It's the fifth and final week of heats, and the last nine home cooks arrive to face the Audition Round. They must cook their signature dish that will show judges John and Gregg who they are as a cook and how good they could become.
John and Gregg don't witness them cook in the MasterChef kitchen. Instead, they taste each dish in the new Tasting Room. Just like diners in a restaurant, they judge each contestant's food solely on the plate that is put in front of them. After tasting all nine plates, John and Gregg pick their three favourite dishes, awarding those cooks a MasterChef apron and immunity from cooking in the next round.
The remaining six contestants get another chance to impress the judges and win themselves a coveted apron. If they delivered a savoury dish in the first round, they must now cook a sweet dish, or vice versa. This time, John and Gregg are in the kitchen witnessing their every move. The pressure is intense and the stakes are high as only four cooks can join the three already fast-tracked in the next round. For the other two, their MasterChef dream will be over.