‘I feel horrible doing this’: Inside Poh’s hardest challenge yet

It’s no exaggeration to say Poh Ling Yeow– a woman, like Beyoncé, I could have identified with just her first name – is one of the most beloved people in the country. The inaugural MasterChef runner-up has been a staple in our homes for 16 years, sharing her infectious joy for cooking through ABC and SBS series and books.

In 2020, she provided must-see viewing during lockdowns returning for a chaotic season of MasterChef: Back to Win and was soon after voted Australian reality TV contestant of the decade in AACTA’s Audience Choice Awards, beating the likes of Sophie Monk and Chrissie Swan.

She’s on our screens more than ever, having returned to the Channel Ten show where it all began as a judge last year (alongside Andy Allen, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli) and backing it up this week with a new season of Back to Win. As far as audiences are concerned, there could be no one better suited to the job.

But Yeow still isn’t convinced. “I don’t know if I’m very good at it, actually,” she says, her famous full-throated laugh radiating down the phone line. “In fact, I know I’m not that good at it. I’m a bit of a waffler … I’m not very good at delivering really succinct, catchy phrases. I find it very hard.”

“ABC is very much my brand,” she goes on, possibly stressing out the Ten PR team listening in on the call. “A bit arty. Quality content. And they don’t mind a waffler! It was a really safe space … If I had gone out on my own on a commercial network, I think I would have really struggled.

“But it’s been so awesome to have this full circle moment and be back again. It’s been such a crazy journey. It really has.”

MasterChef judges Andy Allen, Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli, joined by guest Gordon Ramsay (centre).Credit: Ten

When Malaysian-born Yeow, a then-35-year-old painter from Adelaide, first applied to MasterChef in 2009, she didn’t expect any of this.

“[The show] was a complete pie-in-the-sky thing that no one knew about,” she says, recalling how a friend had sent her the entry form. “I had such humble aspirations. I thought I was going to come back and start a little cottage industry making jam. No joke.”

While she did have aspirations to write a book at some point – a record of her family recipes – Yeow’s motivation on the show was more personal than professional.

“I felt like I’d let so much of my culture slip away, trying to assimilate as a kid. And I was at this point in my life where I was just feeling a little bit wistful about the fact I hadn’t nurtured those parts of me more.

“I started to think about food quite obsessively, learning all the dishes that I grew up with”: Poh Ling YeowCredit: Ten

“I’d lost the language, and I didn’t really relate to the values any more because I was so Australianised. So food became this really important thing. I started to think about food quite obsessively, learning all the dishes that I grew up with.”

To use some of the MasterChef parlance that would go on to define the next decade of Australian primetime, Yeow’s story was one of the first “food journeys” – a home cook given the hero treatment, beloved for her skill and relatability in equal measure. And the fact she was achieving such success while also embracing her cultural heritage was a landmark moment for Asian-Australian representation on screen.

“To be completely honest, the public validation was very nice,” she says, reflecting on that first season. “I grew up such a lonesome kid and this was something I guess I’d yearned for my whole life. It had this very profound effect on me on so many levels – not just career-wise, but also the way I saw myself.”

Julie Goodwin and Poh Ling Yeow: the winner and runner-up of MasterChef Australia’s first season. Credit: Ten

Yeow admits that in the years since the early seasons, the show strayed from its trademark relatability – and suffered for it.

“I think it’s gone through many iterations,” she says. “At the beginning, it was all about the home cook … And then it went crazy-foodie and I think we did lose some people along the way. But I feel like we’ve orbited back to that, which I really love. We want [audiences] to be able to relate to the food and to the flavours that we’re showcasing.”

Does a Back to Win season, featuring now-professional chefs showcasing their skills – and to some degree using the platform to boost their profiles and existing businesses – complicate that?

It worked well enough in 2020. The season Yeow starred in was a ratings hit. And while the success was hugely influenced by a captive audience in COVID lockdowns and the novelty of a new judging panel (Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and the late Jock Zonfrillo), the show itself was still hugely entertaining. Nostalgia for past contestants such as Poh also certainly drew back viewers who had long since disengaged.

Poh placed sixth in the 2020 season of MasterChef: Back to Win.Credit: Ten

This season features many familiar faces including Callum Hann and Laura Sharrad, both entering the MasterChef kitchen for the third time and having last competed against Yeow in 2020. Andre Ursini, who placed seventh in season one, is also back for another crack.

“I felt really scared coming back [for this season],” Yeow says. “Back to Win is all the people that I competed against, and now I have to judge them. I feel horrible doing this. But they’ve all taken it on the chin and been so lovely to me … I think a lot of my role is about the mentoring and the empathy, having been in that position a couple of times.”

Having had a closer look at how these contestants work, she says she’s also been eating “a bit of humble pie”. Despite taking some losses hard at the time, she says, “I completely understand why a lot of them beat me”.

“I’ve seen them take my advice on board too, so I feel okay about being in this position,” she says, laughing. “But I’ll never say I completely feel comfortable in it.”

It’s a strange viewpoint to hear, repeatedly, from a woman who was described by one of her predecessors, Melissa Leong, as a “national treasure” and a “true trailblazer”.

“Everyone says ‘oh, you have imposter syndrome’,” Yeow replies, when challenged. “I don’t think I do. I know I have strengths.”

She starts laughing again.

“But I think it’s a really healthy headspace to be in to think that you’re not the shit.”

MasterChef: Back to Win is on Ten and 10Play now.

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