"My mind is blown": MasterChef winner crowned!
Billie McKay has been announced as MasterChef Fans & Favourites winner!
The seventh season winner was up against Sarah Todd, who came ninth on the sixth season of MasterChef.
The pair went head-to-head for the glorious $250,000 prize money on Tuesday night which saw Billie beat Sarah by just a few points.
This makes Billie the first person to win two seasons of MasterChef.
The first round of the grand finale gave Billie and Sarah the option of choosing between a mystery box or to cook a dish that was both sweet and savoury.
Both Billie and Sarah opted for the latter and made cumin panna cotta with rosemary and rhubarb and sticky chicken wingettes with glaze respectively.
Sarah was praised by the judges for “hitting the brief” with Melissa Leong describing it as a “very well-balanced plate of food.”
She received 26 points.
Billie’s panna cotta unfortunately did not set in time which saw her accept the “major fail”.
“I am so disappointed for you. It’s the foundational aspect of this entire dish and it’s not set – that’s a really tough pill to swallow,” Melissa said.
While judge Andy Allen said it was “delicious – but it could be better with a set panna cotta.”
She received 21 points.
The second and final round was tough for Billie who was already five points behind Sarah but the pair rallied on.
Guest chef Heston Blumenthal arrived and gave Billie and Sarah five hours and 15 minutes to replicate his epic dish, taffety tart.
Both contestants were faced with a few mishaps along the way before placing their dish to be judged.
Once again, Sarah went first with judge Jock Zonfrillo saying her dish was “just as good” as Heston’s. Melissa called it an “extraordinary effort”.
Andy however pointed out a few issues which gave a bit of a window for Billie.
Sarah received 30 points out of 40 bringing her total score to 56.
The judges' tasted Billie’s dish and were in awe at the precision and taste.
Andy described the dish on “another level of precision and finesse”.
“Everything is there, present and correct. My mind is blown,” Melissa said.
Billie shot to the lead when she received 37 points out of 40 bringing her total score to 58.
Image: Channel 10