ANNOUNCER: Previously on MasterChef Australia... GEORGIA: That's a really big barbecue. ..an American-style barbecue challenge... If you're looking, you're not cooking. ..produced fireworks... (SQUEALS) Oh, God. We have a flambe situation. ..with rib enthusiast Jessica steering her team to victory... George is still going - look. How good is that? ..and sending six outstanding cooks into elimination. Tonight, it's a challenge they'll never forget... The man we like to call the Codfather... ..as legendary chef Rick Stein... I totally have to pinch myself right now. ..takes our contestants on a culinary trip around the world. French. That'll be interesting. This cook will test even our seafood experts. I'm worried about you. I'm worried about me too. Because at the end of it all... You've done a good job there. That means a lot. That is a fabulous dish. Houston, we have a problem. ..someone will be going home. # Burning up # in my heart # like a flame, # like the brightest shooting star. # In our souls, # we all know # our dreams make us who we are. # Burning up # in my heart # like a flame, # like the brightest shooting star. Able 2016 I'm making the other contestants breakfast because they're in elimination. They always do it for us, so, um... yeah, time to return the favour. They're having eggs benedict, and I'm making them some hollandaise. How do you guys feel about today? I like to walk in feeling like it's a normal day and then it doesn't feel as...like, nerve-racking. Matthew, your eggs benedict. Thank you. Wow. Beautiful. (OTHER CONTESTANTS EXCLAIM) AMY: Looking at the fellow cooks around me, they are...amazing cooks now and they've excelled through this competition. So it's definitely very daunting to be cooking in an elimination against these guys. But I'm not ready to go home yet, so it's definitely game on today. ASHLEIGH: I have had a big decision to make about whether or not to use my immunity pin today. And there's obviously lots of pros and cons either way. If I keep my immunity pin and make it through this elimination, it's pretty much handing me a ticket through to finals week. It would take me closer to achieving my dream of having my own dessert bar with my mum and my sister. So it is tempting to take my chances and keep the immunity pin. But it would also be a massive risk. I definitely feel like I've got a big weight on my shoulders. It's not a decision that I can take lightly at all. This is my eighth time in blacks, and it's not a great feeling. I've tasted what it's like to be at the bottom. I don't want to be there anymore. SARA: Whoo! (APPLAUSE) I really know that today, I need to bring a fighting spirit, an open mind, a clear head, so that I can get back on top. Good morning. You do look a little bleary-eyed, I'll be honest. It was a long day yesterday, and the thrill and the pleasure of working on those barbecues, and a little bit of slow smoking obviously has kind of drained away... Because today's an elimination. And of course, someone is going home. Ashleigh... ASHLEIGH: Mm-hm? ..big decision for you today. Do you use your immunity pin to save yourself, or do you fancy your chances, fancy the odds? What are you gonna do? The finish line is so close now. Um... BILLIE: It's alright, Ash. (SNIFFS) Um, my mum is... She's not well. Um...and so, for me, now, getting to the final, if by some miracle I made it there, and winning this thing, it's not just gonna change my life - it'd make a big difference to hers as well. (SIGHS AND SNIFFS) So I don't want to risk going home today if I don't have to. That's a beautiful thing, Ashleigh. I'm gonna use it. GEORGE: Well done, Ash. Well done, Ashleigh. Good choice. Up you go on to the balcony. I'm confident that I've made the right decision. I think to have risked my spot in this competition and to have kept hold of that pin would have been a big mistake. Gee, I think we're all a little bit emotional right now. And it just goes to show why you're all here - you're here for a reason. You're here because you want to change your life. Each and every one of you has a wonderful style. We've grown to love it. And we've grown to love every single one of you. Just worry about the cook now, OK? You got it? ALL: Yes, George. There's no doubt that this competition, as it goes on, gets harder, the challenges get bigger. And we search the world to find people that are gonna give you the experience that you'll look back on and go, "Remember that day." And today is one of those days. When I tell you who's walking through those doors... ..I think you're gonna be kind of happy you're wearing black today. (LAUGHS) Oh, mate... Because today's challenge has been inspired by one of the world's favourite chefs. And over 40 years, he's become synonymous with two things - travelling the world... ..and the love of seafood. (GASPS) Oh, my gosh. He has made 25 TV series, written 19 books, won an OBE in 2003. He's cooked for royals, for presidents and prime ministers. Joining us today, the man we like to call the Codfather... (LAUGHTER) ..from Bannisters in Mollymook, Rick Stein! Wow! Whoo! GEORGIA: It's Rick Stein. It's Rick Stein. What a way to have an elimination. (CHEERING) I totally have to pinch myself right now. Rick, welcome back. It's so good. Fourth time now. Two previous times in the kitchen - once in Malaysia. That was fun. What