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A POSSE of velvet-suited judges last night proclaimed 36-year-old Kate Bracks, a mother of three from Orange in NSW, Australia's newest MasterChef.

''Kate, you came in here wanting to be a role model for your kids. You know what? I think you've become a role model for all of us,'' master of ceremonies Gary Mehigan said as he announced Bracks had won the 2011 crown and the $100,000 cash prize and book publishing contract it carries.

''When you go home forget about painting that town red,'' Mehigan said. ''You can paint Orange any damn colour you want.''

Bracks defeated 25-year-old Michael Weldon, a film projectionist from Adelaide, over three rounds of complex cooking that included a multi-stage mystery box challenge, an invention test and a fiendishly difficult dessert set by Danish chef Rene Redzepi, whose Noma has been named best restaurant in the world for the past two years.

Weldon won the first course but was roundly beaten thereafter. He did not leave empty-handed, however, as Mehigan offered him a trainee position in his restaurants and $10,000 towards living expenses.

Bracks told judges Mehigan, George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Matt Moran - all of them dressed in velvet tuxedos - that she had considered dropping out of the show because of the burden her absence had placed on her husband. ''I asked him if he wanted me to give up and come home,'' she said. ''And he said to me, 'Don't you dare'.''

Weldon said that when he entered the competition he was ''a naive kid with crazy ideas and delusions of grandeur''. By the end, he said, he had become ''a naive kid with delusions of grandeur who could cook''.

Ten last night split its finale, screening the first half at 6.30pm and the second half at 8.30pm, with The Renovators the meat in the sandwich at 7.30pm. The move was designed to expose the network's new reality show to a big audience ahead of its move to the MasterChef slot from tomorrow night, but the tactic could well mean the finale falls well short of last year's ratings.

The 2010 finale was watched by a five-city average audience of 3.96 million viewers, the highest figure for a non-sporting event on Australian television. Ten claimed that with regional viewers included, the audience peaked at a staggering 5.7 million.

MasterChef has once again been a ratings success for Ten, though its 2011 figures are down about 15 per cent on last year. Last year's regular episodes averaged 1.93 million viewers.

This year, the show has averaged 1.64 million viewers. At least some of that decline is due to the proliferation of free-to-air digital channels, which now make up almost 20 per cent of total audience.

Ten has nonetheless pronounced itself happy with the figures this season. ''There's no other stripped format that has consistently delivered these kinds of audiences,'' a spokesman said last week.

MasterChef Viewing Party

It's crunch time folks. We're down to the final 6 contestants on Fox's MasterChef. And one of those contestants is Chicago native Suzy Singh. With the finale fast approaching on August 16th, you'll want to get your MasterChef fix in while you still can. Monday and Tuesday night (8/8 & 8/9), you can catch Singh in person for a viewing party at Benchmark. Singh has collaborated with Benchmark's Chef Geoff Silverwood to create some special menu items for the night including butter chicken tacos and paneer tacos topped with sauteed spinach, both served with apricot chutney and a spicy mango pickle. Is this making you hungry yet? Do yourself a favor, head over to Benchmark on Monday or Tuesday night for some good eats, some nail biting TV, and a chance to meet and mingle with Singh herself. Your taste buds will thank you. Benchmark is located at 1510 N Wells. Event is from 6pm to 9pm - the show airs at 8pm.