1 ANNOUNCER: Previously on MasterChef Australia... How's it going? ..Marco Week began with a vengeance. Start to push. Come on! Under intense pressure, they delivered some extraordinary dishes. MARCO: This, without question, is the greatest dessert I've ever eaten in MasterChef. But for Cecilia, Nathaniel and Con, the stark reality of elimination. Find that inner strength if you want to survive. Tonight, they're about to discover what real pressure is. Keeping up with Marco. Holy God. Are you ready? Their only recipe... Off with the tail. ..to watch Marco. Off with the head. ..and try to keep up. Are you listening? I'm keeping up. "Yes, Marco." ALL: Yes, Marco. I'm watching you. Whoo! The first pressure test of the competition... GEORGE: Looks great, doesn't it? Fantastic job. ..will send one of these contestants... And the pressure was all too much. ..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. # We got today. # Ooh, yeah, yeah. # So spin me round and... # Ooh, yeah, yeah. # ...show me the way... # Ooh, yeah, yeah. # ...back to... # 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. # Able 2016 CECILIA: I had a terrible day in the kitchen yesterday. Just, like, everywhere emotionally. It just put me in the wrong headspace. I love the idea that you cooked something that your child loves. But you've gotta enjoy this and not let that sort of weight, that stress, overshadow your cooking. Stand strong! Know that you're doing this for your family. Gotta put your head down, your bum up. You hear me? And those emotions, they've got to drive you to do better. I'm really taking George's words to heart and I'm determined to stay in this competition. I want to prove to my kids that nothing should get in the way of your dreams, not even a brain injury. So I need to bring strength into the kitchen today. CON: I feel like yesterday's cook, I not only let myself down but I've really let down my fiancee, Sarah. We were due to be married soon but we've put the wedding on hold at the moment whilst I'm in the MasterChef kitchen. For me to leave the competition in week number 2, that'd be pretty disappointing. I'm going to fight for my life today like no tomorrow. NATHANIEL: Before coming to MasterChef, I was a paramedic student. My food dream is to create a retreat for public safety workers to come to. The burn-out rate is rather high and I want to use food as a therapy for them. I'm not ready to give up on that dream. I've just got to go out and smash it today. It's hugely daunting knowing that Marco is going to play a huge part in whatever challenge has been set for us today. Hey, Con. Ready to go? Yep. Ready, brother? Whatever the task is, I'm going to keep focus. I'm going to do the best I can and I'm going to prove that I deserve to be in this competition. (ONLOOKERS CHEER, APPLAUD) Come on, guys. Good luck. Good luck. NATHANIEL: Marco is my food hero. It's time to knuckle down and smash it. It's never nice to walk into this kitchen wearing black aprons. But the reality is today marks the end of the MasterChef journey for one of you. It's important for the three of you to know that we believe in you and we believe that by applying pressure we can turn you into diamonds. But we know what you're about to face... ..and we're nervous. There's no grand entrance with a cloche. There's no dish for you to see. There's no recipe for you to follow. Today, precision and focus are your only friends. Today, full throttle is your only gear. This pressure test is all about keeping up with Marco. Oh, my God. We're going to be cooking with Marco. This is a privilege and a nightmare at the same tine. Ooh. He's a bloke with a couple of Michelin stars under his belt. Yeah, they'll be holding on. GARY: The rules are simple. All your instructions about the dish will come from Marco. The two dishes that are the closest that resemble Marco's in taste and in look... ..keep their makers safe. However, the worst dish sends its maker home. And the challenge ends - and this is really important - 10 seconds after Marco finishes the dish himself. (LAUGHS) That's horrible. The dish we're all going to cook was a speciality at lunchtime at the Hyde Park Hotel in Knightsbridge, London. Very simple, very quick. John Dory a la nicoise, in that style from the south of France. Tomatoes, olives, anchovies, shallots, garlic, fennel, olive oil, lemon, crystal salt. How easy. CON: Sounds simple. Not going to be simple. It's all about knife skills, being able to multitask, precision, making something delicious. If you keep up with me, you won't go far wrong. But remember one thing - if I have to leave you behind, I will. It's an absolute privilege in my world to have pressure. I love it. Yeah? And you need to love it. You need to embrace it. 