MasterChef Australia series 6
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Reality television, Cooking competition |
| Founded | May 5, 2014 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia |
| Website | 10play |
The sixth installment of the Australian culinary competition show MasterChef Australia made its debut on Network Ten on 5 May 2014.
On 28 July 2014, Brent Owens secured victory against Laura Cassai. Owens remained the most recent male champion until Sashi Cheliah claimed the title in the tenth season in 2018.
Changes
Contrary to the preceding season, this edition reintroduced the audition and initial selection phases while eliminating the weekly theme structure. A novel feature called the "power apron" was introduced, offering strategic benefits throughout various challenges. During elimination rounds and pressure tests, contestants donned black aprons displaying their names. The immunity challenges underwent a format revision, now involving a preliminary contest among three participants before facing off against a professional chef. Kylie Kwong returned as a frequent guest judge and mentor for immunity challenges.
Top 24
The Top 24 contestants were announced on 6 May. Following brain surgery, Cecilia Vuong withdrew on medical advice and was replaced by Georgia Hughes.
| Contestant | Age | State | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brent Owens | 24 | VIC | Bobcat driver | Winner 28 July |
| Laura Cassai | 18 | SA | Health science student | Runner-up 28 July |
| Emelia Jackson | 24 | VIC | Marketing coordinator | Eliminated 27 July |
| Jamie Fleming | 26 | NSW | Bartender | Eliminated 24 July |
| Tracy Collins | 38 | SA | Hairdresser | Eliminated 21 July |
| Ben Macdonald | 36 | QLD | IT systems consultant | Eliminated 20 July |
Subsequent Appearances
- Brent Owens returned as a guest judge in Series 7 and assisted with the Top 50 in Series 10.
- Cecelia Vuong competed again in Series 8, finishing in 17th place.
- Laura Cassai (now Sharrad), Emelia Jackson, Jamie Fleming, Tracy Collins, Ben MacDonald, and Georgia Hughes featured as guests during the Series 10 semi-finals.
- Brent participated as a guest during the grand finale service challenge in Series 11.
- Laura, Emelia, and Tracy competed in Series 12; Emelia won while Laura was again runner-up.
- Emelia appeared as a guest judge on Junior MasterChef Australia Series 3 and Series 13.
- Brent, Laura, and Emelia made appearances at multiple grand finales through to Series 13.
- Sarah Todd finished as runner-up in Series 14.
- Emelia served as a guest judge for an elimination challenge in Series 15.
- Laura and Emelia appeared as guests during Series 16.
- Emelia placed second in the second season of Dessert Masters (2024).
- Jamie and Ben returned for another opportunity in Series 17 alongside Laura and Sarah; Sarah finished sixth and Ben fifth.
Guest chefs
- Julie Goodwin – Mystery Box Challenge 1
- Adam Liaw – Mystery Box Challenge 1
- Kate Bracks – Mystery Box Challenge 1
- Andy Allen – Mystery Box Challenge 1
- Emma Dean – Mystery Box Challenge 1
- Shannon Bennett – Pressure Test 1
- Alla Wolf-Tasker – Pressure Test 2
- Ollie Gould – Immunity Challenge 1
- Christy Tania – Pressure Test 3
- Benjamin Cooper – Immunity Challenge 2
- Darren Purchese – Team Challenge 3, MasterClass 2
- Joe Grbac – Pressure Test 4
- Scott Picket – Pressure Test 4
- Matt Stone – Immunity Challenge 3
- Nobu Matsuhisa – Pressure Test 5
- Jock Zonfrillo – Immunity Challenge 4
- Marco Pierre White – Week 6
- Donovan Cooke – Immunity Challenge 5
- Vikas Khanna – Pressure Test 7
- Jason Jones – Immunity Challenge 6
- James Viles – Immunity Challenge 6
- Nick Palumbo – Pressure Test 9
- John Lawson – Immunity Challenge 7
- Dave Verhuel – Elimination Challenge 9
- Heston Blumenthal – Week 11
- Peter Gilmore – Final
Elimination chart
| No. | Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Finals | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mystery Box Challenge Winner | Nick | Kira | Scott | Emelia | Emelia | Ben | Laura | Tracy | Brent | Amy | Ben | Brent Emelia Tracy |
