MasterChef judge breaks silence after new TV show rumours

It hasn’t even been a week since MasterChef judges Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris were dumped by Channel Ten after contract negotiations didn’t go to plan.

Rumours of the celeb chefs signing a deal with streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon have emerged over the past few days, but the TV trio have kept quite silent about on-screen ventures, till now.

Taking to Instagram over the weekend, Gary told fans it was “time to move on”, and a “different” sort of project on television was on his agenda.

“We are so proud,” he wrote on his social media account.

“But a mentor of ‘mine’ told me ‘never be afraid of change’. Time to move on, maybe work a little less, dig our fingers into something new and exciting and maybe make a different kind of TV.”

Meanwhile according to The Daily Telegraph, Gary, Matt and George recently formed their own production company called GGM Pty Ltd.

Now being able to sell themselves as a ‘package deal’, it’s been said the household names are eyeing off a deal with popular streaming service, Netflix, though none of the stars have commented on this.

Earlier in the week Gary reflected on leaving the popular franchise after 11 years.

“What a journey what an experience,” he wrote in a post alongside a photo of the three judges. “It was time to move on, have more free time to explore our own creativity.

“It was never about the money and never will be about the money. We couldn’t agree on the term of the new contract for 2020 and season 12. Something we felt very strongly about.”

Network Ten’s chief executive officer Paul Anderson, said in a statement, “Despite months of negotiation, 10 has not been able to reach a commercial agreement that was satisfactory to Matt, Gary and George.

“Australia is full of remarkable cooking talent and we can’t wait to introduce another group – and the next generation of exceptional judges – in season 12 of MasterChef Australia next year.”

It’s understood the decision is separate to embattled judge George’s recent underpayment saga, and according to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, the trio were after a 40 per cent pay increase.

Earlier this week, George was found to have underpaid staff by more than $7.83 million across his restaurant empire, which led to calls from former workers and unions for the star to be dropped from the popular reality show.

Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com

Want more lifestyle and celebrity news? Follow Yahoo Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Or sign up to our daily newsletter here.