Returning for its incredible 15th season, MasterChef Australia is back and ready to turn up the heat to deliver a series full of twists and turns. On this season of MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises, expect the unexpected.
At the helm, judges Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen and Melissa Leong are ready to welcome a brand-new bunch of contestants, who will also be inspired by visiting world-class guest chefs. A who’s who of the Australian food scene alongside international guest chefs will showcase their incredible skill as they challenge and teach.
The competition wastes no time cranking up, with the one and only Jamie Oliver kick-starting the series, guiding the contestants through two very special episodes. Right from the get-go, there is a game-changing secret advantage up for grabs that will alter the path of the competition for one talented cook.
With only 18 coveted aprons on offer this year for the nation’s most passionate amateur cooks, there is a lot on the line. Each challenge is designed to push them to their limits as they learn and grow as cooks. With optometrists, carpenters, nutritionists and youth workers among the hungry hopefuls, each of our Top 18 contestants are here to prove they have what it takes to claim victory.
As a doctor working on the front line of a busy Melbourne hospital during the global pandemic, Adi knows how to stay calm under pressure, but how will her scientific background assist in the face of creative challenges?
Antonio’s a software developer from NSW who moved from Venezuela to Australia in 2015 to pursue a better life. Learning to cook from his mother and grandmother and confident in both the sweet and savoury categories, does Antonio have what it takes to translate his home cooking to the MasterChef kitchen?
An electrician by trade, Theo’s passion for baking bread saw him move to France and work in a Parisienne boulangerie, despite not speaking the language. He spent three years there honing his baking skills but will he be able to hold his own when it comes to savoury dishes?
Our Top 18 will be put to the test like never before, as the MasterChef kitchen, the great equaliser, continues to expose the strengths and weaknesses of all who enter its doors.
The season winner stands to walk away with not only a life-changing experience and the title of Australia’s MasterChef 2023, but $250,000 in prize money.
The South Australian Masterchef contestants are:
Larissa Sewell, 38, South Australia @feastwithlarissa
Occupation: Stay At Home Mum
Inspired by her Ukrainian and Russian heritage, Larissa Sewell’s biggest influence has been her babushka, whose sharing of traditions has shaped Larissa as both a woman and a cook. Having fled their homeland during the Russian Revolution, three of Larissa’s grandparents resettled in China. This fusion of cultures meant that Larissa was raised on a unique melting pot of flavours. Alongside her husband and twin boys, she lives an urban farm lifestyle in Adelaide, complete with heirloom vegetables and heritage chickens while running a small fruit and vegetable co-op, and a successful grazing platter business.
Malissa Fedele, 28, South Australia @malissafedele
Occupation: Nutritionist
As a clinical nutritionist, Malissa Fedele knows the importance of good food for good health. Being from an Italian family means she also knows that good food means good times. Born and bred in Adelaide, Malissa’s big, loud family influenced her interest in food from the get-go. Her parents owned a fruit and vegetable store where she and her siblings worked, and both her Nonnas and her mum encouraged her to get into the kitchen. Food is a huge part of her work too. Malissa’s own clinical practice focuses on women’s health needs and offers nutritional consultations to help create healthy lifestyles and make better dietary choices to best support women’s health and wellbeing.
MasterChef Australia: Secrets & Surprises Premieres Monday, 1 May At 7.30pm On 10 And 10 Play.
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