It was no less than the Wimbledon finale.
And if you see the photograph of 23-year-old Billie McKay holding up her shield, you will see that's what the photographer was going for.
In what was inarguably the tensest finale since the reality show's first season in 2009, it is evident that winning MasterChef isn't just about cooking great food. It is about strength of character and the ability to maintain your cool through grueling situations. While you need an artist's vision, it's really about an almost athletic tenacity. And McKay, a restaurant manager who grew up on a dairy farm in northern NSW, has demonstrated this through the season, and especially in the finale that aired on Star World Premiere HD on August 4. Ultimately, McKay won over the 27-year-old jury favourite Georgia Barnes because of these traits.
Here are our top 10 moments from the finale.
1. When Billie McKay, the sports star, made her podium finish: Farm girl, restaurant manager, amateur cook: these descriptors don't fit MasterChef Australia's 2015 winner anymore. She's an elite athlete. Just look at her. McKay won a cash prize of $250,000, an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and an offer she could not refuse from celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal.
2. When Heston Blumenthal was 'gobsmacked': In one of the episode's most uplifting moments, celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal admitted he was "a little bit gobsmacked" by McKay's cool performance in the pressure test. And he offered McKay a job at his three-Michelin star restaurant The Fat Duck on the spot!
3. The farmers' catwalk: The first round was the season's final Mystery Box. But instead of unveiling the contents of the box, the exceptional produce was brought in by farmers and fishmongers themselves—a thoughtful tribute to the men and women behind the scenes. Can't get over the guy in the red raincoat and gumboots.
4. Matt Preston's psychological warfare: The judges like playing mind games with the contestants. But Matt Preston went a tad over-the-top when he came around to McKay's bench, hinted that her Mystery Box dish was "too simple" and said, "Just keep up with Georgia, will you?" Although this ruffled McKay sufficiently (she went on to over-complicate her dish, giving Barnes a two-point lead in the first round), we loved the "Are you serious?" look she shot back at Preston.
5. The Daddy's Little Girl moment: For the second round, the finalists were asked to cook anything they wanted, with the added incentive of their family members joining in for the tasting. As McKay's parents and boyfriend watched her cook, her father came to her bench to taste her fennel and scallops dish. "It's all right," he grinned. He welled up several times through the cook, especially when he saw his little girl struggle to make her sugar globe (more on that glorious moment later). His country accent and unconcealed pride were most endearing. "She never liked milkin' and would always blag off to cook instead…looks like that paid off," he said. Charming runs in the genes.
6. When Heston Blumenthal blew his cover: The final round was a pressure test where the two contestants had to recreate a Blumenthal dessert inspired by botrytis (a 'good' grape rot which produces some of the sweetest dessert wines in the world). From grape fluid gel to golden sugar globes, one look at that magical construction and you know what all the fuss about Blumenthal is about.
7. Reynold-spotting: He might have been eliminated during finals week, but Reynold Poernomo remains the audience favourite (some people on Twitter want to adopt the 20-year-old). Acknowledged by everybody as the "best pastry chef the MasterChef kitchen has seen so far," all eyes were on him as Blumenthal revealed his dessert dish.
8. Barnes crying over spilt grape-fluid gel: Barnes' teary outbursts and bouts of nervous self-doubt have been quite annoying, honestly. Amongst the panic she managed to whip up during the pressure test (as she always does), she spilt almost half of her grape fluid gel. A great moment for #TeamBillie (also known as "everybody in the world").
9. Billie McKay being Buddha: Amidst the unsurmountable pressure of the final round, where McKay was chasing Barnes' four point lead, she managed to turn around and check on Barnes' during one of her nervous meltdowns. "Are you okay? It’ll be all right," she said. We knew Billie McKay was a wholesome country girl, but this was a 'gobsmacking' demonstration of character.
10. When Billie McKay won the globe: Fully aware that she had to 'nail' the final round to have any chance of winning, McKay worked at a manic pace to ensure she had enough time to recreate Heston Blumenthal’s golden sugar globe—a crucial element of his botrytis-inspired dessert. After several attempts, she had her first breakdown of the entire season (This is when Daddy McKay shed some tears too). Then George Calombaris played life coach and McKay got back on her feat like Mary Kom. When she finally made her sugar globe—a feat Blumenthal said has broken his seasoned chefs—it was a moment of pure, golden joy for everybody watching.
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