee.
ROBBIE:
CATH: Oh. He's got a lot to do.
I've still got to pipe my mousse onto the bread
for the scampi toast, and fry them.
(GANTRY CONTESTANT GASPS)
Yeah.
Tight and up. Yeah, yeah.
A lot's going on right now, but I just need to sort out this finger.
OK, entree - how we looking?
The entree's ready. Great!
I just need it on service... I want that pass nice and neat.
I want all this daikon cleaned up. Is that all ready? Is that done?
Yeah, yeah. Enough flavour on the daikon?
Yeah. What about your XO?
Really, really umami-heavy, full of body.
OK.
My entree is almost there.
I just need to get a move on with these octopus.
So, yeah, I'm gonna hit it with lemon juice
and a little bit of olive oil,
and season it right on... once it comes off the hibachi.
I've cooked octopus a couple of times in this competition,
and they were really, really tasty dishes.
But not with this amount of pressure.
Let's go, Brent. Come on, mate.
SHANNON: Get everything ready for your entree now.
Full focus on the entree.
RHIANNON: I've got the gel prepped.
It actually tastes really yummy.
I've got the betel leaves picked.
Quite stressed at this point.
I'm much further behind than I was hoping to be
at this point of the game.
How are these scallops going?
Well, they're not going. They haven't gone.
(TENSE MUSIC)
The scallops have to be cooked to order. I want them to be hot.
Just another thing that I've decided to do time-consuming.
THEO: Ah, scallops.
This is hard. This is hard.
Alright, mate, what are you up to? Little setback, but it's OK.
Doesn't faze me. You get that on big jobs.
Alright, everyone, here it is.
10...
(OTHERS JOIN IN) 9, 8,
7, 6, 5,
4, 3, 2, 1.
That's it!
Service started, and I've tried all the elements,
I'm quite happy.
Yeah, I'm happy with the cook of the octopus.
I'm just gonna get it out to the diners.
So, you've got that pickled daikon ribbon in a nice little bunch.
The beautiful skewered octopus
goes down nice and charred but tender.
It's got a little bit of the oil and then that charred lemon.
And then I just spoon on the XO sauce.
It's a rich sauce.
Service, please.
Thank you.
Choosing this charred octopus definitely plays to my strength.
But the biggest worry for me is that it's too simple.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
OK, so this is the entree from Brent.
Charred octopus with XO sauce and pickled daikon.
I think it's very Brent.
Minimalist. You know, two, three, elements,
That's it. It's what he's been known for.
But has he been able to execute like he's done in the past
with everything else that's been going on?
There's nowhere to hide here, right? Yeah.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
OK, we've seen octopus from Brent before,
but we wanted these contestants to play to their strength.
This is why it's his strength.
Charring it's just sent it to another level,
and with the octopus and the XO sauce combined,
it's stunning.
It's such a good dish,
not just for three people but for another 20 down the road.
And it looks stunning as well, so he's come out strong.
The XO sauce, lot of flavour in there.
Nice texture as well. It's been cooked up beautifully.
It's developed a good amount of flavour.
Really smart.
I think the pickle was just deliberately plain
to let the XO do the talking, and it did for me.
It all looked great. It all ate really beautifully.
Very, very, nicely done.
BRENT: Service, please.
I'm getting there.
The scallops have to be cooked to order. I want them to be hot.
But it's so daunting cooking seafood to order.
There's always a concern with the scallops,
because you cook them and then you put them on the leaf
and they can still continue cooking,
so I don't want them to be under or over.
I put them on the betel leaves.
The gel has definitely got all the punchy flavours
of a nam jim.
And I'm, like, thinking,
"This actually looks really good."
Like, it's a beautiful betel leaf with a beautiful salad.
Service, please.
Well done, Rhiannon!
(GANTRY CONTESTANTS CHEER AND CLAP)
Thank you. Looks beautiful!
There's so much pressure, but I'm not gonna lose my cool.
I'm just gonna keep doing what I'm doing.
Hi. Enjoy your meal.
Thank you. Thank you.
Alright, so our entree from Rhiannon,
scallops with betel leaf, Thai green gel and bitter melon.
It's very Rhiannon. ANDY: Yeah, it's very Rhiannon.
Her food is about the flavour.
It's not about finesse.
And the fragrance as well, I think.
Incredible.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Rhiannon should be stoked
with this plate of food that she's presented us,
because it's fantastic.
There's so much to love about it.
You know, the betel leaves are such a beautiful vehicle
for a really lovely punchy entree.
