Secrets & Surprises Plot
Returning for its 15th season, MasterChef Australia is back to deliver a series full of twists and turns with Secrets & Surprises. Originally scheduled to premiere 1 May 2023, the series was postponed due to the sudden passing of judge Jock Zonfrillo the night before.
MasterChef Australia Secrets & Surprises aired on May 7th, 2023.
Secrets & Surprises Episodes
1. Secrets & Surprises with Jamie Oliver
Expect the unexpected with a season of secrets and surprises. Judges Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen are joined by special guest Jamie Oliver.
2. 15 Minute Dish & Keeping Up With Jamie
Jamie Oliver is back for another day in the MasterChef Australia kitchen! Contestants must bring their A-game if they want to secure one of two spots in the first Immunity challenge of the season.
3. Surprise Flavour Bomb
There's a catch to the flavour bombs that Jamie Oliver has left behind for the contestants to cook with today - they will only be revealed 15 minutes into the cook and must be included in the dish.
4. Beat The Chef
Contestants must raid Shannon Bennett's fridge to create the tastiest dish in 45 minutes. The winner will go head-to-head with Vue de monde's Hugh Allen in the hope of winning an elusive immunity pin.
5. Childhood Ingredients
Contestants fight to stay alive in the first elimination challenge of the season. Cooking from favourite childhood memories, the least impressive dishes over two rounds will send its maker home.
6. Poh's Plus Mystery Box
This season's first Mystery Box sees fan favourite Poh Ling Yeow back in the MasterChef kitchen for one night only. Contestants must create a winning dish with just under bench staples and little else.
7. If The Choux Fits
Former MasterChef winner and dessert queen Emelia Jackson is here to share her secrets. Using Emelia's choux pastry recipe, contestants must create a superb sweet or savoury dish to avoid elimination.
8. Matt vs Sashi
Get your orders ready, its time for the first Service Challenge of the season. Two teams, aided by mentors Matt Sinclair and Sashi Cheliah, must cook an entree and a main course dish for 30 diners.
9. Andy's Chook & Beat the Chef
Winner winner chicken dinner! Contestants must turn Andy's spit roasted chooks into a banger dish, with the winner cooking off for an Immunity Pin against Three Blue Ducks chef, Darren Robertson.
10. Julie's Soup
MasterChef royalty Julie Goodwin returns, and survival is on the menu. Those who pick a wrong ingredient in Julie's seafood stew must cook to avoid elimination using only the items in Julie's recipe.
11. Big Week - Mystery Box Challenge
Big Week lives up to its name as the contents of MasterChef's biggest ever Mystery Box are revealed. Contestants must think outside the box and big up the flavour to avoid tomorrow's Pressure Test.
12. Tokyo Lamington Tower - Pressure Test
Pressure Test elimination looms as three contestants strive to replicate Eddie Stewart's Tokyo Lamington Tower, featuring Snickers, strawberry matcha, charcoal pumpkin and yuzu curd meringue flavours.
13. Grazeland - Service Challenge
As thousands of hungry punters descend on Melbourne's hip Grazeland, it's surf and turf for the masses with two teams vying for a shot at Immunity in MasterChef's biggest ever service challenge!
14. Mystery Appliance - Immunity Pin Challenge
With an Immunity Pin at stake, whoever creates the best dish with a mystery appliance in round one will earn first pick of flavour pairings and a 15 minute head start against guest chef Sergio Perera.
15. 2 Day Elimination - Elimination Challenge
Slow and steady keeps their place! Facing elimination, contestants embark on a two-day challenge with 45 minutes to marinate, pickle, brine and more in an overnight cook to finish off the next day.
16. Breakfast Cereals - Mystery Box Challenge
Contestants try to bowl the judges over by elevating humble breakfast cereals into nostalgic classics. Who will cry over spilt milk with a Pressure Test awaiting the worst cereal offenders tomorrow?
