The TV WEEK Logie Award winners from 2023 divulge all

Which chaser goes hardest on the dance floor?

The Chase Australia’s Chasers don’t hesitate when asked who the biggest party animal among them is. Matt “Goliath” Parkinson, Brydon “The Shark” Coverdale, Cheryl “The Tiger Mum” Toh and Mara “The Smiling Assassin” Lejins all jump in with “Issa!”

“No, I reckon Mara!” Issa “The Supernerd” Schultz, 39, insists.

Having wowed audiences on Dancing With The Stars, Issa is keen for other Chasers to follow suit.

“Everybody keeps pointing at me,” Matt, 59, says, “but really, they haven’t seen me dance.”

When TV WEEK chatted to Issa on the red carpet, he was hoping he wouldn’t make another faux pas on the night, having made two already.

“I stepped on Sophie Monk’s dress – and I failed to recognise Sam Armytage, even though we’ve worked together, so I want nothing else to go wrong!” he says.

Travel Guides has landed a second logie – but where to next?

Having taken out their second win in a row for Most Popular Lifestyle Program, the Travel Guides team agree the award will certainly be used as a bargaining tool when they start teeing up locations to visit next season.

“I’ve been waiting to go to the Maldives for like, eight years, so this is my chance!” the Fren family’s Victoria tells TV WEEK.

Meanwhile, Teng, who makes up “The Boys” with mates Kev and Dorian, seems to have already started compiling a list of demands.

“I want five-star dinners and massages in bed,” he teases.

Despite having ticked off “50-odd countries”, the lads insist there are many more places they’d love to go.

“Mount Everest Base Camp would be so fun,” Kev says, while Dorian has Egypt top of his bucket list.

“I’ve got to see those Pyramids,” he declares.

For Fren family patriarch Mark, the best thing that’s stemmed from Travel Guides is that it brings people together.

“Families sit down and watch the show together and that’s really quite humbling,” he says. “That’s the part we love the most – that we can bring so much enjoyment to other people’s lives… while being idiots.”

There’s plenty more to come from two-time Logie winner Tony Armstrong

Standing in the TV WEEK media room after winning the second Logie in his career, Tony Armstrong was in disbelief. He’d just beaten some of Australia’s best-known personalities to win the Bert Newton Award For Most Popular Presenter.

“Everyone else [the other nominees] is an ornament of Australian TV; I’ve grown up watching them,” Tony, 33, tells TV WEEK. “I’m gobsmacked and thankful people have got around us [him and the ABC]. This is theirs too.”

Despite his recognition for documentary series A Dog’s World With Tony Armstrong, the footballer-turned-host believes opportunities come from hard work and “being deliberate about what you do”.

As for the opportunities he’d like to pursue in the future, Tony is keeping quiet for now. But some will likely see him shaking up his role as sports presenter on the ABC’s News Breakfast – perhaps even acting.

“Hopefully, I start to do some stuff that’s not just behind the news desk,” he says. “But [as for acting], I promise I’ll tell you as soon as I’m allowed!”

Thomas Weatherall pays tribute to his long-time partner

Walking the Logies red carpet lined with screaming fans left Heartbreak High’s Thomas Weatherall “reeling”.

“I’m borderlining somewhere between a euphoric episode and a heart attack,” Thomas admits to TV WEEK.

Luckily, the 22-year-old has a supportive partner – Stevie, who he thanked in his acceptance speech for Most Outstanding Supporting Actor.

“We met at drama school,” Thomas says. “She helps get me through these days at work. It’s great to come home to her and have a very normal civilian life outside of it.”

Australian Idol judge Amy Shark steals the show

Indie-pop singer-songwriter Amy Shark confesses she was out of her comfort zone at the Logies, saying that although she feels confident when she’s performing on stage, media interviews make her nervous.

“It’s the first time at the Logies, my first time performing my new single [“Can I Shower At Yours?”], my first time being nominated,” Amy, 37, tells TV WEEK. “It’s been a lot – I’ll probably cry any minute now.”

Despite her worries, Amy was a hit, her debut as a judge on the 2023 reboot of Australian Idol – alongside Harry Connick Jnr, Meghan Trainor and Kyle Sandilands – winning her a legion of fans and the Logie for Most Popular New Talent.

MasterChef team pay an emotional tribute to the late Jock Zonfrillo

MasterChef Australia’s Logie win for Most Popular Reality Program at this year’s awards was both happy and poignant without former co-host Jock Zonfrillo there to celebrate with them. The Scottish-born chef and judge died in April aged 46 on the eve of the show’s 2023 season.

“I wish he could be here with us – I know he’d be delighted that we won,” MasterChef Australia executive producer Marty Benson tells TV WEEK.

Jock was famously the life of the party, so the cast agree he would have got up to mischief on Logies night.

“He would get Andy [co-host Andy Allen] out for a meal, then steal his Logie and not give it back,” Marty says.

“He had a track record for nicking trophies,” co-host Melissa Leong adds with a laugh. “We did take an AACTA [Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts] award out to dinner once.”

How MasterChef will deal with the late star’s sad absence in seasons to come is yet to be determined.

“Jock was such a big character and a huge part of the MasterChef story,” Brent Draper, who won the 2023 season of the reality favourite, says. “I’m not too sure what’s going to happen next year.”

Best Seats in the house

In true The Cheap Seats fashion, Tim McDonald coudn’t resist taking a cheeky dig at his Kiwi co-host Melanie Bracewell after accepting the Most Outstanding Entertainment Program Logie alongside the show’s entertainment presenter, Melissa Tracina.

“I can’t help but note that Mel takes one week off the show and we win a Logie,” Tim, 30, says with a laugh. “We’ll take on that feedback.”

He admits it feels “amazing” that the show, which debuted only in 2021, has been recognised by their peers in the industry.

“We just make the show we enjoy and we’re so lucky that some other people enjoy watching it as well,” Tim adds.

The Truth behind HYBPA? and its winning ways

It’s clear Australia really has been paying attention to Network 10’s Have You Been Paying Attention?, as the irreverent panel game show again took home the award for Most Popular Comedy Program.

“We’re excited,” host Tom Gleisner, 60, tells TV WEEK of the win, the show’s seventh Logie since 2017. “It’s great that people still love the show and vote for us.”

When asked why he thinks fans love the show so much, Tom modestly attributes it to the Monday night timeslot – “When the weekend is behind us, it’s nice to just have something to put a smile on your face and look forward to” – and its hilarious mix of panellists.

However, after a moment of reflection, Tom knows it’s the genuine kinship they all share that makes Have You Been Paying Attention? magic TV.

“It’s just me and five contestants and they’re chosen not only because they’re very funny and quick, but we just genuinely like each other,” he says.

“We might have a bit of fun stirring each other, but it’s a genuine affection in the room. And I think that comes across.”