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News.com.au
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
MasterChef Australia crowns 2025 winner
WARNING: MasterChef spoilers below. It was a tough season of MasterChef with the competition beginning with a record 24 contestants. The judges on this year's season included Gold Logie nominee Poh Ling Yeow, Andy Allen, Sofia Levin and Jean-Chrisophe Novelli. For tonight's finale, only two contestants remained: Laura Sharrad and Callum Hann. It marked Laura's third time on MasterChef, placing second in both season 6 and season 12, and also Callum's second time heading into a grand finale, having placed second in season 2, and fourth in season 12. After a two-hour long battle, it was Laura Sharrad who walked away being crowned the winner of this year's MasterChef and with the $250,000 prize. As the show began, Callum teased that he hoped Laura's experience in finishing second comes out in full force for a third time, sparking laughter from the judges before the competition finally got underway. The pair were tasked with going head-to-head across two rounds, with the chef with the highest combined score being crowned the winner. 'You're looking at five classic flavour pairings,' said Poh of the first challenge. 'Cheese and onion. Lemon and ginger. Peanut and chilli. Potato and rosemary. And olive oil and balsamic vinegar.' After a series of eliminations, the pair was tasked with making a dish with potato and rosemary. Callum opted for an oyster dish, confessing that 'playing it safe' was not an option for him if he wanted to beat Laura. While Laura took the safer option, telling Andy and Jean-Christophe that she was going with flavours that she knows best; making a potato, rosemary and samphire risotto. For the first round there were a total of 40 points, with each judge handing out up to 10 points. First up was Laura, who confessed she was 'stressed out' when Sofia insisted that the entire dish 'rests on the texture of the potatoes'. Despite her initial fears, the judges were over the moon with Laura's dish. 'What you've delivered is exceptional,' said Jean-Christophe. 'This is a generous, well presented, and very well combined to perfection. You kept everything controlled like a chef, and you deserve to wear your white jacket because this is absolutely fantastic.' 'You've put up a plate that is so deeply and distinctively you,' added Sofia. Next up was Callum's oyster dish, and the judges were left in shock by how impressive his presentation was even before they tasted the final product. 'Callum, the appearance was exceptional. I've never seen anything like that before,' confessed Andy. 'But not only that, you just got that slight smokiness from that bacon fat and rosemary on the bottom, which I think could probably be the best move you made.' After the tastings the rankings were as follows: Both Callum and Laura award two 9s from Andy and Sofia and two 10s from Poh and Jean-Christophe for a total of 38 out of 40. 'Woo! We've got a fight on our hands,' shouted Andy as the next round commenced with everything coming down to the final challenge. Round two marked the infamous pressure test, with the judges welcoming Miko Aspiras, who has previously been named Philippines' best pastry chef. Revealing he had created the most 'complex dish of his career' he told the finalists that they would be making his Botanical Garden dish, a floral garden scene made entirely out of dessert ingredients. 'The lollipop flowers are filled with strawberry, raspberry ganache dipped into a raspberry chocolate,' said the guest chef. 'And then we have the pebbles. Those are profiteroles. the very middle is Earl Grey tea mousse. And then the profiterole. Then it's dipped into a dark chocolate coating. And then there's a mandarin dark chocolate ganache. Then finally, the dark grey chocolate layer. And sprinkled with lemon crumble.' It was Laura first that hit a stumbling block after she took the pebbles out of the oven and realised they were markedly smaller than Chef Miko's. Immediately breaking into tears, a clearly frazzled Laura realised this was her final shot and she had to fight through her disappointment. 'I need to think on my feet to create a solution …. to make sure I can get this pebble as close to Miko's as possible,' she said as she changed the recipe to accommodate for her mistake and balance out the flavour. While Callum had initially pulled ahead, judge Andy soon noticed that he'd began to fall behind as the time was quickly beginning to run out. 'I think you're about 10 steps behind,' he said. 'You need to find a way to catch up'. As the countdown ended, a distraught Callum burst into tears realising his journey was about to be over. First up was Laura's Botanical Garden attempt, and the critiques were mostly positive for the chef who Jean-Christophe labelled 'a star'. Guest Chef Miko said that Laura had 'smashed it out of the park', but Andy confessed that there were still 'minor flaws' with the final product. Next to be judged was Callum, who's final attempt failed to initially impressed the judges as much as his rivals. 'I got a great amount of that Earl Grey mousse on the inside, but here there's no layer of the mandarin ganache,' admitted Andy. It was time for the final ranking and after much deliberation, Callum scored 7 from every judge for a score of 35, putting his total score at 73. Laura scored 8's from Poh and Jean-Christophe and 9's from Sofia and Andy, who was quick to interject and announce her as the official winner for the season. 'This is, like, the most surreal feeling in the whole entire world,' she gushed. 'I'm truly, like, so proud of myself for coming back for a third time and completely setting myself up for heartbreak and pulling off what I never thought I really could do, but I've wanted to for so long. I've dreamt of this moment since I was 13. She continued: 'To have my family here, to have had Florence up here today, watching me cook has been the most truly special experience of my life. Um, I just want to thank Callum more than anyone. Just the support that you've shown me throughout this competition both times has been so truly special. So thank you so much for everything.' Andy went on to end on a heartwarming note, telling Laura 'how proud Jock would have been' of her success on the show the third time around.
Refinery29
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Refinery29
MasterChef Australia's Poh Ling Yeow Defends Laura Sharrad: 'People Struggle Watching Confident Females'
MasterChef Australia 2025 has been a huge success, seeing 24 experienced contestants come back to compete for the title. Now, we're at the very end — with Laura Sharrad going head-to-head with Callum Hann in the grand finale. However, some murmurs online have put a bit of a dampener on the whole celebration, mainly aimed at Laura. The MasterChef Australia 2025 contestant has been accused of receiving "favouritism" from judges Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin, Andy Allen and Jean-Christophe Novelli, with some labelling her as a "judges' pet". The chef has been playing to her strengths — she runs a popular pasta bar called Nido in Adelaide — but viewers have also blasted her for cooking similar dishes for each challenge. Poh Ling Yeow tells Refinery29 Australia she's "baffled" by the hate Laura has been receiving, and says any idea the judges favour the contestant is "ludicrous". On a technical level, the contestant has proven her skill in the kitchen time and time again. "The thing that shocked me the most [when I became a judge was] how stringent and fair the whole judging process is," Poh says. "I think some [part] of me was a little bit clenched going into the job, wondering if I was going to find out all these dark secrets... I arrived to find that everything is so fair and so thorough." The biggest disconnect comes from the audience not being able to taste the food, so while Laura often serves up pasta that looks similar, the taste is never the same. "I even admit that when I was a contestant competing against [Laura] in Back to Win, I used to feel this same sentiment, because the way Laura cooks, she cooks within a wheelhouse but she's very creative within it," Poh explains. "It's a very solid and clever strategy, as opposed to someone like me who was a little bit too wild. I would be experimenting on the spot, right? And when you play that game, you have to be willing to fall from high places and understand that it's a different kind of game." Poh carefully broaches another reason Laura has been targeted by the public this season, and it comes down to the way she has been portrayed on screen. "I think people really struggle with watching highly confident females state what they want unapologetically. And Laura has always been that, right from the beginning," the host says. ' I think people really struggle with watching highly confident females state what they want unapologetically. And Laura has always been that, right from the beginning. Poh Ling Yeow on Laura Sharrad ' "Laura has shown vulnerability, but I think it's interesting that people only attach to the parts where she's having success, or she's having confidence, and when she's able to achieve what she sets out to achieve. There's something about that, that doesn't resonate with people, because they want to see people struggle all the time," she adds. MasterChef Australia is often looked as an "aspirational" and wholesome reality TV show, where amateur cooks can jump into the kitchen and triumph over adversity. With most of the returning MasterChef Australia 2025 cast being professional chefs, many with their own restaurants, the game this year has changed. Poh believes there's two different strategies you can take when you enter the MasterChef Australia competition, and from both this and previous seasons, the "high risk, high reward" style of game tends to provide audiences with characters they can root for. Sarah Todd was sent home earlier this season after providing outrageous dishes, such as her savoury vanilla slice with chicken dill, cucumber gel and garlic cream, and fans lamented the loss of the cook. "Sarah Todd, right? She cooked very conceptually through the whole thing. But the thing with that I really identified was that [she was] choosing to leave legacy before competition," Poh explains. "I feel like you're playing a different game. It's like, I want to leave a mark as to what kind of cook I am, and that's more important to me than winning... Laura has always been brilliant at [being] very highly strategic, so it's no surprise that [she's] gotten to the [finale]." ' I think it's interesting that people only attach to the parts where she's having success, or she's having confidence, and when she's able to achieve what she sets out to achieve. There's something about that, that doesn't resonate with people, because they want to see people struggle all the time. Poh Ling Yeow on Laura Sharrad ' Both Laura and Callum have been front-runners throughout the entire competition this year, and Poh thinks viewers won't be surprised by the MasterChef Australia 2025 winner. "They have absolutely been through a marathon to get here, and it is not at all sort of a surprise, so I feel like they really earned their spots," she teases. "The margins are so tiny, that it's very random in a way, it's down to micro decisions. And at this point, you've already proven your worth. Especially this season, we have made them cook their buns off." Laura has missed out on the MasterChef Australia title twice before, so it seems like this year, she's playing hard to win. If she beats Callum in the MasterChef Australia 2025 final, her strategy of securing the title over creating a lasting legacy would have paid off. If not? She'll have to come back for a fourth time. The MasterChef Australia 2025 grand finale airs on Channel 10, Tuesday 12 August at 7.30pm.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
MasterChef Australia star Poh Ling Yeow reveals her VERY messy bedroom - and her fans have a surprising reaction
Poh Ling Yeow has taken to social media to share what goes on behind the scenes of her glamorous life as a TV personality - and her fans are surprisingly sympathetic. The 51-year-old MasterChef Australia judge and artist posted a photo of her very messy bedroom. 'Hello universe. Honestly, I'm trying,' she captioned the snap, which featured an overflowing washing basket and clothes left in piles on her bedspread. Her followers were quick to sympathise with the highly relatable image, which Poh shared to her Instagram on Monday. 'Oh, I hear you! I wish abracadabra would've worked at my place. Yours looks pretty neat,' one person commented. 'Same girl, same,' added another, while a third said simply, 'Thank you, Poh, we are all trying.' Also seen in the picture is Poh's little shaggy dog Tim, who appeared to be transfixed by his owner's clean-up activity. 'Tim is doing a great job overseeing all the activity,' one fan joked. Added another: 'Tim found just the one bit of clear-ish space he could squeeze himself in!' 'I don't know how you find time to do all the things you do, let alone normal stuff!' one more commented. It comes after Poh recently opened up about the hidden challenges of fame, revealing she turns down lucrative offers if they don't align with her values. Speaking on the Mental As Anyone podcast last month, she described navigating life in the public eye as difficult. 'It is a treacherous path actually, because I think you have to be very careful about what you say yes to,' she said. 'I think you're as defined by what you're saying no to, so opportunities will come, but a lot of them are yucky and will leave a little trail of badness. 'I've made mistakes. I've said yes to things before and then later regretted it. I have done things before where I've … had a weird feeling about that and now I feel like it was a mistake, not huge ones, but just like, probably not as aligned with my brand as it should have been.' Poh revealed she is highly selective about brand partnerships, preferring to keep her platform authentic. 'It is mainly commercial opportunities that are about money and using my platform,' she explained. 'I really make sure that the things that I attach myself to, like endorsements and stuff, are things that I really genuinely love. It is sort of very nuanced, but I am very particular.' Poh was one of seven stars nominated for the Gold Logie last month, alongside Julia Morris, Ally Langdon, Sonia Kruger, Lisa Millar, Hamish Blake and the eventual winner Lynne McGranger. The chef joined the judging panel in 2022 following the shock death of Jock Zonfrillo and the departures of Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.
