In tonight’s service challenge, not only did the two teams have to create three-course meal for 40 MasterChef legends, they also must incorporate a key ingredient as chosen by each judge.
Andy: mushroom for entree
Sofia: cashew for main
Poh: chillies for main
Jean-Christophe: grapefruit for dessert
As for the guests, I could identify at least five former winners with Julie Goodwin the obvious one.
Crown Resorts and MasterChef Australia are setting the table to welcome fans and foodies to a new pop-up restaurant and unique, dining experience called ALUMNI at Crown Melbourne, the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
ALUMNI will see a rotating cast of MasterChef Australia alumni at a pop-up restaurant for a limited time, serving dishes from the cuisine they are best known for.
Each ALUMNI chef will take up rotating residency for three weeks, commencing with Kishwar Chowdhury (16 May – 2 June), then Callum Hann (6 – 23 June) and Khanh Ong (27 June – 14 July) with a surprise fourth MasterChef Australia cook to be announced late June.
The creative brainchild and collaboration between media agency Initiative, integrated creative agency Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), Paramount Brand Studio and Endemol Shine Australia, ALUMNI is the latest iteration to support Crown’s brand platform “Here’s Where Things Get Interesting”, launched in September 2023.
Rod Prosser, Chief Sales Officer, Paramount Australia, said this announcement is breaking new ground for the MasterChef franchise and demonstrates Paramount Brand Studio’s expertise in collaborating with partners and brands to redefine brand integrations.
“The Paramount Brand Studio team has amplified this audience opportunity and worked closely with our partners to create a remarkable brand extension and experience like nothing we’ve seen before in Australia.
“It’s a direct hit with consumer desire and we can’t wait for Australians to see, smell, touch and taste MasterChef Australia at ALUMNI.”
Tamar Hovagimian, Head of Integration & Partnerships, Paramount Brand Studio said: “This one-of-a-kind partnership with Crown demonstrates how Paramount continues to innovate and evolve traditional sponsorships, maximising our content ecosystem to scale this sponsorship unlike anything we’ve done before.”
Crown Resorts EGM of Brand & Marketing, Yolanda Uys, said: “Crown is a leading curator of exceptional, interesting experiences in Australia, and we are incredibly excited to partner with MasterChef Australia to bring a unique dining experience with the launch of ALUMNI at Crown Melbourne.
“Crown is Australia’s largest hospitality employer, with 51 restaurants and 31 bars across our three resorts. Each year we train approximately 75 apprentice chefs to go on to have illustrious careers, so as a leader in the hospitality industry, nothing brings us more joy than to partner with these chefs, and further add to our stable of world-class restaurants as we bring the magic of this iconic partnership to life for Australian foodies to enjoy.”
Crown’s partnership with MasterChef Australia will play a role across all stages of the marketing funnel via tier one sponsor entitlements. Awareness of ALUMNI will be driven via the MasterChef Australia franchise including integrated billboards, social campaign across all platforms; in-house promotion throughout Crown venues in Perth and Sydney and the launch of a bespoke TVC featuring the celebrity chef line up nearer ALUMNI’s opening date.
“There’s media sponsorships, brand collaborations and then there’s audacious ideas like this,” added Chris Colter, Chief Strategy & Product Officer, Initiative. “Both these iconic brands have more than come to the table, harnessing their entire experience ecosystems to maximise the cultural and commercial potential of this partnership.
“I couldn’t be more proud to see this come to life, and have already reserved my table at ALUMNI!”
Angélica Naranjo, Head of Original & Integrated Content, MBCS said: “Some of the best brand partnerships happen when you look beyond the predictable. ALUMNI is an example of an unusual union but one which will ultimately attract new customers, create new revenue streams and drive growth for both brands.
“This is just the sort of project MBCS excels at bringing to life and we can’t wait to see this idea in action, delighting and engaging a whole raft of new devotees both for Crown and MasterChef,” added Angélica.
Marty Benson, Director of Content, Melbourne, Endemol Shine Australia said: “Showcasing diverse and talented Australian cooks is at the heart of MasterChef Australia and ALUMNI is a wonderful celebration of our legacy and success stories.
“MasterChef Australia is a life changing experience with so many of our contestants carving out entirely new careers so it’s wonderful to see the ongoing impact of our show through the ALUMNI dining experience.
“And just like MasterChef Australia, ALUMNI will celebrate food from around the world with Kishwar, Callum and Khanh reflecting their cultures through their unique cuisine.”
For more information and ALUMNI bookings visit crownmelbourne.com.au
After the episode ended, I visited Instagram of the former contestants that I knew of, and after 30 minutes I still only recognised 20 of them.