Brent | ||||||||||||||||
| Invention Test Winner | Laura Sean Jamie |
Sarah | Tracy Amy Laura |
Tash Sarah Brent |
Brent Renae Rachael |
Amy Colin Georgia |
Tracy Laura Ben |
Emelia Brent Jamie |
None | Amy Laura Ben |
Brent | Laura | Laura | ||||||||||||||||
| Immunity Challenge |
None | None | Lose: Tracy | Lose: Tash | Lose: Rachael | Lose: Amy | Win: Laura | None | Win: Tracy | Lose: Amy | None | Win: Laura Lose: Emelia |
None | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Brent | Top 24 | Btm 9 | IN | Btm 6 | IN | Btm 6 | Top 3 | Template:MCABottomX | Top 3 | Template:MCATeamLose | IN | Template:MCATeamLose | IN | Template:MCABottomX | Top 3 | colspan=2 Template:MCATeamWin | Btm 5 | colspan="2" Template:MCATeamLose | IN | Template:MCATeamLose | Btm 4 | Top 3 | Template:MCABottomX | Template:MCABottomX | Top 2 | WINNER | ||
| 2 | Laura | Top 24 | 'Top 3' | IN | Template:MCATeamLose | 'Top 3' | Template:MCATeamWin | IN | Template:MCATeamWin | IN | 'Team 2nd' | Template:MCABottomX | Template:MCATeamWin | 'Top 3' | 'Team Lose/Imm.' | Template:MCABottomX | colspan=2 Template:MCATeamLose | IN | Template:MCATeamLose | 'Saved' | 'Top 3' | Template:MCATeamWin | 'Top 3' | Template:MCABottomX | 'Top 3' | 'ADV' | 'Top 2' | "Runner-up" | |
Episodes and ratings
- Colour key:
- – Peak viewership in the series
- – Lowest viewership in the series
- 6
- 17
- 10
- 12
- 11
- 8
- 5
- 7
- 12
- 7
- 9
- 3
- 14
- 9
- 9
- 8
- 8
- 3
- 5
- 9
- 6
- 7
- 3
- 9
- 1
- 7
- 2
| Ep no./ Wk-ep no. |
Original airdate | Episode title / event | Total viewers (5 metro cities) |
Nightly ranking |
Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | |||||
| 1/01-1 | Monday, 5 May 2014 | Series Launch: Auditions Part 1 – Contestants prepared their signature dishes aiming for direct placement into the Top 24. Twelve succeeded initially, with two additional contestants advancing after a second-chance round. Eighteen participants continued to compete in the next episode. | 874,000 | #10 | |
| 2/01-2 | Tuesday, 6 May 2014 | Auditions Part 2 – Eighteen contestants given a second opportunity competed for the remaining ten Top 24 positions through invention and pressure tests emphasizing fundamental skills and dessert replication. Steven, Sarah, and Byron secured the final aprons. | 847,000 | #9 | |
| 3/01-3 | Wednesday, 7 May 2014 | Top 24 Mystery Box Challenge and Invention Test – Former champions selected key ingredients for a mystery box challenge. Nick triumphed with a salted hazelnut crumb creation. The invention test, themed on the past, saved three contestants from elimination. | 787,000 | #11 | |
| 4/01-4 | Thursday, 8 May 2014 | Chinese Cuisine Elimination Challenge – Under mentor Kylie Kwong’s guidance, contestants underwent a three-stage challenge focused on Chinese cooking. Brendan was eliminated after serving raw pork loin inconsistent with the challenge theme. | 1,001,000 | #5 | |
| Week 2 | |||||
| 5/02-1 | Sunday, 11 May 2014 | Mystery Box Challenge and Breakfast Invention Test – Contestants worked with mystery box ingredients; Kira claimed victory. Sarah won the breakfast invention test advantage. Deepali, Nick, Jamie, and Scott faced pressure tests. | 770,000 | #10 | |
| 6/02-2 | Monday, 12 May 2014 | Pressure Test: Shannon Bennett's Fillet of Beef – Contestants attempted to replicate Bennett’s Filet De Boeuf Et Pommes Souffle Au Jus Gras. Deepali was eliminated due to difficulties related to her dietary restrictions affecting steak preparation. | 735,000 | #13 | |
| 7/02-3 | Tuesday, 13 May 2014 | Restaurant Takeover Team Challenge – At Melbourne’s St Kilda Beach, two teams designed menus and pricing for two restaurants. The Red Team won by generating higher revenue; the Blue Team faced elimination. | 701,000 | #14 | |
