MasterChef Australia is set to return in 2024; meaning there’s a fresh new batch of contestants ready to compete for the coveted title.
Read on to meet all of the aspiring cooks who will try and impress judges Andy Allen, Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli.
Khristian Walker, 26, VIC
Huge Jamie Oliver fan Khristian is one of the 2024 MasterChef Australia contestants. In a sneak peak of the upcoming season (which you can watch above), Khristian becomes visibly emotional when he comes face to face with his idol – Jamie is a guest judge this year. “He taught me what I know today,” Khristian says.
Savindri Perera, 30, SA
Savindri, or ‘Sav’, is hoping to showcase Sri Lankan food on MasterChef this year – meaning the judges will have to get ready for some spice! “When a Sri Lankan says it’s hot, it’s hot,” Sav says.
Stephen Dennis, 62, QLD
Channel Ten promises that there’s never been a contestant quite like Stephen. The MasterChef contestant is a typical Aussie bloke, who wears a real crocodile tooth around his neck – but he also likes to cook sophisticated French food.
Juan De La Cruz Torales Villarreal, 39, NSW
Juan is “so excited” to compete on MasterChef Australia this year. And we have to say, thanks to his huge grin, his excitement is infectious – we can’t wait to see what he plates up!
Nat Thaipun, 28, VIC
You’d think the MasterChef kitchen would have seen it all by now, but Nat will serve the “strangest” dish ever made on the show – a Thai larb salad made with kangaroo and other Australian native ingredients in it…
Josh ‘Pezza’ Perry, 43, TAS
Josh is a rugged butcher from Tassie who loves classic meat and three veg dishes but he’s ready to step up and make more “delicate” recipes while on MasterChef.
Alex Crisp, 27, WA
Alex is a fan of “maximum flavour” as her mother is a Dane and her father is South African. We can’t wait to see what the Sales Representative serves the judges this year.
Darrsh Clarke, 31, WA
Darrsh is a self-taught cook whose love of food was heavily influenced by his late father, a chef in an Indian restaurant, and his grandmother.
David Tan, 30, QLD
He may work as a Pharmacologist, but David moved from Singapore (where David says “eating is the national hobby”) to Australia seven years ago to hone his cooking skills. But does he have what it takes to become a MasterChef?
Gillian Dinh, 31, NSW
Gillian, or Gill, grew up eating Italian and Vietnamese dishes thanks to her parents. Therefore, it’s no surprise she says she’s ready to create “big flavours” in the MasterChef kitchen…
Harry Butterfield, 29, QLD
Ocean-lover Harry doesn’t just have his sights set on winning. He’s also hoping to be the “resident seafood guru”.
James Holmes, 38, WA
James is a Primary School Teacher whose love of food has long been inspired by his travels. He hopes that this season he can teach his own children as well as his students that it’s great to embrace a challenge with nothing to lose.
Jonathan Hooper, 29, NSW
Self-described “Nonna’s boy” Jonathan first starting cooking as a 10-year-old. He loves home-style comfort food and his icons include Matty Matheson, Morgan Hipworth and Jamie Oliver.
Josh Clarke, 27, QLD
Yep. There’s two Josh’s this year on MasterChef. This Josh cites his Irish mum and Jamaican dad as his foodie inspirations.
Lachlan Whittle, 34, VIC
Lachlan, proud father to a toddler named Lily, says his strength in the competition lies in his ability to to balance sweet, sour, fat and acid.
Lily Davies, 30, NSW
Lily has always loved to cook; namely thank to her mum, who was a chef that trained at Le Cordon Blue. Lily’s inspirations include her mum, obviously, Jamie Oliver, Clare Smyth, Mary Berry, Julius Roberts and Thomas Straker.
Lourdes Leschen, 22, VIC
Marketing Coordinator Lourdes has had a heavy Spanish influence on both her life and her cooking. But while she’s excited to cook for the MasterChef judges, she’s also ready to take on any feedback they may have.
Mimi Wong, 25, NSW
Mimi loves playing in the “grey space of Asian fusion”. The High School Teacher grew up in Sydney but then when she was 11, moved to Hong Kong to live with her poached snapper, soy-braised chicken and coconut and red date syrup-cooking grandma for a few years.
Snezana Calic, 40, VIC
A a mum of two, Snezana loves “quick cooks” that pack in maximum flavour. Her cooking is influenced by both Mediterranean flavours and heartier style Serbian dishes, as she was born in Croatia and then moved to Serbia as a child.
Steph Griffen, 28, QLD
Steph loves to create high-end dishes. As she currently works in Food Event Planning, Steph is hoping MasterChef can help her achieve the food career of her dreams.
Sue Bazely, 58, VIC
Sue is a huge MasterChef fan but was no longer content watching the competition from home. Hence why she’s ready to take on the kitchen for herself.
Sumeet Saigal, 46, NSW
Sumeet says her 17-year-old twins were the ones who gave her the confidence to go on MasterChef. The mum’s love of food stems from her Punjabi culture and credits her paternal grandfather as her biggest food influence.
The new season of MasterChef Australia premieres Monday, April 22 at 7.30pm on 10 and 10Play.
