At a glance…
- Channel 10 and Paramount have confirmed that Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, will host the upcoming season of Junior MasterChef with Poh Ling Yeow.
- The popular spin-off on MasterChef Australia hasn’t been on our screens since 2020.
- The Duchess appeared as a guest judge in the 2026 season of MasterChef Australia and said that she “loved it”
- With filming potentially coinciding with the English summer school holidays, the Sussex family could join Meghan for an extended stay in Australia.
During the COVID-19 years, in between lockdowns and restrictions, many shows found new audiences and brought comfort to so many. One show in particular brought me immense joy: Junior MasterChef Australia. Now we’ve learned that it’s coming back with new hosts: Poh Ling Yeow and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex!
The Duchess of Sussex appeared as a special guest on the last season of MasterChef Australia while she and Prince Harry were visiting Australia on a non-royal tour.
“My husband and I have such an affinity for Australia,” Meghan told The Weekly exclusively when she appeared on MasterChef Australia. “I said to him the day we were flying out, ‘The only thing better than Australia are Australians’.”
The last season of Junior MasterChef Australia was Season 3, which aired from 11 October to 9 November 2020 on Network 10. Its judges were Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo. 11-year-old Georgia from Victoria won that season and the $25,000 prize money (however, I was always rooting for Ben and “Ben’s Bao Buns!”).
The series follows preteen aspiring chefs as they showcase their skills and passion for food. We don’t have a premiere date for the next season, other than that it’s coming out in 2027. However, we can presume that it may follow the same timeframe as the previous season and air next spring.
“I’m thrilled to bits that Junior MasterChef is returning to our screens,” Poh Ling Yeow said in a statement. “People often ask me whether it might come back, so I know the news will be met with plenty of excitement.”
Poh first became a judge on MasterChef Australia in 2024 alongside Andy Allen and other newcomers, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli.
“It’s taken me a few years to get used to, but I’m loving it so much this year,” she told Tiffany Dunk in our cover story of the June issue. “The amount of times I stand back every day and think, ‘I can’t believe all these people are here to make me look like I know what I’m doing!’”
That imposter syndrome coupled with gratitude is something that Poh has grappled with since she first appeared as a contestant on MasterChef Australia. When she was our Christmas cover star in 2024, she told Samantha Trenoweth that she is so grateful for everything that has come her way:
“Never in my wildest dreams,” she said at the time, “would little migrant Poh have imagined being decked out in glam gowns, running on a desert floor and shooting a cover for The Australian Women’s Weekly.”
When Meghan appeared on MasterChef Australia earlier this year, she and Poh appeared to strike up an easy rapport. Now, the pair will be reunited in the kitchen, this time with a new generation of aspiring chefs.
“I had an incredible time with the whole team at MasterChef this past April, so when they approached me to come back and work with this young group of talent, it was an easy yes,” Meghan said in a statement. “I love cooking with my own kids, so seeing what these young stars create in the kitchen is going to be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to see what they cook up!”
And her co-host, Poh, is equally thrilled.
“I had a lovely time filming with Meghan earlier this year, and being reunited will be a real treat,” our June cover star said. “I can’t wait to meet our pint-sized culinary adventurers – I’m expecting plenty of delicious surprises and a little mischief, too.”
However, the question will be how long the Duchess will be in Australia for production. The Sussexes relocated to the UK in August 2026 and enrolled their children in schools there.
Unlike the adult MasterChef Australia, which has a much longer production schedule, the junior series has fewer contestants and episodes, so filming is considerably shorter. For the 2020 season of Junior MasterChef Australia, contestants were required to commit to six consecutive weeks of filming in Melbourne, scheduled for around July–August 2020, according to the original casting information. Filming was already underway by 20 July 2020, according to TV Tonight.
That could mean that Meghan will relocate to Melbourne for the six weeks, or potentially the entire family will stay there together for the duration. It could be filmed during the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere. Unlike Australia, where July falls in the middle of winter, schools in England generally break up for their six-week summer holidays in late July, returning in early September. If filming follows a similar schedule to 2020, Harry and Meghan could spend part of the British summer holidays in Australia with Archie and Lilibet without disrupting their schooling. Of course, neither the filming dates nor the Sussex family’s travel arrangements have been confirmed.
Watch this space!
Watch previous seasons of MasterChef Australia and Junior MasterChef Australia on 10Play.
