From new judges to all-star contestants: Secrets behind the new season of MasterChef Australia
Even before they stepped into the kitchen, the new MasterChef judges made headlines. Now, they’re finally making their debut on the reality TV cook-off.
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Before an egg has been boiled or a single serving of risotto ruined, this season of MasterChef Australia has already been a pressure test unlike any other for the contestants and its all new line-up of judges.
Not only are Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo faced with the challenge of replacing three of TV’s best known and loved personalities in Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris (who left the series and Ten last year).
But they are doing it at a time when the country’s food, hospitality and entertainment industries are in crisis.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the MasterChef set hard.
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Planned travel has been cancelled. International chefs have had to bow out of scheduled appearances.
And challenges involving large crowds or locations outside the studio have been shelved in the interest of keeping the cast and crew safe and healthy.
Worse still, most of the returning stars of this ‘Back to win’ season are facing up to the fact their cafes, catering businesses and restaurants may have to close.
After several agonising weeks, Zonfrillo and Allen have both made the difficult decision to close their respective restaurants – Orana and the Three Blue Ducks chain – indefinitely.
Contestants including Reynold Poernomo, Callum Hann, Laura Sharrad and Brendan Pang have also shuttered their businesses back home, while soldiering on with the cooking competition.
Allen says if there’s been an upside it’s been the excitement and distraction of being back in the MasterChef kitchen, as the world outside unravelled.
“It’s a dire situation,” he says, “but the vibe on set is really positive though. There’s a real sense that we are all in this together. Then you take a break and you look at your phone and see the news, or talk to people about what’s going on, and it’s really stressful.”
Producers have introduced greater hygiene protocols to protect the cast and crew – with contestants to wear gloves and wash hands regularly; while the judges “will step up to taste individually portioned meals and no cutlery or plates to be shared.”
Allen said he had been buoyed by the support he had received from other chefs on the MasterChef set and beyond.
“It’s a testament to our industry though that it is really bringing people together,” he says.
“I have never had so many calls from other restaurateurs, checking in to see how I am going.
“I really hope that when all this is over this kind of community spirit continues.”
Zonfrillo fears the food industry may be forever changed by the pandemic.
“When you are talking about an industry with only five per cent profit margins, to close for months is something that could be impossible to recover from,” he says.
“Fridges and freezers are empty. Shelves are bare. It’s really difficult for all of us.
“Usually there is a stigma attached to having to close a venue. But there are literally thousands of us in the same boat. And we are getting through this together because that’s what people in hospitality do. We are the ones who give up our time to host charity dinners and rally to help others in time of need.”
It makes a show like MasterChef just the tonic people need at such a grim time, Zonfrillo argues, adding he is glad that filming continues.
“MasterChef is one of the few positive family shows we have,” he says.
“At a time like this people will need something they can sit down and watch with their kids.”
Coronavirus has caused many local and international productions to call cut, or make drastic changes to their formats.
Network 10’s Dancing with the Stars and Nine’s Australian Ninja Warrior have been filmed without studio audiences, while Seven’s Holey Moley [filmed in the US] and Australia’s Got Talent are on hold as quarantine conditions take hold.
Seven’s revamp of Big Brother, with Sonia Kruger back at the helm, had to stop filming when a crew member discovered they’d been exposed to the virus but talks are ongoing to return to production.
Cooking continues at MasterChef HQ but international judges such as Heston Blumenthal and Nigella Lawson couldn’t make their scheduled appearances, due to travel restrictions.
“It’s a shame those guys will not be able to come out because they are very much part of the MasterChef family and what viewers love about the show,” Allen says.
“But it does open the door for some local talent to step in instead.”
Of course, there are plenty of famous faces still being served up this year – with a line-up of 24 past contestants, including Poh Ling Yeow and Callum Hann, competing to win the title.
Gordon Ramsay, Curtis Stone and pregnant popstar Katy Perry (whose song, Hot N Cold, is the show’s anthem) also filmed segments before Australia shut its borders.
For Allen, hearing Ramsay agree with his assessments of the food, was a great boost to his confidence as a judge.
He says all three judges have come on to set eager to bring their own unique flavour to the program.
“Jock is different to George, I am not Gary and Melissa is not Matt Preston,” he says.
“We come from very different backgrounds and we do things differently.
“None of us will be wearing a cravat. This will be a cravat-less show without Matt,” Allen adds, with a laugh, “he took them all with him.”
Allen jokes Nine’s Married At First Sight experts should get some tips from MasterChef’s casting people on matchmaking because they hit on a winning formula in teaming him with Leong and Zonfrillo.
Leong, a food writer who also co-hosted SBS food series, The Chef’s Line agrees, confirming there is an easy chemistry between the trio.
The experienced food critic says she has tasted some of the best dishes of her life on the MasterChef set.
“When you are a lover of food and a food writer you wait for those moments when you put the cutlery down and just savour it because it is something truly special,” she enthuses.
The food writer says the best validation all three judges had received so far was from the contestants who had “welcomed them into the MasterChef family”.
“I just can’t wait for people to see what we have been doing behind the scenes for all these months,” she says.
“I feel very fortunate that we have been able to keep working on this despite what has been going on in the world around us,” noting optimistically, “we all need something positive right now.”
* MasterChef Australia returns 7.30pm Monday April 13 on 10 and 10 Play
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