Dani Venn won the only immunity pin of the season, but after choosing to play on without it she found herself eliminated from MasterChef: Back To Win.
The mum-of-two may have been a season favourite, but her five-year-old daughter Harlow was not nearly as impressed.
Dani chatted with Now To Love about her kids’ reactions to watching her on the show, why she doesn’t regret not playing her pin plus, how she became the unlikely poster girl for cyber security after she and her husband were hacked and had $250,000 stolen.
Now To Love: On a scale of one to 10, how much do you regret not playing your coveted immunity pin?
Dani: [Laughs] Look, it’s not that high actually. I think it’s probably down around the three mark mainly because I don’t really regret not using the pin – I just regret not cooking a not-so-gooey or a not-so-crunchy dish. I still stand by my decision to not use the pin at that point in the competitio. If I’d gotten through it would’ve been more helpful at the pointy end!
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If you could go back and do another recipe, what would you make?
One of the first things I thought of when I was doing the crunchy challenge was making some tostadas (crunchy Mexican-style fried tortillas) and that would’ve been perfect and then I ended up going with the eggplant dish. I’m still not sure about a really gooey dish – I think I would’ve tried to make a dessert with a gooey centre.
Some not-so crunchy eggplant and under-cooked egg sent Dani home.
(Image: Network Ten)You may have left with the series’ only immunity pin, but you must’ve been so proud to win that in the very first episode.
I was and that’s going to be the thing I take away from this. That was an incredible moment for me and it’s still amazing to look back on and go ‘Wow that actually happened’, so I’m really proud of that. For me, if there was one challenge to win it was either the first one or the last one!
What were some of your other MasterChef highlights?
It’s just been really nice hanging out and cooking with this group of people. There are a lot of people who are really inspiring to me – for instance Poh was one of the first people I loved when I got into cooking and then to stand next to her and cook with her was amazing. It’s been so nice hanging out and getting to know people who’ve taken the show further like Reynold too. Definitely making some new friends and learning from the other contestants was a highlight.
That’s the reason I wanted to go on MasterChef in the first place – I saw how positive the show was and not only that but it was a learning experience which is really important to me. I learned so much the first time round and the second time round I thought this would be a great experience regardless.
“For me, if there was one challenge to win it was either the first one or the last one!”
(Image: Network Ten)We saw you get emotional about missing your two kids in the last mystery box challenge. Are they super proud of their mum?
Look to be honest, I think the five-year-old Harlow’s a little bit sick of MasterChef! I get photos and videos from my friends’ kids watching the show and getting excited and Harlow’s like ‘Eugh Mum I don’t want to see you on TV again!’ Oscar’s been super cute, he’s two so he doesn’t get to watch a lot of TV but when he does he gets very excited. It’s been cute seeing them be happy for me but of course it was hard leaving them as well.
You’re apart for months on end, was it almost bittersweet to leave seeing as you’d be reunited with them again?
I think so. There are a lot of things that play on your mind when you’re away from your kids. You miss them and it’s that old classic mum guilt! When I did go out it was just before my son’s second birthday so I got to spend that with him which I was really happy about.
Dani’s daughter Harlow was a bit over seeing her mum on MasterChef.
(Image: Instagram @harlowandoscar)You previously spoke about how you and your husband fell victim to hackers. Were you expecting such an outpouring of support?
That was an incredibly difficult experience and one that I hope no one has to actually go through because it’s pretty heart-wrenching. I had an incredible amount of support from the media which was so amazing because that was what really helped us get the money back.
It was honestly just awful but we fought for our rights but also the rights of other people. They changed a lot of their security systems and also changed their policies around if someone were to get hacked again that they would be able to guarantee their money in the same way the banks do. There were some really positive outcomes for the systems.
I definitely didn’t want to be the poster girl for cyber security but it happened!
WATCH BELOW: Hackers steal $250,000 from MasterChef‘s Dani Venn. Post continues after video…
Now you’re out of the competition, who would you love to see take the title?
That’s a hard one because everyone brings their own special skill and talent to the kitchen. Tessa’s done two rounds back to back and I shared a room with Tessa so I’d love to see her win. At the same time I’d really love to see Reynold win as well because I feel like he’s the one that elevated MasterChef to a different level. He’s got such an incredibly creative brain so it’s amazing to see him cook – I will never be able to cook like Reynold, hands down he’s amazing.
And then I love Laura’s cooking as well. She’s obviously nailed pasta and Italian flavours so it’s anyone’s game. As we’ve seen from the gooey egg, it comes down to minute details.
“I will never be able to cook like Reynold, hands down he’s amazing.”
(Image: Network Ten)What’s life looking like for you in this COVID-19 climate?
It’s definitely been different like everyone else’s but I’m home a lot with the kids which is good. Home-schooling is definitely not my strength but cooking in the kitchen is and thankfully we’ve been doing a lot of cooking together which is lovely. The kids love cooking and getting in there and having a go, especially the two-year-old which has taken me a little bit by surprise.
I guess I’ve just been trying to stay calm, do a bit of writing and enjoying taking it a bit slower. I’m sure before we know it we’ll be complaining about the traffic and being busy again. It has been difficult but it’s been nice as well.
Homeschooling may be a challenge, but Dani’s been spending some quality time with her kids Harlow and Oscar.
(Image: Instagram @danivenn)Hungry for more MasterChef 2020 content? Check out the links below:
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Meet the MasterChef Australia contestants for 2020
Meet the new judges for MasterChef Australia Season 12
MasterChef Australia: Where are the past winners now?
MasterChef behind the scenes secrets: What happens to all the leftover food will shock you!
Is MasterChef real or fake? The answer will surprise you
MasterChef contestants will bank HOW MUCH by going on the show?! The answer will shock you
