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MasterChef 2020 grand final: Emelia beats Laura to win

Viewers were surprised to see the MasterChef finalists hug given the show's strict social-distancing rules.

Nick BondNick Bond
@bondnickbond
less than 2 min read
July 21, 2020 - 7:17AM
Emelia has won MasterChef 2020 (MasterChef)

Emelia Jackson has won MasterChef 2020, beating close friend Laura Sharrad after a near-perfect three course cook.

Poor Laura suffered a few setbacks during her final cook, badly burning her hand and leaving a freezer door open as her gelato was setting.

And while Emelia walked away with $250,000 and the title of MasterChef winner, Laura didn't leave empty-handed-  the judges awarded her $30,000 too. 

It’s a full circle moment for the pair, who competed together in MasterChef season six – back then, Laura and Emelia came second and third respectively, both losing out to Brent Owens. 

This wraps up our MasterChef grand final live coverage - but you can see how tonight played out in the liveblog below, as we've brought you all the highlights, lowlights, and social media sassiness:

Updates

A rule-breaking hug?

Can we talk about that cuddle? Coronavirus hit MasterChef production early in the season, and since then, social restrictions have made some of those emotional reality TV moments slightly awkward as contestants watched each other from afar as they broke down or exited the competition.

After Emelia was announced as the winner, she turned to Laura – standing several metres away – and the pair hesitated for a second before rushing to embrace each other, presumably their first hug in quite a while.

Would Dan Andrews or Gladys Berejiklian be happy? Probably not. But damned if it wasn't a heartwarmingly emotional moment.

Wait – as fellow contestant Khanh points out, it wasn't too much of a rule-breaking cuddle:

Emelia's victory message

Emelia's all smiles after her win:

In a lengthy Instagram post just now, she called the win "the perfect way to begin the next decade of my life."

"Onto the next big things from this little gal. Baking classes (online and hands on!), my brand new line of cake mixes (SOLD OUT before this post! Round two now in production), a baking bible underway and maybe a sneaky choux patisserie!"

'I'm gutted': Emotional final moments of MasterChef

MasterChef runner-up Laura Sharrad has issued a teary statement after losing to her close friend Emelia.

Gracious in defeat, her words sum up just what a person she is.

After a close embrace with her competitor, she faced the judges and shared how proud she was of her friend.

"I'm pretty gutted. I'm not gonna lie. But, um… Hoo," she said through tears.

"I'm so proud of her. Mils is amazing and she deserves this so much. Like, she's come so far. To watch her grow has been amazing."

"To eat her food has been amazing. She really deserves this. She really, really does ."

Her former boss Jock then issued a stunning send-off to the runner-up and his former Orana employee, who runs a pasta restaurant in Adelaide: "Laura," he said.

"I've watched you come a long way since you came into my kitchen. And I've got to say, the person you were then compared to the person you are now… You have grown so much."

He went on: "Not just as a chef but as a woman. The way you carry yourself in the kitchen, the way you're standing here right now, in the midst of defeat, in a moment where you would rather just be swallowed into the earth and get the hell out of here, you stand there and praise your competitor.

"And I've got to say, you know, I admire that."

She was awarded $30,000 to expand her business.

Second runner-up Reynold scored $20,000.

A super-cute moment

Good friends Laura and Emelia share a lovely, quiet moment together as they reflect on how far they've come.

"We just did the grand final together!" says Emelia.

"I don't want this to end," says Laura.

If these weren't coronavirus social distancing times, this is probably where they'd hug:

The final dish

Now it's time for the final meal of the night, Emelia's dessert, and she admits she's nervous she hasn't got the flavour balance quite right.

She serves up pistachio Financier with Davidson plum, raspberry sorbet and meringue.

"It's gorgeous… it's a high-fashion dessert," says Mel.

It tastes just as good as it looks. "The balance was perfect," says Andy, while Mel calls it "French patisserie magic." All three judges love it.

Dessert's up

Laura serves up her Jerusalem artichoke gelato – hopefully not too affected by freezergate – to the judges. It looks delicious (not something I ever thought I'd say about artichoke gelato).

Uh-oh. The freezer gaffe might have had an effect: "I think it feels a bit icy," says Melissa.

Andy agrees: "There's a couple of things here that haven't gone right."

Mel says she feels a bit of "sandiness stuck in the teeth… not a pleasant experience."

Jock's less tough with his review, but overall, this is getting a muted reception.

Andy's critique rinsed on Twitter

Former MasterChef contestant Andy Allen has been mocked on social media for his basic critiques yet again.

The man loves to invent a word, tonight complimenting Emelia's short ribs for their "doneness".

"Huge props to Emelia for keeping her head during that cooking of the beef, because she has got the perfect amount of doneness on that short rib," he said to his fellow judges.

Over on Twitter, viewers were quick to point out the baffling comment.

One fan, however, suggested he could actually be speaking chef-lingo.

Earlier this month, former contestant Chris Badenoch slammed the new judge's feedback, calling it "incredibly frustrating."

“Jock or Melissa will give you a good critique … (but Andy) it’s not constructive. It’s like a Trump speech; a whole lot of words that don’t match,” he told news.com.au.

Ouch.

Another blow for Laura

Another unlucky mistake for Laura, who's already cooking with one hand due to her nasty burn. She realises she's left the freezer door slightly ajar – the freezer where her gelato dessert has been setting, waiting to be served up to the judges. Not for the first time tonight, she worries this error could cost her the competition.

Emelia's self-doubts

Emelia is nervous about her dessert, given the same dish was her undoing in the season 6 semi final.

“I’ve been really intimidated by my peers around me, thinking I’m not good enough to be here,” she says.

“There’s no more chances, I need to give this dessert my all.”

She lays out her pistachio cakes, adds her white chocolate and pistachio mousse, and the result looks impeccable.

“I can’t help thinking about the dessert of season six, my elements were completely unbalanced,” she says.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/live-masterchef-2020-grand-final-laura-takes-on-emelia/live-coverage/5a784aa1162d8ffbef6c1e56333ccc1d