Season 13 of MasterChef Australia introduced us to some of the country’s best home cooks from the very first episode. But unfortunately there can only be one winner.
Judges Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen selected 24 of Australia’s best cooks, from all walks of life in the hopes of finding the next MasterChef champ.
They’ve been dubbed “the best cooks yet” and one name has even risen above the ranks as a potential winner, but unfortunately with every week, someone has to go.
For those of you who missed an episode or just want the latest reality TV goss, we’ll keep you updated every elimination with who left and why.
Keep scrolling for more.
Trent Vu
It’s never easy to be the first one to go but after going a little too hard with the lemon myrtle, Trent Vu was ultimately eliminated.
His MasterChef journey may have been “a rollercoaster” but the 23-year-old isn’t letting his exit stop him achieve his dreams.
Trent is now keen to work in the food media space and write a column for a food magazine. We’ll keep an eye out for you!
YoYo Yang
She made a valiant attempt to recreate Nigella Lawson’s toasted marshmallow and rhubarb cake but medical student YoYo became the second person to leave the kitchen.
At 19, YoYo was the youngest competitor of the season but it all went wrong when her meringue didn’t hold its shape and her rhubarb was undercooked and crunchy.
Katrina Dunnett
First off her mac and cheese failed to make an impression but it was in the second round celebrating bread that Katrina was sent packing.
Though her bread and butter pudding with an orange twist tasted “beautifully like orange” it wasn’t enough but
The 25-year-old even shared a cheeky post of herself posing suggestively in bed with two baguettes captioned: “Dear bread, if you wanted to take me home you should have just asked x.”
Minoli De Silva
She may have been a big fan of returning stars Poh, Reynold and Callum but Minoli’s sesame-crusted steak served with daikon, yuzu dressing, crispy enoki mushrooms and pickled radish failed to hit the mark.
“I would put it in the bin from the first five minutes I thought of the idea and do something I actually liked!” the 34-year-old said when asked what she would do differently if she had her time again.
Maja Veit
Judge Jock Zonfrillo’s pressure test was too much for Maja whose recreation of his chocolate gingerbread salted caramel tart didn’t hit the spot.
The 33-year-old felt she hadn’t nailed the dish and the judges agreed that there wasn’t enough bitterness or salt to cut through the sweetness. Bigger and better things are coming Maja!
Wynona Davies
The brief for the challenge was to make a dish that summed up the phrase “as cool as a cucumber” but when Wynona made a confit salmon with noodles, ginger broth, pickled cucumber that featured a cucumber granita, the granita was labelled an afterthought by the judges and she was sent home.
“I’ve learnt that I can handle a lot more pressure than I thought I could handle, I learnt that I’m capable of more than I thought I was and I’ve learnt that I’m a pretty good cook most of the time!” she admitted.
Therese Lum
Despite being renowned for her desserts, Kirsten Tibballs’ pressure test got the best of Therese and she was sent home wishing she’d played her immunity pin.
“I went on the show because I wanted to really step outside my comfort zone and do more things that scare me,” the 31-year-old wrote on Instagram.
“I never would have thought that I would get this far from following my heart and taking a giant leap of faith. This wild ride has not only taught me so much about food, but I’ve also learned so much about myself.”
Conor Curran
Green olive ice cream may sound like a fancy restaurant dish but Conor’s grainy and lumpy final product wasn’t up to scratch.
However, he’s not devastated that his time on the show is over.
“MasterChef was never the end goal. It was just the starting point, and I can’t wait to work this flat butt off to achieve my goals and I hope you all stick around to watch it all unfold,” he wrote on Instagram.
Jess Hodge
Our hearts broke for Jess when she struggled in the relay challenge and was sent home after her apple dessert didn’t hit the mark.
“I am so grateful for the experience I have had,” the landscape architect and mum-of-two said.
“Being given the white apron on day one was a highlight and an achievement I did not think I’d experience. To make it to the top 16 is just the icing on the cake.”
“Cooking on MasterChef is something I’ll never forget, but meeting 23 other exceptional cooks who will be my friends for life is even better. The Judges were the most supportive lovely people and the experience would have not been the same without them.”
Tom Levick
Tom’s MasterChef journey came to a snappy end when his crocodile dish was overcooked on the inside and undercooked on the outside.
“I had the time of my life being on the show. Competing on MasterChef was a dream I’d had since the show first aired and I feel so lucky to have had the experience I’ve had,” he said on Instagram.
The 24-year-old also remarked how grateful he was to judges Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.
“I felt like I’d won the lottery when you gave me my apron on day one. Know that the months of thoughtful criticism on my food is appreciated very deeply. Thank you so much.”
Amir Manoly
Thanks to some burnt beetroot around the edges that was slightly raw in the middle, Victorian Construction Project Manager Amir was sent home.
However, the 34-year-old has no regrets.
“If you had told me this time last year that I would make it as far as I have on @masterchefau, let alone be on the show at all, I literally would have LOL’d in yo face!
Look at me now,” he joked on Instagram after his elimination.
“I am so grateful for the journey I have been on over the last few months and wouldn’t change a thing!“
Brent Draper
He was a fan favourite but Brent decided to leave the cooking reality show to look after his mental health.
Speaking with Now To Love, the 31-year-old boilermaker said judge Jock Zonfrillo recounting his own experiences with anxiety helped him.
“I remember him saying to me once, ‘look at me, I have a wife, beautiful kids, a nice house, I have got money, why do I have anxiety, why?’
“Him saying that was almost like, if he gets it, then we all could get it, it doesn’t discriminate, and it really helped me.”
Aaron Sanders
Insurance claims manager Aaron was sent home after his salsa that he served with his coconut prawns ended up being over-spiced and over-seasoned, but he promised: “I’m definitely not done.”
“It’s not the last you’re going to see of me,” he added in a video shared to Instagram.
In fact, he’s launched his own YouTube channel Heaps Local which is all about celebrating local South Australian produce.
Minoli De Silva (again) and Scott Bagnell
She redeemed herself to come back into the competition but sadly Minoli was once again eliminated.
“Yes this competition is over for me, but it’s only the start of what I want to do,” she said.
But that wasn’t it as the double elimination meant Scott also missed out on the top eight and the chance to cook at natural wonder, Uluru.
“We are so jealous! Cook your hearts out, follow your dreams, aim high and believe in yourselves, push yourselves outside your comfort zone,” Scott said in a message to the remaining contestants alongside Minoli.
Tommy Pham
He was a fan fave from the beginning, but after his fancy version of Bún Bò Huế didn’t hit the mark, Tommy was sent home.
But the thing that surprised him the most about his MasterChef journey was his bond with his fellow contestants.
“Honestly, I didn’t realise I would make family for the rest of my life. Like I’ve got people who I can go ‘Dude I need some help’ and I know 100 per cent they would come in the middle of the night and go ‘Tommy what is it I’ll be there for you,’ because that’s how close we are now.”
Sabina Newton
It was her macadamia ice cream that sent her packing, but 21-year-old Sabina is destined for great things, according to the judges.
“This moment might very well be the end of this stage but what’s to come is what I’m most excited about and if I think back to your service at the Stokehouse when you led the kitchen, I’ve seen somebody there that’s destined to be running a kitchen,” Jock said.
1“I’m not sad, I’m just so proud of myself,” Sabina added.
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