'Cause today you're going to be under pressure. Yeah? He's the godfather. Yeah? Let's be frank. Alright? Let's put it out on the table. It's the guy we idolise growing up in this culinary world. What a moment you have right now. There are chefs out there that would die for this chance and here you are now. So embrace the pressure, 'cause you are privileged to have it. You got it? ALL: Yes, George. You got it? ALL: Yes, George! (ONLOOKERS APPLAUD) So, Marco, the floor is all yours. (CHUCKLES) Good luck, guys. Contestants, behind your bench, please. (ONLOOKERS CHEER) Are you ready? CONTESTANTS: Yes, Marco. You sure? Yes, Marco. Get your fish. Come on. (ONLOOKERS CHEER, APPLAUD) Come on! Come on. Quicker. First job - prepare your John Dory. This knife. Simple. Keep one eye on me. Down the back of the gills. Run your knife down the spine. The knife down the belly. Cut the tail. Exactly the same on the other side. You all got that? CONTESTANTS: Yes, Marco. Knife down the spine. Knife down the belly. MILES: Watching Marco take this fish apart - he's smooth, he's confident. Off with the tail. It's all just happening rhythmically and methodically. It's a great pleasure to watch. It looks like he's done a few of these. Off with the head. Wow. Good job, Cecilia. JIMMY: Come on, Con. That's the easy bit done. Scissors. Cut the spiky bones off. And then skin. CECILIA: To get the skin off a fish fillet, there's two things you need to do. One, make sure you've got the skin in your hand nice and tight, and the other one is just be confident with your knife and go for it. It's very important to get the whole thing in one go, otherwise it's like, you know, peeling an egg, going by the little bits and pieces. You don't want to do that with a fish. Skin off both sides. Boys are struggling a little bit. Come on, boys. Falling behind. Getting this skin off this fish is impossible. Don't saw it. You're not cutting down trees. WOMAN: Come on, Nate. NATHANIEL: I'm fumbling with the skin. I can't get a good grip on the skin. It is driving me nuts. MAN: Come on, boys. Keep pushing. MIMI: Good job, Cecilia. Keep it up. Cecilia is storming ahead. She is keeping up with Marco. She's filleting the fish like she's done it a million times. There's just one swipe and the skin comes straight off. Take the rib cage out. GEORGE: Guys, are you watching him? Marco's fish is just... it's flawless. He's still got plenty of meat on there. Yeah, it's perfect. (ONLOOKERS SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT) That's it. Good girl. That's clever. Cecilia's is identical to what Marco's is. Good job, Cecilia. Finished, Cecilia? I think so. Then get your ingredients. Come on. Two pounds of water on the stove. Come on, boys. Keep pushing. Prepare the fennel. Come on, Con. Marco's moved on to his fennel. The boys are still filleting their fish. They're supposed to be, you know, following him and watching how he's doing it, learning off him. How are you supposed to do that when you're fighting with fish skin? Come on, Nathaniel. GARY: Move it, Con. Let's go. CON: I'm just having so much trouble on this fish. And I look down... Oh, God, no. I've cut my thumb. Oh, he's done it quite badly too. MATT SINCLAIR: I'm feeling for Con, absolutely. You can see that, you know, he's starting to panic a little bit because he's just watching Marco just sail off. It's a nightmare. WOMAN: It's alright. It's alright, Con. This is not how I wanted to start my day. This is not how I expected my cook to go. It's alright. It's OK. Just keep watching... Come on, Con. I feel sick in my stomach. I don't have time for this. I feel like I'm five minutes in and I've already failed. 