After wowing the judges with her caramel dumplings early on in the MasterChef competition, 26-year-old Amy Tanner cemented herself as one to watch in future challenges.
But alas, only a few episodes later Amy was the fourth contestant to be sent home after falling flat with what the judges described as “irredeemable” and “disappointing” tacos.
“We really wanted to like your tacos. But what we got was thick tortillas, dry meat, and a sauce that just didn’t belong,” said judge Jock Zonfrillo.
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But despite the setback, Amy has nothing but gratitude for her MasterChef experience, telling cameras as she departed the kitchen that her time on the show was “the stepping stone for something amazing.”
“I’m going to take what I’ve learned and run with it,” said Amy.
“To even get the opportunity to come on here is mindblowing, I’m so bloody proud of myself for getting this far.”

Speaking with New Idea the morning after her departure, Amy described her MasterChef experience as “pretty surreal.”
“It’s been good to watch back. Even though I’ve been through it, you kind of forget what happened because of all the emotions,” Amy admitted.
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We of course had to ask if Amy had any regrets about choosing to cook a ‘Japanese Mexican’ taco fusion dish for the elimination challenge which she described as “quirky, fun and creative.”
“Definitely, I probably wouldn’t have gone for that kind of taco and used a different kind of meat but it is what it is, that’s how I cooked it at home and so I thought it would be okay for the cook during the moment!”

So what is it like cooking in the MasterChef kitchen, is it as stressful for contestants as it seems to viewers tuning in from home?
“It’s very stressful and time goes so quickly in the MasterChef kitchen,” Amy admitted.
“If you think you have everything under control you probably don’t but it’s exciting, the rush is like no other.”
“Every challenge was good in itself, you learned a lot, if it was a bit hard that was always a learning curve, I did enjoy every single challenge.”

So what’s next for Amy post MasterChef?
“I am a pizza chef at Bar Romantica, a little wine bar in the north of Melbourne, so I’m really loving that. I also have a few pop-ups on the horizon so it’s just a chance for me to be creative and do what I really love. I’m also designing an apron!”
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Whilst it’s still “anyone’s game” in these early stages of the competition, Amy already has a favourite to take the title.
“Obviously my bestie Grace, I want her to win. I’m a bit biased but she’s an amazing cook and I hope it’s her.”