The three new judges on âMasterChef Australia: Back To Winâ have attracted mixed reactions since replacing Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston.
But one of the showâs contestants says Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo joining the Channel 10 production is a âsign of the timesâ and âa long time comingâ after 10 years of âMasterChef Australiaâ.
Speaking to HuffPost Australia, Courtney Roulston applauded the casting of Melissa in particular, before explaining contestants had become all too familiar with the previous judgesâ preferences.
âI think even the fact that MasterChef has a female judge in Melissa now is a sign of the times,â said Courtney, as she highlighted the importance of gender equality in the food industry.
âPeople are creating more opportunities for women and theyâre being more accepted in roles, and people are wanting to see women lead kitchens and take on those leadership roles.â
âIt has been a long time coming,â she reflected on a female judge in the mix, adding, thereâs âdefinitely still a long way to go but youâve got to start somewhere, so what better way than the most popular cooking show in the world to put this out thereâ.
Each of the contestants on the show this year have previously cooked for Gary, George and Matt, however itâs âa whole new ball gameâ cooking for the new panel whom they know nothing about.
âViewers were familiar with the old judges, contestants were too,â she explained.
âWe knew if you go get some pork belly with crunchy crackling they were going to be happy. If you gave Gary an English desert, you knew he was going to lick his spoon. I think weâd become familiar with [the fact that] they love curries and things.â
âAnd yeah, I didnât know anything about Jock or his food before going on here. It was a whole new ball game for us,â she said.
âBut I think change is a good thing. I think itâs a refreshing feel to the show the new judges are giving.â
In regards to some viewers criticism of Andy, Melissa and Jock, Courtney said, âPeople just donât like change but... people will get to know them in time.â
This season of the show is called âMasterChef: Back To Winâ, with 24 previous contestants including Poh Ling Yeow, Hayden Quinn, Reynold Poernomo and Callum Hann returning to the series for another shot at victory.
âMasterChef Australia: Back To Winâ continues at 7:30pm on Channel 10.