Daily Mail
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tom Gleeson takes a savage swipe at Channel Seven during Logies speech - before revealing his dream part in Erin Patterson telemovie
Tom Gleeson didn't hold back at the Logie Awards on Sunday night - using his moment on stage to take a swipe at Channel Seven. The Gold Logie winner was presenting alongside MasterChef star Poh Ling Yeow when he delivered a deadpan tirade against the network, accusing it of favouring its own talent when it comes to awards. 'G'day, congratulations Poh, we are nominated for the Gold Logie award, a prestigious award and cannot be mocked,' Gleeson began, with his signature sarcasm. 'I cannot think of anything critical to say about it. I will happily make jokes about religion but the Gold Logie is beyond critique. It can change everything - I was hosting Hard Quiz, I won… and I still am.' Then, in a cutting jab at Seven, he quipped: 'You are not going to win because you are not on Channel Seven. That is how it works. Channel Seven are giving out awards to themselves - it's like they've invited us to their house so we can watch them win.' While the room erupted in laughter, Gleeson doubled down - telling the live audience and viewers at home that voting was still open and urging them to get behind Poh. 'Over one million people are watching - if everyone voted for Poh, it could be an upset. And you know I love an upset. You can vote for Channel Seven if you want, but if you don't know, vote Poh.' Poh, clearly relieved she didn't have to say it herself, laughed: 'Thanks Tom, I was going to say something but it would have been gross!' Gleeson then switched gears to the mushroom poisoning case that shocked the nation, openly pitching for a role in a future dramatisation. 'I'm aware the mushroom court case will get turned into a telemovie and the deadly custard people are probably in the room right now,' he said. 'I want to put my hand up and say I am more than happy to play Erin Patterson's ex-husband. More than happy! Or the owner of an Asian grocery store that clearly did not exist.' And in the end - Tom was right. The Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television went to Home and Away star Lynne McGranger, 72, who was overcome with emotion as she took to the stage. Kate Miller-Heidke and Sonia Kruger helped Lynne carry her dramatic dress train as she made her way to the microphone. Logie Awards 2025 RECAP 'Thirty-three years I've done this amazing show and I'm thrilled and honoured,' she told the crowd. The beloved actress revealed she would eventually place her Gold Logie next to her 1974 Wagga Wagga Drama Festival Best Actress award, which sparked her decision to pursue a career in acting. But before doing so, she joked she'd be keeping it in her handbag - taking a playful dig at last year's Gold Logie winner Larry Emdur. 'I did promise that if I won the Gold Logie, I would carry it around in my handbag for a year - which is better than baring my white arse on morning television, Larry!' she quipped. Lynne also thanked her fellow nominees, the Home and Away cast and crew, and the loyal fans who keep 'free-to-air television alive'. Earlier in the night, after winning Best Lead Actress in a Drama, she also left the room in stitches when she thanked her husband - who bluntly told her he'd 'rather swallow a hammer' than attend her big night.
News.com.au
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Logies producers ‘not happy' as Tom Gleeson improvised ‘graphic' wank joke
Trust Tom Gleeson to troll the Logies. The former Gold Logie winner, who infamously mocked Australian TV's night of nights during his 2019 win, delivered a 'graphic' joke while presenting alongside Poh Ling Yeow on Sunday. Taking to the stage, Gleeson shunned pre-prepared jokes on the autocue, before proceeding to slag Channel 7 – the official broadcaster of the Logies – for awarding gongs to its own talent. 'Channel 7 just likes giving out awards to themselves. It's becoming a bit like, Channel 7's invited us to their house so that we can just watch them have a wank,' Gleeson said. Dave 'Hughesy' Hughes, who attended the ceremony at The Star in Sydney, revealed on radio Monday morning producers had no idea what Gleeson was up to. 'There's an autocue and I refuse to use it. I got a call on Sunday morning from the producers of the Logies saying, 'What are you going to say on stage?', I said, 'I don't know, just relax. No I'm not using the autocue',' Hughes said on The Fox's Fifi, Fev & Nick. 'Either did Tom Gleeson. He had all these jokes on the autocue that he didn't use and just started slagging off Channel 7. 'It was funny and it was graphic, but it wasn't on the autocue and they weren't too happy.' Meanwhile, Sam Pang's third consecutive year hosting has been praised among viewers, many of whom declared he should be offered the job 'for life.' Jimmy Barnes kicked off festivities with his pub rock anthem Working Class Man, prompting Pang to open with, 'I can't think of a song that has less connection to the people in this room tonight.' His zingers only got better from there. Referencing his third time taking the stage, the host took aim at TV darling Kerri Anne Kennerly, declaring, 'This is my third time hosting, so hopefully that's enough to stop Kerri Anne Kennerly calling me Ahn Doh.' On Channel 10's somewhat chaotic year of change, Pang quipped, 'Channel 10 replaced The Project with 10News+, which is like the Titanic replaced with the OceanGate Submarine.' Home and Away veteran Lynne McGranger took out the top award of the night, the Gold Logie, beating out Ally Langdon, Hamish Blake, Lisa Millar, Sonia Kruger, Poh Ling Yeow and Julia Morris.
