MasterChef Australia is back for 2024, and it’s heating up our television screens, that’s for sure. If you’re thrilled by the news that your favourite cooking reality show is back on Aussie television screens, here is your complete guide to MasterChef Australia Season 16 (!) and everything you can expect from it this year, including contestants, judges and more.
Table of contents
What time is MasterChef Australia on tonight?
MasterChef Australia first hit Aussie television screens on Monday, April 22, 2024. Since that date, it has been airing every week from Sunday through to Wednesday at 7:30 pm AEST.
When does MasterChef Australia end?
We don’t yet have a confirmed date for the MasterChef Australia finale, but we can make some estimations based on previous years. Taking a quick look at the past three years, the MasterChef Australia series has usually ended in mid-July (16, 12, 13). For that reason, we can assume that the series finale for 2024 is likely to wrap up at around the same time.
Where to watch MasterChef Australia 2024
If you’re keen to tune into the next iteration of MasterChef Australia, you can watch along from Channel 10 (as in previous years) and on 10Play. You can also stream older seasons of the show on Paramount+ and Prime Video, if you so wish.
Who are the MasterChef contestants for 2024?
Over the weeks, we’ve gotten to know the MasterChef Australia contestants quite well! We’re now well into the top cooks of the season, and we’ve written about each of the top 10 contestants here.
We’re also keeping track of who is being eliminated each week with our write-up here.
Where is Season 16 filmed?
As was reported by The Guardian, who visited the MasterChef set in 2023, the series is mostly filmed at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds. The latest exciting destination our MasterChef Australia contestants have been cooking in, however, is Hong Kong.
Is there a trailer for MasterChef Australia Season 16?
Yes! The first trailer for MasterChef Australia 2024 was released a little while back, featuring the new line-up of judges (more on that later). You can have a watch for yourself here:
Your first look at the judges at work on the show is also available; check it out below:
Who are the MasterChef Australia judges?
Due to the tragic passing of former MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo in 2023, the line-up of judges has had some changes ahead of the 2024 season of the show. Here are the food pros who will be gracing your screens each week.
Season judges
Andy Allen has confirmed he will continue with MasterChef Australia in 2024, sharing in a statement that:
“MasterChef Australia has been part of my life for over a decade. It gave me a pathway into the industry and led me to a career that I’m forever grateful for. After an extremely difficult year in 2023, and upon reflection, the decision to return to the series is not one I took lightly.
“But there is something special in the MasterChef Australia Kitchen, and it feels right to come back to work with the amazing production team, and to play my role in seeing the contestants do as I have done. 2024 will be the start of a new chapter, and it will be surreal – yet brilliant – to share this moment with my fellow judges, Poh, Sofia and Jean-Christophe.”
Poh Ling Yeow should be a fairly familiar name to MasterChef fans, as she competed in the competition in 2009. She was runner up in her season, and on her return as a judge, she said:
“Talk about a thrilling, full circle moment. MasterChef Australia is where my food story began, so this feels like coming home. A big part of me will always be standing on the other side with the contestants and I hope when they look to me, they see proof you don’t have to win to win.”
Sofia Levin is a culinary travel journalist and food reviewer. On joining the MasterChef team, she said the following:
“The first season of MasterChef Australia aired the same year I started writing about food. By the time I graduated from journalism, I was sharing lesser-known food stories, while the show was exposing the nation to cuisines and cultures they had never considered before. Becoming a judge on MasterChef feels like two parallel paths converging, and I am giddy with excitement at the people I get to stand beside.”
Rounding out the four judges is Jean-Christophe Novell – a French chef, author, and restaurateur.
“Fostering culinary talent is something I have cared about for many years, and it is a passion I am excited to share in the MasterChef Kitchen. Australian cuisine has a remarkable reputation on the world stage, and it will be a great privilege to meet and mentor the country’s top home cooks on their journeys to greatness,” he said.
If you’re wondering about Melissa Leong, it was confirmed that she will be bringing her expertise to Dessert Masters going forward. On the announcement of MasterChef Australia‘s new judges, she shared the below:
“Over the past four years, MasterChef Australia has infused my life with something truly magical. It has provided me with life-changing experiences that have given me the courage to continue to put myself outside of my comfort zone.
“It is with great enthusiasm and warmth that I welcome new faces Sofia, Poh, and Jean-Christophe, to this very special family, I know they will make it theirs in their own special way, as we did.”
Guest judges
The first guest judge of MasterChef 2024 was announced in November 2023, with Network 10 sharing that Jamie Oliver would return to the kitchen for Season 16. He is set to appear on the series as a guest judge for two weeks.
“Returning to the MasterChef kitchen and spending time in Australia makes me very happy. I think MasterChef Australia is the best food show in the world – amazing production values and an incredible story of transformation,” he said.
“I love seeing how the contestants constantly surprise themselves about what they can achieve. More than that, MasterChef connects Aussies to food and the joy of cooking and that can only be a positive thing.”
Since then, we’ve had names like Curtis Stone, Vincent Yeow Lim, and Anna Polyviou confirmed, too. A number of other celebrity guests also confirmed their involvement in the new MasterChef Australia season in the IG tease below.
We’ve written more on this at length here.
MasterChef recipes
This year, like those before it, we will be kicking off our MasterChef at Home series with the contestants of the 2024 season. It will be a collection of simple recipes and food hacks from contestants as they leave the show, so keep an eye out for some juicy dishes. Here’s a collection of our favourite recipes from the 2023 series to get you started.
Lead Image Credit: Network 10
This article has been updated since its original publish date.
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