Masterchef star breaks silence after shock exit from show

Masterchef Australia kicked off its 12th season this week, serving up a stellar cast from over the years in a new ‘Back To Win’ format.

Fan favourites like Poh and Reynold are joined by three new judges; Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo, as the contestants battle it out for the coveted trophy that eluded them the first time they were in the reality TV show kitchen.

And while many Masterchef fans were delighted to see Season 9 runner-up Ben Ungermann in each of the episodes this week, Channel 10 have confirmed that he was removed from the show following a police matter.

“We can confirm Ben Ungermann has left the MasterChef Australia competition. As this is a police matter, we will not be making further comment,” the spokesman said, according to news.com.au.

Now, Ben has addressed the issue on his Instagram account, confirming that he is no longer part of the production.

“I’m actually devastated,” a fan write in his comments section. “How do they edit you out?”

“That’s up to MasterChef Australia. Appreciate the support,” he responded.

In another comment, a fan said he’d heard a rumour that Ben had been kicked off the show due to a police incident, with the chef relying: “Don’t believe everything you read guys”.

While Channel 10 have yet to confirm how they will write Ben’s departure into the show, it’s believed he will still be on our screen for a number of episodes.

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