MasterChef Australia is one of the toughest reality shows out there, putting talented home cooks through a series of high-stakes, high-stress, high-reward culinary challenges to prove they have what it takes to win a life-changing $250,000.
As audiences tune in five nights a week from the comforts of their couches to watch all the action unfold, many find themselves wondering how much of what they see depicted onscreen actually happens in real life.
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Especially when it comes to the timing of each challenge where contestants are made to race against the clock to create a dish (or several dishes) to impress the judges, in seemingly impossible circumstances.
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With season sixteen of MasterChef Australia unfolding on Aussie screens, we thought now was the perfect time to investigate whether or not everything we see on screen is in fact real, or if some careful editing has made the series seem more fast-paced than it actually is.
Is MasterChef Australia real or staged?
MasterChef Australia is 100% authentic and real, but much like other reality television shows, undergoes a significant editing process before making it to air.
Across each hour-long episode, fans follow along with contestants as they are tasked with a thrilling culinary challenge.
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But given the cooks are often longer than the episodes themselves, some clever editing cuts back on hours of content for a concise episode that only features the best bits from the filming day.
It would be a very long episode otherwise!
Speaking with New Idea in 2020, our insider source revealed that contestants were given a heads-up about what they might be cooking prior to entering the kitchen.
“Contestants are given the heads-up on the challenges, themes [and] recipes the night before filming, so they can research techniques and recipes.”
After the challenges are properly unveiled, the contestants are also given some breathing room to reflect upon what they actually want to cook, instead of jumping into it straight away.
“There is a little bit more time in between when the judges tell you the challenge and when the challenge actually starts because obviously we have to reset the cameras so you do get maybe a little extra time to think about what you are going to cook,” season three contestant Dani Veen previously shared with Mamamia.
Do the judges on MasterChef Australia give preferential treatment to some contestants?
For season sixteen of MasterChef Australia, Andy Allen was joined on the judging panel by Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin, and Jean-Christophe.
Given they all hail from different walks of life and have a broad interest and passion for cuisines from across the world, it comes as no surprise that they have ingredients and dishes that they favour over others.
Despite this, the MasterChef Australia judges do not give preferential treatment to certain contestants.
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Season four almost finalist Alice Zaslavsky revealed to Domain in 2018 that while she believed the judges had their favourites, those favourites “may change throughout the show.”
“The judges have to invest emotionally every year in a group of people they have never met before and you need to give them a reason to make that investment.”
“You learn what the judges like and don’t like, but the biggest pitfall is cooking for the judges instead of yourself,” Alice added.
Is MasterChef Australia rigged?
Over the years contestants on several Australian reality television shows have exposed clauses in their contracts that reveal that ultimately, despite popularity or talent, the airing network can ultimately decide who will win.
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While the winner of MasterChef Australia is not determined by public vote, and instead by the expert panel of judges, fans have made claims that the show is rigged, or that the judges have played favourites unfairly.
New Idea however can report that MasterChef Australia is not rigged. But, given the lapse in time between the show wrapping filming, and the show airing the finale, multiple endings are recorded to ensure the eventual winner is not spoilt before it is publically revealed.
How are the confessionals filmed on MasterChef Australia?
It goes without saying that it would be extremely difficult for contestants to compete in cooking challenges while also being pulled away by producers to film confessionals for the camera.
Dishing up on their innermost thoughts before, during, and after they’ve plated up their dishes for the judges, these contestants’ confessionals provide audiences with a look inside the minds of their favorite contestants.
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But while they may seem short and sweet, previous contestant Mindy Woods revealed that filming stretched between eight and fifteen-hour periods.
“If there’s a short cook, you might do your little interview after the cook,” the two-time contestant shared with Refinery29 in 2022.
“If it’s been a really long day, then we’ll do a catch-up [with producers] after but they try and keep it as close to the story and to the experience as possible so everything’s very fresh.”
