The coronavirus pandemic has swept the globe, forcing huge changes in the way we live our lives.
And new MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo has revealed Channel Ten’s flagship cooking show hasn’t gone unscathed.
Speaking to Hit FM’s Krysti & Bodge on Thursday, the chef said COVID-19 has had an enormous impact during filming.
Pandemic: Social distancing, tilted cameras and absolutely NO hugging: MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo has revealed the show will look VERY different this year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Pictured L-R: Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, Jock Zonfrillo
‘We’re just only halfway through [filming when it occurred],’ Jock said, adding viewers will see the outbreak in later episodes.
He explained production crews were forced to immediately take drastic measures to keep cast and crew safe.
‘You’ll notice about halfway through we talk about the social distancing rules even in the studio. We are 1.5 metres apart,’ he said.
Stay away! ‘You’ll notice about halfway through we talk about the social distancing rules even in the studio. We are 1.5 metres apart,’ Jock said. Pictured: MasterChef contestants
Jock added camera crews worked to make scenes look less awkward.
‘The camera guys were forced to work full tilt on different camera angles to make it not look awkward, trying to minimise [the effect],’ he said.
He added contestants were told they could not hug each other after eliminations.
Strict: ‘So contestants can’t hug each other if they get eliminated anymore. Stuff like that. It’s pretty tough,’ Jock revealed. Pictured L-R: Andy, Melissa, Gordon Ramsay and Jock
‘So contestants can’t hug each other if they get eliminated anymore. Stuff like that. It’s pretty tough,’ he finished.
Jock also confirmed a recent report in The Daily Telegraph claiming the coronavirus pandemic has caused a ‘dire situation’ for producers.
The article claimed that international judges Nigella Lawson and Heston Blumenthal have had to cancel their scheduled appearances, while challenges involving crowds have been shelved.
Planned travel has also been cancelled, while shooting outside the set has been banned, according to the report.
Meanwhile, producers are ensuring that greater hygiene procedures are followed on set, including contestants wearing gloves at all times.
Further, contestants will serve up individually-sized dishes for judges to sample, rather than share plates.
Star appeal: One drawcard for the program however, is that several segments featuring A-list stars have already been filmed in advance. Pictured: Andy, Katy Perry, Melissa and Jock
One drawcard for the program however, is that several segments featuring A-list stars have already been filmed in advance, meaning that fans will still get to see guest appearances by Gordon Ramsay, Curtis Stone and American pop star Katy Perry.
It comes after the premiere of MasterChef: Back To Win skyrocketed in the ratings on Monday night, drawing a metro audience of 1,228,000 and a national audience of 1,562,000.
In doing so, it became the highest-rated premiere of the year, up 42 percent from last year’s opener and even topping’s Married At First Sight’s 2020 debut.
Old guard: The show was a ratings winner without the beloved three previous judges: Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris