So where does the cast live during filming? Last year, Refinery29 Australia revealed that the MasterChef contestants lived in serviced apartments and this year is no different.
Refinery29 Australia reported last year that contestants have previously been put up in a serviced apartment, with two people in an apartment with their own bedrooms. In 2020, news.com.au revealed that contestants usually live in "a multimillion-dollar mansion".
All of your living expenses are paid for by production.
Contestants on the show are put up in a hotel for the duration of filming. Additionally, their transportation and food expenses are paid for by the show.
Yep, reports on the show have revealed that contestants are actually only paid slightly more than the legal minimum wage. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a mere $630 allowance each week was handed out to the 2013 contestants, which is only slightly more than the minimum $583 a week for an entry level cook.
Production staff takes each cook's phone before they come on set and hold on to them for the duration of filming. When not filming, the contestants are allowed contact with their family but aren't allowed to discuss any details of the filming, or broadcast where they are on social media.
ONE MAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CLEAN-UP
Dishwasher Leigh Dowling is one of over 200 crew that make the MasterChef dream a reality. "Leigh washes everything you see," executive producer Margaret Bashfield reveals. "He's the happiest bloke on the team, even when he gets pots that are horribly burnt on the bottom."
MasterChef US and UK
Of course, we're all curious where that veritable smorgasbord of delights ends up after filming is over. As it turns out, the crew gets first dibs, Marketplace reported. All leftovers and unused pantry items are then donated to MEND – a support service charity based in LA.
Contestants have to buy any ingredients they require to practice dishes to make at home and aren't given any money towards it - but ingredients and a full pantry are provided in the MasterChef kitchens.
All the ingredients are ordered in advance
According to reports, contestants send the producers their recipes beforehand and they get all the ingredients. This is different in the Invention Test, where the aspiring chefs have to make meals out of random ingredients given to them by the judges.
It's up to each contestant to memorise any recipes they hope to use on the show, as well as spend any spare time practising new techniques and dishes as the competition progresses. "We can't take recipes," Mupedzi tells Refinery29 Australia. "I did a lot of studying and a lot of practising."
While former MasterChef: The Professionals star Rosanna Moseley told the Birmingham Mail: "The food stays there for a bit after you've finished so they can get good shots of it. "So it can be cold by the time the judges get to it - especially if you're last to be judged - but they take that into consideration."
So it seems that all the MasterChef contestants stay in a hotel together (in separate rooms, of course). What makes setting accommodations easier for a show like MasterChef is that for the most part, contestants are visiting the same location for the duration of filming.
With the judges rumoured to be taking home around $500,000 a year with Ten, the show's rampant popularity and critical acclaim could see bigger fees negotiated for future seasons.
If you are selected to be on the show, you must be available to commit yourself to the competition and taping of this show anywhere between 8-10 weeks from Mid October 2023 to Mid December 2023, depending on how far you advance in the competition. Dates are subject to change at the Producer's sole discretion.
And they don't get to keep the aprons they wear on the show. But they are sent nice new ones in the post later. This is so no one is spotted with a MasterChef apron before the series goes out on TV.
Masterchef contestants have to think on their feet
Season 5 contestant Elise Mayfield told The A.V. Club that contestants are not allowed to refer to any recipes during the competitions either and must be ready for whatever is thrown their way beforehand. "I spent a lot of time preparing before I left.
The contestants put their lives on hold, but that doesn't mean their responsibilities freeze and bills don't have to be paid. The contestants on MasterChef do get some money, but it's probably nowhere near what you think and in some aspects, contestants actually pay the show.
It's All Engineered Fiction
While the cooking and the judging might be real, a lot of the things in the show are over-dramatized or done in certain ways to keep the series entertaining. A former season 2 contestant, Ben Starr, commented in a blog post that MasterChef is purely entertainment.
MasterChef contestants are given cooking classes
Those home chefs clearly know what they're doing, but according to the blog of one runner-up (via The Daily Mail), that's not always the case. They say contestants were given cooking classes on challenges where there was a level of technique required.
Chris and Julia, a MasterChef love story. The pair met when they were both contestants on the debut season of the show way back in 2009, with then-23-year-old Julia placing fifth and then-41-year-old Chris coming third, behind winner Julie Goodwin and runner-up Poh Ling Yeow.
When selecting applicants for MasterChef, the following issues will be taken into account: skill, enthusiasm, drive, love of food, desire to change your life. In reviewing the information you provide as part of the screening process, all relevant circumstances will be considered.
MasterChef contestants are typically not provided with specific recipes to cook dishes they have never prepared before. The show aims to test their culinary skills, creativity, and ability to adapt to different cooking challenges.
Former judge George Colombaris shed some light in 2015, saying the judges “go around the room” eating “everything hot” straight out of the pot. “It looks sexy on TV but it takes time to film,” he said. “So when you see us tasting at the end – it's cold.
"MasterChef Australia has now wrapped filming on Fans & Favourites, and we look forward to seeing the winner crowned on air. Multiple endings were recorded to ensure results are not spoilt for our audience," an Endemol Shine Australia spokesperson told Refinery29 Australia.