17. Viennetta Ice Cream Cake - Pressure Test
Guest chef Donato Toce reveals his superb Viennetta ice cream cake. Pressure Test contestants will need ice in their veins to replicate the nostalgic dessert or risk being frozen out of the kitchen.
18. Sweet....Or Sour? - Service Challenge
Two teams must wok hard to create a sumptuous banquet at a suburban Chinese Restaurant as they hope to takeaway a crack at Immunity. Will our judges deem their plates of fortune to be sweet ... or sour?
19. Gabriel Gate - Immunity Challenge
Great frypans of fire! It's an Immunity Pin fracas as a field of faves fan the flames in a flipping flambe free-for-all. Who will face fab French foodie Gabriel Gate in a fierce fight to the finish?
20. Trip Down Memory Lane - Elimination Challenge
Fancy a final trip down memory lane for a '70s-themed dinner party? A little fermented curd will do the trick! Then, time travel for the taste buds leads to a tearful farewell to one contestant.
21. Home Cooks vs Pro Cooks - Mystery Box Challenge
It's home cooks versus pro cooks in a culinary smackdown. The gloves are off as three contenders go toe-to-toe with Jacqui Challinor and her Nomad Restaurant warriors. Who will deliver the knockout blow?
22. Best Of The Best - Pressure Test
Three more contestants battle the best of the best, dueling with Nick Holloway's Nu Nu crew in a mind-blowing three-course Pressure Test whipped up by Aru and Sunda Restaurant's gifted chef, Khahn Nguyen.
23. Louis Tikaram Blind Relay - Service Challenge
Louis Tikaram and his Stanley Restaurant team sprint to the kitchen for a blind relay against three MasterChef contestants. With no handovers and zero communication... who will be the runaway winners?
24. Shock Rock Around The Clock - Immunity Challenge
Who can knock Jock's socks off in a shock rock around the clock? Three cooks face the chopping block against Serai's flock. Time is docked for the best stock. Tick tock, tick tock, don't get crocked!
25. Rick Stein - Elimination Challenge
Our home cooks are wading into treacherous waters as global seafood superstar Rick Stein brings his best squid game. Who will end up sleeping with the fishes in a chaotic aquatic 2-part challenge?
26. John Dory - Mystery Box Challenge
Contestants must push the boat out to hook the catch of the day as Australia's top chef Josh Niland reels them in with his unique skills, before setting a gnarly John Dory Mystery Box challenge.
27. Luke Nguyen - Pressure Test
One contender will be shafted as a saucy twist with a standout ingredient ensures stiff competition between the bottom three, who must replicate iconic chef Luke Nguyen's zesty pho without a recipe.
28. Two Course Root Veg - Service Challenge
Australia's homegrown superstar Curtis Stone visits the MasterChef kitchen to mentor and motivate two teams facing off in a massive Service Challenge to create next level root vegetable dishes.
29. Condiment Cook-off - Immunity Challenge
It's a golden opportunity to relish in Curtis' Condiment Cook-off. Today's tastiest condiment wins its maker Immunity, plus their creation will be on Coles supermarket shelves Australia-wide tomorrow!
30. Ingredient Gamble - Elimination Challenge
Australia's most beloved food icon, Maggie Beer, is in the kitchen to spread the joy and inspire a full field of black apron contestants as they compete in a two-round Elimination Challenge.
31. Surprise Inside - Mystery Box Challenge
A Mystery Box Challenge allows our top nine to turn the tables on Jock, Andy and Melissa. It's what's inside that counts as our home cooks try to surprise the judges.
32. Peter Rabbit Garden - Pressure Test
Chef Nelly Robinson presents Mr McGregor Garden - a whimsical dish that sends three home cooks down a tricky Pressure Test rabbit hole. For one unlucky contestant there will be no fairytale ending.
