What changed his mind? Popular MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo reveals why he finally agreed to star on the cooking show after initially turning down producers for weeks
He’s won audiences over with his Scottish charm and rugged good looks since starring as a judge on MasterChef Back To Win.
But on Wednesday, Jock Zonfrillo revealed on The Adam and Symon Show podcast that he initially refused to join the lineup with Andy Allen and Melissa Leong.
‘I was an absolute no!’ the 43-year-old explained about the moment he was first approached about replacing dumped judges Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston.
‘I was an absolute no!’ Jock Zonfrillo (pictured) revealed he turned down producers for ‘two weeks’ when approached to be a judge on MasterChef
‘When I got the call… I said there is not a chance in hell,’ he said.
The chef admitted he eventually changed his mind when a friend pointed out that appearing on the hit Channel 10 show was ‘the perfect platform’ for pushing causes he is passionate about.
‘He said, “You’ve spent the last 20 years trying to get people to acknowledge indigenous cultures through food and this is a platform you’d truly be an idiot to turn your back on”.
‘When I got the call… I said there is not a chance in hell,’ he said (Pictured with fellow judges Andy Allen and Melissa Leong)
‘It took me a good week or two to come round to it,’ he added.
Jock was announced as a judge on the program in October.
Previous judges Matt, Gary and George had been with the show since its debut in 2009, but they left last year after Channel 10 refused to meet their salary demands.
Change of heart: The chef admitted he finally changed his mind when a friend pointed out he’d be ‘an idiot’ not to want the platform after spending ’20 years trying to get people to acknowledge indigenous cultures through food’ (Pictured with indigenous artist Gunybi Djambawa)
Done and dusted: Gary Mehigan (left), George Calombaris (right) and Matt Preston (centre) had been with MasterChef since its debut in 2009, but they left last year after Channel 10 refused to meet their salary demands
Earlier this week, Jock revealed that his passion for indigenous food has led to him trying a few unusual exotic local delicacies, including a bat.
‘It was delicious, it really was,’ he told WSFM 101.7 Jonesy and Amanda show on Wednesday.
Jock tasted the controversial dish while he was visiting a remote tribal community in Vanuatu while filing a Discovery Channel show called Chef Gone Wild.
‘I know it’s a bat, I get it that. But when you’re there and you’re in some kind of comprehension and understanding of the culture you’re sitting in, that the fact it’s a bat kind of fades into nothing,’ he explained.
‘You’re just there in that moment doing this thing with that culture, learning something about them,’ he said of the experience.
Extreme cultural experience: The Scottish-born chef told WSFM 101.7 Jonesy and Amanda show on Wednesday that he tasted the delicacy in a remote tribal community in Vanuatu, while filming a Discovery Channel show called Chef Gone Wild (pictured)