As with any popular reality show, MasterChef Australia has received its fair share of criticism over the years. One thing that fans seem to come back to very often is that they believe the judges are too “sugary sweet” and don’t give the contestants enough “constructive criticism” or even argue enough.
The current judging panel consists of former MasterChef winner Andy Allen, former runner-up Poh Ling Yeow, food and travel writer Sofia Levin and Michelin-starred French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.
During a recent episode in which Maggie Beer appeared as a guest judge, fans shared their appreciation that the judges were actually disagreeing for once.
Former contestant Jamie Fleming, who most recently appeared in season 17 and previously appeared in season six, told WHO that he believes the “judges really are there to help”.
“I think this new panel does a good job of keeping everything positive, but they definitely tell you when something is off,” he said. “At the end of the day, there might be a good 10 minutes of chat when you have a dish tasted, but there is only so much time to allocate in each episode, so sometimes the nuanced answers get missed.
“I feel the boys back in the day [Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan, and George Calombaris] were probably a little more open to dressing you down on camera. Each have their benefits I guess.”
However, fans still aren’t convinced, and they have made that very clear.
“They should set harder challenges and give constructive criticism instead of screaming ‘Fantastic!’, ‘Magnificent!’ over and over again,” one annoyed fan wrote on Reddit. “It got annoying after the first two times. And the four judge panel feels like a crowd.”
“MasterChef Au was always as much about the judging as it was about the food… Jock [Zonfrillo] was goofy too but he would also tell it like it is. He never came off as trying hard to seem likeable. Being a great chef doesn’t make you a great judge for a TV show.”
Another fan agreed, writing, “I’m probably one of the few people who misses Matt, Gary and George as hosts. I was rewatching past seasons and you see them give way more critiques on the food, push them to be more creative, etc. and it’s not to be mean but to make them better.”
“I felt it’s always been a problem bumping up to four judges and then all four commenting on every single dish,” wrote a third. “It gets really old when all the criticism/praise is the same across the board.”
MasterChef’s Jackie and Lydia appreciate the judges feedback
Speaking to WHO, Jackie Yu and Lydia Kamperos, who are currently competing on the show, shared their thoughts on the judges.
Jackie explained that her “impression of [the judges] grew over time”.
When discussing the differences between Andy and Sofia, she appreciated how much “care” Andy had for “all the contestants”, and how “well-travelled and well-read” Sofia was, with this “shining through with how she talks through all the tastings.”
Lydia told WHO about what she loved about each judge’s unique approach to the show and their feedback, comparing Poh and Jean-Christophe.
Speaking of Poh, Lydia appreciated how much her “care and understanding definitely showed because she had been on the other side of the coin.”
For Jean-Christophe, Lydia praised his support and advice.
“I love Jean-Christophe! He’s so supportive and I loved his feedback!” she said.
MasterChef fans beg for more disagreement
While it’s easy for a show like MasterChef to face backlash for feeling too scripted, Maggie Beer’s guest episode proved the naysayers wrong, as footage of the judges disagreeing over the contestant’s dishes was the authentic feedback fans were longing for at home.
“I really enjoy when the judges disagree!” one fan wrote online after the episode.
“Hear hear, I’m sick of them agreeing all the time,” another viewer agreed in response.
Instead of the judges’ disagreements stirring up drama on the show, fans and contestants simply appreciated the realness of each judge’s approach and their focus on the skills and perspectives they each bring to the judging panel.
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