MasterChef Australia‘s Poh Ling Yeow has addressed the long-running fan theory that judges have favourite contestants on the show, and this one might shock you.
Poh won fans’ hearts when she appeared in the inaugural season of the hit cooking show in 2009, narrowly missing out on the win to Julie Goodwin.
The 50-year-old has since made several appearances on MasterChef throughout the years and competed again in 2020 in its Back To Win series.
And so, you’d assume Poh is pretty well versed in how MasterChef judges operate.
Chatting to news.com.au ahead of the 2024 finale, Poh — who is now in the throws of judging her first-ever season — confessed she was always paranoid that the panel played favourites.
“I did have my conspiracies when I was on the show, but everyone does when you’re a contestant,” she confessed.
“But I can honestly tell you, that’s just not the case. There is no room for anything but fairness.”
Adding that “there’s no way favouritism comes into play”, Poh revealed that the judges “are often divided”.
“It’s a really comprehensive process and in-depth discussion that leads to the final decision,”
Poh Ling Yeow confesses she was ‘terrified’ to become a MasterChef judge
Poh also told the outlet she was “absolutely terrified” when she landed the role of MasterChef judge alongside Andy Allen, Jean-Christophe Novelli and Sofia Levin.
“I really was nervous. It’s a completely different thing from being a contestant,” she admitted.
“It took me three-quarters into the season to feel comfortable in the role. It’s not easy, finding different ways to talk about the food, not getting too involved with the contestants when you can see them struggling, and all the behind-the-scenes stuff of making a TV show.”
She added: “To be honest, I did find it challenging, but producers would keep saying to me, ‘Just be yourself’. I’m looking forward to going into next season with more confidence.”
Poh’s enthusiasm for returning to MasterChef Australia in 2025 comes after fans called for a new slate of judges.
But the joke’s on them because Poh is here to stay!
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