1 GARY: Oh, God, no. CON: I've cut my thumb. Oh, he's done it quite badly too. I feel sick in my stomach. WOMAN: It's alright, Con. I don't have time for this. Come on. MAN: Come on, Con. You can do this. It's alright, Con. Catch up. Take a breath. Come on. GARY: Come on! Push! GEORGE: Come on, Nathaniel. Come on, man. MARCO: This is how you do the fennel. I prepared seven. You might need five or six or seven, depending on the size of your fennel. Five or seven. GEORGE: Well done, Cecilia. Keep focused. Cecilia is really being methodical. She's finished her fish. She's now working on the fennel. CECILIA: Marco is peeling the outer leaves of the fennel. Then he trims the fronds of the inner piece. He cuts off the roots from the bottom, so I do the same. MAN: Come on, Nate. WOMAN: Let's go! NATHANIEL: I've just finished my fillet. It's not 100% the same as Marco's. It is smaller. But it's neat. It looks tidy. MAN: Keep pushing, Nate. I'm not 100% sure on how to do the fennel. I'm going to run over to Marco's bench, take a look at his fennel and hopefully I get it right. MATT SINCLAIR: Nate moves on to his fennel and it looks like he's keeping the outsides of it, throwing away the core of it, which is what Marco used. It's like he missed that part while he was still preparing his fish. If he uses the outside of the fennel, it's basically like a husk. It'd be fibrous and chewy and you don't want to be putting that on top to eat. Come on. Quicker. CON: Finally finish my fish. I know it's not perfect. I make a decision to leave the blood line and the skirt bones in. Because if I spend any more time on this fish, I'm not going to get anything else done. GARY: Bang on to the next thing, Con, yeah? Get your other ingredients out. That's it. Wipe down. Next ingredients, yeah? Go, Con! Whoo! That's it! Fennel! Finely chopped shallots. Finely chopped shallots! "Yes, Marco." CONTESTANTS: Yes, Marco. I'm only using a half a shallot. I'm not using a whole shallot. Not even that. Half a shallot. Marco's dicing his shallots. He's looking me in the eye. Nathaniel? Shallots done? Yes? Not yet, Marco. I'm watching you. Very fine. He's just...straight through it. So, fish ready, yes or no? Yes. Yes, Marco. Fennel prepared, yes? Yes, Marco. Shallots chopped, yes? Yes, Marco. Now crush your garlic. Con, you need to move, mate. You're lagging, yeah? Yes, George. Con, you're lagging. Yes, George. You haven't started shallots yet. When I talk about crushed garlic... Are you listening? Yes, Marco. When I walk about crushed garlic, it should be the finest paste so it just disappears and dissolves into the concasse. Crush your garlic first by slicing wafer thin. Yes, Con? Yes, Marco. Nathaniel? Yes, Marco. Cecilia? Yes, Marco. WOMAN: It's alright, Con. Just breathe. Alright, Con? Yes, Marco. I'm only a couple of steps behind. I can still keep my head in this. I got to get into second gear. I need to fight. WOMAN: Come on, Con! And a little bit of salt to assist in the crushing of it. Yes? Yes? CONTESTANTS: Yes, Marco. Good job, Cecilia. Keep it up. Chefs! CONTESTANTS: Yes, Marco. Crushed garlic. Sliced very thin. Please look. Do you want to go home? No. Then watch me. Crush your garlic. Slice it wafer thin. A little bit of crystal salt. Then crush it to a fine paste. Fine paste. Yes, Marco. WOMAN: Come on, Nate. NATHANIEL: I look at my garlic. It's not quite like Marco's. It's not as pasty. I'm trying to work it as hard as I can. I reach in, grab a generous amount of salt, throw it down on the garlic, trying to turn it into a paste. (ONLOOKERS CHEER) MAN: Cecilia is just on fire. She's...she's basically step for step with Marco. Nathaniel's right on her tail. And Con is not letting a cut finger hold him back. No-one's going down without a fight today. Right. Lemon for seasoning. Lemon for seasoning. Yes, Marco. Are we watching? Just take your wedge off so no seeds drop into your dish. CONTESTANTS: Yes, Marco! Micro coriander. Micro coriander. Micro coriander. Why do we give it a drink? So when you put it onto hot food it doesn't wilt. It's as simple as that. Ice bath out of your fridge. Micro coriander into the water, having a drink. Yes? CONTESTANTS: Yes, Marco. Right. WOMAN: Push, Con. WOMAN: Good work, Con. Black olives. Yes? Black