Yahoo Lifestyle 
George Calombaris breaks his silence on new season of MasterChef
George Calombaris took his followers by surprise on Tuesday after praising MasterChef following its debut on Monday night.
George was a judge on the show with Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan for ten years when the shock announcement came in 2019 that Channel Ten would be bringing in a new lineup for 2020 made up of Andy Allen, Melissa Leong, and Jock Zonfrillo.
George shared a photo of the all-star contestants from this year's season and wrote, "OMG. Massive result last night on MC12 launch night. Congrats to @channel10au @endemolshineau, all the awesome crew, the contestants and the new judges. Well done! GC xxxx."
Hayden Quinn, who appeared in season three of the show originally, wrote, "What a night mate! Haha I needed a hug! Thanks for all the support."
Khanh Ong from season 10 added, "Love you to pieces."
Celebrity chef Curtis Stone also commented, "George [you're] an absolute gentleman."
The new season of MasterChef features returning contestants and is titled MasterChef Australia: Back to Win. And it seems to be winning over audiences.
One fan took to Twitter, calling Andy, Melissa and Jock "the perfect fit".
"I'm thoroughly enjoying the new judges on #MasterChefAU. They fell into their roles so effortlessly. It's as though they've always been there. Kind, supportive, engaging, practical, knowledgeable, funny — the perfect fit," they wrote.
I'm thoroughly enjoying the new judges on #MasterChefAU. They fell into their roles so effortlessly. It's as though they've always been there. Kind, supportive, engaging, practical, knowledgeable, funny — the perfect fit. pic.twitter.com/UxMWAcB4yi
— 𝗦𝗸𝘆𝗲 (@daisystreet) April 13, 2020
Another added, "I've already forgotten about those old judges."
I’ve already forgotten about those old judges #masterchefau
— Laura QuaranPiva (@PivaLasVegas) April 13, 2020
Someone else wrote, "You can already tell that this is going to be one of the best seasons of #MasterChefAU EVER... I love the vibe the new judges bring."
You can already tell that this is going to be one of the best seasons of #MasterChefAU EVER 😍 I love the vibe the new judges bring 🙏
— Francisco Torres (@franciscosayshi) April 13, 2020
There were a number of names being thrown around as suggestions for who should take over after George, Matt and Gary left the show including Nigella Lawson, Curtis Stone and Poh Ling Yeow, who returned to the show this year as a contestant.
Poh told Yahoo Lifestyle at the time, however, that she'd be "thrilled" to take on the job.
It's believed that the previous judges left the show after failing to secure pay rises from Channel Ten.
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