The nam jim, I thought, was perfect.
You get that beautiful flavour, spectacularly done.
I think it's a great dish.
It's packed with so much flavour.
It's...it's bordering on the edge of being too much.
(LAUGHS) Don't you reckon?
And that's a good sign.
It's just creamy, zingy,
and, like, I've got no complaints with that at all.
It's a very well balanced dish.
Really, really good. Yeah.
Holy shit!
Far out.
Things are really intensifying right now.
Rhi and Brent, they've sent out their entrees.
I'm still working on my scampi mixture.
Bloody scampi.
Time's ticking away.
BRENT: Service, please.
Entrees goes out.
I don't even have time to celebrate,
'cause I've got bigger problems behind me with my main.
Alright.
Time to check the pork.
Hey, Shannon, can I get a hand? Yep, coming now, mate.
Stress levels are through the roof.
If my main part of my main dish doesn't work,
that's it, it's game over.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Turn it upside down when you're cutting it. So it should be...
Just cut one slice, see how that goes, so...
(CRACKLING CRUNCHES)
It's good. Yeah, it's great.
Taste it.
It's very...perfectly cooked.
I'm happy with the cook of the pork belly.
Just, you know, crackled up perfectly
and still nice and tender.
It's good. Well done.
Oh, man.
But I've got no time for a breath or anything.
I've got to finish my salsa...
It smells nice. Yeah.
So... Take a little bit of the char off.
OK, so all of it diced up into a... Not quite neat, yeah?
No, not neat.
..and balance my pork sauce.
DECLAN: Alright, alright.
Beautiful.
With my entree, I'm going for, you know, a prawn toast,
but I'm trying to elevate this dish and use scampis.
I have fried my scampi toast.
Time to plate up.
And it's frantic. You know, things haven't really gone to plan.
This entree is maybe not as refined as I would have liked.
But I've got that crispy cos lettuce,
my prawn toast sitting on top,
some dots of chilli mayonnaise and caviar.
So I think its gonna be tasty and full of flavour.
Alright. Service, please. Thank you.
(GANTRY CONTESTANTS CHEER) Yes, Deccy!
I'm relieved, but I've got a million things running through my mind.
I'm thinking about cooking the fish off for main.
There's still a lot to do for my dessert.
Thank you. Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
So, Declan's entree of scampi toast with chilli jam and caviar.
Very generous distribution of caviar over the top.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
OK, I think this one reeks of Declan going,
"Let's do something with prawn toast.
"Let's try and step it up a notch."
If you're gonna step it up a notch,
it has to be better than the original,
and I think he's missed the mark, unfortunately.
I think it was a nice amount of colour on the prawn toast.
But the mousse, it's just, like, mushy protein in there.
And there were so many aromats in the actual mousse itself,
like, you couldn't even taste the caviar.
And there was a decent amount of caviar on there, like...
Prawn toast is prawn toast because the texture of prawns
just lends itself so well to being pulverised
and not losing its integrity,
so you do get that beautiful, bouncy texture when you eat it.
Scampi doesn't do that.
Which is a real shame.
And then the chilli mayonnaise, it feels like an afterthought.
So I'm a bit disappointed for Declan today.
What I hope is he's gonna back up a main course
and a dessert at full whack.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
The.. What's... Is that alright? BRENT: Yeah.
So right now, I'm getting onto my main.
The charred salsa brings that sweetness, that refreshingness,
the acidity.
Then the sauce, I think it tastes great.
Not too rich.
You know, the pork meat is beautiful and tender,
but I'm just hoping
that, you know,
the pork crackling is absolutely perfect.
Alright, service, please.
MALISSA: Beautiful! Well done, Brent!
JOCK: Ohhh. Thank you.
Alright! Thank you.
OK, so, main from Brent.
Pork belly with pork sauce and charred salsa.
Looks pretty good. Doesn't it?
Mm.
It smells pretty good.
Smells good. Smells amazing.
(CRACKLING CRUNCHES)
Sounds crispy. Sounds good.
That's good.
Toffee-crisp all the way.
The promise of a golden, crunchy pork crackling
is always something that I'm going to order.
And end-to-end, beautifully crisp
and it had that great, satisfying crunch about it
that you really, really want.
So that great contrast of the crunchy and the succulent,
it was really beautifully done.
In terms of, again, a dish that I could just go, "Brent!"
(CHUCKLES)
This is another one, right?
I loved the sauce,
but the pork was super fatty and rich on that side,
and the other side, you had that sort of tropical pineapple,
so it came together from the outside in.