olives. Yes, Marco. Yes, Marco. And what we do with those is just cut the cheeks of the black olive off and then slice them finely. Yes, Marco. Yes, Marco. Yes, Marco. How many olives is it? I've used two. It's not the biggest of fish. MIMI: Good job, Cecilia. I'm so impressed with Cecilia. She seems so focused. CECILIA: I'm really happy I'm keeping up with Marco today. Two years ago, I would never have been able to do this. I had a snowboarding accident and I was paralysed on the right side of my body. I couldn't speak properly. My whole world turned upside down. I was a teacher and all of a sudden, I couldn't do maths, couldn't read. It was a very difficult time for me. But I fought hard. I went through rehab and I got back into the classroom. Being a teacher and a mum, I need to show my kids that if an opportunity comes, you take it, you fight for it. And that's exactly what I'm doing today. (ONLOOKERS SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT) How are we doing? NATHANIEL: Good, Marco. Prepare your tomatoes for blanching. I am a massive Marco fan. MAN: Well done, Nate. I'm keeping up, I'm keeping step for step. Blanch your tomatoes to skin them, yes? Yes, Marco. HEATHER: I'm really worried for Con. He needs his cut finger to be re-dressed by the nurse. Looks like he can't catch a break. Come on, Con. Just stay focused. He's skipped his garlic paste, he's skipped his olives and he's gone straight on to the tomatoes. I'm really concerned about how he's going to finish the rest of the cook. Oh, God. Use a smaller knife, Con, for goodness sake. Small knife. Gary, relax. Gary, relax. He's freaking me out. His glove's half off. He's using a whopping great chopping knife to take the core out. Con, are you listening to me? Everything's just going wrong today. This is the absolute last thing that I need right now. 1 GARY: Oh, God. Use a smaller knife, Con, for goodness sake. He's freaking me out. His glove's half off. He's using a whopping great chopping knife to take the core out. Con, are you listening to me? CON: I'm in a world of pain and I've skipped two steps but if I don't keep up with Marco now, I'm going to get completely lost. There's one thing that keeps me fighting - that's my fiancee, Sarah. I got to keep going and I got to get myself out of this mess. Come on, Con. You can do it, man. WOMAN: Come on, Con. Is your water boiling? CECILIA: Yes. Yes, Marco. Good. That's what I like to hear. I put my tomatoes in for 10 seconds. If they need a bit longer because they're underripe, then give them a bit longer. Nathaniel, I can see you're doing your tomatoes. Yes, Marco. Good. Skinning those tomatoes goes a hell of a lot easier than skinning of the fish. Skin off your tomatoes. Yes or no? Almost, Marco. Then we cut them into quarters. Yes? Cut them into quarters and remove the seeds. Yes? Yes, Marco. Yes, Marco. Thank you. Yes, Marco. Two or three tomatoes is enough. Tomatoes on a cloth to drain the water. "Yes, Marco." CONTESTANTS: Yes, Marco. Now we're going to do anchovies. I'm going to use four fillets. Cut them lengthways. Four fillets lengthways. One, two, three, four fillets. I tend to be getting three out of each one. I want to get these slices nice and thin. I want my presentation to be as close as it can be to Marco's. Who's got their concasse ready? What's a concasse? Nathaniel, do you know? I'm learning right now, Marco. Do you want me to show you some? Yes, please. Yes, please. Yes, please, Marco. It's diced tomato. It's that simple. Sounds rather posh in French but it's diced tomato, like so. Yes, Marco. Thank you, Marco. You see? OK. Yeah? So your concasse should be consistent so it cooks consistently. Salt your water for your croquant of fennel. WOMAN: You got this, Con. Keep pushing! Cecilia! Cecilia, fennel in the pot. So it's time to cook the fish. Pans on the stove. A splash of oil. So, salt your fish. And be generous when you salt fish, for the simple reason is 'cause a lot of it will wash off in the pan. So what we're going to do now is caramelise our fish. "Yes, Marco." "Yes, Marco." "Yes, Marco." "Yes, Marco." Ovens on 200? 