MasterChef Australia series 5
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television, Culinary competition |
| Founded | June 2, 2013 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Emma Dean (winner), Lynton Tapp, Samira El Khafir, Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris, Graeme Stone (narrator) |
| Products | Reality cooking competition |
| Website | www |
The fifth installment of the Australian culinary competition show MasterChef Australia debuted on 2 June 2013 on Network Ten, with repeat airings the following day. The season wrapped up on 1 September 2013, crowning Emma Dean as the winner over finalists Lynton Tapp and Samira El Khafir in the ultimate showdown.
Changes
After the previous filming venue at 13 Doody Street, Alexandria was closed, production relocated to Centenary Hall within the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds located in Flemington, Victoria. Narration duties were taken over by Graeme Stone, succeeding Nicholas McKay.
This series commenced immediately with the Top 22 contestants, foregoing any televised auditions or preliminary rounds. The structure incorporated themed weeks such as 'Girls vs. Boys', Italian and Middle Eastern culinary focuses, a Kids week, and regional spotlights including the Barossa Valley and Western Australia. The Masterclass segments were recorded in front of a live audience, featuring judge Matt Preston joining Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris "in the kitchen."
In reaction to competition from Seven Network's My Kitchen Rules, casting decisions emphasized contestant personalities more than culinary expertise. This approach was met with criticism from both reviewers and viewers, leading to diminished ratings—averaging approximately 570,000 viewers—compared to earlier seasons.
Unlike previous finales, this season’s grand final included three finalists instead of two.
Top 22
| Contestant | Age | State | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Dean | 35 | VIC | Former Town Planner | Winner 1 September |
| Lynton Tapp | 25 | NT | Stockman | Runner-up 1 September |
| Samira El Khafir | 28 | VIC | Stay-At-Home Mother | Third Place 1 September Returned 24 July Eliminated 17 July |
| Rishi Desai | 35 | NSW | Hotel Manager | Eliminated 28 August |
| Christina Batista | 31 | NSW | Stay-At-Home Mother | Eliminated 26 August |
| Lucy Wallrock | 31 | NSW | Marketing Director | Eliminated 21 August |
| Daniel Kelty | 35 | NSW | Stay-At-Home Father | Eliminated 19 August |
| Daniel Churchill | 23 | NSW | Fitness Instructor | Eliminated 14 August |
| Noelene Marchwiki | 59 | VIC | Optical Dispenser | Eliminated 7 August |
| Vern Fitzgerald | 33 | NSW | Bar Manager | Eliminated 31 July |
| Neha Sen | 31 | QLD | IT Consultant | Eliminated 29 July |
| Jules Allen | 38 | NSW | Social Worker | Eliminated 15 July |
| Liliana Battle | 42 | WA | Stay-At-Home Mother | Eliminated 10 July |
| Pip Sumbak | 23 | NSW | Office Assistant | Eliminated 8 July |
| Totem Douangmala | 23 | SA | Student | Eliminated 3 July |
| Faiza Rehman | 24 | VIC | Student | Eliminated 26 June |
| Nicky Agahari | 28 | NSW | Pharmaceutical Manager | Eliminated 24 June |
| Andrew Prior | 40 | VIC | Former Insurance Underwriter | Withdrew injured 23 June |
| Clarissa Dodawec | 44 | VIC | Opera Singer | Eliminated 19 June |
| Xavier Doran | 24 | NSW | Carpenter | Eliminated 12 June |
| Michael Todd | 41 | SA | Cinema Owner | |
| Dan Tuddenham | 19 | NSW | Student | Eliminated 4 June |
Subsequent appearances
- Emma Dean returned as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia (series 6) and assisted the Top 50 in Series 10, appearing again as a semi-final guest alongside Lynton Tapp, Christina Batista, and Liliana Battle.
- Lynton Tapp competed in MasterChef Australia (series 12) finishing in 24th place after elimination on April 19, 2020.
- Christina Batista took part in MasterChef Australia (series 14) and was eliminated on May 10, 2022, placing twentieth.
- Emma Dean also made a guest appearance during the first service challenge in MasterChef Australia series 16.
- Samira El Khafir participated in MasterChef Australia series 17, exiting in fourteenth place after elimination on June 15, 2025.
