After last night’s episode of MasterChef Australia, this year’s top 24 is complete. Here’s the full list of who made the cut…
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Adele Eliot
Age: 34
From: NSW
Job: Student enrolment officer
Adele has a degree in Health Sciences and Nutritional Medicine, and dreams of opening her own food truck.
Aldo Ortado
Age: 31
From: NSW
Job: Restaurant manager
Aldo grew up in Italy, moving to Sydney in 2013. He is currently planning his wedding with fiancé Mark.
Ben Borsht
Age: 31
From: Qld
Job: Builder
A seafood specialist, Ben hopes to start a charter boat company that would take groups out to catch their own fish and then cook them onboard.
Brendan Pang
Age: 24
From: WA
Job: Social worker
Brendan’s cooking is influenced by his family’s Mauritian heritage, having spent plenty of time growing up visiting the island nation.
Brett McGrath
Age: 29
From: Qld
Job: Coffee roaster
Based in Noosa, keen surfer Brett is a self-taught cook, who sources much of his produce from a farm co-op nearby.
Chloe Carroll
Age: 28
From: Qld
Job: Nutritionist
Mother-of-two Chloe’s biggest strength is her ability to make her own pasta, sausages, pastries, cheeses and more from scratch.
Denise Valdez
Age: 37
From: Vic.
Job: Stay-at-home mum
Although born in Mexico, Denise has lived everywhere from Manchester in the UK to Kuwait, and from Norway to Melbourne, all of which have influenced her palate.
Genene Dwyer
Age: 49
From: Vic.
Job: Recruitment coordinator
Growing up with very traditional meals being served, “late bloomer” Genene now has to cater to a pescatarian and a vegetarian in her household.
Gina Ottaway
Age: 54
From: NSW
Job: Disability support
Another contestant who hails from Italy, Gina came to Australia as a toddler. As the competition’s oldest contestant, she has years of experience perfecting the recipes passed down to her by her mother.
Hoda Kobeissi
Age: 32
From: NSW
Job: Social worker
When she was a teenager, Hoda took over cooking duties for the family while her parents worked late. Now, she dreams of launching a pop-up cooking school for disadvantaged families.
Jenny Lam
Age: 28
From: WA
Job: Entrepreneur
Another contestant that cooked for her family as a teenager, Jenny has worked in marketing for a decade with the dream to cook professionally niggling away in the background.
Jess Liemantara
Age: 19
From: Vic.
Job: Waitress
This season’s youngest contestant comes from a cooking family—her parents ran a fusion cafe and restaurant. Jess herself works at Nobu restaurant in Crown Casino, Melbourne.
Jo Kendray
Age: 46
0From: Vic.
Job: Travel manager
In 2015, Jo moved back to Australia after a stint in New York where she got to live out her foodie passion. She’d love to combine her love for travel and food by running culinary tours.
Khanh Ong
Age: 25
From: Vic.
Job: DJ
1Khanh lived the first two years of his life in an Indonesian refugee camp, his family arriving in Australia in the early ’90s. He combines his Vietnamese heritage with the skills he learnt in his parents’ butcher’s business in his food.
Kristen Sheffield
Age: 27
From: SA
Job: Urban planner
Skilled in both sweet and savoury styles, South African-born Kristen has a degree in Architectural Studies and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning.
Lisa Diep
2
Age: 33
From: NSW
Job: Senior IT analyst
Food has always played a huge part in Lisa’s life, with family events marked by all the relatives gathering for a big feed. She and husband Haw have an 18-month son, Hunter.
Loki Madireddi
Age: 34
3From: Vic.
Job: Stay-at-home dad
Another contestant used to huge family dinners is Loki, who grew up surrounded by cousins in India and moved to the Gold Coast in 2004. He met his wife, Ishani, on a yoga retreat.
Metter Chin
Age: 54
From: NSW
Job: Project manager
4Yet another globe-trotter, Malaysian-born Metter has also lived in New Zealand, Hong Kong and the US. Settled in Sydney with long-term partner Joey, Metter manages IT projects for a living.
Michelle Walsh
Age: 47
From: NSW
Job: Writer
The final contestant admitted to the competition, Michelle is a former model and travel reporter who now runs a blog. The mum-of-two is also an adrenaline junkie into climbing, skating and skiing.
Reece Hignell
5
Age: 28
From: NSW
Job: Recruitment consultant
A true twentysomething, Reece has developed his cooking skills by consuming information on YouTube and social media. Frozen desserts are a favourite, and would be the selling point of the cafe he hopes to open.
Samira Damirova
Age: 36
6From: WA
Job: Stay-at-home mum
Their family are settled in Margaret River now, but Samira and husband Troy, who met in her homeland of Azerbaijan, have travelled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. The mum-of-two makes pasties, pies and bread from scratch.
Sarah Clare
Age: 33
From: NSW
Job: Stay-at-home mum
7One of nine children, Tasmanian-born Sarah is married to a chef, Brazilian-born Doug. Mum to three-year-old Elvis, she has taken to making her own sauces from scratch to ensure she is providing healthy food for her family.
Sashi Cheliah
Age: 39
From: SA
Job: Prison officer
Like Sarah, Sashi comes from a big family, with six siblings. Unlike anyone else in the competition, he worked in the police force in Singapore, where he was born, and was trained in counter-terrorism and riot control tactics.
Tim Talam
8
Age: 28
From: NSW
Job: Butcher shop assistant
He started an Engineering degree and finished a Communications ones, but his love for food led Tim to his current job, learning the skills of the meat trade. With a love for slow-cooked meat, he’d like to open a BBQ joint in the future.
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