MasterChef Australia series 15
| Company type | Television series season |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | May 7, 2023 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo (judges) |
| Products | Culinary contest television program |
| Website | 10play |
The fifteenth installment of the Australian culinary contest MasterChef Australia debuted on Network 10 on 7 May 2023 and wrapped up on 16 July 2023.
Revealed during the Paramount and Network 10 upfronts in October 2022, this season, entitled Secrets & Surprises, showcased a roster of 18 participants, 17 of whom were newcomers. Judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, and Jock Zonfrillo reprised their roles from the previous edition. Initially scheduled to begin on 1 May, the premiere was delayed until 7 May due to Zonfrillo’s passing on 30 April. Filming had concluded in March, remaining unaffected by this event. Prior to the premiere, a special homage aired on The Sunday Project.
The winner of the season was Brent Draper, who had earlier competed in series 13 but withdrew for mental health reasons.
Changes
This fifteenth series reduced the contestant count to 18 from the traditional 24 and, as with the preceding season, did not feature audition episodes.
Aligned with the Secrets & Surprises theme, each episode introduced either a secret or an unexpected element to the competitors. A standout feature was a hidden "second chance apron" awarded to the victor of the initial challenge, allowing that contestant to re-enter the competition if eliminated during the subsequent elimination round.
Winners of weekly immunity challenges had the opportunity to face off against professional chefs for an immunity pin. Judging was conducted through blind tastings under the guidance of chef Shannon Bennett.
Notably, this season marked the first in which MasterClasses were not included.
Contestants
The complete lineup was revealed on 23 April 2023. Returning this season was former contestant Brent Draper, who had exited series 13 due to mental health issues.
| Contestant | Age | State/Terr | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brent Draper | 32 | QLD | Digital content creator | Winner 16 July |
| Rhiannon Anderson | 47 | QLD | Administration manager | Runner-up 16 July |
| Declan Cleary | 24 | NSW | Carpenter | Third place 13 July |
| Theo Loizou | 37 | VIC | Electrician | Eliminated 11 July |
| Cath Collins | 54 | VIC | Administration manager | Eliminated 9 July |
| Malissa Fedele | 28 | SA | Nutritionist | Eliminated 2 July |
| Rue Mupedzi | 30 | WA | Oral health therapist | Eliminated 27 June |
| Adi Nevgi | 31 | VIC | Doctor | Eliminated 25 June |
| Ralph Kahango | 32 | WA | Auditor | Eliminated 20 June |
| Antonio Cruz Vaamonde | 34 | NSW | Software developer | Eliminated 18 June |
| Grace Jupp | 24 | VIC | Olive producer | Eliminated 13 June |
| Phil Conway | 33 | VIC | Fitness studio manager | Eliminated 11 June |
| Robbie Cooper | 65 | NT | Youth support worker | Eliminated 4 June |
Future appearances
- Contestants Declan Cleary, Theo Loizou, Adi Nevgi, Grace Jupp, Phil Conway, Amy Tanner, and Jessica Perri returned as guest participants for the initial service challenge in Series 16.
- In Series 17, Declan, Theo, Rhiannon Anderson, Cath Collins, and Rue Mupedzi reappeared. Cath exited in 23rd place (eliminated on 4 May 2025), Rhiannon finished in 18th (25 May), Rue came in at 17th (27 May), Theo placed 12th (24 June), and Declan secured the 11th position (29 June).