are you expecting to see from these five? Well, I'm looking for increased professionalism, and, really, I'm more excited than I hope you are, because...you learn so much doing MasterChef as a chef - you learn the way the public are getting more and more proficient at cooking. I think it's highly unlikely that you're more excited than Georgia... (LAUGHS) ..who knew from, I think, the second word exactly who was gonna walk through those doors. Georgia, why do you love Rick? Oh, who doesn't love Rick Stein? I think it's... This is just amazing. I actually a bit speechless. I love what you do with seafood. I love how you respect seafood. Yeah, this is just really, really a very special moment for us, yeah. Good stuff. (LAUGHS) And one of the great things about you is you've embraced so many different inspirations from around the world and used it in your seafood cookery. Where does it come from? Every morning at 10:30, I start writing recipes because I'm hungry. And I think, as a cook, you have to have that hunger before you start creating things. BILLIE: I love his approach to cooking - someone that's really passionate about food and has that real connection with food. So I'm so happy he's here. Right, let's get down to business. Rick, you want to join me? Yes, George. In this fisherman's basket here are five different types of seafood. And then in this container here... ..five different cuisines. Each of you will take it in turns to pick one of each. For example, if you get cod here, French from here, you gotta do a cod dish inspired by France. Who wants to go first? GEORGIA: Go, Billie. Right. Stick your hand in. Red emperor. Nice fish, red emperor. Great fish! And? Spanish. Nice! Fantastic. Back into line. Right. Amy? Squid. Squid? Beautiful. Malaysian. Malaysian and squid. Hold that up. I know what I'm doing with seafood and I love Asian food, so this should be my ideal challenge today. Right, Matthew - you go next. John Dory. Oh, my favourite! GARY: One of my favourites! Great fish. Ooh! Indian! Nice. Jessie? Murray River cod. Nice. Nice fish. And British! (LAUGHS) Oh, you're under pressure. No! (LAUGHS) I think this is possibly my worst nightmare come to fruition. I've never cooked with Murray cod, and British to me is almost so vague, I almost don't know where to begin. Georgia? Snow crab. Yum! Lovely. Interesting. Never cooked with that before. Oh, it's yum. And French. Wow. That'll be interesting. You have 75 minutes to cook this beautiful dish - fish and cuisine. You also have an open pantry and garden, so you can let your ideas run absolutely free. Remember - and this is the serious bit - that the least impressive dish sends their maker home. So a lot rides on this. Blow our socks off. Are you ready? Yep. Yes. Time starts now. (CHEERING) Oh. Hello, crabbies. I'll come back for you. MATTHEW: John Dory - I've never cooked it before, I've never prepped it before, so that's gonna be a little bit of a challenge for me. I'm excited about Indian. I'm just hoping that what I consider to be Indian food is enough to impress Rick, who I know understands Indian food inside out and back to front. Right, you're our default today, you know that, don't you? Being our fish expert. What would you be looking for? RICK: First of all, I'd be looking for sensitive handling of the fish and an understanding of the countries. And that's the difficult bit. And from my point of view, I don't want things that are smothering with too much flavour. The fish has to shine out. SARA: That's cool. Whoo. What bench are you gonna beat me to? Back, back. Back, back, back! Go, Ames. Damn, Billie. (LAUGHS) Yeah. Beautiful fish. Today I chose red emperor and Spanish, so I'm gonna do a Spanish chorizo broth with a piece of pan-seared red emperor. I want to use some of the fish bones in the broth. So the first thing I need to do is get this fish filleted. ASHLEIGH: She's got a big fishie. So big! Holy moly. Rick mentioned that he wants to see us respect the seafood and treat it well, so I want to take my time with this. Just keep teasing it away. You're doing good. Billie's doing a fantastic job at filleting her red emperor. It's like a knife through butter - she's taking it off so well. REYNOLD: Go, Billie. It's not until Billie lifts the fillet away from the fish that we can actually see how closely she's gotten to the bone. There's nothing left on the fish. She's done a good job. They're really nice fillets, Billie. Thanks. They look really good. REYNOLD: Go, Matty. SARA: Keep the pace up, everyone. Ames, what are you making? AMY: Squid noodles in a coconut lemongrass curry. I've travelled through Asia quite a bit and I love Asian street food. It's very organic and rustic-looking, but my aim is to create something more inventive. Did you say you were doing squid noodles? Yeah. Cool. Beautiful. I want to use one of the fillets and roll it in Glad Wrap and put it in the blast chiller straightaway so I can slice it as thin as I can to represent glass noodles through the curry. Battered, roasted, fried, steamed, slow cook, fast cook, quick cook... We don't really care - we just love fish! One hour to go. