MasterChef fans call out judge's controversial edit: 'Kinda feel sad'

MasterChef viewers have expressed disappointment over the way judge Jean-Christophe Novelli has been edited throughout the season. The French chef and restaurateur joined the reality show this year alongside Poh Ling Yeow and Sofia Levin, as well as returning judge Andy Allen.

While fans have been loving the new line-up of judges, calling them “a breath of fresh air”, many have pointed out that Jean-Christophe has received the least amount of screentime. One person also took to Reddit this week to admit that they “kinda feel sad” for the chef because of how little attention he appears to receive from his co-stars.

“I personally love him but I feel the contestants as well as the judges don't pay much attention to him,” they wrote. “They don't really include him in the contestant discussions, don't even look in his direction while talking, kinda chuckle whenever he's talking out loud, laugh embarrassingly whenever he praises or bangs the table.”

“Poh gets all the attention and is part of everything. Even when he's praising the contestants, they don't take him seriously. He tries to be sweet and be as helpful as possible but nobody really cares. Is it just me?”

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Many fans replied saying that Jean-Christophe is their favourite judge and he’s being “under-utilised” in the edit.

“Less Andy saying ‘It's a banger’ and ‘That's just full of flavour’ and more JC! He is so encouraging, honest, and such a funny person,” one person wrote, followed by another who added, “I absolutely love watching him. He is so incredibly supportive and you can tell he is a mentor”.

“I get what you are feeling, but I don't think it's the judges/contestants ignoring him,” someone else shared. “For some reason, the producers/editors are minimising JC's screen time, i.e. the Sue [Bazely] edit. So they show less interactions of JC with everyone. Heck, they even edited out Sumeet [Saigal] hugging him goodbye.”

Fans go wild for Jean-Christophe

Meanwhile, one fan’s post in a popular Facebook group this week about how Jean-Christophe is “utterly delightful” has received hundreds of comments from people echoing the same sentiment.

“Absolutely love the way he has embraced our Aussie culture. Showing little snippets of his personality and his friendly support is terrific,” a different user replied.

“He's been a great addition,” another wrote, while a third said, “He takes the programme to a whole new level!”.

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Who are the judges for MasterChef 2025?

Channel 10 shared a statement earlier this month confirming that this year’s judges will be returning to the competition next year for season 17.

“Judges Andy Allen, Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli will all be returning to the MasterChef Australia kitchen in 2025 to serve up another delicious season of Australia’s favourite cooking show,” they said.

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