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Your Favourite Contestants Return To The MasterChef Kitchen

It’s the MasterChef season we didn’t know we needed, and with 24 talented past contestants returning to the kitchen to try their hand at winning again, you know it’s going to be one hell of a cook off.

So many of our favourites are back, and if the promo is anything to go by, they've got some unfinished business. Some have become authors, professional chefs and restaurant owners, but they're all after that one thing, and that's the winning title of Australia's MasterChef. 

Take a look back at our returning contestant's best moments - who's got what it takes to win?

Season One: Poh Ling Yeow, Chris Badenoch

Poh was an adventurous contestant in the MasterChef kitchen, who always thought outside the box and used daring ingredients to wow the judges. Her most favoured dish in Season 1 was Buddha’s Delight, and she made it all the way to the top two by cooking a unique and very complex ingredient, Century Eggs.

Chris was known for following the nose to tail philosophy, meaning he uses every part of the animal in food preparation so nothing goes to waste.  A few dishes that we definitely haven’t forgotten from Season 1 were his Duck Neck Sausages and Beeramisu, where he used beer as a hero ingredient in the traditional Italian sweet. Weird, or genius?!

Season Two: Callum Hann, Courtney Roulston

Callum only narrowly missed out on winning the MasterChef trophy in Season 2, but throughout his journey, he created some bomb dishes. A clear stand-out was his Violet Macaroons with Raspberries and Butter Cream which had the judges wanting more, more, more!

Courtney reached the Top 5 during her season, and impressed the judges with delicious dishes including her Chilli Mud Crab with XO Sauce, and Dani came in at fourth, and was the first and only contestant to win not one, but two Immunity Pins - the latter won after she beat former Olympian and Celebrity MasterChef winner, Eamon Sullivan.

Season Three: Hayden Quinn, Dani Venn

Hayden is a quality cook who stood out for his creative and intricate dishes during his original sting on MasterChef. He won the coveted Immunity Pin when he went up against star apprentice of Alessandro Pavoni, Alex Keen, and his Braised Pork Belly blew celebrity chef and Korean food aficionado, David Chang's mind!

Season Four: Ben Milbourne, Amina Elshafel

Ben was not only a great chef in Season 4, but he was a great friend and mentor to his fellow contestants in the MasterChef kitchen. When he and Emma were pinned against each other in an elimination challenge, he selflessly offered to give up his place in the competition so Emma could stay and compete. What a legend!

Amina was Season 4's pocket rocket and she constantly created killer dishes with interesting flavor combinations that the judges loved. She was the queen of Immunity Challenges, winning three immunity pins in a row with her team's delicious Tea-Smoked Duck Breast.

Season Five: Lynton Tapp

Despite being the most inexperienced cook to enter the MasterChef kitchen in Season 5, Lynton used the skills he gained from the judges and his fellow contestants to power through the series and make it to the finale. His dish of the day, Beef Eye Fillet, received a perfect score from the judges.

Season Six: Laura Sharrad, Emelia Jackson, Tracy Collins

Laura was the quintessential home cook from Season 6 who credited all she knew about cooking to her mother and grandmother. One dish which really impressed the judges was her Chestnut Forest dessert, which got her through to the top two.

Emelia was a creative chef and she ranked in the top 3 during Season 6 of MasterChef. During Episode 34, Emelia's Team America cooked an ode to Elvis with their Peanut Butter Mousse with Grilled Banana and Maple Bacon Crumb, and the judges absolutely LOVED it!

Tracy entered Season 6 of MasterChef with a strong determination to make it to the end. After winning what was one of the biggest awards, the Power Apron with her Cookies And Cream dessert, she made it all the way to the top five.

Season Seven: Reynold Poernomo, Rose Adam

Reynold was well-known for his wicked dessert creations, earning himself the nickname “Dessert King” in Season 7. A stand-out dish was his Passionfruit Sphere and Coconut Granita with Pineapple which impressed the judges so much, they gave him a perfect score of 10/10.

Rose proved she was a force to be reckoned with when her and her team took over the popular Melbourne restaurant, Tokyo Tina. Her winning dish, Whisky Sour Mousse left the judges wanting more and she made it to 10th place.

Season Eight: Harry Foster

In Season 8, fan favourite Harry (literally) smashed the Anna's Mess pressure test - created by pastry chef Anna Polyviou - by making an almost identical replica of the complex dessert. One of his other top dessert creations was Dark Chocolate Brookies- a combination of brownies and cookies- which saw him challenge chef Lachlan Colwill for an Immunity Pin.

Season Nine: Ben Ungermann and Sarah Tiong

Ben finished a close second in Season 9 and was known as the "Ice Cream King" by his much loved fans. One of the dishes that earnt him that title and impressed the judges was Wasabi Ice Cream with Yam Fondants and Nutmeg Biscuit, which he created in Tokyo and earnt him a chance to win an Immunity Pin.

Another fan favourite from Season 9 is Sarah, whose lively spirit always brightened up the MasterChef kitchen. She was known for experimenting with pork in challenges, and her biggest accomplishment was winning an Immunity Pin in front of the stunning Mt. Fuji in Japan with her Tea Braised Pork Belly with Mushroom, Daikon and Bean Curd.

Season 10: Brendan Pang, Sarah Clare, Jess Liemantara, Khanh Ong and Reece Hignell

Brendan was remembered for his impressive, mouth-watering Brown Butter Poached Lobster with Bonito Bavarois  dish, which won him his spot back into the competition after initially being eliminated earlier in the series.

Fellow contestant Sarah delivered an unusual yet unique restaurant-quality dish a surprising  Mystery Box challenge with her Carrot Seven Ways

Khanh had some huge wins during his time on the show, having won a couple Mystery Box Challenges and Invention Tests, but his most memorable moment included winning the coveted Immunity Pin Challenge against Chef Jim Choi, when he heroed Vegemite in his Vegemite Chicken Bone Broth. 

Reece often doubted his cooking abilities, but he continued to impress the judges with his incredible baking skills. He went head-to-head with Chef John Rivera and he won an Immunity Pin with his refreshingly delicious Cucumber and Lemon Verbana Sorbet with Yoghurt Mousse.

Jess won the judges- and audiences- over with her decadent desserts, and it was her Lemon With A Drop Of Raspberry dish that won her a spot and a white apron in the Top 24 of the series. 

Season 11: Simon Toohey and Tessa Boersma

Simon and Tessa cooked it out against each other on multiple occasions for their chance to win an Immunity Pin in Season 11 of MasterChef and now, they're back for more.

Simon made a delicious Japanese Set Custard dish which took him through to an Immunity Challenge against Chef Coskun Uysal in Episode 12, and Tessa prepared a killer Steak Tartare with Beetroot Vinaigrette that put her up against chef Jessie McTavish.

MasterChef Australia Season 11 Is Coming Soon To 10 and 10 play