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) That's it, Matthew. Keep it up. That's it, Georgia. Today I've got the Murray River cod and British. Everyone else seemed to be on fire and I've allowed myself to get thrown by the choice of fish and the cuisine. I feel like I'm the only one with no ideas. Come on, Jessie. I just can't think of anything that's really overly creative or exciting to put with British fish. I'm really, uh...not inspired. Hello. I'm worried about you. I'm worried about me too. Um...yeah, I don't know. I'm feeling a little bit lost. You've got some great flavours here. You can apply whatever technique you want to that. If you think of English pubs, that's what I'm thinking. A good sort of pub... Kind of half sold on this idea of doing maybe, like, a sort of fish... Like, a creamy fish stew, I guess. Jessie, come on. Look at that clock. See? It's ticking away. Thank you. SARA: Let's go, Jessie. JESSICA: Come on, Jessie. Let's go. (APPLAUSE) I'm second-guessing myself a little bit. I'm not feeling overly confident with my idea of the stew. I know I'm letting my headspace cloud my cooking and if I don't snap out of this headspace... ..then I'm at huge risk of going home. SARA: Today, the contestants have 75 minutes in which to cook a seafood dish that impresses not only the judges but also Rick Stein. The bottom dish today will be going home. What's your dish? JESSIE: I think I'm gonna do, like, a fish stew. Um, I'm a little bit worried about Jessie. She's only just started her sauce. Hustle, hustle. We love you. That's it, Jessie - keep it up. I'm actually feeling really stressed. I can't afford to waste any more time. I think once I crack, I really crack, so I just want to try and keep my stress at bay and just really focus on getting everything perfect. Hi, crab. I'm totally, 100% in my element here. As soon as I saw crab and French, I just thought of a bisque, so I'm cooking a snow crab bisque with fennel, tarragon and tomato. French isn't a huge strength of mine. She made a big mistake by adding that much lemon to the raft. If you're going to make consomme, it's got to be like liquid gold. That's the joy of eating consomme. So, today, I just really want to do a good job, and show the judges that I understand French cuisine and make something really beautiful. I'm just going to do something quite simple-ish and just make sure I get a good balance of flavour. To deglaze the base of my bisque, I'm going to use some white wine and some Pernod. Georgia has used a lot of anise-y flavours today. She's got the Pernod, fennel and lots of tarragon. But it can be very overpowering, so she needs to be careful. My dish is about snow crab, not fennel and tarragon, so I need to make sure that there's a balance. It always amazes me how quickly time seems to fly in this kitchen. You've only got 45 minutes to go. Come on. Get a razzle on. (SING-SONG) I'm going to smell later. Ugh! Oh, it's crab. Sorry! It went everywhere! You seem to have done quite a good job, actually. Yeah. Really nicely cut. RICK: As a fishmonger used to say to me in Padstow, you make your money by the sharpness of your knife. And you've done a good job there. Thank you. That means a lot. To come from Rick Stein, that's like the ultimate fish filleting complement ever. So what are you going to cook? So, I'm going to do a, um, chorizo-orange broth with a piece of pan-seared red emperor. I'm going to use the sherry in the broth. I just want it to be a tiny bit in the background. I don't want a lot of it there. Right. Yeah. I think you've got some great ingredients there. No, I'm excited. I like the idea of the broth. It could be very nice. Yeah. Thank you. I'm really inspired by Rick Stein. He also grew up in the country and he has his own little restaurant in Mollymook, which is something like I aspire to have one day. I started cooking for my family when I was about 9 or 10 and... ..growing up on a farm, we always had to help out, whether it be in the kitchen or on the farm, so while Mum and Dad were out working, I would often cook dinner for Mum and Dad and my four brothers and sisters. That's where my love for cooking has stemmed from and I think that's where I really learned to be creative in the kitchen. So I really hope that I can impress Rick with my creativity today. Today I'm doing an Indian-inspired dish using this John Dory. And things seem to be coming along nicely. The curry is developing some nice flavours. I want to add something extra to this dish than just the curry and the fish. I run out to the garden. I know there's some beautiful eggplants out here and I want to do a little caramelised eggplant to go with the fish. The eggplant gives it a nice earthiness. I think it'll just add to the delicateness of the fish. My concern about the John Dory - it's quite a thin fish and a bit difficult to cook. I've got my fillets off. I need to think about how I'm going to cook this fish. I'm cooking a lemongrass and coconut Malaysian curry with charred squid and squid noodles. Come on, Ames. I think Amy is doing really well. She's got the squid prepped already. Yeah. I think she's going to be really good. How hot are those chillies, Ame? Not hot. Alright. Cool. The curry is my main element to the dish, so I really need to make sure those flavours are perfect. So how are you getting on there, Amy? Yeah, good. I've got my curry paste going. Looks good. What's in there? So, I've got ginger, shallots, a lot of lemongrass and green chillies, tamarind paste, fish sauce. Good. How have you prepared the