Episode 1

This year the judges are mixing it up – introducing a whole new set of challenges the passionate amateurs must complete in order to progress in the competition.

Each week for five weeks, nine home cooks cook for the judges. This year their first test is the Audition Round, in which they must cook their signature dish - one that tells John and Gregg who they are as a cook and how good they could become. John and Gregg don't watch the chefs in the kitchen. Instead, they taste each dish in the new MasterChef Tasting Room. After they have tasted all nine dishes, the best three dishes will be awarded a coveted MasterChef apron, securing their place in the competition.

The remaining six contestants then get another chance to impress the judges and win themselves an apron. If they cooked a sweet dish in the first round, they must prepare a savoury dish now, 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 of challenges. For the other two, their MasterChef dream will be over.