Judges’ payrise plans turn sour

CHANNEL 10 says it was forced to cut ties with MasterChef Australia judges Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris after their demands for a 40 per cent payrise broke down.

“Unfortunately we just couldn’t get there with the deal,” Ten’s chief content officer Beverley McGarvey said.

“If it hadn’t have been for that, we might have kept going with those guys … but it forced us to do something new. These things happen. It’s a business.”

Ms McGarvey declined to comment on pay deal specifics, but senior Ten sources said Preston, Mehigan and Calombaris, who have helmed the popular cooking show for 11 seasons, wanted a 40 per cent boost on their reported $1 million-plus salaries.

Preston, Mehigan and Calombaris tried to strengthen their bargaining power at the negotiation table with an “all for one and one for all” approach. The shock decision to dump the trio came late yesterday.

It also followed a week of bad headlines for Calombaris after revelations he underpaid staff at his Melbourne restaurant empire more than $7.8 million.

Network 10 chief executive officer Paul Anderson said: “Despite months of negotiation, Ten has not been able to reach a commercial agreement that was satisfactory to Matt, Gary and George.

“Across 11 sensational seasons, MasterChef Australia has established itself as one of the most popular and respected cooking television series around the world.

“We would like Gary, George and their contribution past 11 years.”

Ms McGarvey said Calombaris’ wages saga did not influence Ten’s decision to cut ties with the celebrity chef. to thank Matt for over the