calamari? I've rolled one. I've put it into the blast chiller, so I'm gonna slice it really finely. And, um, yeah, just turn it into really fine noodles. Almost like glass noodles in the curry. So you've got a bit of a sort of intellectual conceit. You might think it's noodles and it's... ..it's squid. Yeah. I don't want to throw you, but at the end of the day, at the end of this, someone's going home. You've got to push. Yeah. Good luck. Excellent, Amy. Thank you so much. Make sure it's got enough power, Amy. Nice and funky. Yep. The smells coming up from Amy's bench are sensational. If it tastes half as good as it smells, it's going to be amazing. The real challenge for Amy is going to be making sure that the texture of the curry is nice and smooth and complements the squid. What more inspiration do you need? Rick Stein in the kitchen. 30 minutes to go. Come on! SARA: Let's go, guys. Come on. GEORGIA: My bisque is looking beautiful, but because I'm using big flavours like Pernod, tarragon, dill, I am worried that it's going to be unbalanced. The bisque needs to taste like snow crabs. That's my bisque. There's a lot of star-anise in here? I used Pernod. Gosh. The worry starts to creep in. If the judges can't taste crab... ..there's a big chance that I could go home today. GEORGIA: I've survived quite a few eliminations. This will be my eighth time in blacks. So, it'll be a miracle if I make it through today. I'm making a French crab dish. And I can't taste crab. I've really got to think fast, so I decide to add more snow crab. I need to make sure that the crab sings. I'm definitely feeling under pressure. But...it's only natural, I guess. I don't want to go home and I want to do a good job. Looks great, Georgia. BILLIE: I'm cooking pan-seared red emperor with a chorizo, orange and sherry broth. I want it to taste like Spain. SARA: The sherry smells good. I've been thinking of ways to take my dish up to another level because I'm a little bit fearful it might be too simple, especially in an elimination challenge. So, I think of doing a chorizo bacon crumb. And I also really like the idea of a dill and parsley oil that I can just drop on at the end, which will look really nice, but also add a really strong flavour of dill, which goes really well with seafood. I want to show as much technique as possible, to try and push it up there, to a top dish, because finals week is just around the corner and I want to be there. Today, I'm making a buttery, creamy sauce to go with my cod and also serving it with peas, bacon and Brussel sprouts. And I think the way to make that look appetising is to plate like an English garden. I think the focus for me, for this dish, is to make it look really pretty. So, I've finally decided on a dish. But my concern, at this moment, is not feeling overly enthusiastic about my idea. I'm just not sure if it's quite enough, but I've already committed, so I need to pick myself up a little bit. 'Cause otherwise, like, I could just easily throw this all away. So, how are we getting on? Um, I'm feeling... I don't know. I'm feeling a bit weird. Yeah, you seem... you seem a bit weird. No, we don't want you... You're not gonna cry. No, no, I'm fine. I'm actually OK. I just...yeah, I think I just need to, um... ..really just think about the flavours that are gonna go on the plate, and just make sure I get it right. I think I am my hardest critic, and I always have been. I think I'm really good at finding the faults and I often miss the positives. I always say, just think, "Well, what do I like?" And then it's down to your palate. Yep. OK, well, we're gonna leave you alone. Just...just three deep breaths and bang on. Yeah. No, I'm fine. Yeah? Come on. It'll be great, Jessie. Come on, Jessie. Rick's totally right. I just need to focus on what I know. I do have a good palate and I CAN do this. SARA: All good, Jessie. Keep pushing. MATT: 15 minutes to go. 15 minutes, everybody! For one great fish dish. Come on, guys! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) Let's go, guys! AMY: My curry is maturing nicely. It is packed full of the flavours that represent that beautiful, punchy, Malaysian-style food. Um, Amy, you love your street-food flavours. I do. Does it put more pressure on you? 'Cause you don't want to go home on a dish that's... really in your ballpark. That, and seafood as well. It's like a double whammy. Yeah. No, this definitely puts a lot more pressure on me. It certainly smells like Malaysia. Good. So, it's... My real question is about texture. Yeah. I've put so much effort into the flavour in my curry today. But I haven't really thought about the texture of it. I need to create those flavours and make sure that the textures match beautifully. REYNOLD: Come on, Amy. I look around the room and everyone else is cooking amazing food. I feel like I'm drifting towards the back of the pack. I really want to push through and show what I've got before it's too late. The reality's simple. You're cooking for your place in this competition. 