I really enjoyed that. It was really great.
RHIANNON: This is the last one.
They're out, so that's great.
But, yeah, now I've got to get on the main,
'cause now my potatoes haven't worked out,
so I've got to really start on something else.
Yeah, I was planning on cooking massaman-style short rib
with fondant potato.
Oh, my God!
At this point in the cook I was hoping the potatoes would be done.
I was hoping my salad would be made.
And all I have to do is take that sauce out of those pressure cookers
and balance it.
Oh! I feel like I'm just beginning again.
Bloody hell.
(GANTRY CONTESTANTS CHEER) (STEAM HISSES)
(GANTRY CONTESTANT WHISTLES) Pressure cooker.
PHIL: Let's go!
I've got nothing done except these beef ribs.
SHANNON: Hurry, please, Rhiannon. We've got one starting plate-up.
Brent's already there.
So it is, like, "OK, I've got to get onto this."
I've got to actually take this out and reduce it.
It's nicely cooked.
Yeah? Yeah.
I've just got to sieve it and then I'll...
I'm just gonna keep working hard and fighting,
because I haven't come this far for nothing.
I've burnt the fondant potatoes
and I know they cannot go on the plate.
So I'm like, "OK, what am I gonna do?"
I still would like to have a potato element.
Because it ties in with the massaman beef curry.
What about if I deep-fry some potatoes?
Nothing like a thousand pivots in a cook.
I need to get the skates on and make sure I get this dish out.
They're gonna be good once I salt them up.
(INTENSE MUSIC)
Time's ticking.
Alright, this is my last one.
Beautiful. Service, please.
Thanks, guys.
That's it for the entree.
I'm behind.
Get your plates or bowls warm. Thank you.
There's still so much to do.
My main's a green curry with blue-eye trevalla
and Thai eggplant.
These eggplants?
Yeah, they're going in with the curry sauce.
My curry sauce, it's been simmering away for hours.
I've got to add some more stock to it,
balance out those flavours with palm sugar and fish sauce,
and just keep letting it simmer away for as long as it needs.
So now I've just got to cook the fish.
I think the key to cooking great fish
is having that consistency throughout the whole fillet you're serving.
The bloody cook on the fish, I just want it to be perfect.
ROBBIE: You only got a few more to go, brother.
Alright.
RHIANNON: That looks pretty good.
I've got that salad, I've got the chips.
SHANNON: OK.
Salt on while it's hot. Yeah, definitely.
OK, start plating.
Oh, my God, it's time to serve the main,
and even though it's not what I was originally gonna put on the plate,
I'm thinking, "Wow, I've pulled this together."
I'm gonna get this dish out.
Didn't think you'd be doing this, huh?
Never in my life, Shannon.
Well, you're doing it now. Literally a dream come true.
So I've got my beautiful piece of beef in the middle
and it's so tender.
The sauce actually tastes pretty good.
It's balanced out.
And I've got my gorgeous crunchy apple salad
and those crispy potatoes on top.
A bit different to the fondant potato.
The crispy potatoes are awesome!
Why didn't I think of this before?
Service, please. (GANTRY CONTESTANTS CHEER)
Whoo! Whoo-hoo!
JOCK: Thank you. Hey, thank you.
Rhiannon's main.
Beef short rib with salad and potatoes.
As we can see,
evolved in its looks and its execution.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Alright, let's start with the short rib.
How well was that cooked?
Stunning.
Unbelievable. Like, you could just...
You don't even need a fork and knife.
You could have just used a spoon.
Beautifully succulent.
Obviously, the pomme fondante didn't make it.
I didn't miss it. I wouldn't have wanted a pomme fondante with that.
It would actually be too much, I think.
Instead, she's pivoted and done a really nice slaw
with some fried potatoes for a bit of texture,
which I'm quite happy with.
It kind of brought relief.
I think it was a good dish, but it's been let down by this sauce.
(TENSE MUSIC)
I think she's over-spiced it a little bit.
Star anise, cinnamon, cassia -
there's a lot going on.
Just...it's the semifinal, man, and when...
It's one thing that could bring you down.
Yes, I liked how the beef was cooked,
but you're playing with fire
when you throw a bunch of spices into a braising liquor
and then start to reduce into a sauce.
It can go wrong very quickly,
and I think it's evident right here.
It is so overpowering.
The sauce was heading in the right direction,
but just that little bit too much spice.
I'm a bit disappointed.
It's a tough one.
BRENT: Oh, man.