33. NGV Greek - Service Challenge
Greece is the word! The National Gallery of Victoria's Temple of Boom is the Herculean setting where food will be given the Midas touch in a big fat Greek Service Challenge odyssey with a twist. Opa!
34. Beat The Chef - Immunity Challenge
For a hot shot at an Immunity Pin, the lucky mug to grind out the best sweet coffee dish moves on to stir things up in a tea for two brewhaha against The Ritz-Carlton's perky pastry chef Kay-Lene Tan.
35. Colours - Elimination Challenge
It's a colour palette for the palate with a pearler of a taste test to set the tone. Who will then be caught red-handed and feeling blue cooking an elimination dish that highlights one chosen colour.
36. Everything Box - Mystery Box Challenge
Contestants must include every ingredient in the dreaded Everything Box to plate up a meal with the whole shebang. The makers of the bottom three dishes will face tomorrow's mind-blowing Pressure Test
37. Clare Smith Pie - Pressure Test
Internationally renowned chef Clare Smyth of Sydney's Oncore Restaurant is here to put contestants through their Pressure Test paces with a complex dish inspired by beef, oyster and Irish stout pie.
38. Foraging - Service Challenge
At the beautiful grounds of the O.MY Farm, contestants are split into 3 teams of 2. After foraging for one ingredient to hero in a dish, only THEN do they find out what course they’ll be cooking!
39. Aural Pleasure - Immunity Challenge
Hear ye, hear ye! It's crunch time in a cracker of an Immunity Challenge. Judges are listening for the loudest, most rip-roaring dish that offers both aural pleasure and sizzling taste.
40. Kirsten Tibballs - Elimination Challenge
Consummate pastry chef and chocolatier Kirsten Tibballs is here to set a sweet Elimination Challenge over two rounds. Who will pud up some patisserie magic and who will dessert the kitchen?
41. Freshness - Mystery Box Challenge
With an open garden, open pantry and an open mind, freshness will be front and centre as our top five let their imaginations run wild competing for a spot in the next Immunity Challenge.
42. Time Auction - Pressure Test
A road trip to All Saints Estate in the Murray offers a high-stakes showdown with a classic Time Auction. A bidding war for ingredients is just the opening salvo in a battle for a shot at Immunity.
43. Fiesta - Pressure Test
We're at the pointy end in cactus country, and the most succulent Mexican dish will earn its maker a stab at Immunity. Needles to say, the winner will be dancing a salsa in this thorny alfresco fiesta.
44. Stick Shed - Service Challenge
Our judges face their toughest decision yet in a service challenge at the incredible Stick Shed in Murtoa. Who will separate the wheat from the chaff in our grain event and be first into Finals Week?
45. Anchovies & Dijon Mustard - Elimination Challenge
An all-out anchovy assault and a ding-dong Dijon duel sees contestants pitted against each other in pairs for the first elimination round, with the bottom two duking it out to remain in the competition.
46. Tear-jerker - Mystery Box Challenge
Emotions run high with a semifinal spot at stake, as contestants feel the love in a tear-jerker of a Mystery Box. Hearts and souls will go into a MasterChef version of their family's favourite dish.
47. Peter Gilmore - Elimination Challenge
Bennelong Restaurant's Peter Gilmore demonstrates how to create an intricate and tasty seafood dish. With no recipe, contestants must use total recall to perfectly replicate the dish or be eliminated.
48. Curtis Stone - Finals Advantage
The final three must keep up with Curtis Stone as he whips up a magnificent beef dish. The contestant whose plate most closely resembles Curtis' creation will earn a whopping advantage for the semifinal.
49. Final 3 - Service Challenge
Our top three must create an entree, main course and dessert for a hungry crowd of diners and judges. The two contestants with the most exciting overall menu will earn their ticket into the grand finale.
50. Grand Finale
It's the Grand Finale, and whichever cook scores the most points across two rounds will lift the trophy aloft, claiming $250,000 in prize money and the title of MasterChef Australia winner, 2023!?