MasterChef Australia (series 1)
| MasterChef Australia (series 1) | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of episodes | 72 |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Network Ten |
| Original run | 27 April 2009 – 19 July 2009 |
The first series of the Australian reality television series MasterChef Australia began on 27 April 2009 and aired on Network Ten, concluding on 19 July 2009 when Julie Goodwin was crowned the winner. The series was hosted by Sarah Wilson.
Contestants
| Contestant | Age | State | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julie Goodwin | 38 | NSW | Office Manager | Winner 19 July |
| Poh Ling Yeow | 35 | SA | Artist | Runner-up 19 July Returned 1 July Eliminated 18 June |
| Chris Badenoch | 41 | VIC | Beer Merchant | Eliminated 16 July |
| Justine Schofield | 23 | NSW | Sales Executive | Eliminated 15 July Returned 1 July Eliminated 25 June |
| Julia Jenkins | 23 | VIC | Marketing Specialist | Eliminated 14 July |
| Lucas Parsons | 39 | NSW | Coffee Shop Owner | Eliminated 13 July |
| Andre Ursini | 28 | SA | Project Manager | Eliminated 9 July |
| Sam Ciaravolo | 24 | VIC | Call Centre Manager | Eliminated 6 July |
| Tom Mosby | 39 | QLD | Solicitor | Eliminated 2 July Returned 1 July Eliminated 8 June |
| Eugenia "Geni" Papacostas | 58 | QLD | Teaching Assistant | Eliminated 15 June |
| Sandra Morena | 36 | QLD | Stay-At-Home Mum | Eliminated 11 June |
| Trevor Forster | 37 | WA | Navy Submariner | Eliminated 4 June |
| Aaron Thomas | 21 | VIC | Student | Eliminated 1 June |
| Kate Rodrigues | 20 | WA | Law Student | Eliminated 28 May |
| Joshua Catalano | 25 | WA | Fishmonger | Eliminated 21 May |
| Michelle Darlington | 46 | NSW | Photographer | Eliminated 18 May |
| Brent Parker-Jones | 40 | VIC | Food Photographer | Eliminated 14 May |
| Linda Kowalski | 21 | VIC | Student | Eliminated 11 May |
| Pasquale "Nic" Ciampa | 38 | VIC | Wine Shop Owner | Quit 10 May |
| Melissa Lutton | 39 | QLD | Graphic Designer | Eliminated 7 May |
Judges
Special guests
- Manu Feildel - Celebrity Chef Challenge 1
- Martin Boetz - Celebrity Chef Challenge 2
- Peter Evans - Celebrity Chef Challenge 3
- Frank Shek - Masterclass 3
- Alex Herbert - Celebrity Chef Challenge 4
- John Torode - Guest judge, Invention Test 4
- Guy Grossi - Celebrity Chef Challenge 5
- Ben O'Donoghue - Celebrity Chef Challenge 6
- Donovan Cooke/Tam Kin Pak - Celebrity Chef Challenge 8
- Emmanuel Stroobant - Celebrity Chef Challenge 9
- Adrian Richardson - Celebrity Chef Challenge 10
- Armando Percuoco - Guest judge, Formal Dinner Challenge
- Margaret Fulton - Guest judge, Formal Dinner Challenge
- Jacques Reymond - Guest judge, Formal Dinner Challenge
- Cheong Liew - Guest judge, Formal Dinner Challenge
- Luke Mangan - Guest judge, Finals Week Elimination Challenge 1
- Matt Moran - Celebrity Chef Challenge 7 & Guest judge, Finals Week Elimination Challenge 2
- Bill Granger - Guest judge, Finals Week Elimination Challenge 3
- Donna Hay - Guest judge, Finals Week Elimination Challenge 4
- Curtis Stone - Guest judge, Seafood Team Challenge, Grand Finale
Many of the guest chefs returned for the announcement of the winner, while Moran also presented a dish for the Pressure Test during the finale.
