MasterChef Australia: The Professionals (2013)

The series premiere sees our 18 hopefuls put straight to the test by renowned chef Marco Pierre White and Matt Preston in an all-in service challenge.

Sixteen contestants face the Pop Up Tram Challenge: a classic City Circle tram in Melbourne has been fitted out guerrilla-style as a pop-up restaurant.

The eight chefs from yesterday's challenge must face-off as individuals cooking for their lives in the Last Chance Invention Test. They must show off their skills and tell a story about their lives.

In a MasterChef Professionals first, the Re-Invention Test gives contestants the opportunity to cook a classic dish but as the name suggests, it's re-invention not recreation that is the key.

Adriano Zumbo makes a guest appearance to shake up our 15 professional chefs, but nothing can prepare them for what Adriano's got in store for them.

The losing teams from the Pressure Test compete in the Restaurant Challenge. Each team is given a three-dish menu to reproduce in which certain elements must be cooked to the minute.

They're dishes we all know and love, and on the Classic Re-invention Test menu, a contestant draws a knife from the block to reveal an old family favourite, the Sunday roast.

This episode sees 13 contestants put to a Quick Fire Skills Test: Three rounds, each with a different core ingredient and a diminished time limit.

The losing six contestants from the skills test are put to the restaurant service challenge and face world renowned chef Jacques Reymond, who has brought five of his best cooks with him.

In a real treat for sweet lovers, this week’s knife block contains classic desserts. One of the contestants draws a knife from the block to reveal that The Professionals will be re-inventing the classic Australian dessert, the pavlova. Without a recipe, the worst performer will be going home.

MasterChef fans rejoice: it’s the return of the Mystery Box and it’s back in a big way. While most of us would treat vegetable peelings, puff pasty trimmings, prawn heads and chicken fat as food scraps destined for the compost bin, tonight our professional chefs are challenged to turn waste into first-class meals. The two worst-performing contestants will face off in tomorrow night’s service challenge.

This challenge can be summed up in one word: intense. The two worst-performing contestants from last night’s Mystery Box challenge face off in tonight’s service challenge. With Matt joining 120 patrons in the restaurant and Marco working the pass, the two contestants must prepare and cook everything themselves. It’s a real battle of mate versus mate as the two cook off to secure a place in the Top 10.

In an offsite challenge like no other, the top 10 contestants are going bush! They must cook for 50 high country cattlemen but there's one hitch? They have no ovens and no electricity.

This episode sees the winning team from last night's high country challenge faced with the biggest invention test ever! Laksa. Who will get immunity?

The double service challenge begins with a lunch service of two mains, but just when they think they're done they are told to reset for a three course dinner service.

With nine different cuisines featured in tonight's Knife Block, it's a truly internationally flavoured program.

Tonight's offsite challenge sees the eight contestants split into two teams as they forage through suburban homes, knocking on doors and working with whatever ingredients they receive.

The winning team from last night's offsite challenge are split into two teams of two, and each team must design and cook a three-course Italian meal for some very tough customers, 120 Italians.

Tonight’s knife block features dishes that have inspired Shannon Bennett over his career and the lucky knife reveals Shannon’s grandmother’s rabbit stew as the order of the day. As we all know, it’s about reinvention, and for one contestant their culinary journey comes to an end.

Curtis Stone worked for Marco for six-and-a-half years. He joins Marco in the kitchen to teach the contestants one of the dishes that he cooked in Marco’s restaurant, Quo Vadis. The contestants must pay attention as Curtis shows them how the dish is made. Then, they are on their own, and they must recreate the dish without a recipe.

Donovan Cooke is in the kitchen tonight. One of Marco’s toughest protégés, each restaurant Donovan has opened has been awarded with three stars. His latest venture, Atlantic, is well on its way to the same accolade. For this restaurant service challenge, the professionals have been given six of Donovan’s dishes from Atlantic, two entrees, two mains and two desserts. With Donovan running the pass, all contestants should be on alert, and it’s time for one to say goodbye.

Welcome to finals week and our top six contestants are faced with a mystery box challenge. They lift the lids to reveal an array of fine dining ingredients: caviar, vintage champagne, abalone, white truffles and chocolate. With just one hour to create a dish, the contestants are out to impress. The contestant with the least impressive dish will leave the competition.

The heat is on as guest chef Peter Gilmore joins Matt and Marco for tonight’s pressure test. The man behind the legendary snow egg dessert and the eight textured chocolate cake has returned with a dish from his highly awarded restaurant Quay. There are just three hours on the clock in which to replicate Peter’s fragrant poached chicken. One contestant will fail to impress the judges with this technical and complicated dish and be sent home.

It’s the last challenge of finals week as the top four split into two teams to create their own pop up restaurants. Each restaurant must cater for 60 diners. The two teams need to pick a theme for their restaurant, design their dining rooms and create a stunning three course meal, consisting of two entrees, two mains and one dessert. The stakes are high as the four contestants fight for their place in the finale, but for one, their ride comes to an end. Who will be the final three in the running to take home the MasterChef: The Professionals crown?

The three finalists face a trio of daunting challenges to decide the overall winner, including a leek and lobster terrine.