10 minutes to go. Come on. (CHEERING) SARA: Go, guys! JESSICA: Come on, Matthew! Go, Georgia. MATTHEW: Today, I'm cooking a John Dory coconut curry with some caramelised eggplant, rice and a flatbread. The curry sauce is coming along nicely and I'm getting some nice aromas while this curry's cooking. I think it's got the flavour in there that I want. I'm just thinking about how I'm gonna cook the...the fish. SARA: Matthew, have you cooked with John Dory before? No. Uh, I need to just think really clearly about how I'm going to cook it. It smells wonderful in here, which is great. Every time you get a big kind of whiff of either spice or crustacean, it's delicious. I'm liking what Billie's doing on the front there. You liked that idea, didn't you? Red emperor, Spanish. I do like it. She's just got some very good flavours. It's a bit like a game of football, you know? Stick to the basics. And she's sort of done it, really. She's confident. Georgia - she's making a bisque. It's very vegetable-y. The problem with those snow crab shells, they're not as... No, they're not. ..rich and deep as a mud crab. Or a lobster. So, you've got to really push it and add things. I think Amy's a little confused. That curry sauce, I'm not quite sure where that's going. It seems really thick and she seems to be struggling quite a lot with that calamari. MATT: The risk that Jessie's got, she's got pretty big flavours with that Murray cod. Now, if she gets it right, then we're happy. GARY: What about Matthew at the back? The sauce looks good - the fish he played around with a lot, didn't he? Marco Pierre White once said the difference between success and failure in fish cookery is 30 seconds. GEORGE: Yes, exactly right. GARY: I'd agree. MATTHEW: It's time to cook the fish. I've only got two fillets of John Dory, so I need to get this right. I've got to make sure that I do a perfect job. You can see it's not a very meaty fish, so it's not gonna take too long to cook. Rick wants us to really hero the seafood, which means that the cooking of the John Dory is critically important for this dish. It starts off OK... But then it starts to curl up. It looks terrible, and I'm really worried that it's actually not gonna cook through properly. I've only got one other piece that I can use. If I don't cook this next bit of John Dory perfectly, there's a real chance I could be going home. Matt's cooking the dory and it's not looking really good. The flesh is falling apart. MATT: I've only got one other piece that I can use. If I don't cook this next bit of John Dory perfectly, there's a real chance I could be going home. I look down and I realise that a fillet of John Dory kind of naturally falls into three pieces. If I cut it that way, into three smaller pieces, hopefully that will stop it from curling and it might cook a little bit better. This fillet seems to be going much better than the first lot. JESSICA: Matthew, it looks awesome. Obviously, the fish is the hero of the dish today, so... I need to make sure that it's cooked through, but not overcooked. It's absolutely all down to the fish. MATT: Five minutes to go! (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) SARA: Doing great, Matthew. Thanks, guys. GEORGIA: I'm nowhere near ready to go home. I need to make sure that there's a balance of flavour, that it tastes like crab. It's the hero of the dish. Today would not be a good day to disappoint Rick Stein. Today would be a day to impress him. SARA: That's it, Georgia. Pretty much everything is ready, except for my broth. I just need to pass it through a sieve and I just need to plate now. Three minutes, guys, come on! Let's go! JESSICA: Come on, guys! Three minutes! (ONLOOKERS SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT) There's three minutes to go and I've just finished off my sauce. Now I'm just going to poach the fish in the sauce. Hopefully, it will be cooked perfectly. I'm really worried about getting the fish right. I've never cooked River Murray cod before. I just really hope that it will cook through. Two minutes to go and I'm getting my dish together. I decide, at the last minute, that I want to use the tentacles. I'm just going to chargrill them on the skillet. It's really important that the tentacles cook perfectly. I cannot believe that Amy's decided to use the tentacles on her dish. She has no time to cook them. I'm really hoping that doesn't cost her. Ames, you happy with the tentacles? They cooked nice? Yeah, I'm really happy with the tentacles. Survival today is just all gonna come down to how I've treated that squid. MATTHEW: I'm starting to pull all of the elements together, and I'm feeling really excited. It looks like one of the better dishes that I've put up, and I know it's got lots of flavour in there. I'm hoping that fish is cooked through perfectly, but I think this might be enough to save me from elimination today. GEORGIA: I'm going to put some of the crabmeat in the centre of the bowl, and add some beautiful tomato and some fennel to that, with some fresh herbs. Right now, in the competition, people are going home over the smallest things. So, if I haven't nailed it today, if snow crab isn't the hero, I could be out the door. Final little flurry! One minute to go! Come on! (APPLAUSE) Final touches! AMY: So, my curry tastes beautiful, but there's something not 100% right with the texture - feeling almost a little bit grainy to me and thinking that it's a little bit thick, but time is really running out. Are you gonna strain it off? I don't have time to strain it. I hoping that that's not what's gonna let me down today. You have 10 seconds! JUDGES AND ONLOOKERS: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... That's