MasterChef Australia: Back To Win fan favourite eliminated after brutal dessert challenge

Daily Mail​

18-05-2025

MasterChef Australia: Back to Win sent home Matt Hopcraft after the dentist failed to impress the judges in Sunday's elimination challenge.
Matt, 53, who finished sixth on the cooking competition in 2015, hung up his apron when his Italian meringue missed the mark.
The popular contestant struggled in the presentation of his Bombe Alaska dessert which included a burning rum finish.
However, the dish was a disappointment with the meringue ending up wet, instead of silky, a result of Matt running out of time.
Matt was given credit for his delicious ice cream by Andy Allen, but the judge also slammed the dish for its 'overly boozy' flavour.
'Well, it's been a wild ride, but sad to say that for me, my MasterChef journey has come to an abrupt end,' Matt said in an Instagram post.
Adding some pictures from Sunday night's episode the kitchen star thank his fans and followers and MasterChef's cast and crew.
'It takes courage to say yes, to put yourself out there on national TV, to compete against the best and open yourself up to be judged and to be so vulnerable,' he wrote in the message.
'But the experience, and the opportunity for growth are second to none. This kitchen is a magical place where dreams come true.'
'I want to thank everyone for their words of encouragement and support – it's meant a lot to me knowing how many people have been behind me. A special shout out to my family for giving me them opportunity to do this again.
MasterChef Australia is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and to get a second chance is just crazy.' he said.
Talking about his exit on Sunday night, Matt said that the challenge put him'out of his element'.
'I was nervous, I'm not well known for my flair, dentists are not often thought of as being overly theatrical,' he told 10Play.
'I was definitely out of my element in that challenge, but that's also part of the fun of the MasterChef kitchen.
'It's designed to push you, to help you grow… so you're nervous doing something like that, but you also embrace the opportunity to push yourself as far as you can go.'
It comes after Steph de Sousa, 52, who appeared in the 11th season of the series and has since gone on to find cookbook fame with Air Fryer Queen and Easy Dinner Queen was knocked out last Sunday.
Steph's team lost the notorious 'One Inch Cube Taste Test' and were placed in an elimination challenge.
For the cook, contestants could only use the ingredients from the taste test, which led to Steph making a pork belly dish with caramel sauce and a celeriac, fennel and green apple coleslaw.
But with no fish sauce at her disposal, Steph got creative by using Balachan – a fermented shrimp paste – instead, a choice that sealed her fate when it overpowered her caramel.
Despite the judges' warnings that her flavours may be too punchy, the chef stuck to her guns and produced final result that she was proud of.
'I really love strong, funky flavours, I love fermented food and I really enjoyed my dish,' she told 10Play of her final episode cook.
However, relying on her instincts saw the chef come in last, with an overpowering palate and pork belly fat that hadn't rendered enough.
'It's just the luck of the draw, isn't it? A bad cook on the wrong day,' Steph said.
Speaking of her time on the show, Steph said that it was 'nowhere near as stressful' as the first time around, however she was still surprised when she was eliminated.
'Obviously it was a bit of a shock because I really liked my dish but I was happy just to be there for the short time that I was, and happy to go back and do what I love to do!'
Fans had pegged the chef as a possible winner before the disastrous result.