Poh gives new MasterChef gig the green light

Holly Hales
·Lifestyle & Entertainment Producer
Poh Ling Yeow has said being asked to be a MasterChef judge would be 'amazing'. Photo: Instagram/pohlingyeow
Poh Ling Yeow has said being asked to be a MasterChef judge would be 'amazing'. Photo: Instagram/pohlingyeow

Poh Ling Yeow has finally broken her silence on rumours she will take up a role as judge on a revamped MasterChef and revealed it would be ‘amazing’ if she landed the high profile gig.

The celebrity chef - who was runner-up on the show’s first season - made the admission to Yahoo Lifestyle on Monday, just days after the original judging trio announced they would be leaving the series.

Ready to return

Now, Poh has thrown her own hat in the ring for who will take over one of television’s most high profile spot in the show’s new lineup next year.

“Of course it would be amazing, hell yeah I’d be keen,” she tells Yahoo Lifestyle at the Harris Scarfe Spring Summer 2019 Season Launch.

“Being picked to be a judge is too overwhelming to even think about. It’s been very flattering, the overwhelming response but it not even something that I can dare to think about.”

The shockingly honest admission comes after a week-long media storm which began when judge George Calombaris was fined $200,000 for underpaying his staff $7.8million.

Poh told Yahoo Lifestyle of her MasterChef aspirations at the Harris Scarfe Spring Summer 2019 Season Launch on Monday. Photo: Getty Images
Poh told Yahoo Lifestyle of her MasterChef aspirations at the Harris Scarfe Spring Summer 2019 Season Launch on Monday. Photo: Getty Images

Pressure mounted in the days following, with fans and workers’ advocates alike calling for the popular chef to be sacked from the uber successful franchise.

But the onscreen trio - George, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan - caused unanimous shock last Tuesday when each revealed they would be parting ways with the network after pay negotiations fell through.

Attention soon shifted to who would replace the famous faces, with Poh atop many experts’ lists.

Staying humble

Despite this, the one-time home cook has yet to receive be contacted by Network 10 in reference to overtaking the onscreen role, and is instead tentatively hopeful.

“I don’t know what I’d do if it were to happen, it’s one of those things I’d just have to process then. But until then I’ll just have to eat humble pie and get used to it,” she says.

Poh has already returned to the Network 10 program as a mentor long after she was named the first series' runner-up in 2009. Photo: Network 10
Poh has already returned to the Network 10 program as a mentor long after she was named the first series' runner-up in 2009. Photo: Network 10

However, Poh isn’t her only hot pick for who will take over MasterChef’s mantle, as the country’s bookies whittle down who will nab the highly-coveted gig.

“I think Curtis [Stone] is definitely a contender and definitely one or two females,” she says.

‘I don’t know whether they’ll be able to woo someone like Nigella over because I know she loves Australia.

“Her being a home cook is a really good change of direction for MasterChef and it goes back to what the show was centred around in the beginning.”

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