Leaked Zoom call between original MasterChef judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston sparks speculation they will return to the show after Jock Zonfrillo’s death
It’s speculated that MasterChef’s original judging trio will make a shocking return to the show in the wake of Jock Zonfrillo’s death.
And celebrity chef George Calombaris added fuel to the fire on Tuesday when he shared a clip from a Zoom call meeting with his former co-stars Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston.
In the caption of the footage, George said the original MasterChef trio has a “very special project” in the works.
Many fans have speculated that they will be returning to MasterChef amid a casting shake-up caused by the tragic death of judge Jock Zonfrillo.
His co-stars Melissa Leong and Andy Allen are also rumored to be dropping out of the ratings following the death of their friend.
MasterChef viewers are speculating that the show’s original three judges may be back together for the next series. Fans went wild after celebrity chef George Calombaris shared a clip of a Zoom conversation with his former co-stars Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston (all pictured)
However, this may be unlikely as there are several reports that Channel 10 wants to review Jock’s position and keep Melissa and Andy in the jury seats.
Other fans believe that the original MasterChef judges are producing something brand new together.
In the video, you can hear Matt teasing George about his “daggy” taste in deserts.
He replies, “The dagger the better. As doggy as we are during this Zoom call.’
In the caption of the footage, George said the original MasterChef trio has a “very special project” in the works
George captioned the post: ‘A serious food talk for a very special project. But the majority lots of shots and giggles’.
The trio hosted the popular cooking show for ten years, from 2009 to 2019.
However, in July 2019, Channel 10 announced that the three judges would not return for season 12 of the series.
It’s been widely reported that the hosts left the show because they couldn’t agree on money, but Gary said at the time it had nothing to do with finances.
In a statement on Instagram, Gary wrote, “It was time to move on (and) have more free time to explore our own creativity. It was never about the money and never will be about the money.’
“We could not agree on the term of the new contract for 2020 and season 12. Something we felt very strongly about.”
At the time, Channel 10 CEO Paul Anderson claimed the decision to take on new judges followed months of failed negotiations with Matt, Gary and George.
“Despite months of negotiations, Ten was unable to reach a commercial agreement that was satisfactory to Matt, Gary and George,” he said.
Three new judges were then hired for the show’s 12th season in 2020: Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen, Melissa Leong (all pictured)
“We want to thank (them) for their contribution over the past 11 years.”
Three new judges were then hired for the show’s 12th season in 2020, Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen, Melissa Leong.
Jock tragically passed away on April 30, 2023, just days before the 15th series was due to air.
Channel 10 decided to still air the pre-recorded series, which Jock was a part of, but there has been a lot of speculation about what the network will do next season.
Jock (pictured) tragically died on April 30, just days before the 15th series was due to air