We’re up to season 17 of MasterChef Australia, so it’s no surprise that there have been some absolutely wild moments over the years.
From Katy Perry’s bonkers (and boobalicious) cameo to ~that~ moment where Gordon Ramsay slapped some salmon on the wall, you never know what you’re gonna get served up in the MasterChef Australia kitchen.
With MasterChef Australia: Back To Win hitting our screens verrrrry soon, why don’t we prepare by taking a walk down memory lane? Here’s some of the wackiest and most wholesome moments from MasterChef Australia over the years.
The OG MasterChef Australia judges get removed after George Calombaris’ scandal
The original MasterChef Australia judges were George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan. It seems like ages ago, but the trio were on our screens for the first 11 seasons.
In 2019, a scandal broke out after it was revealed that George had been allegedly scamming his restaurant workers out of their hard-earned cash, underpaying employees by $7.8 million. YIKES. Fans of the show started a petition to get the judge removed from the show and gathered over 25,000 signatures.
Channel 10 never addressed the scandal, but soon announced that the trio of judges were all being replaced. According to the network, the decision came down to money.
“Despite months of negotiation, 10 has not been able to reach a commercial agreement that was satisfactory to Matt, Gary and George,” a Channel 10 spokesperson said.
After 11 sensational seasons, we bid a fond farewell to our judges – Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris. Thank you for being a part of this remarkable #MasterChefAU legacy and helping make the culinary dreams of everyday home cooks come true! pic.twitter.com/uG0A3ec8jI
— MasterChef Australia (@masterchefau) July 23, 2019
Gary painted a different picture, telling his Facebook fans it wasn’t about salary negotiations at all.
“It was time to move on, have more time to explore our own creativity. It was never about the money and will never be about the money. We couldn’t agree on the terms of the new contract for 2020. Something we felt very strongly about,” he wrote.
“The opportunity to work with Matt and George has been a blessing and something I cherish.”
The trio were replaced by Andy Allen, Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong for seasons 12 to 15. After Jock’s passing, Melissa departed the show and was replaced by Poh Ling Yeow, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Sofia Levin.
Prawn-gate on MasterChef 2017
Remember when professional chef Ben Devlin blatantly stole Sarah Tiong’s genius idea of cooking prawns on an open flame? Not only did he tell her it was a “great idea”, he promptly decided to cook his prawns IN THE EXACT SAME WAY. Brutal.
We are speechless! 😯 We can’t believe pro chef Ben Devlin is stealing @S_Tiong‘s idea! #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/D0BnLuam95
— MasterChef Australia (@masterchefau) June 27, 2017
If that wasn’t bad enough, Ben won the seafood challenge by one point and was praised by the judges for his clever idea.
Justice for Sarah!!!
Gordon Ramsay’s ruthless moment
You can take Gordon Ramsay out of Hell’s Kitchen, but you’ll never quite get rid of that temper. The guest judge threw a tantrum during a MasterChef Australia 2018 team challenge after he was served salmon that tasted rubbery.
“Way over-processed! It’s like a rubber ball inside!” he yelled at blue team leader Chloe Carroll.
Later in the episode, the celebrity chef was served another plate of salmon that frustrated him to no end.
“Come here! That’s raw! I could put that back in the fucking sea and it’d start swimming!” he shouted, before launching the piece of salmon at the wall.
Wonder if he’ll have a major MasterChef Australia explosion this year!
Katy Perry’s episode was “the tits”!
Who can forget that random time where Katy Perry rocked up to the MasterChef Australia set and sang her way around the kitchen?
She was so rogue, that when Reece Hignell presented a cake dish for her to try, she started shaking her butt and shaped a napkin so it looked like a pair of boobs. Why she did this, we will never know.
Apparently his Rum Baba with Smoked Honey Creme was so delicious, that she couldn’t help but utter an iconic compliment.
“You’re the tits, Reece,” she told the contestant.
Andy Allen’s tribute to Jock Zonfrillo during MasterChef Australia episode
We were all crying when Andy honoured his best mate Jock during a MasterChef Australia 2024 episode. Contestants were asked to choose a “food hero”, and every single cook picked a family member.