| 8/02-4 | Wednesday, 14 May 2014 | Three Dishes from One Snapper Elimination Challenge – Blue Team members prepared three rounds using a single snapper. Nicole was eliminated after a risky approach failed due to excessive hot oil dressing and insufficient protein for later rounds. | 889,000 | #10 | |
| Thursday, 15 May 2014 | Masterchef Australia: Class of 2014 – A behind-the-scenes episode featuring interviews with the Top 24 contestants. | 578,000 | #14 | ||
| Week 3 | |||||
| 9/03-1 | Sunday, 18 May 2014 | Maggie Beer's Mystery Box Challenge and Spanish Invention Test – Contestants utilized ingredients selected by Maggie Beer; Scott won the mystery box round. The invention test involved Spanish ingredients offering immunity opportunities; some contestants faced pressure tests due to raw squid dishes. | 924,000 | #7 | |
| 10/03-2 | Monday, 19 May 2014 | Pressure Test: Alla Wolf-Tasker's Rivers and Lakes – Contestants recreated Alla Wolf-Tasker's dish. Nick was eliminated because of poor plating and technical difficulties. | 748,000 | #17 | |
| 11/03-3 | Tuesday, 20 May 2014 | Immunity Challenge: Ollie Gould – Tracy won a mystery box challenge among three contestants and competed against chef Ollie Gould for immunity but was unsuccessful. | 780,000 | #13 | |
| 12/03-4 | Wednesday, 21 May 2014 | Three-Course Team Challenge from Memory: Cutler & Co. and Ezard – Two teams replicated restaurant dishes from memory for guests at Melbourne venues. Despite technical problems, Blue Team won; Red Team faced elimination. | 928,000 | #8 | |
| 13/03-5 | Thursday,22 May2014 | Sudden Death Elimination Challenge: Fast Food – Red Team contestants prepared fast food dishes across three timed rounds. Emily was eliminated due to technical issues with banana fritters. | 870,000 | #7 | |
| MasterClass: Maggie Beer et al. – Judges shared signature recipes during a MasterClass session with remaining contestants. | 629,000 | #17 | |||
| 14/04-1 | Sunday,25 May2014 | Press Club Mystery Box Challenge and Invention Test: Proteins or Vegetables – George Calombaris provided mystery box ingredients; Emelia earned an advantage selecting pantry restrictions for the invention test. Jamie, Steven and Scott were sent to pressure test after weak dishes. | 948,000 | #7 | |
| 15/04-2 | Monday,26 May2014 | Pressure Test: Christy Tania's Mango Alfonso – Contestants replicated a complex pastry dessert; Scott was eliminated due to errors in choux pastry execution. | 718,000 | #15 | |
| 16/04-3 | Tuesday,27 May2014 | Immunity Challenge: Benjamin Cooper – Tash won the initial round but lost to chef Benjamin Cooper in the immunity cook-off. | 934,000 | #11 | |
| 17/04-4 | Wednesday,28 May2014 | Four-Course Dessert Degustation Challenge – Two teams crafted garden-themed desserts under mentor Darren Purchese; Blue Team prevailed; Red Team faced elimination. | 779,000 | #11 | |
| 18/04-5 | Thursday,29 May2014 | Blind Taste Test Elimination Challenge – Contestants identified ingredients blindfolded then cooked dishes using them. Sean was eliminated following multiple cooking mistakes. | 882,000 | #5 | |
| 19/05-1 | Sunday,1 June2014 | Perilous Mystery Box Challenge and Invention Test – Emelia won the mystery box challenge gaining advantage selecting Thai prawn dish theme; Steven sat out second challenge for health reasons leading to pressure test participation; Benry was eliminated after pressure test defeat. | 885,000 | #8 | |
| 20/05-2 | Monday,2 June2014 | Saint Crispin Pressure Test: Sweet and Savoury – Contestants recreated dishes by Joe Grbac and Scott Pickett; Steven was eliminated following critical errors. | 743,000 | #14 | |
| 21/05-3 | Tuesday,3 June2014 | Immunity Challenge: Matt Stone – Rachael won initial round but lost final immunity cook-off against chef Matt Stone. | 836,000 | #12 | |
| 22/05-4 | Wednesday,4 June2014 | Queen Victoria Market Team Challenge – Four teams cooked dishes within $700 budgets aiming for highest sales; Yellow Team won; Red Team captain Brent faced his fifth elimination challenge. | 828,000 | #9 | |
| Week6 | |||||
| Grand Finale Week | |||||