Guest chefs
- Frank Camorra - MasterClass 1
- Maggie Beer - Barossa Boot Camp Day 2, MasterClass 2
- Will Woods - MasterClass 2
- Curtis Stone - Offsite Challenge 1, MasterClass 7
- Shannon Bennett - Offsite Challenge 1
- Stephanie Alexander - MasterClass 3
- Bernard Chu - Elimination Challenge 3
- Antonio Carluccio - Offsite Challenge 2, MasterClass 4
- Stefano De Pieri - Pressure Test 1
- Guillaume Brahimi - Immunity Challenge 2
- Russell Blaikie - Immunity Challenge 2
- Matt Stone - Elimination Challenge 5
- Brendan Pratt - MasterClass 5
- Kate Lamont - MasterClass 5
- Ian Curley - Elimination Challenge 6
- Paul Wilson - MasterClass 6
- Daniel Wilson - Pressure Test 2
- Nick Palumbo - Second Chance Challenge 3
- Aaron Turner - MasterClass 8
- Kirsten Tibballs - Pressure Test 3, MasterClass 9
- Heston Blumenthal - Pressure Test 4, Immunity Challenge 3, Offsite Challenge 4, Elimination Challenge 10, MasterClass 10
- Greg Malouf - Dubai Team Challenge
- Donovan Cooke - Service Challenge
Elimination chart
| No. | Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Finals Week | Finale | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mystery Box Challenge Winner | None | None | Lucy | None | None | Liliana Samira |
None | None | None | None | None | None | Emma | None | None | ||||||||||
| Invention Test Winner | None | None | KeltyRishiEmmaLyntonNeha | None | None | None | None | Rishi | None | None | None | None | Samira | None | |||||||||||
| Immunity Challenge |
None | None | Win:Emma | None | Lose:Vern | None | None | Win:Rishi | None | Lose:ChristinaDanielRishi | None | None | None | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Emma | IN | style="background:lightblue;" | Win | Template:MCATeamWin | style="background:lightblue;" | Team 2nd | Template:MCATeamLose | Template:MCATeamLose | Template:MCATeamWin | IN | Template:MCATeamWin | style="background:#FFCBA4;" | Btm 6 | Template:MCATeamWin | style="background:#FFCBA4;" | Lose 2nd | IN | Template:MCATeamWin | IN | Template:MCATeamWin | Template:MCATeamWin | style="background:#de6fa1;" | Team Lose/Imm. | style="background:lightblue;" | Win | Template:MCATeamWin | style="background:lightgreen;" | Top 2 | style="background:lightgreen;" | Top 2 | style="background:#73fb76;" | WINNER | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Lynton | 'Win'
IN style="background:lightblue;" | 'Win' Template:MCATeamWin style="background:lightblue;" | 'Team 2nd' Template:MCATeamWin Template:MCATeamWin Template:MCATeamLose IN Template:MCATeamWin IN Template:MCATeamWin style="background:#FFCBA4;" | Lose 5th IN Template:MCATeamLose IN Template:MCATeamWin Template:MCABottomX Template:MCATeamWin Template:MCABottomX Template:MCATeamWin style="background:lightgreen;" | 'Top 2' style="background:lightgreen;" | 'Top 2' style="background:#d1e8ef;" | 'Runner-Up' | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Samira
Template:MCABottomX IN IN Template:MCATeamLose style="background:#FFCBA4;" | 'Team 3rd' Template:MCATeamWin Template:MCATeamLose Template:MCATeamWin style="background:lightblue;" | 'Win' Template:MCATeamLose Template:MCABottomX style="background:crimson;" | Elim style="background:salmon;" | 'Eliminated (Ep 33)' IN Template:MCATeamWin IN Template:MCATeamLose Template:MCATeamLose Template:MCATeamLose Template:MCATeamLose Template:MCATeamLose style="background:lightgreen;" | 'ADV' Template:MCABottomX style="background:#fbf373;" | Third place | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rishi ... (remaining rows continue similarly with minor trimming) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
- The summaries emphasize significant immunity wins and eliminations that influenced each contestant's journey.
Episodes and ratings
The fifth season of MasterChef Australia experienced the lowest audience numbers and ratings in the show's history. The finale attracted fewer than 1 million viewers, marking the only season finale to fall below this threshold and placing fifth in nightly viewership rankings. Overall, the ratings dropped sharply, averaging about half the audience size of Season 4. In response to this downturn, Network Ten decided to discontinue all spin-offs and live events, concentrating efforts on rejuvenating the primary series for 2014 with the goal of engaging both dedicated followers and new viewers, as stated by Ten's chief programming officer Beverley McGarvey.
