It’s safe to say that the inaugural season of MasterChef Dessert Masters has been finger-lickin’ fun to watch.
Veteran MasterChef judge Melissa Leong and world-famous French-Swiss pastry chef and expert chocolatier Amaury Guichon have been tasked with the difficult job of judging the creative creations of our skilled dessert masters.
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But of course, whilst all these sweet treats are skilfully crafted, and are the desserts of our dreams, not all our professional contestants have been able to survive the pressure cooker that is the MasterChef kitchen.
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With 10 contestants whisking it all for glory, the title of Australia’s first “Dessert Master”, and of course the cool $100,000 in prize money that comes with victory, we expect the remainder of the season to be every bit as sweet as it is sad, as we farewell favourites.
Scroll on to see every contestant who has been eliminated from MasterChef Dessert Masters in 2023…..
Kay-Lene Tan
In a Grand Finale decider, contestants were tasked with creating a dessert dish inspired by nature.
Sadly for Kay-Lene, whilst her dish inspired by the changing seasons was beautifully crafted, judge Amaury critiqued Kay-Lene for not balancing the ratios of dry to moist.
Taking to her Instagram account shortly after her onscreen elimination aired, Kay-Lene reflected upon the “surreal rollercoaster ride” that was her MasterChef journey.
“I began with little confidence in what I do and a feeling that I didn’t quite belong in this competition, especially alongside chefs who I consider legends of the industry.”
“But with every challenge, and coupled with the support and love of [the judges and contetants], I slowly started to believe in my capabilities, and the unique story I tell through my desserts.”
Kirsten Tibballs
She’s not known as Australia’s “Dessert Queen” for nothing!
Embarking on her most ambitious creation yet, Kirsten set out to create an elaborate chocolate and passionfruit entremet surrounded by a delicate chocolate birdcage sculpture.
Unfortunately, however, moments before the presentation her birdcage fell apart, ultimately costing her the competition.
“Gratitude to each one of you for being a part of this incredible journey. I poured my heart into every creation in the @masterchefau kitchen,” Kirsten shared on her Instagram shortly after her onscreen elimination aired.
Andy Bowdy
Self-professed “cake cowboy” Andy Bowdy may have won the hearts (and stomachs) of sweet tooths everywhere with his mouthwatering creations, but unfortunately for him, his efforts in a Christmas-themed challenge with fruit at the centre saw him fall short of a spot in the semi-final.
“I’m obviously a little devastated I didn’t get to come home with $100,000 in my pocket,” he shared with New Idea the morning after his on-screen elimination.
[But] at the end of the day, we knew what we were signing up for. We’re all going to go home at some point and you’re in a room full of Australia’s top pastry chefs…there had to be a bad dish on the night and unfortunately it was mine, so I’m okay with it.”
Anna Polyviou
She kept her fellow contestants and the judges on their toes with her imaginative sweet treats, but unfortunately for Anna, a poor portion size contributed to her being eliminated from the competition alongside Andy Bowdy prior to the semi-final.
Despite admitting she was “heartbroken” to be eliminated from the fan-favourite reality show, Anna shared with New Idea that she had “no regrets” about her time spent in the MasterChef Dessert Masters kitchen.
“I don’t wish I did anything differently because I’m not one who really reminisces about the past. It is what it is and I move on from it.”
“Yes, there were elements where I was stressed out but I loved it. I just wanted to have fun and hang out with some great people and I did that,” the pink-haired dessert queen added.
Adriano Zumbo
Judges felt like Dessert King Zumbo nailed the concept of the movie challenge, creating a fully edible milkshake cup just like in the movie Grease!
Sadly, the chocolate breaks and the milkshake ends up leaking through the cup.
Reflecting on his elimination to TV Blackbox, he stated: “From years of being a judge [on Masterchef,] it’s been great to walk in contestant shoes. It was fun.”
Morgan Hipworth
When Mel questioned Morgan over his use of raspberry liquor in the recipe, he panicked and added more than usual to his dish. Unfortunately, the increased measurement led to an intense flavour that wasn’t a hit with the judges.
“I think I sort of second guessed myself when it came to, you know, how strong the Gelato was and whether they were gonna be able to taste the Raspberry,” he admitted to New Idea exclusively.
“I had made the recipe before with the original amount and I knew it worked and the only reason I ended up putting more in was when Melanie asked if it would be enough.”
Rhiann Mead
Whilst she put her skills in precise piping, baking, and intricate sugar and chocolate work (to name a few) to good use in the MasterChef Dessert Masters kitchen, sadly it wasn’t enough to keep Rhiann in the competition after the “smashing dessert” challenge, and she became the first contestant eliminated for this season.
“At least I came first in something 😂😂,” Rhiann joked on her Instagram shortly after her onscreen elimination aired.
“I’m beyond grateful for the Dessert Masters experience – short but sweet!” she added.
“I had so much fun during the challenges and having the opportunity to cook alongside some of the best pastry chefs in the country was an honour! It was a humbling experience and I’m honestly just happy to have been there.”
Jess Liemantara
Making it to the grand finale but unfortunately ending in third place, Jess followed through to the end of MasterChef Dessert Masters 2023.
The finale episode included a two-course service challenge. Jess’s ‘Not So Strawberries and Cream’ was marked down for its lack of presentation. It was also missing the filling inside, however, Melissa and Amaury still praised her dish.
Her second dish, ‘Pink Petal’ was praised by both judges for it’s presentation AND taste, however, the sorbet used within the dish froze hard and was the dish marked down because of this.
Her total score was 27/40.
Jess took to Instagram to commemorate her time on the show. “I cherish every moment, memory, reunions and melt downs with these top class people!” she said.
“I am grateful for the hard work and dedication of the MasterChef team who have been apart of this journey since day dot.”
Reynold Poernomo
Finishing up his time on MasterChef Dessert Masters in second place, Reynold’s skills pushed him right to the end!
In the grand finale, the contestants were made to wow the judges in a two-course service challenge.
Reynold didn’t show his best work for his first dish, with Amaury recognising that it “wasn’t the best.”
His second dish, ‘Milk and Honey’ again let him down after being criticised for being frozen. “It fell short of execution,” Amaury said.
His final score was 28/40.
Reynold posted to Instagram that despite not winning, his “head is still held high.”
“When one door closes another will open, so this is just the beginning, it’s never the end,” he continued.
“I hope you’ll all continue to watch me grow and progress in this passion of a career that I have chosen.”
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