I'm so exhausted but this is the final push.
Come on, Brent! Come on, buddy! Whoo!
I'm just working on the final touches of my dessert.
Take me through what you've got to do.
Yeah, I'm just quickly putting my crumb on.
Ice cream's just in the freezer.
Mate, it's got to be perfect. Yeah.
It's all a running joke about me and ice cream. I get it.
I'm about 50-50 this season.
But my dessert is quite simple,
so this toasted ice cream is the star of the show.
Without this, I've got just about nothing.
I'm just like, "Please be set."
CATH: His ice cream's hard, then, it looks like.
It's frozen solid.
It's just rock hard.
All of a sudden, this whole competition
looks like it's gonna be hinging on this ice cream.
I've got to come up with, really quick, how I can fix it.
Talk to me.
I've just pulled the ice cream out. Yes.
It's a little bit hard. Yeah.
What's our plan?
Um...
DECLAN: Alright, bing, bang, boom. It's ready.
So, I've got my blue-eye trevalla,
and I'm hoping they're all perfect and golden.
Whew!
Green curry sauce that's been cooking away,
and the Thai eggplant halves.
ROBBIE: Come on, brother. Come on, mate.
So I'm ready to go.
Alright, service, please. (GANTRY CONTESTANTS CHEER)
I'm really excited how this is coming together.
Thank you, thank you.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Oh, thank you. Thank you.
Thanks very much.
Alright, so this is Declan's main of blue-eye trevalla
with sauteed spinach, green curry and steamed rice.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Very interesting.
Um, my fish was perfect.
But the problem lies with the sauce.
Yes, there's a decent amount of flavour in there,
and, yes, it's balanced pretty well.
But it's just... It feels lifeless.
Yeah.
It feels lifeless.
He's had too much time to cook this sauce.
That was the first thing he got onto.
So that's been on the stove for such a long time,
and I think it just pulled the life out of it.
Great to see Declan, even under pressure,
nailing fish.
Stunning.
Perfectly set, beautiful piece of fish.
And crispy skin as well.
I think the pressures that Declan felt with his entree, right,
when the wheels fell off that first dish,
this became the lost child.
He's like, "Fish, I can take care of. It's fine. It'll be alright."
But then he left himself no time to refine this.
I'm gutted for him,
because I know that he would have wanted something better than this.
The mains are out of the way, and as it stands right now,
I'm gonna call it and say a win from Rhiannon on the entree.
100%.
Absolutely. The win for Brent on the main.
ANDY AND JOCK: Yeah.
So Declan is going to have to give us a perfect dessert
if he is going to stay in the game.
Applications for contestants are now open.
Head to the link and apply.
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
RHIANNON: There you go. Thanks, guys.
CATH: That's it, Rhi! Yeah!
Done! Whoo-hoo!
Oh, my God, last main dish is out.
It's like you've just been to the best birthday party
and you're just celebrating and it's like,
"Oh, my God, I just did this."
And it's like, "Oh, hang on a minute.
"I've gotta do dessert."
How are you feeling? Need a beer.
(BOTH LAUGH)
Yeah, so it's time to take the panna cottas out of the fridge
and check that they've set.
Better have bloody set. Eased... On the side. Yep.
So much is riding on this moment.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Yay! CATH: Yay, Rhiannon!
How good is this?
I'm just hoping they're set. I didn't need another fail today.
I'm making this beautiful fruit salad.
I've got the finger lime syrup on.
And it's like, "Oh, OK, don't stop, don't stop, don't stop
"until that last dish goes out."
ROBBIE: You right, brother? You're doing really well, Declan.
(LAUGHS) Far out.
Time has flown by,
and I'm feeling absolutely shattered.
But I've still gotta finish my dessert.
I pull my choux pastry out of the oven and it's looking unreal.
They're nice and golden.
They've all sort of puffed up
and formed the one shape that I was after.
I've made my tamarind caramel.
Alright, caramel, caramel, caramel.
Now I need to work on my pandan custard.
How long's it gonna take you to make this custard?
Ah, probably too long. I'll be able to do it.
It'll be 15 minutes, 10 minutes.
This is so intense, and it's...
It's so much harder than what I was expecting.
If I had my time back, I'd definitely go a bit simpler
and make it a bit easier for myself.
(SIGHS)
BRENT: Yeah, I'm worried about the ice cream.
It's been sitting on the bench.
I'm hoping that it's getting soft.
I want the perfect texture. I want that nice creaminess.
And I think it's just delicious.