| Ep#/Wk-Ep# | Original airdate | Episode Title / Event | Total viewers (5 Metro Cities) | Nightly Ranking | Weekly Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | |||||
| 1/01-1 | 2 June 2013 | Series Premiere The season commenced with 22 participants divided into 'boys versus girls' teams, challenged to prepare a three-course meal within a typical Australian family grocery budget. Despite several impressive dishes, the girls secured victory in the initial challenge, earning an advantage for the following round. |
1,100,000 | 8th | 20th |
| 2/01-2 | 3 June 2013 | Protein Pick Face Off Challenge Contestants chose proteins for direct cook-offs, with winners guaranteed safety from elimination. Difficulties with ingredients placed six contestants at risk of elimination. |
739,000 | 13th | 38th |
| 3/01-3 | 4 June 2013 | Elimination Challenge 1 Six chefs prepared dishes inspired by family members. Michael earned 'dish of the day,' while Dan was eliminated after negative feedback on his dessert. |
860,000 | 11th | 34th |
| Week 2 (Barossa Week) | |||||
| 5/02-1 | 9 June 2013 | Barossa Boot Camp Day 1 Teams dismantled whole lambs and crafted lamb-based dishes. The boys triumphed in the first round; the girls faced elimination where Noelene and Clarissa were sent home. |
648,000 | 15th | >40th |
| 6/02-2 | 10 June 2013 | Barossa Boot Camp Day 2 A tag-team challenge led by Maggie Beer assessed teamwork and culinary skills. Communication problems caused the boys to lose; Andrew and Michael were put up for elimination. |
652,000 | 17th | >40th |
| 8/02-4 | 12 June 2013 | Elimination Challenge 2 A double elimination saw Michael and Xavier depart after difficulties preparing protein-centric dishes for local residents. |
745,000 | 14th | 36th |
| Week 3 (Kids Week) | |||||
| 10/03-1 | 16 June 2013 | Sunday Challenge 1 Contestants crafted meals using ingredients commonly found in children's lunchboxes. Lucy won an advantage for the following Invention Test focused on child-friendly recipes. |
890,000 | 11th | 29th |
| 12/03-3 | 18 June 2013 | Offsite Challenge 1 Teams catered for schoolchildren under chefs Curtis Stone and Shannon Bennett. The Red Team narrowly won; the Blue Team faced elimination. |
679,000 | 15th | >40th |
| Week 4 (Italian Week) | |||||
| 15/04-1 | 23 June 2013 | Offsite Challenge 2 Teams collaborated with Italian Nonnas and Antonio Carluccio to serve diners on Lygon Street. The Grey Team raised the highest funds and won; Red Team members joined Blue Team contestants in elimination due to weak performance. |
800,000 | 12th | 32nd |
| 16/04-2 | 24 June 2013 | Pressure Test Contestants replicated Stefano De Pieri's Quail Ravioli under time constraints; Nicky was eliminated due to seasoning errors. |
663,000 | 18th | 39th |
| Week 5 (Wild West Week) | |||||
| 20/05-1 | 30 June 2013 | Western Australia Team Challenge Teams harvested seafood offshore and prepared a feast for fishermen. Judges favored Red Team's straightforward dishes over Blue Team's more complex menu. |
683,000 | 14th | >40th |
| 21/05-2 | 1 July 2013 | Immunity Challenge Vern competed against chef Russell Blaikie using duck as the featured ingredient but was narrowly defeated. |
646,000 | 19th | >40th |
| Week 6 (Heaven & Hell Week) | |||||
| 25/06-1 | 7 July 2013 | Heaven & Hell Mystery Box Challenge Contestants selected either 'Heaven' or 'Hell' boxes containing varying time limits and recipe complexities. Liliana and Samira earned dish of the day honors; two teams from 'Heaven' faced elimination. |
853,000 | 10th | 27th |
| 26/06-2 | 8 July 2013 | Elimination Challenge Four contestants attempted Steak Tartare and Bombe Alaska desserts; Pip was eliminated following technical mistakes. |
737,000 | 19th | 35th |
| Week 7 (Fast Food Week) | |||||
| 30/07-1 | 14 July 2013 | Fast Food Mystery Box Challenge Groups reinvented fried chicken, souvlaki, and burgers within a time limit. Jules and Samira were among those who faced elimination due to unsatisfactory dishes. |
773,000 | 11th | 36th |
| Week 8 (Second Chance Week) | |||||
| 35/08-1 | 21 July 2013 | Second Chance Challenge Previously eliminated contestants returned to compete for re-entry; Rishi and Samira succeeded while Faiza and Michael were eliminated again. |
773,000 | 14th | 35th |