MICHAEL ADMITS: I FELT LIKE I WAS MISSING OUT!
When Michael Weldon received the call asking him to be a contestant on
MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites, he couldn’t believe his luck.
It wasn’t the first time he’d been asked to return to the show since he first appeared in 2011’s season three, where he came third. He was called to have another crack in the 2020 season
Back To Win but turned down the opportunity.
“I said no two years ago because it didn’t fit with my work schedule,” Michael, 36, admits to Woman’s Day.
“I was kicking myself watching how much fun everyone had, especially as my work was torn to pieces when we all went into lockdown. You don’t often get a second chance at a second chance, so I knew I couldn’t say no again.”
Although he desperately wanted an opportunity to put the skills he’d learnt over the past 11 years in the food industry to the test, he knew it was a big decision to make. With filming taking up to three months, it put a lot of pressure on his partner Georgia.
“She’s very supportive,” Michael says. “She was instantly like, ‘You have to do it.’ But leaving her alone for that amount of time is a bit harsh.”
Michael and his fellow contestants all agree it’s always a lot harder on their loved ones back home than it is for those participating on the show.
“We’re in this food bubble and loving it,” he says. “But our partners are at home wanting to know what’s going on, keeping everything afloat and waiting for the show to finish up. It’s a weird dynamic.”
Heading back to where his career all began has been a welcome trip down memory lane for the passionate cook.
“It’s crazy that this reality TV show I went on as a dare from a mate at the pub turned into a career and a life,” he says. “Food is my everything these days and it’s all because of this crazy, wild, ridiculous TV show.
“It’s nice to remember the amazing experience and to get to do it again is pretty cool.”