Good? Well done. Yep.
Good.
I could just melt into a puddle right now.
So, I start with the bed of the macadamia crumb.
Then the pickled mango goes around the outside.
Big scoop of this toasted coconut ice cream.
And then in a little jug is the tapioca pearl brown sugar syrup.
The diner will just pour it onto their ice cream.
It runs down and then they dig in.
Service, please. Thank you.
ANDY: Thank you.
MELISSA: Thank you. JOCK: Thank you.
Alright. Ooh.
Brent's dessert of coconut ice cream
with pickled mango and brown sugar tapioca pearls.
Where's the pearls? Oh, they're in here.
Ohhh.
Nice little dessert from Brent.
The texture of that coconut ice cream was epic.
That crumb is delicious, but it's got a fair bit of sugar in it.
The macadamias could've been toasted just a little bit further
to try and pull back some of that sugar.
Some really great components in there.
I just felt it was a little bit sweet.
I get where you're coming from in terms of being too sweet,
but I think, for me, somehow the sweetness makes sense.
It's delicious, and so it sort of had
that slightly nostalgic feeling for me.
Clearly, I did enjoy it.
I did take all of the tapioca pearls and put them in it.
Love the texture of it.
I love these types of desserts as well.
(TENSE MUSIC)
My panna cotta's got a little bit of wobble.
I'm pretty much taking everyone to North Queensland today.
I'm putting the fruit salad around them
and this pink finger lime syrup on top.
And I'm really bloody happy with it.
Service, please.
This is me on a plate.
All North Queensland, you drive up and down the highway,
there's pineapples, there's mangoes, there's passionfruit.
This is just a tropical delight.
Home stretch.
And I can actually see the end.
ANDY: Here they come. Holy dooley.
Here we go. Thank you.
Thank you.
Look at that.
Oh, you've gotta be happy with that.
Yeah.
Doing the dance.
Rhiannon's dessert of lemongrass panna cotta
with pineapple, mango and passionfruit,
and a finger lime syrup.
Look, you can't be unhappy
with a panna cotta that arrives with that much wobble going on.
That is spectacular.
I have to say, the salsa around the sides,
you know, there's something really nostalgically Australian
about that combination of tropical fruits.
It's pure Rhiannon.
Yeah, I'm with you.
The set on the panna cotta was absolutely beautiful.
And the texture and the flavour of lemongrass was fantastic.
She will be stoked with this.
Hey, I'm so happy that she's made something that just reads Rhiannon.
Yeah. I love her. And I love her food.
And this is her food.
Yeah, it's sunshine on a plate. Yeah.
Service, please. Thank you.
That's the last.
Yee-ha.
CATH: Is that it, Rhiannon?!
That's it! (ALL CHEER)
Service, please.
Oh, man.
(BOTH SPEAK INDISTINCTLY)
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
It's been a long, long ride.
And it's a lot... It's a lot, um...
Big challenge, you know, um...
Yeah. Feels good, but.
Yeah, super proud, super proud.
SHANNON: Custard, you all good there? Custard's in the freezer, cooling.
Happy with the stabilisation of it? Yeah.
Brent and Rhi, they've both finished their service,
but I still haven't plated up desserts.
I start with a swirl of tamarind caramel.
Slice the choux in half.
These choux buns, they're looking a lot fancier
than my traditional choux bun that I've been making.
I've got that pandan custard.
Pineapple salsa in the middle.
CATH: Oh, looks awesome.
Well done, Declan.
These are looking beautiful.
I've outdone my expectations on the look.
Thank you, guys. Service, please.
I gave it my all, and I hope I've done enough
to earn that spot in the grand finale.
(TENSE MUSIC)
Alright. Thank you. Thank you.
This is Declan's dessert of choux buns
with kaya, charred pineapple and tamarind caramel.
Nicely done.
I've gotta commend Declan on this.
Like, he's really pushed the boat out.
He's done a Paris-Brest times 23 of this.
So I feel he's executed that so well.
It's not easy... No, they have to be cooked perfectly.
They have to be cooked perfectly and piped perfectly.
The choux...
..brilliant.
10 out of 10. 10 out of 10.
The bit that I have the most problem with...
..is the cream in the inside of the choux.
It's chalky, and he hasn't cooked the custard out enough
and so you've got a sort of chalky kind of texture and taste.
It's not making me not wanna eat it. As you can see - I ate it.
I mean, the flavour of it was really, really nice.
There's no getting away from that slightly chalky aftertaste,
and it definitely detracts from
a beautiful perfume of pandan and coconut,
which otherwise would've made this a perfect dish.