Episodes and Ratings
- Colour key:
- – Highest rating during the series
- – Lowest rating during the series
| Ep#/Wk-Ep# | Original airdate | Episode Title / Event | Total viewers | Nightly Ranking | Weekly Ranking (Sun/Overall Mon-Fri) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | |||||
| 1/01-1 | Monday 27 April 2009 | Series Premiere: Audition 1 - Sydney and Adelaide | 1,428,000 | 7th | 14th[1] |
| 2/01-2 | Tuesday 28 April 2009 | Audition 2 - Brisbane and Perth | 1,056,000 | 17th | 52nd |
| 3/01-3 | Wednesday 29 April 2009 | Audition 3 - Melbourne | 994,000 | 15th | 57th |
| 4/01-4 | Thursday 30 April 2009 | Top 50 Part 1 | 1,068,000 | 11th | 50th |
| 5/01-5 | Friday 1 May 2009 | Top 50 Part 2 | 954,000 | 10th | 64th |
| Week 2 | |||||
| 6/02-1 | Sunday 3 May 2009 | Top 20 Revealed | 1,098,000 | 9th | 39th |
| 7/02-2 | Monday 4 May 2009 | Top 20 Cooking Challenge | 1,237,000 | 8th | (1,154,000) 28th |
| 8/02-3 | Tuesday 5 May 2009 | Celebrity Chef Challenge 1 - Manu Feildel beat Sam | 1,159,000 | 9th | |
| 9/02-4 | Wednesday 6 May 2009 | Sushi Restaurant Team Challenge - Winner: Red Team | 1,241,000 | 5th | |
| 10/02-5 | Thursday 7 May 2009 | Team Elimination - Having lost the challenge, the blue team contemplated who to eliminate. Michelle considered voting out Sam as a strategic move, and others for Nic and Kate for their lack of assistance, but the majority of the team decided to vote out Melissa as she "can't even chop." | 982,000 | 14th | |
| 11/02-6 | Friday 8 May 2009 | Masterclass 1 - Cooking with the masters - Lamb Rack with Pomme Puree, Pain Perdu with Chocolate Olive Oil Mousse. | 1,016,000 | 7th | |
| Week 3 | |||||
| 12/03-1 | Sunday 10 May 2009 | Mystery Box Challenge - bread, eggs, tomatoes, smoky bacon. Top three were Chris, Trevor, and Poh. Chris won for his "Eggs in Hell."
Invention Test 1 - Italian theme using rabbit, chosen by Chris as his reward for winning the Mystery Box Challenge, along with the advantage of having five minutes in the pantry rather than the one minute the other contestants could use to select their ingredients. Three best dishes were Brent, Tom, Jenny. Three worst were Julie, Aaron, and Linda. Brent was chosen winner for his Braised Rabbit with Capsicum, Onions, and Fennel, Roasted Potatoes, Charred Zucchini, and Sweated Red Onions. |
1,472,000 | 3rd | 6th |
| 13/03-2 | Monday 11 May 2009 | Pressure Test Elimination - Julie, Aaron and Linda landed in the Bottom 3 for their disasters in the invention test. They were asked to make a tarte tatin (apple tart) using a basic recipe with Julie's being deemed the best. The judges criticized Aaron for "running before he could walk" but ultimately chose Linda to be eliminated as besides her poor dish, she proved too inconsistent. | 1,331,000 | 4th | (1,172,000) 28th |
| 14/03-3 | Tuesday 12 May 2009 | Celebrity Chef Challenge 2 - Martin Boetz beat Brent cooking the signature Longrain dish of Eggnet, Pork, Prawns, and Cucumber Relish, Brent receiving 1 hour 15 minutes to make it while Boetz had 45 minutes and spent the first half hour of Brent's allotted time helping Brent because he "hates to see someone stressing when it's unnecessary." The judges gave Brent's dish 6/6/5 and Boetz's dish 8/8/9 out of ten. | 1,252,000 | 8th | |
| 15/03-4 | Wednesday 13 May 2009 | Seafood Banquet Team Challenge - Brent was given captainship of the Blue Team for winning the Invention Test and chose Geni as the captain of the Red Team. Brent chose Sam, Trevor, Josh, Lucas, Kate, Julia, Michelle, and Aaron, and Geni chose Chris, Tom, Justine, Andre, Poh, Julie, and Sandra. Winner: Red Team | 1,191,000 | 10th | |
| 16/03-5 | Thursday 14 May 2009 | Team Elimination - The Blue Team, headed by Brent, faced elimination. Chris was criticised by Curtis Stone for overcooking the salmon and Brent for lacking organisation. In the end, the Blue Team decided to vote out their leader Brent, as they believed his poor direction let them down. | 1,007,000 | 14th | |
| 17/03-6 | Friday 15 May 2009 | Masterclass 2 - Class is in - Poached Egg Salad with Tomato Tea (consommé), Roast Saddle of Rabbit with White Bean Puree, Ricotta Tortellini, Eton Mess. The chefs expressed surprise that Brent had been voted off. Calombaris said, "Interesting. Really interesting." | 1,030,000 | 8th | |
| Week 4 | |||||
| 18/04-1 | Sunday 17 May 2009 | Mystery Box Challenge: Chocolate, oranges, eggs, sugar, coconut, flour. Top three: Trevor's Coconut Dumplings Baked in Custard, Geni's Intense Orange & Chocolate Pudding, and Poh's Chocolate Pikelets with Orange Sauce. Winner: Poh.
