Junior MasterChef Australia series 3
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Reality television |
| Founded | 11 October 2020 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
Key people | Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo (judges) |
| Products | Reality cooking competition show |
The third installment of Junior MasterChef Australia, which serves as the second spin-off from the Australian reality television series MasterChef Australia, made its return on 11 October 2020 following a nine-year break. The panel of judges comprised Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, and Jock Zonfrillo. The champion was awarded a cash prize of $25,000.
Production
Network 10 announced the commissioning of a third season of Junior MasterChef Australia on 27 April 2020, marking a return after nearly a decade since the last series. The casting process focused on selecting participants between the ages of nine and fourteen.
Judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, and Jock Zonfrillo reprised their roles for this series. Filming was conducted at the Melbourne Showgrounds located in Flemington.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, safety measures aligned with those implemented during MasterChef Australia: Back to Win, including maintaining social distancing and providing each judge with separate tasting plates.
Top 14
On 29 September 2020, the Top 14 contestants were revealed, featuring Ryan Cheliah, who is the son of MasterChef series 10 winner Sashi Cheliah.
| Contestant | Age | State | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 11 | VIC | Winner 9 November |
| Carter | 11 | NSW | Runners-up 9 November |
| Filo | 12 | VIC | |
| Dev | 13 | NSW | Template:Sort |
| Laura | 13 | QLD | |
| Tiffany | 14 | QLD | Template:Sort |
| Vienna | 13 | VIC | |
| Ben | 10 | VIC | Template:Sort |
| Ruby | 11 | WA | |
| Phenix | 11 | NSW | Template:Sort |
| Salvo | 13 | WA | |
| Etka | 13 | VIC | Template:Sort |
| Porsha | 11 | QLD | |
| Ryan | 11 | SA |
Guest Chefs
| Week | Guests | Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Morgan Hipworth | Elimination Challenge |
| 3 | Emelia Jackson | Mystery Box |
| Xu | Immunity Challenge | |
| Darren Purchese | Elimination Challenge | |
| 4 (Finals Week) |
Curtis Stone | Mystery Box |
| Kirsten Tibballs | Semi-Finals Pressure Test |
Elimination Table
| No. | Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | Finals | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immunity Challenge |
Dev Laura '(Immunity Gong)' |
Carter Georgia |
Filo Laura Ruby Vienna |
Ben Dev Georgia Laura Vienna |
Dev Georgia '(Advanced to Semi-Final)' | ||||||||
| 1 | Georgia | IN | 'WIN' | 'IMM' | IN | 'Btm 9' | 'Top 3' | Template:MCABottomX | 'WIN' | 'IMM' | 'Top 3' | 'Winner' | |
Ratings and episodes
| Ep#/Wk-Ep# | Original airdate | Episode Title | Total viewers (five metro cities) | Nightly Ranking | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | |||||
| 1/01-1 | Sunday, 11 October 2020 | Series Premiere: Signature Dish — Fourteen participants were given 75 minutes to prepare their signature plate. The two best dishes earned the chance to use the "immunity gong" once each to avoid elimination. Dev impressed with lamb Mughlai curry and Indian chicken kebab, while Laura’s winter granita also secured this advantage. | 524,000 | 8 | |
| 2/01-2 | Monday, 12 October 2020 | Immunity Challenge: Honey — Contestants crafted dishes centered around honey after observing its extraction from a Flow Hive. Georgia and Carter claimed immunity with their top creations; remaining contestants faced elimination risk. | 546,000 | 13 | |
| 3/01-3 | Tuesday, 13 October 2020 | Elimination Challenge: Blindfold Taste Test — Participants identified ingredients while blindfolded; incorrect answers resulted in cooking challenges. Laura successfully activated her immunity gong. Tiffany’s Hungarian banquet was notable, while Etka, Porsha, and Ryan were eliminated but rewarded with new mixers from Harvey Norman. | 576,000 | 9 | |
| Week 2 | |||||
| 4/02-1 | Sunday, 18 October 2020 | Old & Young Mystery Box — Contestants worked with both aged and young ingredients such as blue cheese and baby snapper. Ruby, Laura, Vienna, and Filo impressed judges and moved on to the immunity round; others faced elimination. | 498,000 | 9 | |
| 5/02-2 | Monday, 19 October 2020 | Immunity Challenge: Keeping Up with Andy — Without a recipe, contestants attempted to replicate Andy’s chipotle scotch fillet tacos. Ruby and Laura secured immunity for their closely matched dishes. | 454,000 | 18 | |
| 6/02-3 | Tuesday, 20 October 2020 | Elimination Challenge: Doughnuts Topping & Fillings — Under Morgan Hipworth’s guidance, contestants created doughnut toppings and fillings. Carter, Georgia, and Vienna earned safety. Filo and Tiffany excelled in the subsequent round; Salvo and Phenix were eliminated. | 470,000 | 14 | |
| Week 3 | |||||
| 7/03-1 | Monday, 26 October 2020 | Emelia Jackson's Mystery Box — Emelia Jackson challenged contestants with ingredients inspired by her signature cake. Laura’s dark chocolate profiteroles and Dev’s chocolate sphere received high acclaim. Five contestants progressed to the immunity challenge. | 447,000 | 19 | |
| 8/03-2 | Tuesday, 27 October 2020 | Immunity Challenge: Mr. X And The Hand Pulled Noodles — Contestants prepared noodle dishes using Mr. Xu's hand-pulled noodles. Dev and Vienna won immunity; Georgia was praised yet faced elimination. | 474,000 | 14 | |
| 9/03-3 | Sunday, 1 November 2020 | Elimination Challenge: Winter Wonderland — Contestants attempted to replicate Darren Purchase’s "Snow" dessert under time constraints. Filo and Georgia were safe; Ben and Ruby were eliminated. | 528,000 | 8 | |
| Week 4 (Finals Week) | |||||
| 10/04-1 | Monday, 2 November 2020 | Curtis Stone's Immunity Mystery Box — Potato-focused dishes determined semi-finalists. Dev’s Thai red potato curry and Georgia’s Sri Lankan potato curry earned advancement. | 486,000 | 15 | |
| 11/04-2 | Tuesday, 3 November 2020 | Elimination Challenge: Fruit As Savoury Dish Or Vegetable As Sweet Dish — Vegetables were spotlighted in sweet preparations. Laura, Carter, and Filo advanced; Tiffany and Vienna were eliminated due to execution errors. | 485,000 | 16 | |
| 12/04-3 | Sunday, 8 November 2020 | Semi Final Pressure Test: Kirsten Tibballs — Contestants recreated Kirsten Tibballs' Lemon Meringue Tart within a set time frame. Georgia, Carter, and Filo progressed; Laura and Dev were eliminated. | 526,000 | 8 | |
| Week 5 (Grand Finale Week) | |||||
| 13/05-1 | Monday, 9 November 2020 | Grand Finale — Finalists prepared a main course plus dessert. Despite texture issues in her dessert, Georgia’s trio of curries placed her in the top tier. Filo received praise for both dishes; Carter underperformed. | 652,000 | 12 | |
| Winner Announced — Judges awarded Georgia the grand prize of A$25,000 for outstanding dishes. Filo and Carter each received A$5,000 for reaching the finale stage. | 881,000 | 5 | |||