GANTRY CONTESTANT: Yes! Service, please.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
MALISSA: Go, Declan!
(RHIANNON SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) Well done, guys.
Good job!
(MOMENTOUS MUSIC) (ALL SPEAK INDISTINCTLY)
JOCK: 70 plates, three courses,
and just two hands.
A task that would usually take a small army,
you each completed on your own.
(WHISPERS) Good job.
Let's not beat around the bush. It was tough.
Oh.
Shannon, you've supported these guys through thick and thin
all season long.
How'd you reckon they went today?
You really can't put in the job description what we did today.
(ALL LAUGH)
You should all be really proud.
And fingers crossed for all of you now.
Let's give it up for Shannon Bennett, everybody!
(CONTESTANTS CHEER)
To secure your spot in the grand finale,
we needed to see the absolute best of you.
The best entree...
..it was flat-out flavour.
Ooh.
The best entree today...
..was cooked by Rhiannon!
What?! (ALL CHEER)
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
Yay!
All three mains that we tasted today,
they were essentially a protein and a sauce.
But the best main had a protein and a sauce
that brought out the best in one another.
That main was cooked by...
..Brent.
(ALL CHEER) Yeah, Brentles! Well done, buddy.
Well done.
Declan, at this stage in the tasting,
you needed to bring us a dessert that blew us out of the water.
Your choux,
it was a 10 out of 10.
But, unfortunately...
..your creme pat, it was chalky.
And that's why, I'm sorry, Declan,
you've fallen just short of the finish line, mate.
(LAUGHS) No worries. Ohh.
It's all good.
(DECLAN CHUCKLES) (CONTESTANTS CLAP)
(BOTH SPEAK INAUDIBLY)
Ah, Declan, when you first walked through those doors,
you were green and you were keen.
(LAUGHS) I was.
A chippie with a passion for fish.
And since then, you have continued to surprise us.
That's what lasts in this kitchen.
Rest assured, you have left a legacy behind
that will inspire others like you for years to come.
Oh, I'm so humbled by the experience,
not only getting the insider knowledge from you guys,
but met a great bunch of people, had so much fun being a part of it.
And, yeah, I'm just keen to take everything I've learnt
and put it into the future Declan.
Well, we will always remember that
Declan is your name and fish is your game!
(CONTESTANTS LAUGH AND CHEER)
I'm feeling like I've accomplished so much -
making semifinals, top three.
Good work, guys, good work.
Good work, Rhi-Rhi. Proud of you.
Australia's third-best home cook for 2023,
so it's...it's pretty bloody amazing.
Give it up for Declan, everybody! (ALL CHEER WILDLY)
Oh, thanks, guys.
It's a good day. Don't worry about it.
Robbie, Declan's had an incredible impact on a lot of people
in his time in the MasterChef kitchen.
How would you describe him, mate?
Declan? Yeah.
(OTHERS LAUGH) Declan.
Oh, an amazing young guy.
Um, we've... (STAMMERS) (LAUGHS) Oh.
We've... Oh!
(DECLAN CHUCKLES)
Take a breath. You're alright.
Oh, we've had a special friendship. We have.
And very proud of him, what he did today.
And unfortunately, he didn't make the line.
But these two guys, congratulations. You know, well deserved.
But, you know, Declan's such a great kid to be with and...
Very special, so... (LAUGHS) Yeah, thanks, Robbie.
Thank you.
Short but sweet. Thank you, mate. Thank you.
Holy shit.
Brent, Rhiannon... Ohh.
..you did it!
(ALL CHEER)
You are both in the grand finale of MasterChef 2023.
How good does it feel? ANDY: Hey!
Come on!
RHIANNON: Oh, my God, I can't actually believe it.
For the last time, go home, make yourselves a cup of tea,
put your feet up, be kind to each other.
We'll see you back here tomorrow. Thanks, guys!
(ALL CHEER)
(UPLIFTING MUSIC)
Oh, I know! (SCREAMS) Oh, my God!
Oh, my God!
NARRATOR: Sunday night on MasterChef Australia,
Brent...
All the hard work, everything I've done for myself
has gotten me here.
..or Rhiannon?
I've worked so hard to get to this spot
and I am that close to lifting that trophy.
Only one will claim the title.
But...
Amaury Guichon! (ALL CHEER)
..they'll have to conquer a dish...
His creations have been viewed
billions of times.
Billions.
..from a megastar.
Captions by Red Bee Media