Invention Test 2 - Chinese theme, using mixed mushrooms chosen by Poh as her reward for winning the Mystery Box Challenge. Poh gets five minutes in the pantry; everyone else gets 2 minutes. Top three: Poh, Julia, Lucas. Bottom three: Sam, Michelle, Kate. Winner: Julia for her Mushroom & Vegetable Dumplings with Broth. |
1,456,000 | 3rd | 9th |
| 19/04-2 | Monday 18 May 2009 | Pressure Test Elimination - Michelle, Sam and Kate had to follow a basic recipe to cook chargrilled, stuffed squid in their challenge. Despite not having the time to cook her squid, Kate managed to produce the best of the three. Michelle's was deemed worse than Sam's and she was sent packing. | 1,388,000 | 4th | (1,248,000) 25th |
| 20/04-3 | Tuesday 19 May 2009 | Celebrity Chef Challenge 3 - Julia beats Peter Evans preparing Tea-Smoked Duck Breast with Ravioli with Water Chestnut, Pear, and Duck Liver with Blood Orange Sauce, Spinach, and Crispy Fried Ginger. The judges give Julia 9/9/9 and Peter 8/8/8 out of 10 and Julia leaves the competition, guaranteed of a spot in finals week, and Peter Evans offers her mentoring in his kitchen while the rest of the competition continues. | 1,291,000 | 7th | |
| 21/04-4 | Wednesday 20 May 2009 | Food Critics Team Challenge - Judges choose the team captains: Red team Chris and Blue team Kate. Kate picks Sam, Trevor, Justine, Tom, Lucas, Sandra, and Chris picks Josh, Andre, Poh, Julie, Aaron, and Geni. Challenge is a three-course meal in one hour using a limited pantry and with extra team members George and Gary, to be served to Matt Preston and fellow food critics Simon Thomsen and Larissa Dubecki. Winner: Blue Team | 1,291,000 | 7th | |
| 22/04-5 | Thursday 21 May 2009 | Team Elimination - At elimination, most of the team feel that Joshua's abilities were inadequate and believe that he was the main flaw in determining their loss. Almost all the team, with the exception of Julie, vote for Joshua, sending him home. | 1,146,000 | 6th | |
| 23/04-6 | Friday 22 May 2009 | Masterclass 3 - Soufflés and stir-fries - Chilli and Fennel Squid, Chinese Mushroom Stir-fry with Tofu, Chocolate and Jaffa Soufflé. The chefs express surprise that Josh had been the one voted off. | 1,083,000 | 6th | |
| Week 5 | |||||
| 24/05-1 | Sunday 24 May 2009 | Mystery Box Challenge: Eggs, chili peppers, ale, potato, whole red snapper in 30 minutes. The judges announce they will taste the top 5: Sandra, Julie, Geni, Tom, Andre. Winner: Tom for his Lemon Snapper with Chilli and Ginger.
Invention Test 3: French theme. Tom's choice is between gruyere cheese, sweet shortcrust pastry, or ribeye beef. He chooses the beef and has five minutes to choose the rest of his ingredients from the pantry. The remaining contestants get 2 minutes to select no more than ten ingredients. Top three: Chris, Poh, Sandra. Winner: Chris for his Steak Tartare. Bottom three: Trevor, Sam, Tom. |
1,671,000 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 25/05-2 | Monday 25 May 2009 | Pressure Test Elimination - Trevor, Sam and Tom make a Sticky Date & Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce and Almond Praline from a provided recipe. There are only minor flaws in each, but overall Tom's is deemed the best. The judges choose to spare Sam and Trevor as the differences between the dishes are too trivial. | 1,443,000 | 3rd | (1,318,000) 21st |
| 26/05-3 | Tuesday 26 May 2009 | Celebrity Chef Challenge 4 - Chris competes with Alex Herbert of Bird Cow Fish making one of her signature dishes, Potato Gnocchi with Sauteed Prawns in a Burnt Butter Sauce. He has an hour and forty-five minutes, she has an hour and fifteen. The judges give Chris 7/8/6 and Alex 8/9/8 out of ten. Winner: Alex Herbert. | 1,276,000 | 8th | |
| 27/05-4 | Wednesday 27 May 2009 | Royal Easter Show Team Challenge - Team captains are Chris (Red Team) for winning the Invention Test. He picks Kate for Blue Team captain. Chris picks Justine, Poh, Andre, Julie, Aaron, Geni and Kate picks Tom, Trevor, Sam, Lucas, Sandra. Both teams have $750 budget. Red Team did Lamb Skewers with Yogurt Sauce, Aroncini Balls, Toffee Apples, Caramelized Pineapple Skewers. Blue Team did Lamb Kofta with Yogurt Relish, Mushroom Risotto. Blue team made $926.50. Red team made $1251.50. Winner: Red Team | 1,338,000 | 6th | |
| 28/05-5 | Thursday 28 May 2009 | Team Elimination - At elimination, Sandra and Kate both receive an equal number of votes, Sandra for her service and Kate for her lack of cooking skills and leadership qualities. Kate being the team leader decides to vote herself out to pursue a pastry apprenticeship outside MasterChef. | 1,219,000 | 4th | |
| 29/05-6 | Friday 29 May 2009 | Masterclass 4 - The perfect chip - Snapper in a Bag and Chunky Chips, Risotto with Pumpkin and Goat’s Cheese, Rib Eye Steak with Red Wine Sauce and Spinach | 1,239,000 | 4th | |
| Week 6 | |||||
| 30/06-1 | Sunday 31 May 2009 | Mystery Box Challenge:
Invention Test 4 - British theme |
