MasterChef Australia’s long-running judges Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris left the show last year after a decade of fronting the popular program.
And when season twelve premiered on Monday night with an all-new panel, it appears the trio were long forgotten.
Fans agreed that newly appointed hosts Andy Allen, Jock Zonfrillo and Melissa Leong added a ‘breath of fresh air’ to the cooking show, with many viewers agreeing ‘the old judges were not missed’.
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Gone! MasterChef Australia’s long-running hosts Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris, left the show last year after a decade of fronting the popular cooking program
Fans were impressed by how professional the new trio appeared on screen, and were happy to see a female judge joining the 2020 panel.
‘Thank you to the Producers and brains behind this new season – changing the judges #bestever,’ one fans tweeted, while another wrote: ‘Good decision to change judges, time for the new era and updated views.’
Praise continued to flood in, with one viewer saying: ‘The judges are killing it already. Definitely does not feel like their first season, let alone their first episode.’
‘The old judges are not missed!’ Fans were impressed by how professional the new judges appeared on screen, and were happy to see a female judge join the 2020 panel. Pictured: 2020 judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo
The shock replacement of Gary, Matt and George in late 2019 came after scandal plagued George was accused of underpaying $7.83 million in wages to his staff.
The celebrity chef had been weathered several scandals in and out of the kitchen in the years since his television debut on the wildly successful cooking show in 2009.
From his $7.8million underpayment saga, an overturned conviction for assaulting a teenager at a A-League match and his departure from the show that made him a household name – his somewhat sudden fall from grace culminated in February with the collapse of his restaurant empire.
A ‘devastated’ George revealed at the time that 22 companies in his MAdE Establishment Group had gone into voluntary administration.
‘Good decision to change the judges!’ Praise continued to flood in for the new judges on social media, with viewers claiming they were a ‘breath of fresh air’ the program needed
Meanwhile, all three former judges took to social media on Monday night, ignoring the air-date of the new revamped format and failing to acknowledge their replacements.
George was the first to post on Monday afternoon – a cooking demonstration video.
Appearing to cheekily reference MasterChef’s themed weeks and challenges, he captioned the clip: ‘It’s vegetable week! Peas please.’
Gary was the next to upload a cooking video for his Instagram fans, describing the footage as ‘Happiness is the zen like sizzle of lamb gently tuning on the spit.’
Moving on! The former MasterChef judges completely ignored the new season and their replacement hosts on Monday. Pictured: Ex Masterchef judge George Calombaris on Monday afternoon ahead of the new format’s premiere on Ten
Having a laugh! Matt Preston (right) chose to promote his TV appearance on ABC’s Q&A program. Pictured with Q&A host Hamish Macdonald in a Bananas in Pyjamas cut-out
‘Happiness is the zen like sizzle of lamb’: Gary simply uploaded a cooking video to his fans
‘It doesn’t quite feel the same without the trio’: The absence of the judges was definitely noticed by the show’s devoted fans, some of which missed the original lineup
Meanwhile, Matt chose to promote his TV appearance on ABC’s Q&A program.
‘I will be on the panel tonight,’ he wrote under a photo posing with host Hamish Macdonald in a cardboard cut-out of Bananas in Pyjamas.
The absence of the judges was definitely noticed by some of show’s devoted fans, who claimed ‘the new judges are a bit boring’ and ‘it doesn’t quite feel the same without the trio’ on Twitter.
‘Can Gordon actually just host the whole thing?’ Fans joked that international guest judge Gordon Ramsay helped spice up the new panel during its premiere episode. Pictured: MasterChef Australia’s new judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, and Jock Zonfrillo with Gordon
‘While entertaining, was missing the original concept of the show’: Some viewers were so unhappy with the 2020 format they claimed they ‘won’t be watching’ the season ahead
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay returned to MasterChef Australia during the opening episode of the 2020 all-star season as a guest judge.
Many fans joked that Gordon should join the cast permanently to spice things up, with one viewering Tweeting: ‘Hey #masterchefau can Gordon actually just host the whole thing. Like keep the judges, but have him host.’
‘While entertaining, was missing the original concept of the show, and that is the rawness and aspiration of unknowns with cooking in their veins. Instead, we have a mostly successful group, basically a ‘best of old MasterChef’ showing off,’ another viewer said while watching the premiere.
Celebrity chef Curtis Stone and American pop star Katy Perry will also appear in later episodes, as they were filmed before coronavirus lockdowns and social distancing measures were brought into affect.
Star appeal: One drawcard for the program amid COVID-19, however, is having filmed segments in advance with Gordon Ramsay, Curtis Stone and American singer Katy Perry
‘The show needed a refresh’: However, there were new and retuning viewers who enjoyed the new judges and the show’s revamped format
MasterChef Australia: Back To Win continues Tuesday from 7:30pm on Channel 10
Tune in! MasterChef Australia: Back To Win continues Tuesday from 7:30pm on Channel 10