Dessert Masters star reveals 'incredible' unseen moments: 'Huge part'

Dessert Masters’ Kay-Lene Tan has opened up about the close bonds between this year’s contestants behind the scenes of the reality show.

Speaking with Yahoo Lifestyle following her elimination in Monday night’s episode, the pastry chef shares that there were plenty of sweet moments amongst the cast that fans didn’t see on TV.

“Watching two and a half hours’ worth of cooking time be condensed down to an hour on TV, obviously there are a lot of little things in between that the viewer doesn't get to see,” she details.

“I think the one thing [fans missed] is all the banter that we had with each other. The camaraderie in the kitchen was incredible, we were always helping each other out. There was a lot of like, ‘Hey, does anyone have sugar? Can I get some from you?’. We all helped each other out and I think that's the one thing that wasn't really captured in the edit.”

Kay-Lene went on to say that there were certain points during the experience that didn’t feel like a competition because there was such a wholesome dynamic.

“It just felt like you were cooking in a kitchen with a bunch of friends,” she describes.

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Outside of the filming schedule, Kay-Lene reveals the cast would often go out for dinner together in Melbourne.

“I spent a lot of time with Adriano [Zumbo] and Andy [Bowdy] and we used to go get lots of gelato around Melbourne and we would go for dinner,” she shares.

“And then there was another night that Jess [Liemantara] cooked us all dinner in her house. It’s those moments off camera that really played a really huge part in solidifying the friendships that we all have with each other.”

'Such an honour'

Despite not making it to Tuesday night’s grand finale, Kay-Lene says she’s “really proud” of everything she accomplished in the Dessert Masters kitchen.

“I definitely put my best foot forward and it's been a great journey,” she remarks. “There was a lot of self-discovery and I think given the circumstances of being in a kitchen that I've never worked in before, it definitely was a beautiful experience all up.”

Kay-Lene adds that she’s walked away from the competition with a newfound sense of confidence in herself and her abilities.

“When I first got approached to do Dessert Masters, I think I was a little bit in disbelief,” she recalls. “It was just a really surreal experience and for the producers to actually believe that I'm one of the top 10 pastry chefs in Australia is such an honour.

“To be perfectly honest, I thought I was going to be out first, much less make it to the semi-final. It’s just been such a whirlwind and I couldn’t be more grateful for all the things I've learned from the show and from all my peers that have been on it as well.”

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