The pay row that explains why MasterChef Australia's judges left
In July 2019, MasterChef Australia lost all three of its original judges at once — Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris. After 11 series and more than a decade, they were gone. Here's what actually happened.
The money
Network 10 and the judges couldn't agree on new contracts. According to multiple reports, the trio — each already on salaries north of $1 million — asked for a pay rise of more than 40 per cent. Network 10 said no.
The announcement came just hours before the series 11 finale aired. Matt Preston later said he found out via social media and was completely blindsided. A network publicist who happened to be with him at the time was equally caught off guard.
Network 10 CEO Paul Anderson framed the split as straightforward business: "We're obviously disappointed that we couldn't come to an agreement, but that's life. The days of just throwing money at problems are gone."
The creative differences
Gary Mehigan pushed back against the network's version of events. On social media, he wrote that they "couldn't agree on the terms of the new contract, which we felt very strongly about," and that "it was time to move on and have more free time to explore our own creativity." So depending on who you believe, it was either purely about money or something broader.
The Calombaris problem
The timing was awkward for another reason. In the same week the contracts fell apart, George Calombaris's restaurant empire, Made Establishment, was in the middle of a massive wage-theft scandal. The company had underpaid its staff by nearly $7.8 million and was fined $200,000. Calombaris was also dropped from a West Australian tourism campaign.
Network 10 insisted the departure was unrelated to the underpayment story, but the overlap didn't do anyone any favours. It was hard for the public to feel sympathetic about a judge demanding a 40 per cent raise in the same breath as news broke that his restaurants had shorted workers for years.
What came next
Series 12 (2020) introduced a completely new panel: Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen (winner of series 4). The transition was smoother than many expected — the new judges were well received, and the show kept its audience.
Tragically, Zonfrillo died in April 2023, just before his final series was due to broadcast. The show has continued with Allen and rotating guest judges.