MasterChef Australia
Season 14 M-Net (*101) 18:00 Reality
Reality show MasterChef Australia is by far the most popular version of the MasterChef series, and its new judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo have added to the popularity. “We’ve made it all about the food and the growth of the contestants. It’s important to have that transformation taking place,” explains Andy, who won season 4 of the show in 2012.
1Any food that’s left over is donated to the SecondBite charity that feeds those in need.
2Around 70% of the finalists in MasterChef choose a career in food after taking part in the show.
3Contestants live in one house for almost seven months while a season is filmed and sometimes things can get heated. “There were nasty arguments,” says an insider. During the COVID-19 pandemic, contestants split into groups of two and each lived in an apartment.
4When judges taste the dishes, nine times out of 10 it’s cold. “Things do get reheated if it’s like a sauce,” says Jock. “But when we say ‘Stop cooking’, we (the judges) do a quick wander of the room and taste stuff out of their (contestants) pot while it’s still hot and that is not shown onscreen.”
5 It can take between 8 and 17 hours to film one episode of MasterChef Australia, with about four hours lost to transport to and from the set, as well as interviews, behind-the-scenes filming and other pieces of the show. “We do a lot more than just eat food,” says Jock. “The food part is the fun bit.”