The oven is preheating, the vegetables are being prepped and the meat is marinating as the MasterChef kitchen opens its doors for MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites.
This time 12 emerging home cooks will experience the magic of the MasterChef kitchen for the very first time, while 12 of the show’s most loved contestants make their return to the MasterChef kitchen.
Whether their passion stems from feeding their family, creating culinary masterpieces on TikTok or a desire to test their skills against some of the best cooks MasterChef Australia has ever produced, these 24 contestants from all over Australia share one common love – food!
Julie Goodwin won MasterChef’s first season.
(Image: Ten)Among the familiar faces set to return to the kitchen include OG MasterChef winner, Julie Goodwin, who won the first-ever season way back in 2009 after going head to head with Poh Ling Yeow.
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Since her epic win, Julie has gone on to release a slew of cookbooks, created her own cooking school, and even starred in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2015, where she (unsurprisingly) took on the role of camp chef.
Another fan favourite set to make a comeback is Minoli De Silva, who took out the top spot in 2021’s season after captivating judges with delicious meals inspired by her Sri Lankan heritage.
Fan favourites will be joined by a crew of eager new contestants.
(Image: Ten)Once again, Judges Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen will be closely judging this year’s crop of competitors as their skills are put to the test in the high-pressure environment.
Speaking of the highly-anticipated new season, Melissa said, “We are back for another action-packed season of thrills, chills and kitchen spills… we couldn’t be more pumped!”
“Add to that a handful of new MasterChef foodies going head-to-head with beloved characters from the MasterChef universe over the years… and then, of course, there’s JULIE GOODWIN!”
She added, “If ever there was a time to feel connected through food, it’s now: MasterChef Australia is the hit of nostalgia, inspiration and feel-good fun we need as a nation and Jock, Andy and I couldn’t be more excited to serve up a generous and heartfelt serving to audiences in 2022.”
“We couldn’t be more pumped!”
(Image: Ten)MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites premiere on Monday, 18 April at 7.30pm on 10 and 10Play on demand.
This story was originally featured on our sister site, New Idea.
