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Kate Bracks wins MasterChef Australia 2011!

Kate Bracks has won the series title of MasterChef Australia for 2011 over Michael Weldon.

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Kate Bracks has won the series title of MasterChef Australia for 2011.

The 36 year old mum from Orange, New South Wales defeated 25 year old film projectionist Michael Weldon from Adelaide.

She scored 87 points over Michael’s 84 points.

She wins $100,000 cash, restaurant training and a publishing deal for a cookbook.

The finale wrapped up the third season of the hit reality series for TEN.

The two-part finale consisted of three tests worth a total of 100 points.

Round One: Mystery Box Race (20 pts)
Michael: Steak & Oyster Pie
Kate: Balmain Bug & Crab Remoulade Salad.

With three Mystery Boxes to plough through Michael was on fire, but Kate struggled from the get go with the intricacies of the crab meat. The judges weren’t sure Kate’s crab was cooked enough. Michael’s carrots also let him down.

Michael scored 17 points.
Kate scored 15 points.

Round Two: Invention Test (40 points)
Kate: Sherry-Glazed Quail with roast and garlic custard, asparagus duxelle and hazelnuts.
Michael: Butter Poached Lobster with fennel, leeks and and champagne sauce.

Kate burnt a bamboo steamer but had extra custards to cover herself. Michael’s dish was considered simple and while the judges applauded his lobster they weren’t enamoured by leaving the roots of his leeks on the dish. The judges loved Kate’s quail and sauce but the custard had a smoky taste.

Michael scored 31 points (48)
Kate scored 36 points (51)

When the contest resumed after being rudely interrupted by The Renovators, it was time for the third and final challenge.

Round Three: Pressure Test
Guest Chef Rene Redzepi from Noma in Copenhagen brought them the toughest dish from his restaurant, a carrot sorbet “snowman.” It was an intricate three-layered dish. Kate lost a third of her puree and had to adjust her recipe. Michael nearly forgot to add some key elements to the dish. Plating up against the ticking clock was a nightmare for both. But the judges loved both desserts.

Michael scored 34 points. (82)
Kate scored 36 points. (87)

“I feel relieved I’ve made it to the end and I feel incredibly blessed to have this experience,” said Bracks. “I guess it means life will never be the same again for our entire family. It means there will be opportunities perhaps that I’ve never, ever dreamed of and it’s opened up a new door for my life.”

Gary Mehigan also offered Michael Weldon a three month scholarship at his own restaurant including a $10,000 wage.

“I walked into here today knowing that whatever happened I would be happy,” said Weldon. “Speaking to Callum Hann and Poh Ling Yeow I know how well they’ve done by coming second and I know I can do something great after MasterChef.”

The finale saw both finalists joined by their families, guest chefs, former MasterChef faces and the remaining 22 contestants from 2011.

This post updates.

69 Responses

  2. It seems that several weeks ago a bunch of people were saying that some combination of Hayden, Ellie and Dani were going to be in the final or had been hand picked by the judges to win. Now a bunch of people (the same people?) are saying Kate had been picked for weeks. Not saying they’re wrong necessarily, but it’s easier to pick eventually winner or judges’ favourite if you keep changing your mind every week.

  5. Well Im rapt Kate won and I was surprised to when they had another egg dessert.

    Kate cooked better in the last 2 dishes. I really liked Michael but im not sure how he could call his 2nd dish a steak and oyster pie. Anyway he did well out of it. being mentored by Gary isnt a bad prize.

    It seemed all of the season 3 contestants were there excepet maybe Adam who i didnt see. But even Matt was there and it was also good to see him in the friday Masterclass. It was also nice to see Julie, Poh and Callum there.

  6. The final should be judged as a blind tasting…..the method of judging used last night allows for a contrived result (or at least the perception of one).

  8. Predictable conclusion to a predictable and disappointing season. Surely, with all the millions upon millions of food dishes in the world, the producers could have chosen something that wasn’t so similar to last year’s final test – one was a snow egg, the other was a snow man. How boring. And just take a look at the recipe – n.pr/snowmanrecipe- this isn’t cooking, it’s a science experiment! I am wondering how the contestants managed to make the meringue in the time limit, given the recipe calls for a 10-hour process…Another bit of dodginess from the look of it.

  9. They picked the mum because they saw how popular Julie is compared to Adam or whoever the guy was that won last year,They realised mums are more likely to relate to another mums. But I am sure Michael (like Poh and Callum) will go far..(as do most ‘runners up’ of reality shows)

  10. PS – the best thing about last night was the preview for Class of 2011…! that looks more pertinent. hopefully their analysis of the Australian education system will show how the Howard decade ripped hte guts out of school literacy and higher ed.

  11. Masterchef seems to have drained the talent pool dry and could do with a rest. But commerical tv doesn’t work that way. So they will keep flogging away at it…
    Kate conducted herself admirably under pressure but on the whole, series 3 was a yawn compared with seasons 1&2, in terms of personalities, commentary, and dishes. The sparkle has gone and no amount of sponsorship and imported guests is going to change that because it’s not about the money. Finally, what was with that stupid dessert?

  12. I’m speechless.
    I’ve never seen so many angry, frustrated comments about a show by so many people, who – incredibly to me – still watched it!
    Why will they fix it if you still watched anyway?
    I’ve no sympathy for any of you.

  15. I’ve watched this whole season, even though the scoring/bias/emotional bits/ad breaks are lame and annoying. I was hoping Michael would win – he’s younger and more liking to use the $$ for his cooking future, whereas Kate would probably use it for her mortgage or a holiday…I was annoyed how the judges loved Michael’s snowman but scored it less than Kate’s. They obviously planned the winner, based on her being a mum and possibly being more appealing to the demographic, which in turn may sell more cookbooks.
    This show is good but some things need to be tweaked…

  16. I was really happy Kate won. I was a bit disappointed that channel ten put the renovators on TV. Kate just had to win to win because she worked hard and used her best talent dessert. Three cheers for Kate .

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