On last night’s episode, we saw Ben Trobbiani unexpectedly hit back at our favourite Masterchef Australia judges, Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston.
Following a marathon elimination cook, the fan favourite was booted off the competition after the judges said used ‘expensive’ meat— likening it to serving lobster— in a zero-waste challenge. The challenge tasked the cooks to utilise ingredients that are often thrown out by Australians— milk, banana, lettuce and bread.
WATCH: BEN EXPLODE AT THE JUDGES
During his cook off in the Masterchef Kitchen, George and Garry told Ben they were worried he wasn’t understanding the purpose of the challenge. Determined to prove them wrong, Ben went ahead with centring his entire dish around the duck, which bothered the judges and the visiting Italian chef, Massimo Bottura.
Since then, Ben has spoken out about the incident, adamant that he didn’t deserve to be booted off the show.
“I can’t really explain it. I had a dish in mind, it’s a dish I practised before and when I saw the radicchio I thought, just do the first thing that comes to mind,” the former contestant told 10 Daily, adding that the pressure test got to him. “Duck isn’t that expensive. You can get a duck breast for like $8. Lobsters are like $100, a duck is like $15!”
“My downfall was trying to do something fancy,” he continued. “Everyone obsesses over [their own elimination cook]. You can’t not obsess over it.”
Ben went on to explain that following his chat with George and Garry during his cook, who both admitted they were uncertain with his choice of ingredients, he was left rattled.
“George and Gary coming over right at that end stage really threw me,” he said. “I just thought… sh*t. You’ve made so many mistakes in the actual conceptualising.”
During the taste test, fellow judge Matt Preston admitting that the duck was raw and inedible.
Following the elimination challenge, the Aussie cook— who has being praised for performing brilliantly in the mystery box and team challenges— was forced to hang up his apron after being booted off the show.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
