Billie McKay has come from four points down to be crowned this year's MasterChef after nailing a Heston Blumenthal dessert.
The restaurant manager from NSW has won $250,000, a car, magazine column and been offered a job at Blumenthal's iconic UK restaurant, The Fat Duck.
Georgia Barnes from Queensland was leading Billie 50 points to 46 after a mystery box cook and another round creating dishes for their families.
But the real test was the Blumenthal dessert marathon: a five-hour challenge to recreate his grape-inspired botrytis cinerea dish, which contains 17 elements like a chocolate sphere, a gel and a sugar ball.
Billie got every element on her plate but Georgia ran out of time to make the sugar ball and had a grainy gel.
The 23-year-old scored 82 points to Georgia's 80, clinching victory.
"This has just been the best time of my life," Billie said, her normally cool exterior giving way to tears.
Judge Matt Preston said Billie's comeback was the greatest in the history of the Network Ten reality cooking show.
Blumenthal was so impressed by the calm and methodical way Billie conducted herself while under immense pressure that he offered her a job at his famed restaurant.
Georgia walked away with $20,000 as runner-up and third placed Jessica Arnott from Perth received $10,000.
