MasterChef 2020: Melissa Leong opens up on most emotional week yet

She’s the eloquent judge lighting up screens in the revamped MasterChef. Now she’s opened up on the moment that brought her to tears.

MasterChef fans have dubbed Melissa Leong “everything we need on Australian TV” right now, having brought a warmth and spirit not before seen on the program from the moment she first stepped on set.

But last week was something else.

Not only was it the first week COVID-19 social distancing measures played out in the kitchen — rendering the contestants and judges unable to hug or hi-five — it was a week that saw everyday Australians from migrant families share heartbreaking stories of their journey to a better life, coupled with a monumental win for diversity in mainstream TV.

Speaking to news.com.au, Melissa made it clear feeling “proud” of the moment would be an understatement.

Melissa Leong in Thursday night's episode of MasterChef: Back to Win. Picture: Channel 10.

“These are important moments in time, so to know that we’ve really made something historic here, that’s very, very cool,” she said of Thursday’s immunity challenge which saw five Asian-Australian contestants front and centre on prime time national television.

But we still have a long way to go, she added.

“We need to get on board a little bit more about what representation means in mainstream media. It’s with a lot of reverence that I’m aware of the fact that this is much bigger than all of us.”

Moments before Thursday’s episode, the food critic had taken to Instagram to mark the occasion, sharing the “groundbreaking image” and thanking Channel 10 for bringing to fruition a moment she could “never conceive of witnessing on prime time television in her lifetime”.

“To every person who never felt seen, this is for you, may it give you hope,” she wrote.

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Speaking to news.com.au about the importance of such representation, she said it’s “not just for the Asian community, it’s for anyone who has any kind of migrant background.”

“We all understand there’s some sacrifices that were made on our behaves in order for us to have opportunities to thrive and to grow in this incredibly magical country that is Australia. I think that’s a shared consciousness no matter what your cultural background is,” she said.

“For me, I live in my skin and in my story, and to be able to share that and to be able to see these five incredible faces, to know what it will mean for each one of them, individually, their families and their communities, and then everybody else who doesn’t know them but who has a similar story. That’s potent.”

The significant episode of television came after a Mystery Box challenge that saw Melissa moved to tears by the stories of Khanh Ong and Reynold Poernomo.

Reynold's eyes welled when he described his traumatic upbringing. Picture: Channel 10.

Minutes into the episode, Khanh had discussed being born in a refugee camp — his photo a depiction of the day his family came to Australia — and his story one that had viewers flocking to Twitter to reveal they had wept along with him.

“When we first came to Australia, there was no money,” a teary Khanh told the camera.

“My parents worked really hard to give me the chances that I have now, I am very thankful for that,” he said.

The story behind Khanh's photo brought many viewers instantly to tears. Picture: Channel 10.

Elsewhere, Reynold was overcome with emotion when the mystery box lid unveiled a photo of him as a boy in his parent’s old restaurant, which was closed before his family immigrated to Australia, a time he described as “tough” on him and his brothers.

“To tease open those conversations and to celebrate the stories that are not too dissimilar to my own … it’s not something that is lost on me,” Melissa, who had openly cried on camera as the stories were shared, said.

Melissa said it was an “honour” to be part of such a moving episode of television. Picture: Channel 10

Earlier this month, Melissa was the source of criticism on social media against what viewers perceived as “favouritism” in the competition.

Now, she’s made it known she and her fellow judges Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen judge dishes, not people.

“I’ll be very clear about this, these five people created the best five dishes for that challenge. The best,” she said.

“We judge dishes, we don’t judge people. It just so happened that those best five dishes … happened to belong to five beautiful, talented, incredibly whole hearted humans who come from a migrant Asian background.

“Every single one of those contestants is just so, so brilliant, to pick a favourite would be like choosing a favourite child.”

Melissa’s warmth towards the contestants has been a stand out feature of the new season. Picture: Channel 10

It’s no mean feat for all three judges to have established the strong connection with viewers they’ve achieved this season, having stepped into the roles of Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston, who were at the kitchen helm for a decade.

Especially given their first announcement as new judges — like any change to a beloved television format — wasn’t free from backlash.

Admitting there were nerves on making the career move, Melissa explained that she has been, to some extent, surprised by the immense success of the show.

“It is a bit overwhelming I will be honest with you,” she said.

“The success of the show is in part our responsibility to do the best job that we can, and all three of us have worked so hard in our respective careers to know what we know and to be able to bring what we bring to the production.

“But you don’t have any control over how it is going to be received. You can never predict which way that will go.”

For Andy, Jock, and Melissa, the praise has been resounding, something Melissa credits to hard work and a strong bond with contestants — something that reflects loud and clear into our living rooms.

“Jock and Andy and I have the most fun working with these stupidly talented contestants.

“To be able to really experience the audience going through that with us and knowing that they feel all the same levels of excitement and joy and tension and stress that we do when we’re actually making the episodes, it really does feel very special.”

MasterChef: Back to Win continues tonight from 7.30pm on Channel 10