MasterChef 2023: Brent Draper conspiracy theory rocks Channel 10 cooking show

MasterChef fans are crying viciously over Sunday night’s result, claiming winner Brent Draper should have been ineligible due to a deal with main sponsor Coles.

Draper, a former boilermaker who also competed in the show’s 2021 season before dropping out due to mental health reasons, was crowned the 2023 winner on Sunday night by second-place finisher Rhiannon Anderson of Queensland.

However, viewers were quick to point out that Draper had spent the past two years working as a content creator for Coles, providing recipes and other food-related materials for the supermarket giant.

Coles has long been MasterChef’s main sponsor and reportedly coughs up about $6 million per season to splash his logo and products all over the reality juggernaut.

Some viewers have claimed that Draper’s status as an employee of Coles violates MasterChef’s strict eligibility criteria as a “conflict of interest.”

Others have even claimed that MasterChef guest judge and longtime face of Coles, Curtis Stone, gave Draper an advantage in one of the show’s final challenges, which ultimately led to the impeachment of fan favorite Declan Cleary.

Hundreds have taken to fansites and Reddit forums to argue the point, with some fans even calling for the “setup win” to be redacted.

‘What the what!?!? Did you all know about this? Doesn’t this fall under a conflict of interest?,” one Reddit user raged, adding a copy of Draper’s TenPlay bio that clearly states he’s been working for Coles since 2021.

Another wrote: ‘My wife has been saying since the start of this season that everything is about Brent winning. I’ve always fought against that idea because I want to believe that (MasterChef) is and always will be. I’m not so sure now.’

On a challenge Draper won in the show’s final episodes, Facebook user Linda Stewart commented, “I read…that Brent has been an ambassador for Coles for the past two years.

“If this is true, wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest for Curtis Stone, a Coles chief ambassador, to be in charge of this challenge? Wouldn’t that benefit Brent?’

Others were more pragmatic, pointing out that Cole’s executives were unlikely to have a say in the show’s outcome.

But someone added that Draper’s position on the show “comes close” to breaking the rules in their application guide, where newcomers’ main source of income cannot be from “preparing and cooking fresh food in a professional environment’.

Since his early retirement from MasterChef in 2021, Draper has traveled Australia with his family in a converted bus in what he described as the “holiday of a lifetime.”

However, he has also contributed recipes and cooking content to Coles through his own YouTube videos and Coles’ content platforms.

Some believe the link ultimately led to favorable treatment from producers, with claims of a “smooth ride” to the finale at the expense of other contestants.

“This whole season is a hoax… Brent/MCAU’s redemption arc has been clear for weeks. He’s talented in his zone, but production did everything they could to give him a smooth ride to the finals,” one Reddit user raged.

‘Give the crown to Rhi! A much more creditable victory!’ said another Facebook user.

A spokesman for Ten told Daily Mail Australia that Draper’s arrangement with Coles had no impact on the outcome of MasterChef.

“After Brent Draper parted ways with MasterChef Australia for mental health reasons in 2021, Coles reached out to support Brent’s mental health journey,” the spokesperson said.

Since then, Coles and Brent have collaborated on various recipe developments and performances.

Brent’s return to MasterChef Australia in 2023 was in no way connected or influenced by his relationship with Coles. Like any other contestant, Brent secured his place in the competition based on merit.

“The dishes served by MasterChef Australia contestants are critiqued solely by the judges of the show, based entirely on the quality of the dish presented. Brent works full time as a digital content creator for a number of different brands.”

Meanwhile, during Sunday night’s finale of emotions, which also served as the official tribute to the late Judge Jock Zonfrillo, also ranked as the lowest-rated final episode of the show since MasterChef aired in 2009.

The show averaged just 614,000 viewers across five cities on Sunday night, well below last year’s 755,000 and a far cry from the 1.5 million who tuned in during the 2020 finale.

This season also marked the lowest overall viewing average since MasterChef’s debut in 2009.

This season averaged around 522,000 per episode – a stark contrast to the show’s heyday from 2009 to 2018, when it was watched by around 1.5 million viewers every night.

However, Ten has already released the casting for the show’s 16th season, which will also feature a changed lineup of judges as the show continues its search for Zonfrillo’s replacement.

Zonfrillo died tragically in his hotel room at Zagame’s House on Lygon Street in Carlton, Melbourne on April 30 and was found by police at about 2am on Monday, May 1 – the same day Channel Ten was set to premiere the fifteenth season of MasterChef Australia .

He is survived by his third wife Lauren, and his four children: adult daughters Ava and Sophia from his first two marriages and Alfie and Isla to Lauren.