MasterChef Australia may have earned itself a reputation for being the most wholesome reality show on TV, thanks to the beautiful friendships, memories, and even love stories formed throughout the series, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a darker side to the cooking competition.
Although Heat Week is designed to push the Top 7 contestants (and the judges’ taste buds) to their absolute max, it was last woman standing Annabel who was copping the majority of heat from fans during the July 14th episode.
As Annabel and her fellow hopefuls faced a dreaded hibachi challenge, viewers rushed to social media to accuse the judges of being “biased”, claiming that she had only lasted this far in the competition for no other reason than optics.
“She has been the show’s favourite from the start,” one fan wrote online. “Notice how much airtime she has always been given over the others, very obvious!!!”
“She’s not as good as the boys, BUT I bet she makes it to the final,” another commented.
Sadly, this isn’t new behaviour from viewers of the show. In 2025, the MasterChef Australia winner Laura Sharrad endured both criticism and accusations of favouritism during her time in the competition.
Even now, fans are making the comparison between Annabel and Laura, commenting that they’re “getting Laura vibes from last season” and claiming that “it’s so obvious” that “like Laura last year, this year Andy’s pet is Annabel.”
The commentary hasn’t gone unnoticed by Sharrad, who spoke to WHO about the “sad” reality behind this negative commentary and why, unfortunately, it has always been the case.
Why is it always the woman getting picked on?
“Fans love to pick on the last woman standing, unfortunately,” Sharrad said. “It’s always been the case, for no reason other than society online still has an issue with confident & successful women over a male.
“It’s sad that in 2026 it’s still like this,” she continued. “I saw this across all of my seasons, and it’s just so sad and says more about the online community commenting these things than anything else.”
She’s not wrong. At the very start of the season, viewers took aim at a different female contestant – Grace King – who not only copped backlash but also unfavourable comparisons to Sharrad. Meanwhile, her male counterparts received nothing but praise.
Thankfully, the sentiment is not all negative.
“Annabel is simply being herself,” one fan hit back. “If she was your nurse, you would be saying what a lovely lady. This is not a personality test, it’s a cooking show. This bullying of her may affect her mentally.”
‘Favourites aren’t a thing!’
Sharrad also reiterated that “favourites aren’t a thing” on MasterChef, no matter how many fans may claim it is.
“The nitty-gritty end of the show is always like this,” she explained. “Favourites aren’t a thing! Everyone has to remember there are hundreds of hours of footage and the show is edited – everything happens naturally, and what is shown is a true reflection of that.”
“If she’s a good cook, the judges love that,” she added. “It’s not favouritism, it’s celebrating skill and passion!”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
