MasterChef's Emelia Jackson reveals unseen side to the series: 'Amazing'

MasterChef fan favourite Emelia Jackson has shared a surprising insight into what it’s really like filming the popular Channel 10 reality show.

The cookbook author and ‘Dessert Queen’, who finished third on season six and won season 12 in 2020, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that viewers would have no idea how much downtime the contestants actually have during filming days.

“I thought you kind of rock up on set, you get straight into the kitchen, you cook for your hour, you get judged for an hour and then you go home. It’s not like at all,” she details.

RELATED:

• MasterChef's Brendan Pang spills on enormous post-show success

• MasterChef's Reece Hignell reveals moment from the show he 'hated'

• MasterChef's Sarah Todd says she'd 'absolutely love' to return as a judge

“You rock up, you might wait around for two or three hours while everything's happening, you cook for an hour, you might wait around for another two or three hours while they're resetting the room and having lunch breaks.

“And then the tastings where they taste everyone's dishes at the start when there are 24 contestants, that goes for like, eight hours. So you’re standing in the kitchen like, ‘Oh my god, I'm gonna collapse’.”

'Really amazing'

Emelia went on to share that the other side of MasterChef fans don't get to see on TV is the strong camaraderie between the contestants behind-the-scenes.

“You’re living in a house with 24 strangers, you don't have your phone, you've got no access to the internet, so it's kind of amazing because you connect with people on this real genuine level and you're all bonding over this common love for food,” she says.

“And because you don't have any of the distractions of the outside world, you form these really intense, fantastic friendships. So that's not something I ever considered when I was entering into MasterChef, I thought we'd just be cooking and that would be fun.”

SHOP:

• Makeup fans are raving about this $12 item: 'Holy wow'

• How to recreate Taylor Swift's best looks for under $60

• The luxe jewellery brand that'll elevate your style

Emelia adds that the experience of living with and getting to know a group of strangers as a 24-year-old university graduate completely changed her life moving forward.

“It was really amazing and it gave me a lot of confidence in my life to meet new people and how to connect with new people and that type of thing,” she remarks. “So in that aspect, it was an amazing experience.”

Three years on from winning MasterChef, Emelia is currently writing her second cookbook and “diving back into the world” of creating packet mixes, which she hopes to release soon.

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.