New Masterchef judge Melissa Leong’s honesty vow: “I can only be me”
New Masterchef judge Melissa Leong says she will maintain her trademark honesty on the popular cooking show and social media
Confidential
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NEW Masterchef judge Melissa Leong says she won’t dilute her comments on the show or online following a history of candid tweets and posts.
“I can only be me,” Leong, a food writer, author and consultant, told Confidential. “I’ve worked very hard to get to the point where I’m very comfortable in my skin, and I’m very lucky I’ve found a way to articulate that honestly. That’s all I’m gonna be: honest.”
Leong’s comments follow the dredging-up of two old tweets where she was critical of Masterchef, and negative comments about the entitled attitudes of some food bloggers.
Leong and celebrity chefs Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen (pictured below) will host Masterchef in 2020, replacing George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan.
The new judges attended Ten’s 2020 program launch in Melbourne today.
“I feel all three of us have worked blood, sweat and tears to be here in our own professions, and to be asked to be here as part of the new guard,” Leong said. “We bring with us hard earned skills, technique, knowledge and respect.”
The new season of Channel 10’s reality cooking show will invite past contestants back to take another shot at the Masterchef title.
“They’re wiser, their skills are better honed, and they’ve had time out in the wild, in the world of hospitality, to cut their teeth or get out,” Leong said.
“It’s a very unforgiving place, hospitality. But it’s what allows us to create an environment of excellence. We’re very much looking forward to what these beloved contestants bring back.”
Zonfrillo said: “It’s high stakes. They’ve got reputations at stake. Most of them run restaurants now. They’ll be familiar with 50 cameras and three judges. So it really comes down to cooking.”