1,565,000 | 3rd | 8th |
| 31/06-2 | Monday 1 June 2009 | Pressure Test Elimination - Aaron, Sandra and Julie faced elimination and had to make paella. Sandra produced the best whilst Aaron's overconfidence saw him neglecting to taste, and hence, did not achieve a correct balance of spices. Ultimately, he was sent home. | 1,473,000 | 2nd | (1,359,000) 16th |
| 32/06-3 | Tuesday 2 June 2009 | Celebrity Chef Challenge 5 - Guy Grossi beat Justine | 1,278,000 | 8th | |
| 33/06-4 | Wednesday 3 June 2009 | Fresh Seafood Team Challenge - Winner: Red Team | 1,485,000 | 3rd | |
| 34/06-5 | Thursday 4 June 2009 | Team Elimination - Sam was scolded by the judges for producing the worst of the dishes of the Blue Team and Trevor was criticised for his choice to use bait as ingredients for the meal. In the end, Trevor's choice to use the bait, which made the food "taste like the bottom of a boat," was enough to see him sent home. | 1,237,000 | 4th | |
| 35/06-6 | Friday 5 June 2009 | Masterclass 5 - Lemon Goodness - Lobster Linguine, Tuscan Vegetable Soup, Roast Chicken with Buttery Potatoes, Lemon Diva cupcakes. | 1,217,000 | 4th | |
| Week 7 | |||||
| 36/07-1 | Sunday 7 June 2009 | Invention Test 5 | 1,427,000 | 2nd | 11th |
| 37/07-2 | Monday 8 June 2009 | Pressure Test Elimination - Tom, Poh, Chris and Julie had to make Croquembouche. Despite an unsettling start, Poh went on to produce the best dish. Julie came in second leaving Tom and Chris as the two worst. In the end, Tom was eliminated. | 1,802,000 | 2nd | (1,474,000) 8th |
| 38/07-3 | Tuesday 9 June 2009 | Celebrity Chef Challenge 6 - Lucas beat Ben O'Donoghue | 1,357,000 | 8th | |
| 39/07-4 | Wednesday 10 June 2009 | Martini Club Team Challenge - Winner: Red Team | 1,509,000 | 3rd | |
| 40/07-5 | Thursday 11 June 2009 | Team Elimination - Geni was the teams top performer with most of the guests stating her Fig and Duck Lady Cigars as "the best dish all night", whilst Andre and Sandra were criticised, Sandra for not aiding enough and Andre for producing the worst of the dishes. In the vote, Geni became the decider, and with "a heavy heart" she voted out friend Sandra as she believed "she belonged with her family." | 1,323,000 | 4th | |
| 41/07-6 | Friday 12 June 2009 | Masterclass 6 - Sweet treats - Fetta Blini with Smoked Beetroot, John Dory on the Bone with Vvegetables, Coffee éclairs with Vanilla Cream Filling | 1,246,000 | 4th | |
| Week 8 | |||||
| 42/08-1 | Sunday 14 June 2009 | Invention Test 6 - Two course meal | 1,962,000 | 1st | 1st |
| 43/08-2 | Monday 15 June 2009 | Pressure Test Elimination - Geni, Poh and Andre were in the bottom three and had to make salmon terrine. Again, Poh produced the best dish of the three. Geni, with her injured thumb, could not cope and produced the worst dish, which ultimately saw her eliminated. | 1,728,000 | 2nd | (1,619,000) 5th |
| 44/08-3 | Tuesday 16 June 2009 | Celebrity Chef Challenge 7 - Matt Moran beat Justine | 1,467,000 | 6th | |
| 45/08-4 | Wednesday 17 June 2009 | Wedding Challenge - Sam and Poh for elimination | 1,883,000 | 1st | |
| 46/08-5 | Thursday 18 June 2009 | Taste Test Elimination - Poh and Sam named ingredients in a pot of minestrone. Poh incorrectly guessed 'barley' and was sent home. | 1,399,000 | 3rd | |
| 47/08-6 | Friday 19 June 2009 | Masterclass 7 - Cocktail hour - Kingfish Skewers with Zucchini Salad, Piña Colada, Prawn Saganaki, Raspberry Tart | 1,309,000 | 4th | |
| Week 9 | |||||
| 48/09-1 | Sunday 21 June 2009 | Hong Kong - Arrival/Dim Sum Challenge | 1,934,000 | 1st | 2nd |
| 49/09-2 | Monday 22 June 2009 | Hong Kong - High Tea/Rainbow Fish Challenge | 1,781,000 | 2nd | (1,666,000) 4th |
| 50/09-3 | Tuesday 23 June 2009 | Celebrity Chef Challenge 8 - Tam Kin Pak beat Julie | 1,596,000 | 2nd | |
| 51/09-4 | Wednesday 24 June 2009 | Hong Kong - Mystery Steamer Challenge and Super Challenge - Julie and Justine for elimination | 1,852,000 | 2nd | |
| 52/09-5 | Thursday 25 June 2009 | Pressure Test Elimination - Justine and Julie landed in the bottom 2 and had to make a sweet and sour duck stir fry. Justine, despite being a frontrunner, produced the worst dish and was sent packing. | 1,524,000 | 2nd | |
| 53/09-6 | Friday 26 June 2009 | Masterclass 8 - Fried Rice, Hot Salami Pizza, Seared Scallops with Braised Pork Belly, Lemon and Date Scones | 1,380,000 | 3rd | |
| Week 10 | |||||
| 54/10-1 | Sunday 28 June 2009 | Invention Test 7 - Three course meal, 'Romance' theme - No contestants up for elimination. | 1,891,000 | 1st | 1st |
| 55/10-2 | Monday 29 June 2009 | Dream Restaurant Challenge | 1,669,000 | 3rd | (1,576,000) 7th |
| 56/10-3 | Tuesday 30 June 2009 | Celebrity Chef Challenge 9 - Emmanuel Stroobant beat Andre | 1,465,000 | 7th | |
| 57/10-4 | Wednesday 1 July 2009 | HMAS Kanimbla Challenge - Poh, Justine and Tom returned to the competition. Sam and Tom for elimination. | 1,718,000 | 1st | |
