Theo Loizou

In 75 minutes, our Top 9 contestants must create a dish with an unexpected element of surprise. It could be a trick of the eye, the palate, the senses!

Today’s classic MasterChef challenge raises the question of what is more important in this kitchen: time or ingredients?

Contestants have 45 minutes on Day 1 to prepare elements of their dish and leave them overnight for 14 hours. They then have 60 minutes on Day 2 to finish their dish.

The judges reveal that today will be a marathon, not a sprint, as the three cooks will have five hours on the clock to compete the dish.

From today’s challenge, the contestants learn that today’s challenge will span two rounds, the first of which is a taste test, with a twist.

It’s Pressure Test time and after plating up the bottom three dishes in yesterday’s surprise Mystery Box challenge, three chefs must now cook for their spot in the Top 8.