MasterChef fans react to Conor's 'chaos': 'Get your sh*t together'

It was a furious fight to the finish on Tuesday night's episode of MasterChef as a fresh batch of hopeful home cooks vied for a coveted white apron and a spot in the top 24.

One such hopeful was Conor from Melbourne, whose 'chaotic' approach to the challenge at hand left viewers at home on the edge of their seats.

No recipe, no worries

As he gathered his ingredients, the 27-year-old told the camera that he 'wasn't really a recipe person' and preferred to 'cook as I go'.

"I started this cook today not knowing what I was going to have on my plate," he said.

With 90 minutes on the clock, a frantic-looking Conor needed to whip up something amazing for the judges with not much more than some eggs and lemons.

At the eleventh hour, he decided on a Greek soup dish called Avgolemono that Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo just loved. Phew.

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But over on Twitter, fans couldn't cope with Conor's slap-dash approach, even if it did work out in the end.

"Living for the chaos that Connor represents," wrote one.

"CONNOR! PLEASE GET YOUR SH*T TOGETHER! I LIKE YOU BUT I CANT HANDLE THE STRESS!" added another who was clearly triggered by his lack of plan.

Others likened Conor's ability to pull everything together at the last minute to MasterChef great Poh Ling Yeow who came second in the 2009 season.

"Is Connor the new Poh?" tweeted a viewer.

"Chaotic Poh-like energy with added piercings and a mullet? I can't look away. Bring it on Mullet Bae!" added another.

Others still were simply thrilled to see the long-running cooking competition return to the small screen.

"I just bloody love #MasterChefAU!!!! Bring it on!!!," wrote one.

"I’m so glad that #MasterChefAU is back to bring light and joy and incredibly high stress levels to our lives once more," joked another.

Melissa's teary message

MasterChef kicked off on Monday night with an emotional message from judge Melissa Leong, who welcomed the new batch of contestants to the 'MasterChef family'.

"I would like to invite you to take a look around at each other because as of today, we welcome you to the MasterChef family," she told the group.

"Support each other, celebrate each other’s successes, have each other’s backs when things are not so great. We want to see you grow and thrive and be the best that you can be. That’s what makes us so proud to be part of this family together."

Viewers shared their love for Melissa on social media, with one user writing, "I could listen to Melissa talk all day."

"Melissa is the best thing on Australian TV," another added. "Just give her the Gold Logie now please. Heck give her a one-woman stage show and film too."

"Melissa is feeding us the supportive, uplifting, positive Mum-vibes Australia needs [right now]," someone else wrote.

On-set emergency

Meanwhile, the reality TV juggernaut has already been rocked with an on-set crisis.

Judge Jock Zonfrillo recently suffered what appears to be an allergic reaction to shellfish while filming a cooking challenge with this year's contestants.

"We were doing a challenge with crayfish the other day and I had to get [medical] treatment because of the shellfish overload," the 44-year-old told New Idea last week.

People who have a shellfish allergy develop symptoms soon after being exposed. Symptoms range from hives, swelling of the lip, tongue or throat and trouble breathing. As with other allergies, a shellfish allergy can be life-threatening and emergency medical treatment must be sought right away.

It's not clear how severe Jock's reaction was or how long it took him to recover, although he has since appeared in an Instagram Live Q&A with fans looking happy and healthy.

Channel 10 has been contacted for comment.

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