MasterChef finalists react to 'sad' Jock Zonfrillo tribute: 'Hard to watch'

While Sunday night’s MasterChef finale was a celebration for winner Brent Draper, viewers were in tears at the end of the episode when the reality show paid tribute to late judge Jock Zonfrillo.

The Scottish chef was found dead at 2am in Melbourne on May 1, the same day season 15 was scheduled to air, and is survived by his wife Lauren and his four children, Ava, Sophie, Alfie, and Isla.

After it was announced that Brent had won the show, Channel 10 cut to a heart-wrenching montage of some of Jock’s most memorable moments from his four seasons on MasterChef.

He was shown being introduced into the kitchen by Gordon Ramsay for his first episode as a judge, praising several contestants’ dishes, and goofing around with fellow judges Andy Allen and Melissa Leong behind the scenes.

RELATED:

• MasterChef winner Brent Draper reveals plans with $250,000 prize money

• Jock Zonfrillo's wife breaks down over MasterChef finale: 'Made me sad'

• MasterChef fans left heartbroken over Jock Zonfrillo moment: 'Tonight broke me'

The montage ended with a photo of the entire MasterChef crew, alongside the words, “Give it up for Jock Zonfrollo” - his famous saying whenever someone left the competition.

'Really hard to watch'

Brent, who formed a close bond with Jock when competing on both season 13 and season 15, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that although he knew the montage was going to air following the winner announcement, he still became emotional watching it.

“It was very bittersweet,” he shares. “It was such an amazing experience for me to go through this last journey with Jock on something that he loved so much, MasterChef.

“And the beautiful tribute at the end just summed him up beautifully. It was a sad, sad moment, but it was there for us to celebrate his life and his legacy.”

Runner-up Rhiannon Anderson agrees she found the tribute to be “bittersweet” following an emotional final episode.

“I think for me, it's been comforting to watch him,” she says. “And then to see that tribute, it just made everything feel final. So it was tough, it was actually really hard to watch.”

Following the episode, a number of fans have called for the MasterChef trophy to be renamed in loving memory of Jock.

“Please rename the MasterChef trophy the Jock Zonfrillo plate,” one person wrote online, while another added: “Will the MasterChef trophy be named after Jock?”.

SHOP:

• The popular body wash that gets rid of back pimples for good: 'Amazing'

• This cleaning product with 83,000 5-star reviews is blowing minds: 'Miracle'

• Nespresso's one-touch coffee machine will brighten any day - get 15% off now

Brent also agrees with the sentiment, telling Yahoo Lifestyle he believes there should be a lasting tribute to Jock on the show.

“I think it would be a great idea. His legacy is MasterChef, he loved it so much. So yeah, it would be a great idea. Definitely,” he says.

Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.

Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@yahooinc.com.