MasterChef Australia‘s top eight has become seven as the Back To Win contestants turn up the heat in the ultimate pressure cooker season.

On Sunday night, season three’s Alana Lowes cooked her final dish in the Doha kitchen as she went head-to-head with Snezana Calic, Laura Cassai and Sarah Todd in a ‘dual duel’.

The cook-off paired contestants together to battle it out against their opponent, cooking with the same main ingredient in a heated elimination challenge.

The least impressive dish in each duo sent its chef onto the second round, fighting it out again for a place in next week’s lineup.

The challenge placed the contestants literally in a face-off showdown behind benches that were set up opposite each other, upping the tension in the kitchen.

On Sunday night, Alana Lowes (right) cooked her final dish Doha kitchen as she went head-to-head with Snezana Calic (left), Laura Cassai (second from right) and Sarah Todd (second from left) in a ‘dual duel’

The cook-off saw the contestants get put into pairs and battle it out against their opponent, cooking with the same main ingredient in a heated elimination challenge. Pictured: Alana

In the first round, Alana battled it out against Sarah, each tasked with creating a dish featuring horseradish as the star of the show.

Both thinking way outside of the box, Alana plated up a horseradish ice cream with a touch of white chocolate, a soaked almond biscuit, goat’s curd, fresh plums and a celery oil on top, while Sarah made wagyu beef doughnuts with a horseradish cream and pea puree.

However, despite Alana thinking she cooked a ‘beautiful dish’, judges were left wanting a little bit more balance in the sweetness of the ice cream, and, surprisingly, a little less horseradish.

Round two saw Alana duelling in the kitchen opposite Laura, who had earlier experienced an emotional breakdown in the kitchen that saw her fellow chefs rally around her.

As tears were dried and pep talks were had, the pair put on their game faces for the second round, which came with a challenging feature ingredient: fennel seeds.

Putting her technical skills to work and creating a balanced and flavourful dessert, Alana had viewers drooling at home with a burnt fennel seed pavlova, which she paired with a sour cherry sorbet and candied fennel stalks.

The dish – both stunning and delicious – impressed the judges, however they noted that the flavour of the fennel seed struggled to shine when there were so many other ingredients on the plate, a small factor that ultimately led to her hanging up her apron.

Speaking to Ten of her elimination, Alana said that her second time around in the MasterChef kitchen was filled with food, fun and, above all, fierce friendships, especially with fellow participant Snezana.

Putting her technical skills to work and creating a balanced and flavourful dessert, Alana had viewers drooling at home with a burnt fennel seed pavlova paired with a sour cherry sorbet and candied fennel stalks

The dish impressed the judges, however they noted that the flavour of the fennel seed struggled to shine when there were so many other ingredients on the plate, a small factor that ultimately led to her hanging up her apron

‘I felt like this was a second opportunity to get into this kitchen and just really have fun with it, enjoy every moment,’ she said.

‘The first time around, you’re a bit timid, you don’t want to get into a pressure test or to get up for elimination.

‘This time, I felt like I had so much more confidence coming into the kitchen, my food knowledge was so much bigger than what it was, my knowledge of ingredients, flavours, and I really just loved being able to play around and put it together.

‘I would have loved to have gone further, but I just feel so satisfied with what I achieved and the dishes that the judges absolutely raved about,’ she added.

Last week, another chef from the Back To Win season left the kitchen for good, and that chef was Audra Morrice.

Audra, who first appeared on MasterChef Australia in 2012, saw her Spanish seafood paella deemed ‘inconsistent’ by the judges and she was sent home.

‘I actually feel really good. I came in to show the simplicity of cultural cuisine. And that food doesn’t always have to be complicated,’ the chef said upon getting the bad news that she was out of the competition.

‘This kitchen is addictive. I won’t deny it was a bit daunting. It really put me out of my comfort zone, which I love,’ she added.

Last week, Audra Morrice (pictured) was eliminated

Speaking to website Draw Your Box, Audra said that she has relished reliving the challenge.

‘I just kind of went into this and just cooked what came to mind and what I felt in the flow of the moment,’ she said.

‘Sometimes it was an epic success, sometimes it was a disastrous fail, but all I wanted to do was cook wholeheartedly and put delicious food on the table.’

MasterChef Australia airs five nights a week from Sunday to Thursday on Channel 10 and 10 Play.