Guest chefs
| Week | Guest | Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Oliver | Premiere episode |
| Hugh Allen | Immunity round | |
| 2 (Secrets to Success Week) |
Poh Ling Yeow | Mystery box round |
| Emelia Jackson | Elimination round | |
| Sashi Cheliah, Matt Sinclair | Service round | |
| Darren Robertson | Immunity round | |
| 3 (Big Week) |
Julie Goodwin | Elimination round |
| Eddie Stewart | Pressure test | |
| Sergio Perera | Immunity round | |
| 4 (Nostalgia Week) |
Donato Toce | Pressure test |
| Gabriel Gaté | Immunity round | |
| 5 (Home Cooks vs. Pro Cooks Week) |
Jacqui Challinor, Brendan Katich, Lakhan Bhounsle | Mystery box round |
| Khanh Nguyen, Nicko Holloway, Christopher James, Melanie Shoona | Pressure test | |
| Louis Tikaram, Ben Skelton, Mark Tumacder | Team challenge | |
| Ross Magnaye, Leandro Miranda, Shane Stafford | Invention test | |
| 6 | Rick Stein | Elimination round |
| Josh Niland | Mystery box round | |
| Luke Nguyen | Pressure test | |
| Curtis Stone | Service and immunity rounds | |
| 7 | Maggie Beer | Elimination round |
| Nelly Robinson | Pressure test | |
| Shannon Bennett | Service round | |
| Kay-lene Tan | Immunity round | |
| 8 | Clare Smyth | Pressure test |
| Blayne Bertoncello | Service round | |
| Chase Kojima | Immunity round | |
| ' 9 | ' Kirsten Tibballs | ' Elimination round |
| 10 (Finals Week) |
Peter Gilmore | Pressure test |
| Curtis Stone | Challenge | |
| Shannon Bennett | Service round | |
| Grand Finale | Amaury Guichon | Pressure test |
Elimination chart
... [Chart continues with detailed contestant progress]| No. | Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Finals | Grand Finale | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mystery Box Challenge Winner |
None | Malissa | Antonio Phil Ralph |
Antonio Ralph |
Grace | Antonio Rhiannon |
Declan Rue |
Brent Theo |
Brent | Brent | None | |||||||||||||||||
| Immunity Challenge |
Antonio Cath Jessica Malissa |
Adi Declan Jessica Malissa Ralph Robbie Theo |
Adi Amy Cath Declan Grace Phil Robbie |
Adi Brent Cath Declan Malissa Robbie Theo |
Antonio Rhiannon |
Adi Brent Ralph Rhiannon Rue |
Brent Declan Malissa Theo |
Brent Declan Malissa Theo |
Brent Declan Theo |
Brent | None | |||||||||||||||||
Episodes and ratings
- Colour legend:
- – Peak viewership within the season
- – Lowest audience numbers in the series
| Ep#/Wk-Ep# | Airdate | Episode title / event | Viewership (five metro cities) | Evening rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 (Surprises Week) | ||||
| 1/01-1 | Sunday, 7 May 2023 | Series Launch: Secret Weapon Invention Test — Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver appeared as guest judge. Contestants created dishes featuring their secret weapon ingredient. Larissa’s borscht was named best dish, earning her a 'second chance apron' to return if eliminated. | 761,000 | #3 |
| 2/01-2 | Monday, 8 May 2023 | Jamie Oliver Two-Round Immunity Challenge — Participants faced a two-stage immunity challenge. Antonio and Jessica advanced to compete directly with Jamie for immunity. | 557,000 | #11 |
| 3/01-3 | Tuesday, 9 May 2023 | Flavour Bomb Invention Test — Contestants selected from four flavour bombs provided by Jamie Oliver. Malissa and Cath’s dishes ranked highest, joining Antonio and Jessica in the immunity challenge. | 497,000 | #10 |
| 4/01-4 | Wednesday, 10 May 2023 | Immunity Challenge: Hugh Allen — Malissa secured immunity but was defeated by Hugh Allen in a subsequent cook-off. | 436,000 | #12 |
| Week 2 (Secrets to Success Week) | ||||
| 5/02-1 | Sunday, 14 May 2023 | Childhood Memories Elimination Challenge — Several contestants avoided elimination due to COVID recovery. Andrea was eliminated after difficulties with Nutella sauce. | 478,000 | #6 |
| 6/02-2 | Monday, 15 May 2023 | Poh Ling Yeow Mystery Box Challenge — Using pantry staples plus two selected ingredients, contestants competed. Malissa won with her citrus cannoli. | 552,000 | #9 |
| 7/02-3 | Tuesday, 16 May 2023 | Emelia Jackson Choux Pastry Elimination Challenge — Cath’s lemon mascarpone choux buns earned her safety; Larissa was eliminated but retained her second-chance apron. | 492,000 | #8 |
| 8/02-4 | Wednesday, 17 May 2023 | Featured Ingredients Service Challenge — Two teams prepared two-course meals for guests. The Blue team won and progressed toward immunity. | 408,000 | #13 |
| 9/02-5 | Thursday, 18 May 2023 | Immunity Challenge: Darren Robertson — Theo earned immunity but was defeated by Darren Robertson in the final cook-off. | 421,000 | #9 |
| Week 3 (Big Week) |
|---|
| Grand Finale |
|---|
|- | rowspan=2 |50/11-1 | rowspan=2 |Sunday, 16 July 2023 | Grand Finale — Brent and Rhiannon faced off in a two-stage final challenge. The first round involved selecting from three challenges; Brent achieved the higher score with a tamarind-glazed pork chop. The second round was a pressure test recreating Amaury Guichon's pocket watch dessert. Despite minor imperfections, Brent's rendition impressed judges and secured his victory with a total of 63 points against Rhiannon's 52.
Brent Draper was crowned champion of MasterChef Australia season fifteen, awarded $250,000 and becoming the third winner to return from a previous season. Runner-up Rhiannon Anderson earned $40,000; third place Declan Cleary received $10,000.
The finale included a tribute honoring the late judge Jock Zonfrillo. | 614,000 |
- 5
| 698,000 |
- 3
|}