MasterChef Australia fans praise new judge: 'Wonderful addition'

MasterChef Australia kicked off its 16th season last night, with the show looking to spice things up (no pun intended) with a brand new lineup of judges.

Andy Allen has remained on the show and has been joined by Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin, and Jean-Christophe Novelli after it was revealed last year that Melissa Leong would not be returning for the 2024 season.

With the first episode premiering last night with special guest Jamie Oliver, fans were also delighted by French celebrity chef and new judge Jean-Christophe Novelli for diving right into mentoring the 22 new chefs vying for the title.

Jean-Christophe has nearly 50 years of experience in the hospitality industry and is the owner of the award-winning Novelli Academy Cookery School. In a recent interview with Chattr, the chef said that his passion lies in mentoring young cooks.

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“I love mentoring. I love watching people doing well. And I love watching people who don’t do well [because] very quickly that I can actually conduct them to change. I love giving tips."

Fans praise new MasterChef judge Jean-Christophe Novelli: 'Truly generous'

Fans of MasterChef have quickly embraced the new judge's style, labelling him as a "wonderful addition" to the long-running series.

"What a divine and generous chef! He jumped straight into the mentor role! This will be a phenomenal season!" one person said. "Oh my word 💜 Chef is C'est Magnifique!" another fan commented.

A lot of fans were simply impressed with how he didn't hesitate to guide the contestants to help them along with their cook.

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"Love it when a professional chef shares their knowledge. Truly generous," someone commented. "I loved when he guided the contestants' techniques straight away," another person pointed out.

"Prime mentorship - what a wonderful addition to the brand," another fan said.

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