| 58/10-5 | Thursday 2 July 2009 | Taste Test Elimination - Tom and Sam had to guess ingredients with Tom incorrectly naming "thyme." This saw him sent home for the final time. | 1,442,000 | 3rd | |
| 59/10-6 | Friday 3 July 2009 | Masterclass 9 - Crepes Suzette, Twice Baked Cheese Souffle, Braised Lamb Shanks, Open Beef Kofta | 1,434,000 | 2nd | |
| Week 11 | |||||
| 60/11-1 | Sunday 5 July 2009 | Invention Test 8 - 'Christmas in July' theme | 1,979,000 | 1st | 1st |
| 61/11-2 | Monday 6 July 2009 | Pressure Test Elimination - Sam, Poh, Chris and Andre had to cook a combination of panna cotta, passionfruit emulsion ("passionfruit slick") and filled macaroon biscuits. Poh was deemed the best, followed by Chris while Andre and Sam struggled. Sam failed to produce adequate biscuits and only Andre's panna cotta was up to the judge's standards. Despite achieving 2 out of 3 of the requirements for the dish at a fair standard, Sam's mediocre dish was not enough to save him and he was sent home. | 1,804,000 | 1st | (1,686,000) 4th |
| 62/11-3 | Tuesday 7 July 2009 | Celebrity Chef Challenge 10 - Adrian Richardson beat Julie | 1,664,000 | 2nd | |
| 63/11-4 | Wednesday 8 July 2009 | Matt Preston's Formal Dinner Challenge - The contestants had to cook for a dinner party hosted by Matt Preston for four leaders of the Australian food industry, Armando Percuoco, Margaret Fulton, Jacques Reymond and Cheong Liew. The five of them assessed the contestants' dishes, with the two worst performers being nominated for elimination. Justine came in first with 47/50 for her duck dish, Julie second with her spiced orange layer cake scoring 45/50, with Poh third with 42/50 for her floss curry and coconut laced crepes. Chris and Andre were the worst two performers. Chris scored lowest with 33/50 for his steak, and Andre 37/50 for his gnocchi. | 1,924,000 | 1st | |
| 64/11-5 | Thursday 9 July 2009 | Taste Test Elimination - Andre and Chris, had to guess ingredients in a pot of Sri Lankan curry. After reaching the halfway point, Andre struggled and guessed "curry powder". It was not in the dish, and Andre was eliminated. | 1,550,000 | 1st | |
| 65/11-6 | Friday 10 July 2009 | Master Class 10 - Pork and Fennel Sausages with Baked Beans, Roast Salmon and Artichokes with Red Wine Sauce, Chocolate Cigar with Sabayon | 1,392,000 | 2nd | |
| Week 12 - Finals Week | |||||
| 66/12-1 | Sunday 12 July 2009 | Invention Test 9 - In the first challenge of the Finals Week, the contestants were asked to cook a meal under ten dollars using ingredients bought from the pantry that was converted into a supermarket. Only Julia and Poh impressed the judges while the other contestants were given harsh criticism for making dishes that were too simple (Julie and Lucas both made Potato and Leek Soup, Chris a French Onion Soup and Justine with a Roasted Bell Pepper Omelette) and also failed to have the "refined" level of taste for MasterChef Finals Week. Julia won the challenge and chose the core ingredient for the invention test: goat. In the end, Justine, Julia and Chris pleased the judges with their goat dishes. Despite their dishes being deemed the best two, Julia and Justine had minor flaws (burnt pastry, overcooked goat respectively) and for this, Chris was ultimately deemed the winner. For his prize, he was given a view of the dish they were to cook in the Mystery Box eliminator challenge the next day, thereby giving him an advantage over the other contestants to plan his dish. | 1,978,000 | 1st | 2nd |
| 67/12-2 | Monday 13 July 2009 | Elimination Challenge 1 - The contestants had to make two pies - one sweet and one savoury, making their own pastry. Almost all the contestants struggled to make time, with only Poh and Chris being able to prepare both their pies to a suitable standard before judging. In the end, Lucas was criticised for neglecting to use "the most simple seasoning" - salt, and was also scolded for his poor presentations of both his pies. Julia was applauded for her pastry but heavily chastised for leaving part of her pies uncooked. Chris was commended for his surprising Fish Pie and Lime Tart while Justine was faced strong criticism for failing to balance the filling, which the judges praised, with suitable pastry. Julie was reprimanded by the judges for her "Puddle Pie" which the judges deemed as one of the worst, however, they believed that her other pie, a Chicken and Mushroom pie was up to a suitable standard. Poh produced two pies that were deemed as some of the best visually; guest Judge Luke deemed her vegetable and blue cheese pie the best, while all the judges favoured her rhubarb, hazelnut and chocolate 'open sandwich' pie. After discussion, the judges deemed Lucas, Julia and Julie as producing some of the worst pies in the bunch. They chose to spare Julia first as they believed her Chocolate Pie was stronger, then chose Julie as she produced one good pie whilst Lucas produced two poor ones. Lucas was the first finalist sent home.
The judges then deemed Poh, Justine and Chris as the Top 3 and chose Poh for her presentation and for producing the best tasting pies of the finalist and her ability to "modernise" the pie theme; the use of hazelnut, chocolate and rhubarb in a pie, Matt highlighted as never having been done with success until now. She, like Chris was given an advantage: to choose the theme for the following eliminator. |
2,119,000 | 1st | (2,193,000) 1st |
| 68/12-3 | Tuesday 14 July 2009 | Elimination Challenge 2 - As Poh had won the pie challenge she designated Malaysian as the theme and picked coconut cream and ling fish for the core ingredients. The contestants had 90 minutes to make two courses. Guest judge Matt Moran told Chris he had been following his progress during the competition and thought some of his dishes had been brilliant. However, at this stage he’d expect Chris’ food to be better; his ling fried rice dish didn’t appeal to Matt whatsoever. George said Chris’ pannacotta was too hard. Gary said Poh’s petai with sambal and fish custard was a fresh and vibrant dish. George thought it was interesting and tasty. Matt said her dessert of glutenous rice dumpling with coconut pandan leaf stuffing didn’t look appealing but its flavour packed a punch. Gary told an upset Julia that the fish in her Malaysian broth was raw. Matt said the broth was too intense with no connection to Malaysian food and the fish wasn’t cooked enough. Matt said he had been worried about the use of zucchini and udon noodles in Julie’s vegetable coconut curry because it wasn’t Malay but he could taste some nice Malaysian flavours in the dish. Gary told Julie the ling which she had served with peanut sauce wasn’t cooked properly. Gary said the sauce of her fish dish was good, with a nice depth of flavour. George told Justine her sauce was zippy, gutsy and he loved the colour. Matt thought Justine’s rice pudding was delicious.
The judges told the contestants Justine and Poh had made the best meals, with Poh the winner of the challenge. Matt told Poh her dessert was the “killer” dish of the day. Chris, Julia and Julie had made the worst dishes. Chris was told he was safe and then Julia was eliminated. As the winner of the challenge Poh was again given an advantage for the following challenge. She was able to see and taste the pressure test dish the contestants will cook in the next challenge and was given the recipe to study overnight. |
2,191,000 | 1st | |
| 69/12-4 | Wednesday 15 July 2009 | Elimination Challenge 3 - The third elimination challenge emulated the pressure test challenge where the contestants had to make a several layered 'Chocolate Mousse' cake. In the end, Julie was the only contestant who managed to add all the decorations to the dish and Chris was the finalist deemed to have produced the best cake. Poh and Justine both struggled and the judges were shown to have a difficult time deciding. Guest judge Bill Granger praised Poh's superb palette whilst he also favoured Justine's technical abilities.
Ultimately, the judges considered Poh's effort to be slightly better and Justine was the next finalist to leave in a teary elimination. |
2,231,000 | 1st | |
| 70/12-5 | Thursday 16 July 2009 | Elimination Challenge 4 - The final elimination round before the final saw the contestants cooking the dishes they would include in self-authored recipe books with cookbook writer Donna Hay acting as the guest judge. Poh chose a traditional Chinese Malaysian style book that would include unusual, exotic recipes while Chris' book included hearty meals that utilised beer, and sought to fulfil a "snout to tail" approach to cooking animals. Julie's idea was a home recipe cookbook that would inspire other families. This impressed Donna Hay greatly and she stated that she wished to "steal (the idea)." In the end, Poh's dishes impressed the judges with presentation and taste, despite being described as "acquired," and was deemed the best of the three. She was then given a place in the Finals while Julie and Chris landed in the Bottom 2. Julie struggled due to her poor time management which saw her unable to complete any of her dishes while Chris's completed dishes were not visually accepted by Donna Hay and in the main disappointed taste-wise. Ultimately, what Julie had managed to cook coupled with her cook-book idea was enough to save her and Chris was subsequently eliminated. | 2,360,000 | 1st | |
| 71/12-6 | Friday 17 July 2009 | Masterclass Reunion - The Top 20 contestants were reunited in the final Masterclass and revealed what they have been up to since leaving the show. Poh and Julie also challenged George and Gary to a Mystery Box Challenge. | 1,950,000 | 1st | |
| Finale | |||||
| 72/13-1 | Sunday 19 July 2009 | Finale Night - Poh and Julie competed against each other in three rounds consisting of a Taste Test, an Invention Test and a Pressure Test. Points would be earned for each test, with the winner decided based on the final tally after the three tests.
The Taste Test featured a beef bourguignon, with Julie naming 12 correct ingredients versus Poh's 11. The Invention Test pitted Poh's Hainanese chicken rice against Julie's sage and garlic chicken. The Pressure Test involved the finalists recreating a chocolate tasting plate, a signature dish by Matt Moran. |
3,313,000 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 72/13-1 | Sunday 19 July 2009 | Winner Announced - Julie was announced as the winner, beating Poh on overall points (82 to Poh's 75).[2] | 3,745,000 | 1st | 1st |
Elimination Chart
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Finale Week | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mystery Box Challenge Winner | None | Julie | Chris | Poh | Tom | Julie | Chris | Poh | None | Andre | Poh | Julia | None | ||||||||||||
| Invention Test Winner | None | Sam | Julie | Julia | Chris | Justine Julie | Lucas Justine | Justine Julie | None | None | Justine Julie | Justine Julie | Julie Poh | Poh | Justine | Julie Poh | |||||||||
| Julie | Top 20 | IN | Team Win | I.T. Winner | Team Win | IN | Geni | IN | Team Win | I.T. Winner | Team Win | Top 4 | Team Win | I.T. Winner | Win | Btm 2 | Win | I.T. Winner | Win | I.T. Winner | Immune | Top 2 | Win | WINNER | |
| Poh | Top 20 | IN | Melissa | IN | Team Win | Top 3 | Joshua | Top 3 | Team Win | IN | Trevor | Top 4 | Sandra | Btm 3 | Btm 2 | Eliminated (Ep 46) | Top 3 | Btm 4 | Top 3 | Win | Win | Btm 2 | Win | Runner-Up | |
| Chris | Top 20 | IN | Team Win | IN | Team Win | IN | Joshua | I.T. Winner | Team Win | Top 3 | Team Win | Btm 2 | Team Win | IN | Win | Immune | IN | Btm 3 | Btm 2 | Top 3 | Btm 3 | Win | Btm | Eliminated (Ep 70) | |
| Justine | Top 20 | IN | Team Win | IN | Team Win | IN | Team Win | IN | Team Win | I.T. Winner | Team Win | I.T. Winner | Team Win | I.T. Winner | Win | Btm 2/Eliminated | Top 2 | I.T. Winner | Win | Top 3 | Top 2 | Btm 2 | Re-Eliminated (Ep 69) | ||
| Julia | Top 20 | IN | Melissa | IN | Brent | I.T. Winner | Pass to Finale (Ep 20) | Btm 2 | Btm 2 | Eliminated (Ep 68) | |||||||||||||||
| Lucas | Top 20 | IN | Melissa | IN | Brent | Top 3 | Team Win | IN | Sandra | IN | Team Win | I.T. Winner | Pass to Finale (Ep 38) | Btm 2 | Eliminated (Ep 67) | ||||||||||
| Andre | Top 20 | IN | Team Win | IN | Brent | IN | Joshua | IN | Team Win | IN | Trevor | IN | Sandra | Btm 2 | Win | Win | IN | Btm 2 | Btm 2 | Eliminated (Ep 64) | |||||
| Sam | Top 20 | I.T. Winner | Melissa | IN | Brent | Btm2 | Team Win | Btm 2 | Sandra | IN | Trevor | IN | Team Win | IN | Btm 2 | Win | Btm 2 | Btm 2 | Eliminated (Ep 61) | ||||||
| Tom | Top 20 | IN | Team Win | IN | Team Win | IN | Team Win | Btm 3 | Kate | Top 3 | Team Win | Btm 2 | Eliminated (Ep 37) | Btm 2 | Re-Eliminated (Ep 58) | ||||||||||
| Geni | Top 20 | IN | Team Win | Top 3 | Team Win | IN | Joshua | IN | Team Win | IN | Trevor | IN | Sandra | Btm 2 | Eliminated (Ep 43) | ||||||||||
| Sandra | Top 20 | IN | Team Win | IN | Team Win | IN | Team Win | Top 3 | Kate | Btm 3 | Team Win | IN | Andre | Evicted (Ep 40) | |||||||||||
| Trevor | Top 20 | IN | Team Win | IN | Brent | IN | Team Win | Btm 2 | Sandra | IN | Sam | Evicted (Ep 34) | |||||||||||||
| Aaron | Top 20 | Btm 2 | Team Win | Btm 2 | Brent | IN | Joshua | IN | Team Win | Btm 2 | Eliminated (Ep 31) | ||||||||||||||
| Kate | Top 20 | Top 3 | Michelle | IN | Brent | Btm 2 | Team Win | IN | Sandra | Evicted (Ep 28) | |||||||||||||||
| Joshua | Top 20 | Top 3 | Melissa | IN | Brent | IN | Aaron | Evicted (Ep 22) | |||||||||||||||||
| Michelle | Top 20 | IN | Kate | IN | Brent | Btm2 | Eliminated (Ep 19) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Brent | Top 20 | IN | Melissa | Top 3 | Aaron | Evicted (Ep 16) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Linda | Top 20 | IN | Team Win | Btm 2 | Eliminated (Ep 13) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nic | Top 20 | IN | Melissa | Walked (Ep 12) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Melissa | Top 20 | Btm 2 | Nic | Evicted (Ep 10) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Notes | See note 1 | See note 2 | None | See note 3 | See note 4 | None | See note 5 | None | See note 6 | See note 7 | See note 8 | See note 9 | None | See note 10 | |||||||||||
| Evicted | None | None | Melissa
7 of 10 votes |
