Channel 10 will begin work on the next season of MasterChef Australia this week – looking for Jock Zonfrillo’s replacement set to begin
Channel Ten begins casting for the new season of MasterChef Australia this week.
This was confirmed by a network spokesman The Herald Sun on Saturday that the hunt is on for contestants for Season 15, which will air next year.
“Contestant casting begins this week to find the next batch of Australia’s top home chefs for Season 16 of MasterChef Australia,” the statement read.
Ten will replace Judge Jock Zonfrillo after his death earlier this year, but they are in no rush to do so.
The spokesperson said: ‘A decision on Jock Zonfrillo’s replacement for the next season of MasterChef Australia will not be considered until later this year’.
Channel Ten begins casting for the new season of MasterChef this week. A spokesperson for the network confirmed that the hunt is on for contestants for season 15, which will air next year. Judges Melissa Leong (left) and Andy Allen (center) with the late Jock Zonfrillo
The chief’s replacement will be an “any known chief,” according to sources.
While the network insists casting hasn’t begun yet, hit show insiders say talks have already begun following the beloved judge’s tragic death in the early hours of May 1, a day ahead of the show’s 2023 premiere.
The source described it as a “dismal process” with everyone involved still mourning the enigmatic Scottish chef who joined the cast in 2019.
It is clear that both well-known personalities and virtual strangers are considered for the role.
According to a production insider, the decision will ultimately be based on chemistry, with the new host having to find the right on-screen relationship with fellow judges Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.
Ten will replace Judge Jock Zonfrillo after his death earlier this year, but they are in no rush to do so. The spokesperson said: ‘A decision on replacing Jock Zonfrillo for the next season of MasterChef Australia will not be considered until later this year’
“Obviously that will be the most important thing because it was something that originally really got Jock the position,” a source told Daily Mail Australia.
“You have to remember that when Jock was cast he was a dark horse… he was a renegade in the industry and he wasn’t what many expected in that role.
“But his chemistry with the others was great. And the new host will especially need that.’
Topping the list of possibilities are former MasterChef stars Dan Churchill and Hayden Quinn, as well as Vue De Monde newcomer Hugh Allen and seafood guru Josh Niland.
Sydney chef and cookbook author Danielle Alvarez, Shell House director Joel Bickford, Italian maestro Alessandro Pavoni and Mimi’s chef Jordan Toft would also be shortlisted.
The decision will be based on chemistry, according to a production insider, with the new presenter having to find the right on-screen relationship with fellow judges Melissa and Andy
Another contender, Poh Ling Yeow, made a surprise return to the show Monday night to give the season 15 contestants their first-ever Mystery Box.
Allen, Leong and Zonfrillo replaced former judges Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan in 2019 after their shock abdication.
Nearly a month later, the current season of MasterChef has been a hit for Ten, with the show regularly averaging 500,000 viewers and winning its time slot.
Zonfrillo died in his hotel room at Zagame’s House on Lygon Street in Carlton and was found by police at about 2am on Monday 1 May – the same day Channel Ten was due to premiere the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia.
Zonfrillo died in his hotel room at Zagame’s House on Lygon Street in Carlton and was found by police around 2 a.m. on Monday, May 1