Just over a decade ago, Andy Allen was earning a solid crust as a tradie on NSW’s Central Coast.
But after the home cook had a crack at the 2012 season of MasterChef and won, his life – and his finances – completely transformed.
Now he’s a co-judge on the show that made him famous.
He and his wife, Alexandra Davey, have also just splashed out a cool $3.85 million on their dream home in Melbourne’s trendy Inner North!
“It’s the first home we’ve purchased together, so it’s nice to feel a sense of accomplishment for something we’ve worked really hard for,” Andy, 37, recently told Weekender.
Winning $100,000 on MasterChef, Andy quickly relocated from Maitland to Sydney.
He worked at, then became a co-owner, in the Three Blue Ducks restaurant group, after meeting the founders while on MasterChef.
He’s also written his own cookbook, hosted TV series, and put his name to lucrative endorsements.
In 2020, having already built a fortune estimated to be in the region of $5 million, Andy moved to Melbourne when he became a full-time judge on MasterChef (with a rumoured $500,000 per year salary) alongside Sofia Levin, Poh Ling Yeow, and Jean-Christophe Novelli.
“That’s been life-changing,” says Andy.
Personally, things have altered dramatically for Andy, too.
In 2022, he and Alex tied the knot, two years after getting engaged.
As for their luxurious new digs, Andy adds: “I’m loving it – I have jobs to do, mow the lawn, all that stuff. I’m finding myself turning into my old man, which is a little bit scary. I now understand why he would just potter around the house on a Saturday morning.”
