MasterChef ‘s original judges Matt Preston, George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan have reportedly been lined-up to return to the show.
The iconic trio fronted the Network Ten cookery competition from its 2009 launch until 2019, when they left after an alleged pay dispute.
After their impressive ten-year stint, they were then replaced by new panel Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo – who tragically died in April 2023.
But it has now been claimed that viewers have not seen the last of the original judges as they are said to be considering a return to the program.
A source claimed that they might be returning to the show for its 2025 series in what will be ‘unmissable, event television’.
MasterChef ‘s original judges Matt Preston, George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan have reportedly been lined-up to return to the show
‘When a show has been on-air for as long as MasterChef has, executives are always looking for ways to freshen the format,’ they told New Idea.
It has not been revealed whether their potential return will be for a guest stint alongside the newly-signed up judges, or if they will be back permanently.
George recently gushed over his former colleagues Matt and Gary as he said it was always ‘really nice’ to work with them.
‘We have some great memories, being with the guys is really nice, it’s like riding a bike,’ he said at a recent fundraiser for Bowel Cancer .
Daily Mail has contacted Network Ten for comment.
They are said to be considering a 2025 return, after Andy Allen was joined by new judges Poh Ling Yeow, food writer Sofia Levin and French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli this season
It comes amid a panel shake-up which saw returning judge Andy be joined by three new faces for the 2024 series.
MasterChef season one runner-up Poh Ling Yeow, food writer Sofia Levin and French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli all made their judging debuts this year.
They replaced the outgoing Melissa, who was dropped from MasterChef last year, and Jock, who was tragically found dead in a Melbourne hotel room on April 30, 2023.
One of the new judges who has not failed to impress the cast and crew is Melbourne-based Sofia.
A source told how she has ‘real’ on-screen ‘chemistry’ with Andy, 36, and the pair have become good friends since appearing on the show together.
The iconic trio fronted the Network Ten cookery competition from its 2009 launch until 2019, when they left after an alleged pay dispute
They were then replaced by new panel Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo – who tragically died in April 2023. Andy was then joined by the three new judges this year
‘You can see they have real chemistry, and casting has a lot to do with making these judges pop on camera,’ they told Woman’s Day.
‘The long days were hard but Sofia made everything fun for cast and crew.’
Andy, who is married to Alex Davey, won the fourth season of MasterChef in 2012 and made his debut on the judging panel in 2020.
A MasterChef insider recently revealed that Channel Ten had their eye on new judge Poh, 50, as far back as 2019.
She was said to be considered as a replacement for outgoing judges Matt, George and Gary when they exited that year.
A MasterChef insider recently revealed that Channel Ten had their eye on new judge Poh, 50, as far back as 2019
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‘The conversations around the boardroom started with a dream team of judges that would work well together and Poh was on that list for sure,’ the source told Yahoo.
But the plans were put on ice because producers were said to be keen to get Poh and former winner Julie Goodwin to return for the Back to Win celebrity season.
‘We had her back for Back to Win which was a great TV moment,’ the source continued.
‘She was able to do I’m A Celebrity and had an amazing opportunity to host a show with Snackmasters.’