Meet the 2026 MasterChef Australia contestants

Lydia Kamperos gave The Australian Women’s Weekly a shout-out in the first episode. Apparently, her first-ever cookbook was one of ours, The Australian Women’s Weekly Cooking Class Cook Book, and thanks to that cookbook (which she says has the best chocolate mousse recipe) and others, she taught herself how to cook for her family.

Watch the clip below:

Olaolu was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. However, he moved to the UK as a child with his family. As a child, he tried to assimilate, and it wasn’t until he hit university that he could embrace his love of cooking traditional Nigerian food. When he moved to Sydney following university, that became championing Nigerian cuisine became a major passion. We should expect delicious Nigerian flavours from him this season!

Belinda has always wanted to work with food. She lived in Papua New Guinea as a child with her family, and it inspired a love of Asian cuisine and flavour that has persisted. She says that her inspiration to join the show was the original MasterChef herself, and columnist for The Australian Women’s Weekly, Julie Goodwin! And so, Belinda hopes to follow in Julie’s footsteps.

Grace has been immersed in the food industry for her entire life. Her parents co-owned a restaurant with chef Karen Martini. She has hosted a couple of pop-up dinner parties with her twin sister and friends, but joining MasterChef is a whole new adventure for the 23-year-old.

Like Grace, Emily grew up with parents who ran a restaurant. In Emily’s case, her parents owned a Chinese restaurant in NSW. In fact, her grandfather opened one of the first Chinese restaurants in Dubbo. She spent her younger years working in the restaurant and learning how to cook Cantonese recipes from her grandmother. She is also a youth worker who teaches the importance of cooking as a life skill for Australian children.

For over a decade, Hannah has put her own dreams of working in food on hold while raising her family (she’s a mum of four!). However, nourishing them has been a priority, and her skills range from classic dishes to “up-market” flair. Can’t wait to see what she crafts in the MasterChef kitchen.

Casper (not the friendly ghost, although that’s for sure his nickname) moved out of his home at 17, and that kick-started a love of cooking to sustain himself. He’s a fan of cooking legends like Josh Niland (who’s set to be a guest judge this season), Kate Reid, and Gordon Ramsay and calls himself a “food nerd”.

Events manager Jack is a massive fan of MasterChef Australia. He says that he has watched it for as long as he can remember and even recreated the Snow Egg at just 11 years old. As a South Australian, he of course idolised Callum Hann (who was a runner-up to Laura Sharrad last season) and has since met with and even worked with him. Callum even encouraged him to enter.

Jackie was brave enough to cook a chiffon cake in the very first episode for the cake queen, Poh Ling Yeow. But she impressed the judges and scored the white apron. Jackie grew up enjoying a mixture of Asian and European flavours from her parents and her French stepfather. In 2025, she embraced her love of desserts and actually started a side business making custom cakes for friends and events, and even dabbled in food styling. We should expect some epic desserts from her.

Originally from Hong Kong, Jeff and his family moved to Adelaide in the 80s. Cooking and baking are two of his true loves in life, a deep passion that is more than a hobby. He idolises Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay and SA darling, Maggie Beer AO (who’s set to be a guest judge this season!). But he does say that his number one idol is his mum, Grace. He has applied to MasterChef Australia several times over the years and finally made it in 2026.

Originally from Delhi, India, Kanika grew up with delectable Indian flavours and recipes. Her father, Rakesh, was a confectionery chef, and her Nani and aunts also taught her traditional recipes. She’s bringing her knowledge and love of Indian street food and traditional cuisine to the MasterChef kitchen.

Although she’s a web designer, Lucy has already made waves in the food world in social media spaces. Her recipes have earned millions of views on her TikTok account. Growing up, her Dad also co-owned a bakery and managed a cheese shop at the iconic Adelaide Central Market. Plus, her mother was a passionate home cook. She’s sure to be ready with any trendy recipe challenges this season!

This season’s youngest contestant, Luke, is hoping to use his lack of experience as an advantage in the kitchen. He’s keen to use all the skills he’s learned from his parents, grandmas, and from his food idols like MasterChef’s very own Poh Ling Yeow.

Megs grew up in a large, boisterous family as the youngest and only girl. However, sadly, her mum passed away from cancer when she was just 19 years old. She says that her mum would love that she’s entering the MasterChef kitchen. If she wins, Megs says that she would open up a small restaurant called Megs Place, but she already caters for friends and family. Now with MasterChef experience, her dream is closer to reality.

Petro hopes to bring his love of Greek and Cypriot cuisine to the MasterChef kitchen. His love of food comes from his heritage and his mother, Georgeia and his yiayiathes, Sophia and Christina. Apparently, he has perfected a halloumi recipe (can’t wait to see it on the show). Like Megs, if he wins, he would love to open a Cypriot restuarant!

Council worker Pat made a risky move by cooking a roast dinner in the first bite challenge, but the judges commended his flavours, and it earned him his white apron. Growing up, his grandmother and his father, Ron, cooked, and he credits them both with his cooking knowledge and passion.

Originally from Penang, Malaysia, Miin is a longtime fan of MasterChef Australia. Seeing contestants like Adam Liaw and Alvin Quah showcasing their heritage resonated with him and inspired him to further his skills in the kitchen.

Vinnie grew up in a big Italian family, and food was at the centre of everything. Plus, his father owned a restaurant on Melbourne’s famous Lygon Street.

In the season’s first challenge, to cook for their spot in the show, Vinnie chose to do something that Andy Allen called “crazy”. He made a sandwich. Well, specifically, he made a porchetta panini, including making the cheese and the bread from scratch. He reasoned that his dream is to open up a panini shop, Vinnie’s Panini’s, so what better way to plate up his dream than with a panini? It worked, and the sandwich secured the white apron.

Guess who’s getting married in a few weeks? That’s right, Dot! It’s not the typical way a bride-to-be spends the weeks leading up to her wedding, but when a dream comes knocking, you answer the door. Originally from New Zealand, Dot credits her mum Michelle with teaching her everything she knows in the kitchen.

Malaysian-born, Aaron’s family moved to Melbourne when he was only five years old. He grew up watching his grandmother, Nyonya, make Malaysian and Chinese dishes from scratch. In the first episode, he credited his girlfriend as the person who pushed him to pursue his passion in food and he is already making an impact on social media and now on MasterChef!

A childhood trauma (bitten by a tiger snake) led Alita to see indoors, and specifically the kitchen, as a safe space. She’s bringing her passion for food and particularly South American cuisine to the MasterChef kitchen this season.

Annabel is a registered nurse. She has spent her career working in the ICU throughout the COVID pandemic. Her work and that time in particular made her reevaluate what is actually important to her. Cooking was a safe space and a release after a long day as a frontline worker. Growing up, her family had a vegetable garden, so she adores farm-to-table cooking. She is sure to take advantage of the MasterChef garden in her dishes this season.

Born in Russia (then the USSR) and raised in Estonia, Alyona has a zero-waste ethos when it comes to food, which makes chefs like Josh Niland a legend to her. Her grandmother also taught her how to “honour every part of the animal”. We’re already predicting that if she makes it to Josh’s guest judge epsiode, she should wow him!

Bella has a huge passion for baking. In fact, when she was nine years old, she started her own personal project to preserve her Nonna’s recipes, which have been passed down for generations. We hope she breaks out one (or more) this season!