In this elimination challenge, chefs who did not win immunity during the week had to battle it out in a challenge that celebrated tableside drama. The judges asked the chefs to create a dish that required a bit of dinner theatre, or flair.

From flambe to karate chopping, chefs had to create a dish with an extra element. Unfortunately for Matt Hopcraft, it would be his final challenge in Back To Win.

“I was nervous,” Matt told 10 Play, “I’m not well known for my flair, dentists are not often thought of as being overly theatrical,” he laughed. “I was definitely out of my element in that challenge, but that’s also part of the fun of the MasterChef kitchen.

“It’s designed to push you, to help you grow… so you’re nervous doing something like that, but you also embrace the opportunity to push yourself as far as you can go.”

Having served in the army for seven years, Matt wanted to honour the Anzacs as inspiration for his Bombe Alaska. “It’s something I’ve made before, it’s a fun dessert to make for other people, and it has that flair element to it, so that idea came to me quickly,” Matt explained.

“Going through my history of time in the army a long time ago, that idea of Anzacs and Anzac biscuits, the flavour profiles that went with that and the idea of the eternal flame that tied in with the Bombe Alaska, the story seemed to make sense for that dish,” he continued.

But the dish also required precise timing, especially when it came to the Italian meringue coating for the dish. With the clock ticking down, Matt was pushing to get his dish completed, leaving his meringue with a slight gritty texture.

“Plating that dish up, I knew there were faults in it,” he admitted. “I knew there were some really good bits, conceptually it was fine, but the time just ran out on that meringue, and I could see it was going to be problematic.

“There’s always that hope that maybe someone else made a mistake as well and that will be enough to keep you in [but] I knew there were faults with the dish, so nothing about the feedback they gave me was shocking,” Matt said.

“It was valuable to hear and to know how to be better next time when Back To Win Again Again comes around,” he laughed.

While the feedback was valuable, Matt also said it was one of the toughest parts of the competition. “It’s hard to hear critical feedback about yourself on anything, it’s even harder when you know that’s going to be beamed across TVs all around the world so people will see you in a very vulnerable moment in your life.

“But it’s also the best opportunity to learn and grow, so I’ve always really embraced the feedback,” Matt said. “It’s an opportunity to learn, to get in there and say what do I need to do to be better? We’ve got four amazing judges whose knowledge and expertise is so, so valuable.”

Originally featuring in Season 7, Matt had been away from the MasterChef kitchen for about a decade when he received the call to return for Back to Win.

“It’s a little bit like riding a bike, you walk through those doors again and everything is there. The set-up is the same, the pantry has a few different ingredients and the judges are different but it felt very familiar. It was really strange how quickly you’re transported back to ten years ago… It almost felt like you never left, even though it had been such a long time,” he said.

And despite being an avid marathon runner, Matt joked he didn’t feel “match-fit” upon his return to the competition.

“Last time I was an amateur amongst a whole lot of amateurs, and now the calibre of the people who have come back and are currently running restaurants and have worked in amazing places – they’re all very much on top of their game.”

A fan of the show, Matt remembered watching fellow contestants like Andre cooking in Season 1, or seeing Callum, Laura and Sarah in their seasons. Now, cooking alongside them, the challenges have reinvigorated his love for food.

“I’ve never not loved cooking,” Matt added, “I love cooking because I love to eat, but I also love cooking for other people and the role that food plays in our world.

“It’s not just about eating something healthy and that’s good for us, but that social aspect of food. I’ve always enjoyed that, but stepping back in [the MasterChef kitchen] and having to be more creative, having the opportunity to cook with some interesting ingredients and pieces of equipment, those sorts of things really get you excited about cooking,” he continued.

“I obviously would have liked to stay longer, I had some good cooks and made a couple of dishes I was really proud of. I would have loved the opportunity to push myself a little bit more, it was disappointing not to be able to do that but, again, you’re up against such high-calibre people.”

Returning to the competition has reignited his passion, the dentist said, and he’s now exploring how to marry his love of food and cooking with his work in health.

“How do I mesh what I do in the health space and advocacy around health, and nutrition, and eating? I don’t know what the answer to that is, but it has definitely reinspired me to think about it a lot more.”

MasterChef Australia: Back to Win continues Sundays at 7pm and Monday - Wednesday at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play