What really happens during the MasterChef tastings

If you’re a MasterChef fan, there’s no doubt you’ve often wondered how the judges can stomach tasting so many dishes over such a short space of time.

And now the contestants have spilled the beans on what really happens behind the scenes after they’ve finished their cook, with a number of stars from the show saying that Jock Zonfrillo takes the tastings very seriously.

“Jock sometimes eats a full lunch before a challenge and tastings … Even with 24 people in the competition. How can someone fit that much food in their stomach?,” Tessa told news.com.au.

Callum agreed, saying: “Jock is the biggest eater I have ever met, and I eat a lot! He’ll have three helpings at lunch and then taste our dishes all afternoon!”

Reece also added that Jock “never stops earring, I mean ever”.

It’s not only a lot of food for the judges to chow down on but it’s been previously reported that the dishes they dig into are actually cold.

2009 contestant Alice Zaslavsky told Mamamia in 2017: “Once you finish cooking, they take your plate away and shoot it with an overhead camera so it looks fresh,” she said.

“When your name was called, you’d walk up and put your dish on the bench, then they’d show that overhead shot. The judges put a fork in, eat a mouthful of the cold gloop for the cameras and pretend it’s the first time they’ve tasted it, but by that point they already knew what they thought!”

In 2015, former chef George Colombaris confirmed this, dishing the behind the scenes secrets.

"We will go around the room and the three of us will taste everything hot out of their [contestants] pot," she said.

"It looks sexy on TV but it takes time to film. So when you see us tasting at the end - it's cold but I've already made the decision, I already know what it tastes like."

Last week, eliminated contestant Simon Toohey revealed what happens to all the leftover food from the cooks.

“A lot of the stuff goes to all the secondary charities like OzHarvest, Foodbank etc. and passed on from there if they aren’t used,” Simon revealed.

“And then if they are, then they go to the compost or they get spread around to people like us and the crew so there is actually zero waste within the MasterChef kitchen, which is unreal.”

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