it. Tools down. Well done. (APPLAUSE) BILLIE: How'd you go, George? Oh, I think I just... Ohh! Good work, guys. You guys are amazing. Oh, cooking seafood for Rick Stein is something I never thought I would do. It's amazing. He's huge in the food industry. And it's a real honour to have him taste my food. I feel really proud of myself for that dish. It's definitely showcasing the squid, it's definitely showcasing Malaysian. I'm slightly concerned about the textures in the actual curry. I'm hoping that that's not something that's gonna be too detrimental to my dish today. I feel really disappointed when I look at my plate. And I just really hope that I haven't blown it. An interesting dynamic, isn't it? Pure luck - a fish and a cuisine. And I think we're gonna taste some great dishes. Were you happy with what you saw? I was really impressed today, watching them. They had difficult, difficult tasks. I thought they did just really well. Mm. And I think we really sense that we're coming to finals week and no-one wants to go home. Yeah. And I like that focus. They're working very clean, very methodically, and, yet, putting up stuff that's quite inspired. Shall we get the first dish in? Let's. AMY: Good luck, Billie. GEORGIA: Good luck, Billie. The seafood is certainly the hero of the dish today. I've used the bones in the broth and, also, the piece of fish on top, front and centre. And I really hope I've cooked it well enough for Rick Stein because that's going to be a big point in judging the dish. So, Billie, you had to cook a Spanish dish with red emperor. Yeah. What is it? Uh, it's pan-seared red emperor with a chorizo, sherry and saffron broth. How has your dream changed while you've been here? I don't think it's changed so much as just become stronger. I want to open a cafe/restaurant, um, in a regional area. I grew up on a farm and I just loved seeing all the farm animals and farm produce grow, cooked in the kitchen... It's just, um...can't compare to... I find, anyway. Well, I, too, was actually born and brought up on a farm. A lot of my understanding and love of food stems from those early days, when I was a child on a farm. Yep. I think you have a unique insight into food and where it comes from. For sure. That's exactly how I feel. Time for you to go. OK. Thank you. GEORGE: Thanks, Billie. Thanks, Billie. That...looks so beautiful, doesn't it? RICK: Yeah. That's restaurant cooking. MATT: And it looks like Spain. It does. You know, that lovely colour. Sunshine. Yeah. RICK: And, also, there's a sort of ruggedness about the dish as well. I mean, it's pretty but it's gnarly. There's all those burnished, burny bits. How's it cooked? Nice. Mm. Nice. Alright, let's taste. RICK: Let's taste. Ooh... An absolute knockout. I absolutely love it. The fish cooked perfectly, vegetables delightful. The sauce is fabulous. I love sauce because it shows off the skill and intuitiveness of the cook - what to add, what to take away... Absolutely. ..what to balance it with. And she's...I couldn't make that any better myself. It's all in one spoonful. Brilliant. Everything that you want in a soup and a sauce. Where do you ever get a dish like this, you know? It's got thought, it's got character. I mean, I'm so glad she's been set this because you suddenly think, "Hey! "When are we gonna taste something like this in a restaurant?" Well, hopefully when Billie opens her own place, it'll be then. 'Cause we're all going. It definitely deserves dreaming... And I think it's that...it's the cleverness of using the herb oil to bring some real freshness through the dish. The orange does that job as well. It's a really, really complete dish and I think that's a... that's the sort of cooking that gets you into the finals. Right. Let's get the next dish in. My strength is Asian street food and I feel like I've nailed those Malaysian flavours. I'm just hoping that I've cooked that squid beautifully. Amy, what was the fish protein and what was the cuisine? I had squid and Malaysian. Yep. So, I've done a lemongrass, coconut, Malaysian curry with squid noodles. How do you feel after that cook? Um, I don't know if I feel safe. I mean, I think that was a really good cook for a lot of people. I'm happy with my dish, but, yeah, it's gonna come down to a fine line, I think, today. This is the time. It's like when you run a race... I don't run many races, but when you run a race, you need enough gas in the tank to tip yourself over the finishing line. So, what's happening? Yeah, I need to definitely kick... ..well, find another gear and kick into that gear. Yeah. Because everybody's getting to an amazing stage. Are you not feeling that you're at an amazing stage. Yes. I...I...I do. But I do feel like I'm at the back. Um... OK. Yeah, I just really want to push forward and I am finding it quite hard, but... There you go. No time for self-doubt, in all honesty. And you're a great cook, otherwise you wouldn't be here. I know I can do it. I'm just... I've got to push really hard. And that's what you're trying to show us today, by doing the squid noodles? Yes. You're trying to show us that it's not rice under there. It's something a bit more... Yes. ..a bit more exciting. Yep. Amy, we'll taste now. Thank you. Thank you so much. It's lovely to meet you. There's definitely a nice little aroma