The struggling Ten Community’s prayers have been answered, with hopes of a major enhance to prime-time scores as flagship present Masterchef Australia returns for a 15th season.
As anticipated, the three judges – meals critic and creator Melissa Leong, Melbourne-based Scottish chef Jock Zonfrillo and Three Blue Geese co-owner and chef Andy Allen – are pumped, taking to Instagram this week to collectively say “we’re again child “.
In an Alice In Wonderland-style teaser, a “new crop of contestants” skip their approach via a Masterchef maze to an out of doors desk set with candy treats, pink and inexperienced burgers, cups of tea in porcelain and pink cocktails.
The shake-up
After 10 months away from our screens, this 12 months’s present is named Masterchef Australia: Secrets and techniques and Surprises.
Holding a large gold key, Leong says it should be filled with – sure, secrets and techniques and surprises – “as solely this present can conjure”.
There’s additionally the promise of recent unbelievable tales, a “bloody epic present” and Zonfrillo is telling us to strap ourselves in.
However for the loyal winter watchers, there’s massive adjustments to the format.
In earlier years, preliminary rounds of choice throughout Australia narrowed it all the way down to 50 contestants who competed for considered one of 24 aprons.
This 12 months, the present is shorter and getting straight into the motion, ditching the preliminary choice course of, throwing away the rule e-book and doing issues in another way.
Ten confirmed solely 18 coveted aprons are on supply this 12 months “for the nation’s most passionate newbie cooks”.
“There’s a lot on the road,” it says.
A extra ‘compact run’
In October final 12 months, the Masterchef judges had been entrance and middle at Ten’s 2023 Upfront showcase hosted by Paramount in Sydney, the place they walked via Paramount doorways, wore Paramount pins and ate a lunchbox filled with Paramount goodies.
Paramount is the rebranded identify of the community’s mother or father firm and can also be the house of Australia’s fastest-growing streaming platform Paramount+.
Ten mentioned on the time MasterChef Australia was nonetheless a fan favourite after 14 seasons, and was returning “in winter for a shorter, extra compact run”.
A spin-off MasterChef Australia: Dessert Mastersthat includes Melissa Leong and Amaury Guichon, will debut at a yet-to-be-announced date.
“This 12 months the purpose is to maintain audiences not solely entertained however guessing as properly,” revealing two necessary stablemates will be part of the published “quarter” of viewing.
They’re award-winning quiz reveals Have You Been Paying Consideration? hosted by Tom Gleisner, and The Low-cost Seats.
In July, final 12 months, New South Wales newbie cook dinner Billie McKay was topped the winner of MasterChef Australia: Followers & Favourites, securing her identify on the coveted trophy for a second time and pocketing $250,000.
Chef and restauranteur Sarah Todd gained $30,000 to assist her arrange a future in cooking after coming second, and firefighter Daniel Lamble gained $20,000 for reaching third place.
Marco Pierre White and Maggie Beer had been among the many visitor judges, and former winners together with Julie Goodwin made it a family-friendly mealtime deal with.
Over its 14-year historical past, a mean of 1.1 million viewers tuned in nationally to observe the present.
As for this 12 months, one insider says there is a bombshell in episode one, and we cannot be dissatisfied.
MasterChef Australia: Secrets and techniques & Surprisespremieres on Might 1 at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play
