MasterChef Australia Season 18, Episode 12: Mystery Box Challenge: Catherine Zhang

Auditions: Group 1

MasterChef Australia returns with auditions and 40 of the country's best home cooks are ready. Tonight 20 cooks have 90 minutes to cook their dream dish in order to win one of the 10 aprons on offer.

79 min

Auditions: Group 2

Another 20 home cooks enter the MasterChef kitchen to compete for 10 aprons on offer. For those who miss out, they learn there will be one final chance to cook for the last four aprons tomorrow.

58 min

Auditions: Second Chance

Tonight, the 20 remaining hopefuls have a second and final chance to cook their way into the competition. Just who will score themselves one of the final four places?

53 min

Mystery Box: Jimmy Barnes

Aussie Rock legend Jimmy Barnes set this season's first mystery box, inspiring the Top 24 with seasonal ingredients they love to cook with. Dish of the day will see its maker safe from elimination.

75 min

Elimination Challenge: Family Favourites

In the first elimination of the competition, 23 cooks will show the judges a window into their homelife, through a favourite dish that they cook at home for their loved ones.

50 min

Invention Test: Cereal

It's the return of a MasterChef classic with an Invention Test challenging cooks to create an inventive dish using cereal.

48 min

Pressure Test: Maggie Beer

The bottom five cooks from the Invention Test face off in a Pressure Test set by MasterChef favourite Maggie Beer, tasked with mastering her signature sour cream pastry in a high-stakes pie challenge.

52 min

Immunity Challenge: Andy Cooks

It's Family Favourites week and social media sensation Andy Cooks (chef Andy Hearnden) is on the hunt for the ultimate breakfast, in an immunity challenge cook with 60 minutes on the clock.

63 min

Elimination Challenge: Reinventing Carbs

In an elimination challenge centred on reinventing the judges' quick carb midweek dinner recipes, mistakes and time pressure sends one cook home.

49 min

Team Challenge: Family Feast

It is the first team challenge of the series, and the contestants are all eager to see how well they can work together. The bottom two teams will find themselves in the elimination the following day.

49 min

Elimination Challenge: Family Traditions

Six contestants face elimination as they must create a dish that represent their family food traditions to fight for their place in the competition.

46 min

Elimination Challenge: Viral Ingredients

Viral sensation Victoria Minell (aka @recipesbyvictoria) sets a challenge to use one of her five viral ingredients in a 75-minute cook to save their place in the competition

49 min

Team Service Challenge: Viral-worthy Dish

Six teams will compete in their first service challenge, tasked with creating one perfect viral-worthy dish to serve to hundreds of diners, and impress a mystery social media-star critic

49 min

Immunity Pin Challenge: Khanh Ong

MasterChef alum and social media star Khanh Ong sets an epic challenge to create a bold, out-there sandwich with a banging cross section, to win the first immunity pin of the season

52 min

Mystery Box Challenge: Rick Stein

It's the start of Around the World Week, and global food icon Rick Stein joins the MasterChef Kitchen to set an extra spicy Mystery Box challenge

59 min

Elimination Challenge: Cuisines from Around the World

In an Around the World elimination challenge, MasterChef contestants must create a dish inspired by a chosen cuisine, featuring a surprise hero ingredient revealed only after they commit

49 min

Invention Test: Fusion

It's a fusion invention test today with the contestants having to make dish featuring cuisines from two countries

49 min

Pressure Test: Rosheen Kaul

Chef Rosheen Kaul sets the first full Pressure Test for the season, with an intense, three-hour challenge

51 min

Mystery Box Challenge: Dim Sim Lim

Kicking off nostalgia-themed week in the MasterChef kitchen, social media sensation chef Dim Sim Lim sets a 60-minute mystery box challenge requiring a steamed element. English

62 min

Elimination Challenge: Heritage

The MasterChef contestants must cook something connected to their heritage to avoid being eliminated.

49 min

Team Challenge: Team Relay

In MasterChef's most notorious team challenge, four teams will navigate the chaos of the Team Relay to compete for a chance to cook for Immunity.

49 min

Immunity Pin Challenge: French Techniques

Guided by MasterChef Alumna Justine Schofield, four contestants put their French techniques to the test for a chance to win a coveted immunity pin.

50 min

Mystery Box Challenge: Matt Sinclair & Daniel Dobra

62 min

Classic Pairs Elimination Challenge

50 min

Invention Test: Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

47 min

Elimination Challenge: Time or Ingredients?

50 min

Mystery Box Challenge: Curtis Stone

Curtis Stone kicks off Aussie Classics week, with a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the cooks to have their dish stocked in Coles, as they are challenged to whip up nostalgic Pie and Ice-cream flavours.

62 min

Episode 29

With Curtis Stone back in the kitchen, the MasterChef contestants are challenged with cooking a dish that features pork to save their place in the competition.

48 min

Episode 30

It's Aussie Classics Week, and there's nothing Aussies love more than a great comeback story. Today, the previously eliminated contestants return for a chance to earn their place back in the competition.

Episode 31

Aussie Classics week draws to a close with an exciting day in the MasterChef Kitchen as guest judge and Aussie icon Robert Irwin sets an Aussie Native Ingredients Elimination Challenge.