One of ‘MasterChef Australia’s’ fan favourites Poh Ling Yeow is “definitely” open to appearing on the popular cooking show in 2021.
The 47-year-old, who placed second on ‘MasterChef’ in 2009 before returning to the all-stars ‘Back To Win’ series last year, said appearing in the capacity of a mentor is not off the cards.
In an interview with news.com.au that was conducted in late 2020 but published on Monday, Poh recalled being a mentor in previous years, though said she still had a lot to learn when she competed again last year.
“I mentored last year. It seems so long ago … But then all these things that I thought I knew [when I was a mentor], I came back [as a contestant this year] and I didn’t,” she told the publication.
So would she take up a mentoring gig in 2021 if the opportunity arose?
“It’s so easy to shoot your mouth off [when you’re a mentor] … I just don’t even know if I’m fit for the job but I’d definitely do it if I got invited,” she said.
Filming of the Channel 10 show’s 2021 season recently commenced in Melbourne, and one of the show’s judges has already promised the dishes from home cooks will be even better than those served during the all-star season.
“I think it’s going to be the best food. Even with ‘Back to Win’,” judge Andy Allen told Who magazine at the AACTA Awards.
Andy said that in the “very short” time they’ve worked with the contestants, the high standard hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“They’re raw, they’re very passionate, they’re very willing to learn, and I think that’s what I think excites us the most. It’s going to be a really good season,” he said.
In an interview with TV Tonight, Andy again praised the cast, saying it was rewarding to watch these “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed” people develop “their style” of cooking that the ‘Back to Win’ stars had already established.
Fellow judge Melissa Leong agreed, saying that “there’s some tremendous talent, and it sets us up for a brilliant year”.
This year’s season of ‘MasterChef’ was just as much about the contestants’ touching life stories as it was about the food, and remaining judge Jock Zonfrillo hinted there’ll be more nostalgia and heartfelt moments for audiences to connect with.
“All I’m going to say is, I thought we had some beautiful humans last year. But 2021 is unbelievable,” he said.
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