Two-time MasterChef Australia contestant Sarah Todd has made leaps and bounds in her career, and now her sights are set on becoming a judge on the show that made her famous.
The 35-year-old first placed ninth on MasterChef in 2014, before becoming the runner-up in the Fans & Favourites season in 2022.
She has also opened two restaurants, appeared on multiple TV shows and even served as a judge on a cooking series in India.
So, safe to say she has what it takes to step into some VERY big boots, particularly following the death of beloved judge Jock Zonfrillo in May.
Speaking to Yahoo! Lifestyle, Sarah said she would “absolutely love” to appear as a MasterChef judge in the future.
“To become a judge on any sort of show, there’s a lot of experience that’s required,” she admitted.
“And I think that through all the ups and downs and things I’ve gone through in my career, I think I’ve got the knowledge now to be able to help people to handle not only the competition side of cooking but also the emotional side and understanding how to navigate your career.”
Sarah Todd reflects on her MasterChef experience
According to the chef, her favourite part about her second MasterChef stint was sharing advice with the newbies about life after the show.
“I definitely feel like I’ve gone in many different directions and I guess a lot of people see the things that worked out,” Sarah explained.
“But there’s a lot of things that haven’t worked out along the way as well and a lot of lessons and learnings.
“So I’d absolutely want to be able to share that knowledge with everyone… Because for me, giving back is something that I really love and want to do more of and help to guide people in their careers.”
Reflecting on her experience as a judge on an Indian cooking show — which will air later this year — Sarah said it was challenging not to be able to help the contestants.
“I think that’s the beauty of MasterChef Australia, the camaraderie throughout the competition,” she said. “You’re in this very high-pressure competition but you build such strong bonds that you do end up helping each other to get through the competition.”
What are Channel Ten’s plans for replacing Jock Zonfrillo on MasterChef Australia?
On June 4, a spokesperson told The Herald Sun that Ten is already casting a fresh batch of chefs for the show’s 16th season.
“Contestant casting will commence this week to find the next crop of Australia’s best home cooks for season 16 of MasterChef Australia,” the statement read.
Ten are also in the process of replacing Jock, but they won’t make a decision until “later this year.”
However, rumours are swirling that this isn’t exactly true.
One source told an outlet that casting has been a “sombre process” as everyone on production is still grieving the Scottish restauranteur.
However, a production insider said that the decision will be based on who gets along best with judges Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.
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