Here’s Everything We Know About The MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites Finale

After almost three months of pressure tests, mystery boxes and elimination challenges, we've reached the pointy end of the MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites competition, with the grand finale just around the corner.

The show kicked off this year with a revamped format featuring 12 fresh-faced foodies (fans) and 12 previous contestants returning to the MasterChef kitchen (favourites).

Whether it's fans or favourites left come finale night, judges Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong, and Andy Allen will have quite the task on their hands to taste some of the most technical and delicious dishes the show has seen in its 14 years.

As the countdown to the big night well and truly kicks off, here's everything you need to know about the 2022 MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites finale.

The MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites winner will be revealed at the finale airing on Tuesday, July 12 at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10 Play.

MasterChef usually enlists a big name to drop by the kitchen on finale night to set the ultimate final challenge. As the new promos already hinted, we can confirm that British chef Heston Blumenthal will be the celebrity guest this year.

If Billie McKay happens to make it through to the grand final, it'll be a true blast from the past for her, after she worked at Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant for six months after winning season 7 in 2015.

The winner of MasterChef Australia usually takes home a quarter of a million dollars, which is a pretty sweet deal. In 2021, winner Justin Narayan's money prize came to $250,000, while first runner-up Pete Campbell scored $30,000 and second-runner-up Kishwar Chowdhury took home $20,000.

The finale will come down to the final two contestants going head to head in what's usually two rounds of intense cooking.

If previous years are anything to go by, their loved ones plus eliminated contestants will be watching from the gantry and be part of the filming on the day.

In a bid to avoid spoilers and keep the winner's identity concealed, the Channel 10 show has filmed different endings, each featuring a different finalist being crowned the 14th winner of Masterchef Australia.

"MasterChef Australia has now wrapped filming on Fans & Favourites, and we look forward to seeing the winner crowned on air. Multiple endings were recorded to ensure results are not spoilt for our audience," an Endemol Shine Australia spokesperson told Refinery29 Australia. Endemol Shine is the production company behind the popular Logie-nominated cooking show.

The strategic move comes after speculation that last year's winner, Justin Narayan was revealed before the finale went to air. According to reports, betting agency Sportsbet "abruptly listed Justin Narayan as the most likely winner with odds of $1.28" after an on-set "leak".

However, this isn't the first time that MasterChefAustralia has filmed two endings. In 2017, the reality show captured both Diana Chan and Ben Ungermann winning the final trophy.

There are now two contestants — Sarah Todd (Season 6) and Billie McKay (Season 7) — remaining on the show and through to the grand final, after Daniel Lamble was eliminated following a dramatic semi-final.

The previously eliminated contestants are Julie Goodwin (Season 1), Alvin Quah (Season 2) Sashi Cheliah (Season 10), Michael Weldon (Season 3), Christina Batista (Season 5), John Carasig (Season 7), Aldo Ortado (Season 10), Mindy Woods (Season 4), Minoli De Silva (Season 13), Tommy Pham (Season 13), Ali Stoner, Jenn Lee, Chris Tran, Keyma Vasquez Montero, Dulan Hapuarachchi, Harry Tomlinson, Matt Landmark, Max Krapivsky, Melanie Persson, Montana Hughes and Steph Woon.