Ralph Kahango

Having been hand selected by the judges, 17 brand new talented home cooks arrive at the MasterChef kitchen for the very first time.

In Round One, Jamie Oliver tasks the contestants with making a delicious 15 Minute Meal.

Today’s challenge centres around root vegetables, with parsnip, beetroot, sweet potato and turnip on offer to feature across a two-course meal, one savoury course and one sweet course.

Three guest chefs from Nu Nu Restaurant in Palm Cove are competing against three MasterChef contestants in a Pressure Test.

Only Seven contestants walk through the door for the first Mystery Box of the season.

It’s Mystery Box day, and upon arrival, our home cooks are greeted by an enormous Mystery Box, the biggest ever in MasterChef history, marking the start of Big Week.