MasterChef Australia and I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here fans alike were surprised when George Calombaris stepped into the jungle.
The former MasterChef judge has been out of the public eye for close to a decade following a widely publicised “wage scandal” with his former company.
“I mean, ‘scandal’, that’s a bit full on. It’s easy to say after seven, eight years, it was a horrible time in my life,” he says of that time in his life. “I’m only judged by the people, my team, and obviously my guests that come to my restaurant.”
Now, he’s making a comeback, starting with I’m A Celebrity.
“What an experience, life-changing stuff,” he says as we talk on the phone following his elimination from the jungle. “I don’t regret one minute of it. I’ve learned so much about myself, and I have made friends for life.”
George was the sixth celebrity to be eliminated from the jungle. He went head-to-head against comedians Nath Valvo and Concetta Caristo, two people he has become very close to.
Read on for our interview with George Calombaris.
What a way to go up against two friends.
I look at it and go, I wasn’t competing, I was participating with two beautiful humans whom I adore and love and have now become good friends.
And I remember when it was done, one of the cameramen was nearly in tears. I’m like, what’s wrong? “You had answered more questions correctly; you could’ve saved yourself.” But it was never about that. It was hard to choose one another. So, we just passed it around like a merry-go-round.
Have you been watching the episodes with your family?
Yes, I’ve been watching it with my daughter and son. He can’t wait to get home and watch and sit there with my daughter, who’s 13 and watch it together. It’s pretty special. Even though I’m sure she’s only watching Robert Irwin, not me! But it’s been a special, special thing. I’ve never watched an episode of MasterChef. Never, never in 11 years. But I’ve watched every episode, and I’ll keep watching until the end of this week. You know, what’s going to be an absolutely ripping, you know, finale. I can’t wait.
What is it about the I’m a Celebrity camp that makes these really intense relationships happen so quickly?
I stood on the other side of the spectrum. I was the judge, the mentor, the chef, and I’m the one bringing out the emotion from the contestant. So, I came in thinking, I know television, there’s no way you’re going to be able to get me to drop my shield, my guard. But wow, did I eat humble pie? You do that because you feel really comfortable with these humans.
You know, you’re not sitting in front of a journalist, you know, with all due respect. Whenever we’re talking to a journalist, you’re always careful. Okay, what am I going to say here? I don’t want to get myself into trouble. In that aspect, you’re sitting there and just talking like we would as mates at home in the back garden, you know, having a barbecue and having a yarn.
So your guard was down?
Yes, but also, you’ve got no distractions from the outside world. We’re obviously hungry, we’re emotional. All your shields are dropped. And I’m sure it happened in all the other seasons, but I’ve never watched any other season apart from this one. But you know what, vulnerability is okay. It’s okay to be more open and honest. You know, we don’t have to live this bravado. We all do it. I’ve done it. Maybe you’re not good. It’s okay to say I’m not good, to say I’m struggling at the moment. Because I got my journey in this. If I can help one person out there, one Aussie that’s struggling to not go and do something stupid, and too many of my mates in the hospitality industry globally have taken their lives. Life is too precious for us to do that.
That’s why I picked Beyond Blue as my charity. I mean, nine people every day commit suicide, and that for me is just disgusting. We’ve got to help, we’ve got to do our thing. And we’ve got to talk about it. And I love that the world is a lot more open about talking about this stuff. My dad, God bless him, would have never come to us and say he’s not okay. We had a lot of robust, emotional conversations in the jungle. Asking, how are you feeling? Why are you feeling like that? Maybe this, have you thought about that? You know, I started thinking that was, I’m sorry, I’ve gone off on a tangent.
No, you’re good. It was great to see everyone in the camp connect emotionally, in particular the men. There was no “toxic masculinity” in the camp, and it was great to see that on primetime television.
And that’s the reason, you know, the values of the show, the values that I love, were the same values of MasterChef. We had a no dickhead policy. If you were a dickhead, you’re out. We’re not putting up with it. And even in the jungle, there were a few little moments that we all saw at the start of the series. And, you know, no one’s a threat. We’re here for a reason. Come on, let’s do this and be great role models out there for young kids. Kindness is free. Just be kind.
You and Dyson had that moment where you discussed your varying sagas. Did you connect with him on your, as you say, desire to coach the next generation?
