Spoilers ahead. After three big months in the kitchen, Brent Draper was crowned the MasterChef Australia 2023 winner, taking home the $250,000 prize money. Rhiannon Anderson finished as runner-up and didn't leave empty-handed, with the judges awarding her $40,000.
"MasterChef is such a big thing in my life and changed my life, put me on a different pathway. It made me learn new things about myself," Brent said after claiming victory.
The 2023 season of the popular cooking show has not only showcased exquisite food and nail-biting challenges, but also the growing talents of amateur home cooks from various walks of life. Declan Cleary finished in third place and was also awarded $10,000 at the end of the grand finale.
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Tonight's grand final episode involved two sophisticated challenges. The first one involved Brent and Rhiannon creating a dish that tells a story. Brent cooked a tamarind-glazed pork chop dish with roasted cabbage and salsa, which was also the first dish he had cooked this season. Rhiannon also whipped up a pork dish. She made a crispy pork dish inspired by her mum. Ultimately, Brent scored 29 out of 30 from the judges, while Rhiannon received a score of 25 out of 30.
The second challenge involved creating an intricate dessert by acclaimed pastry chef, Amaury Guichon, who will be starring on MasterChef Australia: Dessert Masters later this year. Called the pocket watch, the delicious dessert is all about layers of chocolate and coffee. Rhiannon received a collective judges' score of 27, bringing her total for the night to 52. Brent received 34 for this challenge, which added up to a total score of 63.
While this was Rhiannon's first foray into the MasterChef world, Brent was a returning contestant. The tradie-turned-foodie voluntarily bowed out of the competition in 2021 when he was struggling with his mental health. In 2023, he returned to the show for a second chance, and said he's very proud of how far he's come.
"I had to rebuild everything, rebuild myself," Brent reflected during the grand finale. "I got help, and having my family around me was one of the major things I needed."
Tribute To Jock Zonfrillo
The Channel 10 show paid tribute to judge Jock Zonfrillo, who passed away on Sunday, April 30. A montage of some of Jock's most memorable moment was screened at the end, along with a message on the screen reading, "Give it up for Jock Zonfrillo".
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@masterchefau Ive never been more invested in a season and backed brent , well done mate,will never get over jock has gone, thank you for the tribute at the end for #jock he will forever be Australia's Master Chef #giveitupforjock #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/rJebcLZ664
— jodie lee #justiceforjohnny (@mschufAUS) July 16, 2023
Fifteen minutes later, that tribute to Jock has me absolutely bawling. Absolutely beautiful… and then the “give it up for Jock Zonfrillo” at the end, just in case anyone wasn’t crying already. #MasterchefAU
— Jake Colosimo (he/him) (@b0nestorm) July 16, 2023
The Jock Zonfrillo tribute was lovely...he will be missed forever 🥺💔💖😭#MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/VWrNP6fCDH
— Penny - Bury the Evidence (@BuryEvidence) July 16, 2023
This year's season of MasterChef was different to last year's season MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites, which featured 12 returning contestants from previous seasons and 12 amateur home cooks.
The contestants were Adi Nevgi, Alice Han, Amy Tanner, Andrea Puglisi, Antonio Cruz Vaamonde, Brent Draper, Cath Collins, Declan Cleary, Grace Jupp, Jessica Perri, Larissa Sewell, Malissa Fedele, Phil Conway, Ralph Kahango, Rhiannon Anderson, Robbie Cooper, Rue Mupedzi and Theo Loizou.
In addition to MasterChef judges Melissa Leong, Andy Allen and Jock Zonfrillo, this year there was a star-studded lineup of guest judges including Jamie Oliver, Curtis Stone, Maggie Beer, Rick Stein and Peter Gilmore.
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