Linda | Brent
7 of 8 votes |
Michelle | Joshua
5 of 7 votes |
None | Kate
4 of 7 votes |
Aaron | Trevor
4 of 5 votes |
Tom
1st Elimination |
Sandra
3 of 4 votes |
Geni | Poh
1st Elimination |
Justine
1st Elimination |
Tom
Re-Eliminated |
Sam | Andre | Lucas | Julia | Justine
Re-Eliminated |
Chris |
Poh | |
|
Julie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
- ^1 In Week 1, nobody from the top 20 was eliminated. During this week the judges selected the twenty finalists from the top 50.
^2 In Week 2, nobody was eliminated after the Invention Test. Instead, the bottom 2 chefs had to clean up all the dishes from the challenge.
^3 In Week 5, nobody was eliminated after the pressure test challenge as judges chose to spare Sam and Trevor as the differences between the dishes were too trivial.
^4 In Week 5, the vote was tied 3 to 3 for Sandra and Kate. As Team Captain, the tiebreaking vote went to Kate. She voted to send herself home
^5 In Week 7, Justine and Lucas won the Invention Test as a pair. However, only one of them was allowed to compete in the Celebrity Chef Challenge. Justine voluntereed Lucas to go.
^6 In Week 8, there was not a team challenge. Instead, the contestants competed in a wedding challenge. The top 4 performers advanced, whereas the bottom 2 performers went into a taste test elimination.
^7 In Week 9, the remaining chefs went to Hong Kong. In the Dim Sum Challenge, Sam won and elected to take Justine on his reward with him. In the High Tea/Rainbow Fish Challenge, contestants divided into groups of Justine/Julie/Andre and Chris/Sam. Julie won by outcooking finalist Lucas. In a pre-elimination challenge, Chris won immunity and won the power to select teams for elimination. He selected Justine/Julie and Sam/Andre.
^8 In Week 10, Sam and Julie were the bottom 2 performers in the Invention Test, but were spared going into elimination. In a special Dream Restaurant Challenge, Chris won and received a reward. In the elimination challenge, former eliminated contestants Justine, Poh, and Tom returned. went into a taste test elimination.
^9 In Week 11, Justine and Julie won the Invention Test as a pair. However, only one of them was allowed to compete in the Celebrity Chef Challenge. Julie won a coin flip and won the right to compete against a Celebrity Chef.
^10 Poh and Julie competed against each other in three rounds consisting of a Taste Test, an Invention Test and a Pressure Test. Points would be earned for each test, with the winner decided based on the final tally after the three tests.
Allegations of vote rigging
Large numbers of viewers have raised allegations that the voting on the series one finale of MasterChef was fraudulent after Julie Goodwin won the crown. After the show talkback radio had been inundated with calls, both for and against the verdict, and the finale also became a top trending topic on social networking site Twitter, where many users said they felt “deflated” and “ripped off” by the final episode of the hit show.[3][4] Similar allegations were raised when contestants were eliminated throughout the series.[5] Judge Matt Preston has denied that eliminations were rigged or the result of a popularity contest,[5] and asserted that Julie had won the title because she was the better cook on the night.[3] Goodwin herself has also asserted that her victory was not the result of rigging, insisting that the professional integrity of the three judges would be damaged if it was.[6]
References
- ↑ "Sydney Morning Herald Blogs". SMH. Retrieved 3 May 2009.
- ↑ van Druten, Rebekah (19 July 2009). "Julie savours MasterChef victory". ABC Online. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Was MasterChef Australia rigged?". 20 July 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
- ↑ "Julie Beats Poh - Masterchef Australia Rigged?". 20 July 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "MasterChef judge Matt Preston denies show is rigged". news.com.au. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
- ↑ Field, Katherine (20 July 2009). "MasterChef's Julie Goodwin says show wasn't rigged". Retrieved 20 July 2009.
| New television show | MasterChef Australia series 27 April 2009 – 19 July 2009 |
Succeeded by Celebrity MasterChef Australia |
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