We had lots of conversations about leadership. As I said, I’m not here to teach young chefs how to cook an egg. And Dyson’s not there to teach young kids how to kick a ball. We’re here to spark their imagination and bring them up. And you know, different humans have different challenges and different humans need different things. We’re all different. And I think that whole world yelling and toxic masculinity is really dying. It’s not needed.
I’m hoping that it ends, I really am. Like, I’m so excited the Asia Cup starts on the 1st of March here in Australia, and I love the Matildas, I’m a big football fan. I think it’s coming to Australia at the right time, where you’ve got China, India, and lots of countries that talk about multiculturalism and all of us here in Australia can be part of that and come together.
When the Matilda’s cup was on here, it was amazing because you really saw everyone come together, chanting for the Matildas. It was beautiful. And that’s what we need, that’s why I’m excited about the first match. We need it. We need it, especially here in Sydney. You know, it’s what happened, the recent events. We need that. And that’s going to hopefully rekindle and reunite us to be caring, to look after each other, and just be simple and kind. That’s it.
On the show, you were very open about making your way back into the public eye after the wage scandal. Why was it the right time to come back to the public?
I was on the biggest shows in Australian history, 11 years on MasterChef, and I’m very grateful for all of that. Obviously, I’ve had seven or eight years to think about it, I just want to get going on other things and now having that opportunity again, I’m not going let it go by.
My life turned upside down, and I got asked every year to do a I’m A Celebrity and the time was just wrong. So, to do it now and to have that opportunity to hopefully bring awareness to our chosen charity, bring awareness to people that even struggling out there, you know, you’re going through hardship. Um, there’s a way to get out. There’s a way to get, there’s a way to look after yourself.
You were very candid about your experiences in camp. What do you think people get wrong about that time?
I mean, “scandal” is a bit full on, as is the term “wage thief”. I mean, if we look directly in the dictionary, a thief is a human being who has the intention to steal from someone. You’ve just got to ask yourself the question, why now have I got close to 50 of my old team back working with me again? I’m only judged by the people, my team, and obviously, my guests who come to my restaurant.
Unfortunately, we have tall poppy syndrome in Australia. I don’t know why. It’s a weird thing. In the [US], they celebrate success, whereas here, if you hit a top, we’re like “That’s enough now.” It’s easy to say after seven, eight years, you know, it was a horrible time in my life. I have now worked through that, and I’ve come out a better person.
What did you learn about that time?
Everything’s meant to be; I’m a true believer that our life is already scripted out for us. It’s up to us to wake up every day with full vigour and be grateful and appreciative of what we do and do our best. And we’re going to make mistakes along the way. We’re going to upset people. It’s how we react to that, how we fix that, how we learn from that. All I know is my life has been chaos, and it will never stop being chaos.
You know, I live a life of being in the arena, as the quote says, I don’t want to be in the grandstands, throwing eggs at people. I’m not interested. I want to be in the middle of the arena, going for it every day and having a crack. As I said, it’s a very precious thing. We’re getting one crack at it, you know, live it towards fullness. I’m going to obviously learn from it as well.
What are you hoping is next for you in the industry? Any plans to return to television?
I love my industry. I know my industry is really doing it tough at the moment. And to be back in the arena with my fellow hospitality humans out there doing it together is great. I’ve got an opportunity at 47. I’m no longer the captain anymore. I look at myself as more of a coach. I don’t need to have my name on the door to work at a restaurant. I’m looking and going, okay, how can I create great humans in hospitality? Because it’s not me teaching chefs how to cook an egg. They probably do it better than I do now. But what I want to teach them is the life skills I’ve learned along the way.
So, it’s an exciting time, you know, chapter two, the second half of this great life. I look at it, I’m 47. I reckon I’m going to live to 90. I’m going to have another red hot go because I’ve got so much more to give, and I’ve got so much more to learn. I want to be part of great things.
And we can’t interview a chef without asking: What is your death row meal? Main, a starter, main and dessert.
I’d like to start with some incredible, just some of the most amazing oysters. Give me a half a dozen of them with some lemon. They’re unadulterated, they’re a gift from God that haven’t been affected by a chef. It’s Mother Nature at its best. I always say an oyster is Mother Nature at its best.
And then maybe the most amazing chicken schnitzel with a side of coleslaw and crispy triple-cooked chips that are cooked in beef fat. Then maybe I’d finish off with the most simplistic but amazing lemon tart. Classic.
Catch up on this season of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Australia on 10Play.
