MasterChef star Alvin Quah suffers kitchen meltdown during pressure test

Returning MasterChef star Alvin Quah had to be consoled in the kitchen during tonight’s pressure test after suffering a crippling attack of self-doubt.

One of Adriano Zumbo’s dreaded pressure tests almost sent a MasterChef favourite over the edge tonight – with returning star Alvin Quah overcome with emotion as he battled feelings of inadequacy in the kitchen.

Alvin, who came sixth in season two 12 years ago at the very hands of one of Zumbo’s notoriously elaborate desserts, had to be consoled by judge Melissa Leong as he broke down in tears and struggled to continue.

Faced with recreating Zumbo’s fiddly “Polly Want A Waffle” dish, Alvin admitted he was feeling “rattled” in the competition up against the other favourites, including original victor Julie Goodwin, who was also fighting to be saved from elimination.

Adriano Zumbo is back to stir things up in the MasterChef kitchen.

This time, his insane dessert was almost Alvin's undoing.

A few steps into the recipe, Alvin’s apprehension bubbled over and, much to the concern of the contestants looking on, he began taking short, sharp breaths, appearing to hyperventilate as though on the brink of a panic attack.

“As I’m tempering the chocolate, I can’t get the temperature of the chocolate right, and I realise that Max and Julie are in front of me, and I start to panic,” he explained to cameras of the moment.

“It’s just hit me, that you’re in a pressure test set by Adriano Zumbo,” he said.

Alvin began to panic at his station a few steps into the cook.

“All the negative thoughts come flowing back in, that you’re not good enough. you can’t compete, what are you doing here. This is a mammoth task and I’m only at page one … this is too much,” he added as the watching contestants began to cheer him on.

“As I’m panicking I hear this uproar of cheer from the gantry and that means so much. It’s a sign that they believe in me and it’s just enough catalyst for me to say ‘You know what, get your sh*t together’,” he explained.

“Self-doubt is quite insidious. You let a little in and it just keeps coming in. You just need to shut that door.”

But while Alvin looked to be back on track, the feeling of panic crept back in at the end of the cook, prompting Melissa Leong to offer her support.

As Alvin broke down in tears while pushing out his tempered chocolate, Mel, who has been praised for her warmth with contestants, held his hand and said: “I’m with you.”

Mel and Alvin shared an emotional moment during the tricky cook.

As Alvin sobbed and declared, “I can’t do this”, the beloved foodie pulled him in for a hug and a word of encouragement, assuring him the hardest part of preparing the various elements was already over.

Despite the moment of insecurity, Alvin’s attempt at the Zumbo creation was dubbed “dish of the day”, and it was unfortunately fan Dulan sent home instead.

MasterChef Australia continues Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel 10.

Originally published as MasterChef star Alvin Quah suffers kitchen meltdown during pressure test