She’s one of the most popular people to ever appear on MasterChef, first as a contestant and now as a judge, but is Poh Ling Yeow about to leave the kitchen for good?
The rumour mill is in overdrive that Poh might be considering stepping down at the end of the season, leaving Andy Allen, Sofia Levin, and Jean-Christophe Novelli in need of a new co-judge. Enter Julie Goodwin!
Earlier this year, Poh admitted that being a judge does not come naturally to her, and she sometimes fantasises about “being a contestant again”.
“I constantly run through the challenges that I have just delivered and think about what I would do in that situation. That’s how much I miss and love it,” she said on the From the Newsroom podcast.
Network Ten have denied there are plans for Poh to be replaced at the end of the 2025 season. Still, fans would love to see Julie come back as a judge one day. Poh, 51, famously lost the first-ever season finale to Julie, 54.
“Julie would be a fantastic judge. Fans love her,” a source tells New Idea.
Julie, who returned to compete on MasterChef in 2022 before taking part in last year’s season of Dancing with the Stars, previously appeared as a guest judge on the cooking show in 2023.
Given she said she “absolutely loved” her brief time on the other side of the bench, she could be keen to accept a permanent position.
Who wins MasterChef Australia 2025?
Punters are predicting this year’s finale will come down to fan favourites, Laura Sharrad and Sarah Todd.
According to recent betting polls on Sportsbet, Laura is the firm favourite to win, but Sarah is nipping at her heels.
Both stars are hungry to finally take home the trophy, with Laura telling New Idea, “I have one goal in mind [to win] and I’ll do whatever it takes to get there.”
Laura placed second in both season six and season 12 of the hit cooking show. But, she has fierce competition from Sarah, who finished in ninth place in season six and runner-up in season 14.
“I’m no longer just cooking, I’m creating a world on the plate that’s uniquely mine,” Sarah tells New Idea about her plan to win.
“That’s why this is my season.”
