The world's toughest cooking competition is back. Out of hundreds of ordinary applicants aspiring to be chefs, 18 talented home cooks - teachers, students, investors, stay-at-home moms and a food delivery driver - are chosen to fight for 12 MasterChef aprons. The first cooking audition takes place at the Super Tree Grove and some of the survivors are given a second chance at the Flower Dome

The Top 12 are welcomed into the MasterChef Kitchen by an international culinary superstar - Chef Gaggan. Gaggan raises the stakes with his own prize offer to the winner of the challenge. The competition begins with a taste test. The number of right answers determine the number of ingredients contestants can use from the pantry for their first challenge. The bottom six from the first cook then fight to hold onto their aprons.

Top brass from DBS bank visits the MasterChef Kitchen and highlights the environmental havoc caused by food waste. To encourage zero waste cooking, they offer a cash prize to the home cook who can create the most delicious dish with food scraps rescued from restaurant waste bins. The bottom six are then thrown a curve ball through a Hidden Pairs challenge. Guest Chef Nurul tests the contestants with ten of the strangest ingredient pairings

The Top 10 arrive at Mandai Zoo and learn of their first team challenge. They are to create sustainable menus for zoo workers and supporters. Held at the Night Safari's tipi tent, the dinner is to raise awareness of the environmental impact our food choices have. The diners decide which team is safe from elimination. The losing team returns to the MasterChef Kitchen for an elimination challenge with Guest Chef Lisa Tang

Sleepy contestants are awoken at 5am. After dragging themselves to the MasterChef Kitchen, the reason for the early start is revealed: each to cook a brunch dish which stars coffee. Each Nespresso Vertuo flavour is assigned a specific cooking method decided by Guest Chef LG Han. The Bottom 4 then face elimination in one of the most frantic challenges

The pressure is high in Round 1 with steam! With the help of Guest Chef Ming Tan, contestants must cook with the V-ZUG oven. The dishes determine the pairings for the next round. The cooks of the best two dishes will team up and gain a big advantage. Guest Chef Mohammed Al-Matin then sets the most technically difficult challenge ever seen in MasterChef Singapore. Contestants work in twos to re-create one of Matin's elaborate desserts.

Contestants get a taste of the high life with some of the finest ingredients. But first, a produce quiz lets one home cook choose how to split the top 6 into pairs. Each team gets assigned two premium proteins to be starred in a luxurious two course meal. The higher the team places in Round 1, the more time they get when competing as individuals in the fiery elimination challenge where they must cook a sweet and savoury dish.

A dramatic day as returning contestants seek to fight their way back into the competition. Then Chef Gaggan makes his comeback with the most emotion-charged cook yet: the home cooks have a video message from their family. The calls trigger tears which turn to terror as the families set a dish to be transformed in Round 1 of cooking. In Round 2, another two home cooks will be eliminated in two 30 minute heats cooking one of Singapore's favourite dishes.

The Top 4 don their very own chefs' whites to take over the cooking at the two Michelin star JAAN by Kirk Westaway. They will have to impress JAAN's regular customers as they attempt to replicate dishes from the star-studded menu. Returning to the MasterChef Kitchen for Round 2, the pressure ramps up with Tristin Farmer, head chef of the three Michelin star restaurant Zen.

For the first time in MasterChef Singapore, the Top 3 will face off in the Finale. They will cook their ultimate three course meal while the rest of the Top 12 watch on. Each course is cooked in separate rounds with dishes scored by the judges at the end of the round. After the first two courses have been scored, only the top two highest combined score will go on to cook. At the end, the one with the highest total points will take home the title of MasterChef