Six more brave souls take on the MasterChef challenge, but they will need to win an apron for the adventure to take off. Everything is riding on this, as they all have their sights set on becoming MasterChef champion 2024.

Nothing in life comes easy – and if the contenders want an apron, they will need to stake their claim by proving their skills. Basic to Brilliant is the initial challenge, where they must make an everyday ingredient shine on the plate. John and Gregg will deliver aprons to the two best, who will then skip the next round.

There's no rest for the four remaining who can forge their way to one of the last two aprons by showing the judges they can think on their feet. Creativity will be key as they are asked to prepare a humble salad using an array of tasty goodies, including chicken, fennel, salmon fillets, tomatoes and bacon. There are just two stipulations – it must include a caesar dressing and blow the socks off judges John and Gregg. Making a stand-out salad might not be as easy as it seems.

For the final challenge, the four remaining contenders go head-to-head serving up eight plates of food in one hour and 15 minutes. In addition to the judges, their best two-course menu will be tasted by three diners who now have 14 years' experience of working in the food industry – 2010 MasterChef champion, Dhruv Baker, and runners-up Tim Kinnaird and Alex Rushmer. They will be looking for flavour pairings that work harmoniously on a plate, with glimmers of originality and something that makes them sit up and take notice.

With the diners' feedback in hand, it's then down to John and Gregg to dish out the result. Three will have big smiles on their faces as they head into this week's quarter-final.

Week four of the heats has arrived, and 12 fresh-faced contenders are pinning their hopes on winning a MasterChef apron - their ticket to progress in the competition. Only the best on the day will make it into this week's quarter-final and still be in the running for the title.

Four sparkling MasterChef aprons are on offer, as John and Gregg ask the first six contenders to transform a chosen everyday ingredient from Basic To Brilliant. There have been some ingenious plates delivered so far, so the bar is extremely high. Restaurant-quality dishes will be expected from the hopefuls, who include a doctor, a lawyer and an actor. This is the first time the judges will sample their cooking, so they will be hoping for plates that sing with personality. It's straight through for the two strongest as they try their MasterChef aprons on for size.

The stakes are high for the remaining cooks, who need to come back fighting as there are only two more aprons up for grabs. To win one, they will need to think on their feet and produce a stunning dish featuring prawns. The bountiful larder is there for the odd flourish, and they will have just 45 minutes to show John and Gregg what they are made of. The two who manage to make their prawns pop will don the prized remaining MasterChef aprons.

The action-packed episode ends with the true test of endurance. The four best cooks must prepare an exquisite two-course menu for three diners who have all faced this pressure head-on: 2007 MasterChef champion Steven Wallis, 2021 finalist Alexina Anatole, and 2006 finalist Dean Edwards. They, along with the judges, will be anticipating food that hits high standard and leaves them wanting more. So the average dinner-party dish will not be enough, and the cooks must pull out all the stops to impress.

All four will be hoping to hear their name announced as a quarter-finalist, but two will be sorely disappointed as their dream of becoming the next MasterChef champion will be over.