The first celebrity cameo of MasterChef 2026 was a stand-out. Jimmy and Jane Barnes surprised the contestants in the kitchen and the first mystery box challenge of the season was announced, with a twist that has divided fans watching at home.
The Australian rock icon and his incredible home-cook wife revealed a list of ingredients that are often in their own kitchen, including mulberries, Dutch carrots, Edinburgh rock (a Scottish treat Jimmy remembered from his childhood), and whisky marmalade, which Jimmy announced halfway through the cooking time.
If the contestants chose to use this extra surprise ingredient, 15 more minutes were added their cooking time.
The twist? The judges then only tasted ten of the “most appealing looking” dishes, as judge Sofia Levin explained.
However, this detail caused backlash from fans, but contestant Jackie Yu (who didn’t have her dish tasted last night) told WHO what it was really like to experience the challenge set out by Jimmy.
Fans divided after MasterChef dishes were left untouched
Only ten dishes were tasted due to the nature of the challenge, forcing contestants to pay close attention to aesthetic rather than just flavour.
In the end, Casper’s dish won immunity, meaning he’s safe and won’t be up for elimination this week (good for him!).
The ten contestants who had their food tasted were Dot, Casper, Annabel, Alita, Miin, Pat, Hannah, Jack, Luke, and Alyona, and while MasterChef fans have agreed that the competition is certainly high this year, they were disappointed that not every contestant had the chance to have their dish tasted.
Many were holding out for Grace since she was the only contestant who didn’t use the surprise whisky marmalade ingredient.
“Just my opinion, but I’m disappointed the judges didn’t taste Grace’s dish, since she was the only one who didn’t use the marmalade and had 15 minutes less cooking time,” one fan wrote online.
“Grace’s dish should’ve been tasted tonight because she was the ONLY one who stuck with her original planned dish,” another agreed.
However, not everyone agreed.
“Not true. Nobody changed their dish entirely to make the marmalade work with it,” wrote another viewer in response.
While fans were disappointed that not every contestant had the chance to have their dish tasted, Jimmy and Jane’s challenge was a big hit with the top 24 contestants.
Jimmy Barnes was a hit with contestants
MasterChef cook Jackie explained to WHO they all “had no idea who was coming on before they came into the kitchen” but the experience was a positive one.
“The first day was Jimmy Barnes and that was super exciting, because that was the first time a lot of us had been around a superstar and his wife too,” Jackie said.
“It was really cool learning about him and his involvement in food.”
During the COVID pandemic and lockdowns, the celebrity couple’s love of cooking exploded online, creating a whole new career path for fans to connect to the pair.
This was also remembered by fans who reminisced online about how the couple “provided much solace during difficult times”.
As the first elimination takes place tonight, fans are on edge to see if their growing fan-favourites will make it through.
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