MasterChef is a franchise television cookery competition with variations of the series shown around the world. Each country with a franchise has its own version of the TV show, with varying formats and different judges. If you are a fan of the Australian version of the cookery competition, you might want to know a little more about the judges or even wondered, ‘who are the MasterChef Australia judges?’ Here is an overview of the MasterChef Australia judges.
The Original MasterChef Judges
From the beginning of the televised cooking competition in 2009, the MasterChef Australia judges were Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris, and Matt Preston. The trio had the honour of presenting the first winner, Julie Goodwin, with the trophy when she defeated competitor Poh Ling Yeow. They continued to present the series until the end of its 11th season in 2019.
Gary Mehigan: A professional chef and restaurateur, Gary Mehigan was the perfect choice as one of the original MasterChef judges. The father-of-one is also the co-owner of The Boathouse restaurant in Melbourne.
George Calombaris: George Calombaris is a professional chef and restaurateur of Greek heritage. In addition to hosting and judging MasterChef Australia, Calombaris owned the Hellenic restaurant ‘The Press Club’ in Melbourne. Calombaris became famous on MasterChef Australia for breaking out in a sweat after eating chillies.
Matt Preston: Unlike Calombaris and Mehigan, Matt Preston is not a chef or restaurateur. Preston is an esteemed food critic who has written for many publications, including Delicious. He is famous for his flamboyant style and love of wearing cravats.
Why Were the Original MasterChef Australia Judges Replaced?
Different sources give different reasons why Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston, and George Calombaris were replaced by three judges who were almost unknown. Network 10 said they chose to replace the judges following a dispute over money. Mehigan said that it was because of creative differences, says Film Daily.
On the other hand, some media outlets reported that Network 10 replaced the well-loved trio following George Calombaris’s difficulties the previous year. Calombaris had gone to court to face claims that he had underpaid staff. The situation led to him closing his restaurant, The Press Club, after repaying millions in staff wages.
MasterChef Australia Judges 2019-2023
In 2019, Network 10 announced that Mehigan, Preston, and Calombaris would no longer present MasterChef Australia. As of the 12th season of the series, the new MasterChef Australia judges are:
Andy Allen: Now a professional chef and restaurateur, Andy Allen is a former winner of MasterChef Australia. Andy Allen is one of only three former contestants to become a judge anywhere in the world. Following his win, Allen became co-owner of the five Three Blue Ducks restaurants, a cookbook author, a YouTuber, and a television personality.
Melissa Leong: Before becoming a judge on MasterChef Australia, Melissa Leong was a co-host of ‘The Chef’s Line.’ She is also a freelance food writer, a radio broadcaster, a food critic, and a cookbook editor.
Jock Zonfrillo: Originally from Scotland, Jock Zonfrillo is a Melbourne-based chef and restaurateur. He is also a philanthropist as he is the founder of The Orana Foundation. The organization aims to preserve the ingredients and techniques used by the First Australians.
MasterChef Australia Mentors
Throughout the history of MasterChef Australia, mentors have also featured on the show. Their role involves supporting the contestants through various challenges, such as immunity, team, and service challenges. Some of these include:
Shannon Bennet: Shannon Bennett has appeared in some capacity in every season of the cooking competition. Initially, he appeared in single episodes to take part in challenges or to mentor the competitors. Bennett then became a more permanent fixture on the series, mentoring the competitors in all the immunity challenges and various team or service challenges. In 2019, he did not appear until the final episode, when he mentored the finalists through the final service challenge.
Matt Sinclair: Runner-up in the eighth series of MasterChef Australia, Matt Sinclair went on to enjoy a career in the food industry, becoming a chef at Noosa. In the 11th series of the cooking competition, he returned as one of the guest mentors, alongside Poh Ling Yeow and Billie McKay.
Billie McKay: Winner of the seventh series of MasterChef Australia, Billie McKay has enjoyed success in various aspects of the food industry. Part of her prize was writing a monthly column for Delicious food magazine. Following her win, Heston Blumenthal offered McKay a job at his restaurant. She became a mentor in 2019 for the 11th season of the cooking competition.
Poh Ling Yeow: Fans of MasterChef Australia will remember Poh Ling Yeow from the cooking competition’s first series. She was the runner-up in the finals, coming second to Julie Goodwin. Despite not winning the series, she landed deals for two cooking shows, opened a food market, and authored several cookbooks. She is also an artist who exhibits and sells her work.
The Guest Judges
In addition to the mentors, many famous home cooks and celebrity chefs have appeared as guest judges on MasterChef Australia. Some return for repeated visits, while a few have appeared in every season of the cooking competition. Some of the guest judges include:
- Marco Pierre White
- Matt Moran
- Curtis Stone
- Heston Blumenthal
- Jamie Oliver
- Darren Purchese
- Peter Gilmore
- Nigella Lawson
- Kirsten Tibballs
- Adriano Zumbo
- Massimo Bottura
- Kylie Kwong
- Maggie Beer
- Yotam Ottolenghi
Judges from Around the World
If you enjoyed reading about the MasterChef Australia judges, then you might also like to read some facts about other MasterChef judges worldwide. Some of these include: