A new leader has emerged and so too has a surprise contender for the crown of MasterChef Australia.
Fresh out of elimination, Diana Chan once again donned the dreaded black apron to put herself on a plate for a tasting table that included "rock star" chefs Lake House's Alla Wolf-Tasker, Quay's Peter Gilmore, The Bridge Room's Ross Lusted and Vue de Monde's Shannon Bennett.
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Diana, who has become a bookie favourite – overtaking Ben Ungermann last week – surprised chef Wolf-Tasker with her seafood and greens salad.
"I've got to say, when it landed I thought to myself 'mmm a little bit too pretty for it's own good and that it's all about the looks', but I am actually surprised by how good this dish is, and that hit of chilli is just perfect," she said.
Judge Gary Mehigan complimented Diana on her efficiency in the kitchen, while fellow judge George Calombaris complimented her plating.
"It's the sort of food I love and she has cooked this dish with a real subtlety and appreciation of keeping the flavours pure and true," said chef Gilmore.
"There's a finesse .. and refinement for a young cook that's impressive," complimented chef Lusted.
Chef Bennett went one better, suggesting there were "a lot of chefs right now, at the top of their game, cooking something like this".
!['Rock star' chefs Lake House's Alla Wolf-Tasker, Vue de Monde's Shannon Bennett, Quay's Peter Gilmore, and The Bridge ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20170721090545im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/d/v/s/6/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxdky8.png/1500385739667.jpg)
But the real story has been Tamara Graffen's resurrection in the competition after wearing the black apron more than any other contender this season (nine times now) and having been eliminated once already.
"The thing that sent me home in the pressure test, with the similar dish, was my mousse was grainy and the texture wasn't great. I'm not making the same mistake twice," she said.
![Diana Chan serves Peter Gilmore (far left) among others at the MasterChef table.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170721090545im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/d/u/g/h/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxdky8.png/1500385739667.jpg)
Tamara almost dropped the ball, literally, when one of her dessert domes went tumbling onto her bench, but it was quickly fixed.
And while she may have only seen her stressed reflection in her dark chocolate domes of burnt orange mousse goodness, others saw a twinkle of unexpected delight in a competition that still looks to be anyone's, with only four episodes left to go.
![Diana's seafood and greens dish: 'Me on a plate.'](http://web.archive.org./web/20170721090545im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/d/u/g/i/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxdky8.png/1500385739667.jpg)
"Wow. I think we're tasting dish of the day," said a hugely impressed chef Gilmore. "That's at a level we'd expect in a restaurant."
"Damn good, damn good," said a smiling chef Wolf-Tasker. "The texture, just sublime."
![Fingers crossed: Tamara Graffen gets 'dish of the day' on MasterChef.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170721090545im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/d/v/2/b/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxdky8.png/1500385739667.jpg)
For chef Lusted, "The technique is phenomenal; the gloss you could tell immediately. It's a beautiful, shiny pearl in a bowl."
It may have come as no surprise that Arum Nixon was the one to be eliminated since he has failed to resonate with viewers (having kept long odds with bookmakers) as anything more than a meat and purees man.
![Tamara's dark horse dessert.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170721090545im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/d/v/2/c/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxdky8.png/1500385739667.jpg)
So when his duck dish failed to fly with the seasoned chefs, the crunch of the cleaver could be heard long before Mehigan made the announcement and despite Ben's short-bread-comings.
But the remaining question for viewers is whether Ben will break free of the ice cream mould he has cast himself into, since churning out the same thing, no matter how tasty, can leave judges cold.
Meanwhile a question mark also hangs over middle-of-the-ground Karlie Verkerk, simply because her ingredient choices, rather than her cooking skills, have sometimes cost her.
The only thing known for sure is that the race for the finish next Monday is a tight one.
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