Curtis Stone has been appearing on MasterChef Australia since 2009, and in recent years, fans have noticed that his judging has become a little more ‘harsh’. Some have even gone so far as to call him “nasty” or claimed he was trying to take on a little of Gordon Ramsay’s ‘tough love’ style of judging.
It’s also worth noting that many fans think the main judges are too soft, so it seems no one can win here!
“On one hand, he brings serious credibility – Michelin stars, global experience, and training under Marco Pierre White – so the high standards make sense,” one Reddit user wrote of Curtis. “But the way he delivers criticism can come across as a bit intense, especially compared to the more encouraging tone the show is known for.
“Some people see it as the kind of pressure that pushes contestants to level up, while others feel it takes away from the supportive vibe that makes the show enjoyable. It really comes down to whether you think MasterChef should feel like a high-stakes professional kitchen, or a place where growth is guided a little more gently.”
MasterChef stars reveal what Curtis Stone is really like on set
However, this year’s contestants had only great things to say about Curtis.
Speaking to WHO, Pat McGarry, one of the two winners of this week’s challenge, along with Hannah Johnson, revealed what Curtis brought to set.
Pat and Hannah breezed through the challenge, which was to create either an ice cream flavour or a family-sized pie to be sold at Coles, with the winners’ products set to hit stores around the country from next week.
Pat won with salted caramel ice cream with a golden bickie crumb, and Hannah won with her cheeseburger pie.
Curtis famously works as an ambassador for the supermarket, so it makes sense he would be judging this particular challenge.
“It was crazy, he’s like the quintessential MasterChef guy, he’s been a guest on the show so many times and has set so many cool challenges so for him to be in the room, especially him coming up and talking to you,” Pat shared.
“Even though I was there and I could hear and see him, it didn’t feel real, it was like I was in some weird twilight zone but no, he was awesome, he was really friendly and approachable and gave good advice and it was really cool to meet him.”
Curtis is a “really down-to-earth” guy, says contestant
When asked if he felt any more pressure cooking for Curtis than some of the other guest judges, he said, “I think he was really good at just being really down to earth, like when he came and chatted to me at the bench, he was kind of just seemed like a really down-to-earth guy.
“Like [he was] just asking questions and asking about my dish and was quite chatty, which I find relaxes me a little bit sometimes, you know, some judges are a bit more serious.”
Hannah agreed, adding that she found Curtis “quite encouraging” during the challenge.
“He was very generous with just coming around and either encouraging you with your idea or like maybe kind of having a look and kind of giving you a nod or something,” she added.
“And I think sometimes when you get encouragement in that kitchen, you can take it quite a long way. It really boosts your confidence to go like, yep, I can keep pushing, I can keep doing this. So I really enjoyed having Curtis in the kitchen.”
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