It’s basically mixed with Former 5 MCAU winners and former contestants
Here are the 40 former conteststants, based on the searches from Instagram and help from other fans.
Sitting: Chris Tran, Simon Toohey, Conor Curran, Amir Manoly
Front row: Emma Dean, Mandy Hall, Kishwar Chowdhury, Grace Jupp, Adi Nevgi, Laura Sharrad, Khanh Ong, Tessa Boersma, Emelia Jackson, Jessica Perri, Diana Chan, Declan Cleary
Second row: Mindy Woods, Beau Cook, Alvin Quah, Amy Tanner, Jess Liemantara, Tati Carlin, Steph Woon, Ali Stoner, Eliza Wilson, Julie Goodwin
Back row: Tim Bone, Theo Loizou, Phil Conway, Dulan Hapuarachchi, Aldo Ortado, Genene Dwyer, Reece Hignell, Andre Ursini, Harriet Tomlinson, Callum Hahn, Sam Goodwin, Sashi Cheliah, Michael Weldon
I’m surprised that they managed to get so many former contestants back. I imagine an invite went out to previous cast members and they had a good response ad I guess they enjoyed the prospect of returning to the kitchen to see another challenge.
Looking at the photo I recognise about 25 of them but couldn’t remember some of those by name.
Still with the controversy over Australian Gas Networks’ sponsorship of this season and next season of MasterChef, Environment Victoria has written to the show, asking it to follow the lead of MasterChef in the UK, Italy, Singapore, Denmark and Spain and convert its kitchens to include induction cooktops.
Poh cooking in the kitchen is the best.
This show is just so good. Year in. Year out. 
Big tick for the new judges this season, 4 is too many though. I also liked seeing snippets of past seasons too, RIP Jock 
Great to see Jamie Oliver back as a guest judge too👍
Synopses of season 16, week 2 episodes
Sunday 28 April
The first elimination of the season tasks the cooks with 75 minutes on the clock to create a dish representing their food dream.
Monday 29 April
Our cooks are set the challenge of making a dish from Mystery Box ingredients chosen by Jamie Oliver’s parents Trevor and Sally, with the four weakest dishes set to send their makers into tomorrow’s elimination.
Tuesday 30 April
In this elimination cook the contestants are challenged to ‘Keeping Up With Jamie’ on an Oliver Family recipe in order to keep their place in the competition.
Wednesday 1 May
The contestants cook for Immunity in a Team Challenge at the iconic Queen Victoria Night Market.
In New Zealand, Season 16 of MasterChef Australia premieres Sunday 12 May on TVNZ 2.
I am struggling a bit with the judges this season. Jamie has been fantastic but obviously will be leaving soon. Otherwise Andy has been the standout on the judging panel for me. I guess that’s his experience shining and I’ve realised this season how great he is in the role amongst the others.
Otherwise Sofia I keep comparing to Mel for some reason (similar role as a food critic) and I just don’t find her as interesting. Jean-Chirstophe is definitely the most experienced chef that we’ve had but I also find him a bit dull in a role that needs a lot of personality. Poh has been ok but does she need to constantly refer back to her own experiences in the kitchen and what she would do? Maybe it’s what she’s been asked to say to add a new angle but Andy never pushed those things so heavily.
Maybe when Jamie leaves the new judges will have settled in more and it will give the others a bit more time to shine.
Judges are okay. But I’m not keen on the home cooks. Last night, one home cook feel like they don’t give a F***ed.
I believe Jamie is such a strong personality he does overshadow the two new additions. I didn’t notice Poh always referring to what she did in the kitchen but I suppose she does it to relate to the contestants. I may be a bit prejudiced as I’ve always been a big Poh fan. Jean-Chirstophe has been a bit nonedescript so far.
Huh?
Stephen had to compete in tonight’s elimination challenge, as he missed last night’s mystery box. He would have to cook against the contestants who made the four worst dishes from the mystery box.
He’s the oldest contestant this season at 62 ,and there’s Sue who’s 58 ,it’s great to see some older contestants,
They show that you’re never too old to try something new.
It’s not often that the judges announced the winning team in a team cooking challenge in front of the public.
Congratulations, Red Team on Immunity!
— MasterChef Australia (@masterchefau) May 1, 2024
These two weeks flew by, @jamieoliver 👏🤩 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/umw9Y9YC3Z
— MasterChef Australia (@masterchefau) May 1, 2024
The Queen Victoria Market team challenge took place on November 22 last year, marking Jamie Oliver’s 8th and final episode as guest judge this season. Given he spent two weeks in Melbourne, that would have meant filming for season 16 commenced on November 13, with a challenge taking place every weekday.
