Aldo Ortado

The MasterChef kitchen welcomes 12 emerging home cooks and 12 of MasterChef's most loved past contestants. Together they will share their love of food and compete to become Australia's next MasterChef.

Auditions across the country have unearthed incredible home cooks, and they gather in the iconic MasterChef garden

Contestants become artists today for a creative service challenge, and the judges expect three-course masterpieces as they take inspiration from a virtual forest at digital art gallery, The LUME.

Our 2018 cooks enter the MasterChef kitchen for their first challenge as the top 24. The contestants need to imagine they are hosting the judges at their house for a meal.

The team challenge will take place in the Barossa Valley. Divided into two teams, contestants will be given two hours to three courses, each celebrating table grapes.

It's elimination day and the creator of the best Round 1 fare will keep their team safe. Those fighting to avoid the drop must then prepare a tasty dish to be left overnight and cooked the next day.