When the judges revealed who their personal food heroes were, Andy began to cry as he talked about his “late, great mate, Jock”.
Poh comforted Jock as he shared why he felt Jock’s absence in the MasterChef Australia kitchen so deeply.
“The time that we spent cooking in this kitchen and creating an energy where people like you could just reach for the stars and succeed in everything you do — I learnt so much about that from Jock,” Andy said.
“I learned so much about that from Jock and he taught me so much about being a good husband and being a good son, and one day hopefully being a good dad. So I miss him a lot.”
IS SOMEONE CHOPPING ONIONS IN HERE OR WHAT?
Reynold Poernomo’s Golden Snitch dessert
Dessert King Reynold Poernomo blew everybody away with his Golden Snitch dessert in 2020. The dessert was made out of eight components, including pear yuzu sorbet, brown butter mousse, tonka-bean caramel and honey feather tulles.
The super technical dessert took 34 steps to create and shocked the judges.
“Technically, we don’t even need to talk about it, but it is the hardest of hardest when we talk about technique in this very kitchen. He’s absolutely nailed it,” Andy declared.
“This dessert will go down in history as one of the best dishes ever, ever to be cooked in this kitchen,” Melissa added.
Billie McKay gets a job offer from Heston Blumenthal
During the 2015 MasterChef Australia finale, guest judge Heston Blumenthal set a wild challenge for eventual winner Billie McKay and finalist Georgia Barnes.
Judge Gary called Heston’s Botrytis Cinerea dessert “the toughest dish ever”, and boy, it was a doozy. Made up from 80 ingredients, the five-hour challenge had fans everywhere on the edge of their seats.
While Billie was elated to win MasterChef Australia and the $250,000 prize, she was rewarded with something priceless — a chance to work at Heston’s restaurant the Fat Duck in the UK. So wholesome!
Poh’s shocking ice cream flavour
Look, Poh is known for creating absolute chaos in the MasterChef Australia kitchen when she competes. Whether it’s deciding to do something extra at the last minute or coming up with wacky flavours, it’s never a dull moment when she’s on screen.
In 2020, the cook created one of her most controversial dishes yet… mustard-flavoured ice cream. Yep, mustard. Dear god, Poh!
She also added some truffle oil and gold flakes, so at least it looked pretty?
Judge Andy said it was “super punchy”, adding: “I wouldn’t say it’s the most pleasant flavour, but then you put them together and they both counteract each other quite well.”
However, Jock said he “didn’t love” the mustard ice cream. Wonder why??
Jess and Sashi’s sweet moment
MasterChef Australia 2018 was so wholesome, and Sashi Cheliah’s win may not have happened without the kindness of Jess Liemantara.
Sashi lost his cool during the Sherried Marron challenge — it does have 90 steps and 50 ingredients, after all — and literally burnt his copy of the recipe. Viewers were freaking out, wondering how on earth Sashi was supposed to complete the cook.
Jess stepped in and shared her recipe, which is too wholesome for words. In an era of reality TV where most shows are full of drama and cutthroat tactics, it’s so nice to see that MasterChef Australia can still be about comradery and cooking with kindness.
Lee serves ~medium rare~ chicken
Anyone like their food with a side of salmonella?? Lee Behan had an epic fail on MasterChef Australia 2017, after he was tasked with cooking roast chicken with peas and spuds. Sounds easy, right?
Well, Lee forgot to flip his chicken, and ended up serving it medium rare.
“I’m really happy with how my plate looks but then I notice that my chicken is really pink on the bottom,” he said in a voxie.
In an elimination interview on The Project, Lee admitted that he wouldn’t be eating chicken for a “long time” to come. “It’s the golden rule of MasterChef not to serve under-cooked chicken. Unfortunately, it went that way for me,” he said.
Reminds me of the time a classmate swore during Food Tech you could absolutely eat raw chicken like sashimi on sushi.
There have been some truly memorable and jaw-dropping moments on MasterChef Australia so far, and there will only be more to come when MasterChef Australia: Back To Win kicks off shortly. Will we get more kitchen fails, or some touching emotional moments? Only time will tell!
MasterChef Australia: Back To Winpremieres Monday, April 28 at 7.30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
