They went head-to-head in the Grand Final of MasterChef Australia’s first-ever season, with Julie Goodwin proving to be the better cook and taking home the coveted trophy.
So, it’s easy to see why current MasterChef judge Poh Ling Yeow may be feeling like history is about to repeat itself and that her role in on the chopping block after Julie appeared as a guest judge on tonight’s episode of the popular cooking competition.
According to a source, the pair have remained good friends ever since they shared time in the MasterChef kitchen back in 2009.
But despite both cooks serving up big smiles for the camera during Sunday night’s episode, behind the scenes you could “cut the tension with a knife”.
“Poh and Julie have always had a lot of respect for each other and are actually really good friends. But that doesn’t mean there’s no rivalry between them,” dishes our source.
“It’s only natural that Poh would feel a little uncomfortable having Julie on the show as well after placing second to her back in 2009 and now knowing there’s talk about Julie permanently taking her spot on the judging panel.”
During Sunday night’s challenge, Julie and Poh could be seen interacting a lot as Poh took Julie around to see what each contestant was planning to plate up. At times, they were even spotted deep in conversation off camera. But in a few ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moments, the pair were caught seemingly pulling some cold facial expressions towards one another.
Adding further flames to Poh’s frustrations, fans of the show have taken to social media to praise Julie and her judging skills.
“Julie should be a judge on the show,” one viewer commented.
“If Julie comes on as a judge I might actually watch it,” another added.
Meanwhile, others want Poh to stick around.
“Poh is an awesome judge. I don’t think Julie would be anywhere near as good as Poh,” a fan wrote.
“Poh is great. She is always excited and happy.”
Earlier this year, Network 10 denied there are plans for Poh to be replaced at the end of the 2025 season despite Poh previously admitting that judging doesn’t come naturally to her.
“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.
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