MasterChef: The Professionals

Episode 19 (10x19)

Air date: Dec 19, 2017

It is finals week and the competition is racing to the finish line. After six weeks of intense culinary battles, just four talented chefs remain from the original 48. As the tension rises, the chefs need to pull out all the stops for presenter Gregg Wallace and leading chefs Monica Galetti and Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing. Only one chef can be crowned MasterChef: The Professionals Champion of 2017. Over three nights, the chefs face the close scrutiny of some of the world's greatest chefs and face the challenge and unique opportunity of working in some of the most groundbreaking restaurants around. The first challenge the four chefs face is the once-in-a-lifetime chance to cook at one of the most prestigious events in the UK culinary calendar - The Chef's Table. It allows the finalists to showcase their food to their professional heroes as 23 culinary giants descend on London for this unique annual event. It is the only time so many of the UK's top culinary talents gather together to dine and provides a potentially career-changing moment for the finalists. This year, the VIP chef guests have 22 Michelin stars between them and include three Michelin-starred Matt Abe, Atul Kochhar, Nigel Haworth, Andrew Fairlie and Gary Jones, as well as rising stars Tommy Banks, James Lowe, Selin Kiazim and Elizabeth Haigh. Each chef takes charge of one of four courses, which are served to all 23 of their culinary idols. Over five intense hours, they are watched over by Marcus and Monica as they cook for their lives, preparing every last element of their ambitious creations to perfection to please their important guests. The stakes are incredibly high as the opportunity to be noticed by the leaders of the UK culinary industry doesn't come along every day. It is a career-defining experience for the chefs as they inch closer to the title of Professional MasterChef 2017.