MasterChef fans outraged over 'disrespectful' comments from judge: 'Unnecessarily cruel'

It's been a contentious season of MasterChef Australia. From viewers finding it hard to get used to the new judges to complaints that the home cooks weren't stepping outside of their comfort zones enough and exasperation at the blatant Coles agenda-pushing, the audience has certainly had its gripes!

One issue in particular that has been a recurring theme throughout the 2024 season has been that many fans feel the judges have been playing favourites with certain contestants. One such contestant is Nat Thaipun who has been tipped as the winner practically since the season began.

However, fans were singing a different tune after Monday night's episode which saw Andy Allen come for Nat with some 'tough love' that many saw as being unnecessarily harsh.

As Nat tackled the Mystery Box challenge that could secure her space in the top 3, she made the curious decision to make two dishes instead of one, with the choice backfiring as she was unable to complete both to a satisfactory level. In the end, she had to scrap her dessert entirely and ended up serving lamb shanks that were tough instead of tender.

The dish led to Andy telling Nat that while he had always thought she had so much potential, he was now wondering if he was right about her.

MasterChef viewers erupt over comments: 'Ripped her to shreds'

As Nat held back tears, social media erupted with outrage over how savage Andy had been.

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"Nat getting psychological warfare from the judges. Oooff," one viewer wrote on Reddit.

"Oof Nat. That felt personal," another wrote. "JC's feedback was spot on for a crossroads moment like that though. I think most of us have had a time where we felt like we could do anything at all but forgot to stay true to ourselves in the process. She'll be right."

"This is Nat’s ONLY bad cook and they absolutely ripped her to shreds. How rough," said a third.

"It’s so disrespectful and unnecessary," another viewer said. "Praying Nat effortlessly flies through that pressure test tomorrow."

"Wow, Andy... one bad cook for Nat and you wonder if you're wrong about her being a good cook? No wonder people don't like you," yet another added.

Other viewers weighed in saying that Andy had been "harsh" and "cruel" while another said, "That’s very harsh feedback from Andy, it’s comments like this that make me think the judging is a bit unfair and others get off easy… what a cruel comment 😭😭."

'Hard to watch'

On Facebook, someone posed the question: "Why did they speak to Nat like that tonight? They were awful. There is no need for that!"

"Yes it was a bit hard to watch," someone replied.

"No need to be so rude to her. Poor girl. She is a good cook," another added.

However, there were plenty of people who said they felt the critique was fair and expressed the opinion that perhaps Nat was getting a bit too big for her boots.

"'Tough love' I'd call it," one person said. "She needed to be brought down to earth if she's to do well for the rest of the cooks...."

"He gave her the advice she needed.. this is a competition to win $250,000... you have to earn it," another wrote.

"I reckon she was showing off a little and she has hopefully learnt a hard lesson. She is young and sometimes they need a little dose of reality," a third chimed in.

Fans call feedback 'way out of line'

Over on X, the viewers were less understanding of the feedback that Andy had given her.

"The way Andy spoke to Nat tonight was so wrong, but also highlights that he wants rudimentary over creative," said one fan.

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"Oh Andy, that was TERRIBLE criticism," another said. "To tell someone you are starting to doubt your belief in them!? Good lord. That was awful. MasterChef has always been about support and building people up. That was way out of line and unnecessarily cruel."

"Jesus Christ Andy," added another. "Why not stick a carving knife directly into her chest?"

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