coming from this dish. Yeah. Curry leaf, I can smell. And I think this little touch of the fried rice paper and the curry leaves over the top, and that charred calamari, it looks quite appetising, to be honest. Mm. Shall we taste and find out? Yeah. (CRUNCHES) Houston, we have a problem. Yeah. Houston, we have a problem. Yeah. See that tentacle there, that little leg? That has been whispered over the flame. You'd be chewing for a month. That's really undercooked. You can just see it there. The texture of the sauce is an issue. There just doesn't seem to be enough liquid in it, really. That's a little bit claggy, isn't it? It's claggy. Yeah. I mean, what is really good about this is the Malaysian flavours are spot-on. I mean, it's got a really vigorous flavour, coconut's there, and I think the noodles are really clever. Shall we get the next dish in? Yeah, let's. MATTHEW: I'm really happy with the dish that I've put up, but to put a plate of seafood down in front of Rick Stein, to put an Indian dish down in front of Rick Stein, it's really nerve-racking. What was the fish protein and what was the cuisine? John Dory and India. I'm...I'm really nervous, obviously, because it's about the fish, um, but, you know, about those Indian flavours as well, so... I've made a John Dory coconut curry with some caramelised eggplant, rice and a flatbread. RICK: Mmm. I think it looks wonderful, 'cause the rice on the bottom is soaking up, now, that curry sauce. What do you think of the presentation, Rick? Well, I quite like what you've done here. I think you were faced with a dilemma of having, you know, a lot of curry and fish in the middle of it, and you thought, "Well, I'll make it as pretty as I can," so I quite like the sort of way you turned it round like...like that. Thanks. Right. Shall we taste, gentlemen? Yep. Let's do that. Off you go. Thank you. Thanks, Rick. It does look absolutely gorgeous, doesn't it? I think it looks brilliant. It's that hue of turmeric, both on the fish and sauce, that I just think looks absolutely smashing. Well, I think that's Matthew's homage to India. I think everything works together terribly well. I love the...the eggplant. Basically, that is a fabulous dish. So I think what he's put together is a really clever little dish, and I think it ticks all the boxes. This is delicious. Perfect. It's good. GEORGIA: I'm so happy with the presentation of my dish, but I am really worried that there's too many aniseed type flavours in my bisque. If snow crab isn't the hero, I could be out the door. Snow crab and French, good combination. MATT: What's the dish? A snow crab bisque with fennel, tarragon and tomato. You've cooked brilliant food, I mean, some really impressive stuff, and then you've had the wobbles. What have you learnt in terms about how to maintain the good and avoid the bad? Making good decisions and I know what to put together, and I can do it. I can do it. I can make a delicious dish if I make the right decisions. I remember once when I was being taught how to ski in Austria, an instructor said, "You think too much. Don't think too much." (LAUGHS) That's what you're saying. Yeah, and that actually is a good thing for me to learn as a person as well. I overanalyse a lot of things, not just cooking. (BOTH LAUGH) Alright, well, Georgia, it's our time to analyse now. Yep. Thank you. We'll taste it. Thank you so much. Thanks, Rick. Fantastic execution, 'cause that looks wonderful, doesn't it? RICK: It does. So French. Yeah. Little tian of crab. Yeah, it's immediately sophisticated, elegant, and it looks like a little French hat. Love it. Right, with flowers on it. (LAUGHS) Yes. Really good, eh? (FRENCH ACCENT) Take it away and bring me another one! (LAUGHS) I love it. I think that's absolutely delicious. Just the crab shines through. Fabulous. George, you were worried about those snow crab shells not giving enough bisquey flavour, but...but for me, I reckon... I reckon that's there, and the Pernod's really helped. You know what? Two sort of forgotten ingredients. Pernod... Yeah. ..and tarragon. Yeah. And how lovely is that, you know? I think that is wonderful. It's beautiful. Georgia's back, and back in a big way. Well, let's keep these smiles on our face, hopefully with the next dish. JESSIE: I'm walking my dish up to the judges and I'm feeling a little bit nervous. I was really feeling the pressure to have a good cook. I feel like I often miss the mark a little bit and end up just kind of completely bumming out. I'm not sure if I've done quite enough to save myself from elimination. What's the dish? Poached Murray River cod with peas, bacon and Brussel sprouts with a thyme and rosemary sauce. Jessie, no-one's been through the emotional highs and lows of this competition quite the way you have in the last two weeks. You've been out, you fought your way back in, and now you find yourself with Murray cod, British cuisine and Rick Stein. How do you feel about this dish now? Oh, I found it really hard to think of an idea that I fell in love with and I was really finding it hard to get myself back out of feeling flat. Mm. So I'm not 100% happy with it. At this stage in the competition, there's not much separating any of you - anybody can win. You're putting up great dishes, and occasionally you're putting up little misses, and I'm talking about little misses. You