200. Yes. Yes, Marco. Yes? OK. So when you've got the heat into the pan, in with our fish. Yeah, well done, guys. Good work, Cecilia. I immediately reach over, pick up my Dory, put it in the pan. I want to get this perfect. I'm going cook it exactly like Marco is. I'm going to follow it step for step because I want this fish to be perfect. Get the fish right, I'll have the dish right. Come on, Con. You've got this. My fish is in the pan and it's now my chance to catch up. I just need to get this olive and garlic prep done and then it's on to my tomatoes. Con, you're only one step behind. Get it right. Are you caramelising your fish? Yes or no? CONTESTANTS: Yes, Marco. Good. Fish in the oven. CECILIA: My fillet is exactly the same size as Marco's, which means I can cook the fish for the same amount of time and then it should be perfect like his, hopefully. WOMAN: Good job, Con. Well done. Looking at my fish, it's lacking colour. I don't think I have enough heat in my pan. But if I don't get it into the oven now there is no way it's going to cook in time. I have to sacrifice caramelisation for cooking time. Shallots in a pan. Shallots in a pan. Shallots in a pan. I won't say it again. Yes, Marco! Yes, Marco! Fingers are for burning! Come on. Push it along. Keep the energy level up. (ONLOOKERS APPLAUD, SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT) How's it going? Thyme, garlic and shallots in your pan, yes? CONTESTANTS: Yes, Marco. Good. That's what I like to hear. In with your tomatoes. Season your tomatoes. Season your tomatoes. Yes, Marco! Have you got your plate for dressing? Yes, Marco. WOMAN: Con, get your plate. (GASPS) Oh, my gosh! I should stop shaking. How's your fish doing? He's checking his fish. MAN: How's your fish, Nate? Is it cooked? HEATHER: Nathaniel's just put his fish back in the oven and I'm really worried for him. His piece is much smaller than Marco's, which means it needs less time to cook. The longer it's in the oven, the more chance it will have of overcooking. Con, out with your fish. I check on my fish. It feels kind of done to me. Back in the oven, Con. Back in the oven. I can hear people telling me to leave it in the oven. But I don't want to overcook it. The fish is the hero of this dish. If I don't nail it, I'm going home. Simple as that. I'm going to take that big risk and I'm going to leave it out. How's it going? Heat up your plate. Heat up your plate to serve your fish. Heat up your plate. Heat up your plate. Heat up your plate. A little bit of olive oil in a dish. WOMAN: Come on, guys. Hurry. (ONLOOKERS APPLAUD AND SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT) How are we doing? Good, Marco. Good job, Cecilia. Keep it up. Good stuff, Cecilia. Small frying pan with some oil for your croquants of fennel. "Yes, Marco." "Yes, Marco." Come on, come on, come on. Whoo! Ah, flambe. MAN: Off the heat! Off the heat! It's alright, mate. It's alright. It's alright. Come on. Out with your fish. MAN: Keep pushing, Nate. MAN: Good work, Cecilia. You're on it. How are we doing? Good, Marco. It's now getting to the crescendo, when it all comes together. Yes? Yes? Yes? Yes? Yes, Marco. Yes, Marco. Yes, Marco. (ONLOOKERS SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT) So, let's arrange our fennel. Come on! Come on! And arrange it from the back. MATT: OK, you want to watch this. You want to watch Marco arrange this. This is crucial. This is going home territory. Marco starts plating and he's a well-oiled machine. MIMI: Wow, that's beautiful. The way he's plated that fennel is just unreal. I've never seen it plated like that before. Come on, guys! Let's go! Come on! JIMMY: Fingers are for burning! NATHANIEL: Marco's finished plating his fennel. I can't quite get it to line up the way he's done his. But I'm just going to have to get it on because time's winding down. I'm criss-crossing the anchovies. Yes? Nate, you gotta get your anchovies on, mate. MATT: Come on, Nathaniel. Come on, Con. Come on, Cecilia! (GROANS) Push! (ONLOOKERS SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT) WOMAN: Criss-cross your anchovies. MAN: Come on, Con! CON: My fish is on the plate. My fennel's on the plate. I'm this close. I know that I'm nearly there. I just need to finish it. Then the Provencal tomato down the middle. Yes? CONTESTANTS: Yes, Marco. MAN: Come on, Nathaniel. You can do it. WOMAN: Doing really well, Cecilia. Then a little bit of olive oil. Treat it like a salad. Keep up, keep up, keep up, keep up. Keep up. Little crystal salt. WOMAN: Season it well. MAN: That's good, Con. That's good. Some black olives. Olives down the tomato. Yes? CECILIA: Yes, Marco. MAN: Come on, Nate! Push! WOMAN: Olives on top! And then to finish... MATT: Come on, Nathaniel! Come on, Con! Come on, Cecilia! ..drain your coriander. Not too bushy. MAN: Come on, mate. Keep pushing. And then to finish, a little lemon. MATT: Come on! Keep up, Nathaniel! GARY: Come on. Come on, let's go. GEORGE: Come on, guys. Come on. WOMAN: Come on, guys! Dish finished! That's it! You have 10 seconds! ALL: 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! That's it! Your time's up. WOMAN: Mammoth effort, guys. That is crazy. You all did very well. Thank you so much, Marco. Oh, that was like a roller-coaster. (LAUGHS) So much adrenaline. I'd be really disappointed if I went home today. My goal is to get to top 10 and, you know, have credibility in my words when I speak to kids. That's not as easy as it looks, is it? CON: (LAUGHS) Oh, no. I burnt my fingers on that one. That's what they're for. Burning fingers. Yes, Marco. Get some water. Have a laugh. Enjoy. (LAUGHS) It's a dream come true. I tried my best to keep up with him. Um...I know my technique needs a lot of work. I just want to stay in the kitchen so I can work on it. CON: No words can describe how I feel at the moment. It's just... I feel really disappointed. I look at the other two. Their dishes look great. I've plated up the worst out of the three. I just hope I've nailed the cooking of the fish, 'cause that's the only thing that's going to save me. 1 I love these challenges - cook along with Marco Pierre White. It seems deceptively simple, doesn't it? But standing in front of a three-Michelin-star chef, I think the three struggled a bit. But first, I think we should taste Marco's. GEORGE: Marco, that is just absolutely beautiful. The detail in the cutting of the fennel and the plating of the fennel. That John Dory, you know, trimmed beautifully, cooked on both sides. Beautifully done, George. You're such an artist. And that beautiful little garnish. A little bit of Provence on a plate. Shall we taste? John Dory's got to be one of the finest fish in the sea. Oh... Yum. Oh, delicious. I think we know what we're looking for now after tasting Marco's dish. That fish is cooked perfectly. You can taste the seafood. And the garnish is there just to accentuate it, you know? The saltiness of anchovy, that tomato, the olive oil is just... lubricates it all. And the fennel's got still a little bit of bite. Shall we get the first dish in? Yeah. CECILIA: I'm so stoked that I finished this dish with Marco. Go get 'em. I've done the best I can. I want to teach my kids, Nathan and Ella, that if you fall over, you pick yourself up and it's OK. You came in today with really positive energy. And how do you think you went? Pacewise, good. But after the cook I tasted the tomato - it was a bit salty. My pinch of salt is probably not the same pinch as Marco's. (CHUCKLES) (CHUCKLES) Why don't you want to go home? I'm here because I want Nathan to know that Mummy's back... ..and that, you know, I can do things that will make him proud. Well, I think he would have been very proud of watching you cook today. Very proud. Thank you. I thought you were very good. Oh, thank you. The speed you absorb information is incredible. When people can perform under pressure... ..that tells you how far they can go. And the one thing if you worked in my kitchen I would know about you is that I could trust you. And trust is the greatest compliment you can give your chef. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, Cecilia. Thank you. Looks great, doesn't it? I thought Cecilia did a fantastic job. Mmm. I reckon it looks pretty close to yours. How's the fish look, George? It's looking beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. She's nailed the fish. There's no doubt about it. In terms of the cooking, cuisson, absolutely beautiful. I love that. You know, crusty golden-brown. The fennel's delicious. It's got just the right amount of give when you push your knife through it. But she's oversalted the tomato. I love salt. I'm very salt tolerant and that's pushing even for me. Yeah. Yeah. But you know something? She sat there and she was honest. Rather than hoping that we won't pick up on it... Yeah. ..she was honest straight away. And when I was boy in Le Gavroche, I'd always put my hands up when I was wrong. I think she's done a fantastic job. She kept pace but also she kept her wits about her at the very end. The fact that it looks so good, the fact the fish is so well cooked. Really good job. Right, let's get the next dish in. NATHANIEL: I'm extremely nervous. I'm now serving a Marco Pierre White dish to Marco Pierre White. I'm not 100% confident in the dish. (EXHALES LOUDLY) I can't stop shaking. Trying to keep up with one of your heroes with a dish that is probably outside your normal frame of reference. How was it? To cook with my food hero... ..it was a dream come true. And how do you feel now? Anxious. Really anxious. I'm just not ready to go. Nathaniel... ..I can sit here and say that my career was perfect. That would be a lie. I made more mistakes than any man or lady I ever cooked with. I really did. But I did one thing - I always took the knowledge from the experience. And that's what inspired me. You have a responsibility to yourself. Just make your dreams come true. Thank you, Marco. Thank you, Nathaniel. Thank you. Thank you. Alright, guys. Just going... Obviously, presentation. The fennel stands out for me. I mean, you know, he's left the little root bit on the end. And obviously... He's taken the inside out. He's taken the inside out. Yeah. He has. And served the fibrous... MATT: So what he's done is he's cooked the outside leaf you normally throw away. Yeah. Yeah. Good colour on the fish, though. Great colour. Risk is, though, 'cause it's a small piece of fish and he cooked it exactly the same time as Marco's, it could be overcooked. 1 The fennel stands out for me. I mean, you know, he's left the little root bit on the end. And obviously... He's taken the inside out. He's taken the inside out, yeah. He has. And served the fibrous. So what he's done is he's cooked the outside leaf you normally throw away. Yeah. Yeah. Good colour on the fish, though. Good golden colour. Yeah, great colour. Risk is, though, 'cause it's a smaller piece of fish and he cooked it exactly the same time as Marco's, it could be overcooked. Great colour on the fish. Yeah. It's beautiful golden-brown. The colour on the skin really kind of leads something to the dish when it comes to the table. Also, lots of anchovies. And I love those. All those slightly sweet and salty anchovies. What Nathaniel has done is he has dressed the plate with olive oil well, which is good. I think olive oil plays a big part in this dish. The negative is fennel crunchy, left the stringy outer... The fibrous. ..the fibrous part of the fennel on there. (CRUNCH!) (CHUCKLES) Oh, yeah. There you go. Look. It's not crushed garlic, it's chopped garlic. The concasse is salty. It's really, really salty - like, more so than Cecilia's, and I thought that was pushing the limit. And the fish is overcooked. Right, let's get the last dish in. CON: I'm really concerned about my fish. I can see some bones sticking out and I can see a blood line. It's the hero of this dish and if it's not cooked perfectly, that's my MasterChef journey over. Gee, Con, that was... (CHUCKLES) ..a difficult cook for you, wasn't it? Yep. I'm normally calm, but last two cooks have been terrible. Dismal. Yeah. It's not...not anything I ever wanted to plate up in this kitchen. What I noticed before we'd even begun... ..your nerves were beginning to get the better of you. And what that told me was that you wanted to do really well. I've been in that position where I've been so nervous and I've tried so hard and I've fallen. And it's tough. It really is tough. Because you're catapulted out of your natural environment... ..and then you've got to perform. You have all those fears, all those worries. And what I think is remarkable... ..is that you completed the task. Most people in your position, they would have failed. Thank you so much. GEORGE: Thanks, Con. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, look, I love his heart but, you know, in reality you can see the stress and trouble that he's had. There's some obvious problems. The fish is certainly not well roasted, golden-brown. There's a blood line from, you know, the stomach of the fish. There's the skeleton of the fish poking through, which actually...the little frills around the outside. I think he's really in trouble. I tell you what, I'm surprised. My piece of fish is nice and moist. Really tender. But there's some glaringly obvious mistakes. Yes, he's left the blood line in. He's left a percentage of the skirt in, as you can see. But I think it eats better than it looks. (CHUCKLES) He got a dish up. He cooked the fish. Well. Cooked the fish well. It's not undercooked or overcooked. Um, you know, and there's nothing missing off the plate. What he showed us yesterday was that he can plate and make food look pretty. And the pressure was all too much for him today. Let's get them in and let's reveal who's safe and for whom their time in the MasterChef kitchen is over. Well, the things that are sent to test us, huh? The first pressure test of 2016, and it was all about keeping up with Marco. And it was a difficult dish, even though it looked simple. When you're working at that kind of pace, concentrating on the detail, making sure everything's beautiful is truly quite difficult, isn't it? Yep. What it was was a true test of your skills and your composure. Marco, what did you think? Well, the first thing I would like to say is how well you all did. It's easy to crumble or to be forgetful under pressure. But all three of you completed the dish. One of you really impressed me. And that's why... ..Cecilia, you are safe. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. I feel really privileged to have... I can say to all my students now, "I was cooking with Marco. "If I can do it, you can do anything too." Well done. Con, Nathaniel, it comes down to the two of you, and it comes down to the dish you cooked today. One of you is about to go home. 1 MATT: Con, Nathaniel, it comes down to the two of you, and it comes down to the dish you cooked today. One of you is about to go home. Con, your fish lacked colour. And you hadn't trimmed it properly. But the fish was well cooked. Nathaniel, your plate was generously dressed with olive oil just like Marco's and you had a wonderful golden colour on your fish, but it was overcooked. And your fennel was more off-trimmings than heart. And that's why, Nathaniel, I'm sorry to say that you're going home today. Nathaniel, tough couple of days, huh? Disappointed in myself. Yeah. It's very easy to beat yourself up. I did it for years. But I kept on picking myself up. I kept on pushing. And that's what you have to do. Because what you have inside you has to come out. It really does. Keep on following your dream and keep on picking yourself up. And that's what you must remember. And it's been a pleasure cooking with you. Thank you. Thank you. Nathaniel, time to say goodbye to your friends. It's time to leave the MasterChef kitchen. GARY: Nathaniel, best of luck. Good luck. All the best. Be strong. Thank you. Remember, it's a growing pain. It's all part of growing. The positives coming out of the MasterChef kitchen is I'm taking out new skills, things that I came into this competition just reading and I've now done and I know I can do them again. I'm upset that I'm going, but I'm walking out with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is something that I will gladly walk out of this kitchen with my head held high. I got to cook for Marco. I got to cook with Marco. I will remember that for the rest of my life. ANNOUNCER: Next time, it's the first immunity pin of the year. How much do you want this little baby? For Nidhi, Zoe and Olivia, it's a race against the clock. Holy moly. Just one will advance to the final round. Time is not your best friend. And that's when the pressure really begins. You have to beat our guest chef. Australian Young Chef of the Year, Jake Kellie! To win, Jake will push the envelope. JAKE: It's a bit risky, but I think it'll get Marco's attention. But will he push too far? I'm totally shocked. Able 2016