**WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD**
Season 12’s ‘Back To Win’ saw some of THE most unforgettable moments in MasterChef history. The greatest dish ever by Reynold. Gordon Ramsay and Twists Week. Social distancing. Poh cooking a 3-hour dessert in only 90 minutes. Katy Perry surprising the contestants and being every little bit the KWEEN that we always imagined!
And now, we’re down to the pointy end of the comp, with besties Laura and Emelia ready to fight it out for the title – again.
Season 6 runner-up Laura has had a brilliant career, working as a pastry chef alongside judge Jock Zonfrillo at his acclaimed restaurant, Orana. She then moved on and opened her very own restaurant, Nido Bar and Pasta with her husband, Max
After also just falling short of the win in her original season, dessert queen Emelia left the MasterChef kitchen with a handful of new skills to open her own successful cake business in Melbourne, where she sells beautiful event cakes.
Despite having successful career, the girls came back to prove that they do have what it takes to win the competition. But who will it be?
Winning Challenges
We’ve crunched the numbers and figured out who’s won the most challenges up until this point in the competition.
Laura won a whopping five Mystery Box Challenges, and her delicious Brown Butter Bugs dish not only won her Immunity but guaranteed her spot in the top six.
Emelia only competed in two Immunity Challenges, but her re-creation of pastry chef Kristen Tibball’s complex Melijto dessert won her Immunity during the infamous ‘Twists Week’. She did so well in the challenge, that Kristen Tibball’s herself said she “couldn’t fault it”.
She also won three Mystery Box Challenges, including the one set by Gordon Ramsay, which granted her Immunity and sent her straight through to the semi-finals.
Critiques Of Their Best Dishes
From day one, Emelia was impressing the judges with her incredible desserts. First on the plate was her Pistachio and Strawberry Éclair. Gordon Ramsay described it as “stunning” and “mind-blowing”, while Mel stated, “that is the front cover of a magazine right there”.
In Episode 58, she created a Compressed Choux with Strawberry Gum and Rhubarb, which was something that the judges had never seen before. Jock said that the “compressed shoe tart is extraordinary” and that the “flavour of the rhubarb in that diplomat is absolutely brilliant”, while Mel said that she was “so glad” she got to experience it.
Laura proved she wasn’t only the queen of pasta, but was a jack of all trades, knowing how to balance flavours perfectly in her dishes. One of her first big standout dishes was her Gnocchi with Ricotta, Peas, Apple Caramel and Mint. Andy told her “the apple sauce just gives it body and sing, it’s really good!” while Mel sang her praises, saying it was “Exceptional food, and you could be in the top 4 with a dish like that, no problem”.
Her Immunity-worthy Brown Butter Bugs, Jerusalem Artichoke, Watercress and Roasted Bug Oil also won approval from all the judges. Jock said “As much as I love Laura cooking a pasta dish, I think when she doesn’t cook a pasta dish, you see the way she thinks about food. Each individual element is carefully balanced in its own right, but also thought about before it was made into a dish itself. Very, very clever.”
It’s safe to say that the girls are incredible in their own way. Their ability to consistently serve up mouth-watering, delicious food is a testament to their cooking skills. No matter who takes out the title, both girls are winners in our eyes!
