MasterChef star reveals brutal reality of filming the show: 'Didn't sleep'

MasterChef’s Amy Tanner has shared a surprising insight into what it's really like being a contestant in the popular cooking competition.

Sunday night’s episode saw the season 15 competitors tasked with preparing a dish over two days, utilising overnight hours to slow-cook meat or pickle vegetables before plating up the following day.

Amy, who failed to impress the judges with her unique fusion of Mexican Japanese pork tacos during Sunday night’s episode, tells Yahoo Lifestyle she found the task to be “so stressful”.

“Knowing that it was a two-day cook, it was kind of daunting because you obviously can't be there and look over it,” she shares. “And if it overcooks, you're not there. So it was really stressful to think about that and I think a lot of us didn't really sleep that night.”

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The 26-year-old medical administrator admits she was surprised her dish didn’t work out as planned, especially because it’s something she’s cooked before.

“What I made at home was absolutely delicious, so it’s just a shame that it didn't kind of work out in the cook on the day,” she says.

“I knew that it wasn't the best thing that I've produced in the MasterChef kitchen, but when you don't have a really good cook you kind of have a little bit of hope that it's not the worst dish. So I definitely knew there were a lot of things wrong with it, but I was just hoping it wasn’t the worst one!”

'Unforgettable'

Amy adds that the hardest part of her MasterChef experience was having to deal with so many different emotions.

“I've never felt so many emotions in my whole life,” she laughs. “Like so much happiness, so much anxiety, so much excitement, everything.

“I haven't really felt that much stress like that before, so it was hard to kind of regulate my emotions. You really want to do well and sometimes when you don't you get really upset about it.”

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However, Amy says she’s grateful she had such a strong network of friends on the show and unconditional support from the judges.

“My MasterChef experience definitely exceeded my expectations,” she remarks. “It will be the best thing I'll ever do in my whole life, for sure. And the people I met, the chefs that I got to work with, it was just insane.

“And the judges were so great, their mentorship was everything to me. You always took on their advice and they just wanted you to do really great and I think that was the most special part. They wouldn't say things for the sake of it and it was nice to get up close and personal with them and hear their opinions and hear their praise. It was unforgettable.”

'Stay tuned!'

Speaking about her plans after the show, Amy reveals she’s already commenced work in the Melbourne food industry.

“I'm a pizza chef at a little bar, it’s called Bar Romantica in Brunswick, so I've been doing that for a little while,” she shares.

“I've got a couple of pop-ups on the horizon which is just a chance for me to be creative and cook the dishes that I really want to cook, and I've got an apron design in the mix. So a couple of things coming up, I’m so excited. Stay tuned!”

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