know what's going to beat you? Yeah. Your own... Your own thoughts. Definitely. Your own confidence. That is what is gonna win this competition, in essence, is the person who's strong enough to drive through. Alright? Thank you. Gary's absolutely right. I've really let myself down because my head's just not in the game and it's just, like, incredibly frustrating. Oh, I hope that doesn't send me home. I could have done something better and I didn't... ..I couldn't think of anything. (CRIES) But I don't know. And it could be presented better, and I don't know, it just wasn't a really clear idea from the start. Is that cooked? Is that cooked? Tell you what, that looks really pretty now. RICK: It does. It does. Rick, you happy with the cooking of the fish? Um...it's a little bit undercooked, I have to say. My cut of the fish was actually cooked quite nice. MY fish is cooked OK. We were lucky at this end of the table. I looked at that dish and I saw the cauliflower and the peas and I thought, "What's more English than a little country garden?" Yeah. And then I tasted that dish, and there's the rosemary and the fish has that real earthiness that you get with some fresh river fish, and that kind of earthiness matches, for me, those flavours really well. She's done... She's done it. She's got a good palate. She's got a good palate in terms of understanding British food and understanding what flavours should go with that specific... Yeah. I reckon she's hit the mark and I tell you...I reckon that crisp skin looks brilliant. It's really burnished and brown and crispy. She's done it well too. Little flecks of crispy bacon, char on the leeks. But the big question for me is I'm now sitting... ..and I'm sure we all are, sitting there and going, "Amy or Jessie?" It comes down to issues like the cooking of the fish and the cooking of the squid, doesn't it? Yeah. We know today's hard, someone's going home, but it would also be hard not to have a smile on your face, coming into the kitchen and seeing Rick Stein. It's a wonderful thing, and it's a privilege. Let's not forget it. And today was about putting up a beautiful dish, based on a fish and a cuisine, in 75 minutes, that's going to keep you in this competition. I'm really hoping that I've done enough to survive, but it's really just going to come down to a very fine line between our dishes. Rick, how did you think they went? I thought you all did very well. You all understood sort of aspects of each of those countries' cuisines and brought them into your food, and watching you and talking with you today, it's such a healthy sign of cooking in Australia, I think. Everybody takes it so seriously - it really matters. And trust me, it really does matter, so thank you very much. I've so enjoyed it today. I think, today, three dishes really stood out for us. They stood out because they treated the seafood with respect and also they brought us those signature flavours of the cuisines that they were supposed to represent. So if I call your name, please step forward. Billie. (APPLAUSE) Matthew. (APPLAUSE) Georgia. (APPLAUSE) Billie, your dish was like Spain on a plate. Delicious. RICK: One of the wonderful things about Spanish food is the colour and that lovely sauce in there was so sort of vibrant, the colour of it. I really, really enjoyed it. Thank you. Matthew, we loved that sweetness of the aubergine and the creaminess of that curry sauce. Well done, Matthew. Thank you. Thanks. Oh, Georgia, you delivered in a dish that was quintessentially French. The combinations of fennel, Pernod, tarragon - just an ideal combination. You wanted to impress Rick, and you know what? You certainly did. (LAUGHS) I was really, really charmed by it, I must say. Thank you. Matthew, Billie, Georgia - you're safe. Join the others. (APPLAUSE) So, Amy, Jessie - one of you is going home. Jessie, you identified a real clever balance of ingredients that represented British cuisine, but Rick and Matt's fish - undercooked. Amy, you captured a lot of those big, bold flavours that Rick associates with his travels in Malaysia. But the grilled squid on top of the dish and the tentacles were undercooked. And your sauce was thick and claggy. And that's why you're going home. I'm sorry. Amy, you're a...you're a brave soul in the face of elimination. And you know what? Don't underestimate how far you have come in this competition. What were your favourite moments? I think these guys would all agree with me, but cooking for Maggie Beer. It's like Elvis Presley being in the building. It's amazing. Those peaches... GEORGE: Oh, look at that. ..are spectacular. Stunning. Since then, I've just met so many new and amazing people that it's...it's crazy how much I feel like I've done, and, yeah, I'm really proud of myself. You've got a talent, so use it. Thank you. Alright? So I think it's time now to say goodbye and leave the MasterChef kitchen. It's definitely disappointing, going home on a dish that should have been a strength of mine. Good to meet you. Food has always been something that I've loved but I've never thought that I was good enough to reach top nine in MasterChef, so I'm really, really proud of myself for making it this far, and I definitely feel like this is my field now. I have to do something in food. ANNOUNCER: Next time, it's mystery box deja vu. No! WOMAN: What's going on?