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Right now, MasterChef Australia is one of the only shows getting us through isolation.
The re-jigged 2020 format of the popular reality TV cooking show has given us three new judges – food critic Melissa Leong, chef Jock Zonfrillo and former MasterChef winner Andy Allen.
But even better, Network 10 brought back so many of our favourite contestants from previous MasterChef series, including Poh Ling Yeow, Hayden Quinn, Khanh Ong, Reynold Poernomo, Callum Hann, Sarah Tiong and more.
WATCH: Check out newcomer judge Melissa Leong on MasterChef in the video below. Post continues.
Now that MasterChef Australia 2020 has reminded us what those high-profile contestants have been up to since we watched them on their initial seasons, what about other fan favourites who decided not to return to the MasterChef kitchen?
In case you’ve been wondering, keep scrolling to find out what a bunch of previous MasterChef alum have been doing since they were cooking their hearts out on national TV.
1. Marion Grasby, season two.
Marion was a season two fan favourite. Audiences were shocked when the then-journalist and gastronomy student’s early elimination saw her take ninth place.
But despite not taking home the winner’s trophy, Marion has gone on to find huge success in the food industry.
Her Southeast Asian supermarket meals and product company, The Marion’s Kitchen Food Company, is stocked all over Australia, and in the US. In 2015, the Financial Review reported the business was bringing in up to $10 million in Australian sales per year.
Marion and her business partner/husband Tim Althaus relocated to Thailand, but recently returned to Australia amid COVID-19. They have two children together – Charlie, born in 2017, and Henry, born in March of this year.
2. Adam Liaw, season two winner.
Since winning MasterChef in 2010, Adam has become one of Australia’s most respected voices in not only the food industry, but the media industry, too.
The Sydney-based cook, writer and TV presenter has published five cookbooks, and he’s travelled through Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Scandinavia and Singapore with his award-winning TV show Destination Flavour.
Adam is also a regular columnist for GoodFood, Sunday Life magazine and The Guardian, and talks politics on panel shows, and on Twitter. Oh, and he does a bunch of charity work as a UNICEF Australia ambassador.
His Instagram is full of delicious Asian home cooking, as well as a few snaps of what homeschooling their three kids looks like for himself and wife Asami Liaw.
3. Daniel Churchill, season five.
Dan Churchill was a fitness coach in NSW when he entered the 2013 MasterChef competition. He came eighth, and has gone on to become an “International Chef, Best-Selling Author, TV Host and Global Brand Ambassador,” according to his website.
Dan is now based in New York, and makes regular appearances as a celebrity chef on Good Morning America, The Chew and on The Food Network. He also owns a restaurant called Charley St, has published a whole stack of cookbooks, has his own podcast called The Epic Table, and has hosted a handful of TV shows. One of which, Surfing the Menu, was filmed alongside fellow MasterChef alum Hayden Quinn.
And on top of that, Dan is one of the featured experts on Aussie Chris Hemsworth’s fitness app Centr. In 2014, he was nominated in the now-defunct magazine CLEO’s Bachelor of the Year competition. From his Instagram, he now appears to be in a relationship with a fellow Aussie in New York.
4. Justine Schofield, season one.
After her MasterChef appearance, Justine was chosen to host a daily cooking show for Network Ten called Everyday Gourmet. The show is now in its 10th season, solidifying Justine’s reputation as an Aussie TV chef.
The Sydney-based cook also has three cookbooks, and has worked on cooking travel series’ Justine’s Flavours of Fiji, Outback Gourmet and New Caledonia. Justine also works as a brand ambassador and hosting Aussie food events.
In 2019, she went to the jungle as a contestant on I’m A Celeb, where she became the unofficial camp cook.
5. Billie McKay, season seven winner.
Billie's season seven MasterChef finale performance impressed world-renowned chef Heston Blumenthal so much, he offered her a training position at his Michelin star restaurant, The Fat Duck, in England.
She took up his offer, working and training in the UK for eight months and writing her food column for Delicious magazine, before returning to the family dairy farm in country NSW. In 2018, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Billie was working on a dairy product business with her family after realising a career as a high-class restaurant chef wasn't for her. She doesn't appear to have Instagram, and her last tweet was in 2017.
6. Filippo Silvestro, season four.
Filippo Silvestro appeared on season four of MasterChef, which was won by now MasterChef judge Andy Allen.
In 2015, Silvestro was found possessing more than 163 ecstasy tablets. In November 2017, The Courier-Mail reported the Queenslander avoided serving time in jail after pleading guilty to drug possession, instead being sentenced to two years behind bars but immediately put on parole. At the time, he was a chef at a Brisbane restaurant.
7. Matthew Beyer, season three.
MasterChef fans might remember when Mat was kicked off the 2011 season after smuggling in a phone to talk to his girlfriend (for context, contestants are only allowed limited communication with loved ones while filming).
That was pretty much the end of his career in the food industry, but never mind because Mat's doing just fine. He went on to become a digital marketing web development specialist. He's currently working in the media at a creative agency.
8. Emma Dean, season five winner.
Since winning MasterChef season five in 2013, Emma continues to work in the food industry.
The Victorian-based cook published a cookbook after winning the reality TV show, and hosts a cooking show on Network Ten called My Market Kitchen. She also dabbles in radio, and judging by her Instagram account, she's been baking like the rest of us in isolation.
9. Kumar Pereira, season three.
Kumar was one of the most popular MasterChef contestants in his 2011 series.
He now spends his time as a cook, food writer and illustrator, and runs culinary tours to Sri Lanka. He's still passionate about educating Aussies about Sri Lankan food, running cooking workshops in Sydney and posting his recipes on Instagram.
10. Brent Owens, season six winner.
Brent not only made headlines as the winner of MasterChef in 2014, but also for donating $50,000 of his winnings to fellow contestant Emelia Jackson.
After the show, Brent published a cookbook called Dig In. According to his Instagram, he's now the founder of a company called Cryogenics Tech, and is into 'Biotech + Regen medicine, UN sustainability goals, travel docos and deep mind exploration'.
He still shares recipes on social media - his latest isolation gnocchi looks pretty tasty.
11. Diana Chan, season nine winner.
Diana narrowly beat current MasterChef 2020 contestant Ben Ungermann to take out the MasterChef title in 2017.
Since then, she's forged a successful career in the Aussie food industry. You'll find her Golden Wok Australia dumplings at your local supermarket, and see her on SBS in her upcoming food show Asia Unplated with Diana Chan.
In 2018, she opened a pop-up restaurant in Melbourne's CBD called Chanteen, and plans for expansion are now underway. Diana also works with a bunch of brands, and regularly posts photos of her delicious recipes on Instagram.
Feature image: Ten.
Who is your favourite MasterChef Australia contestant? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!