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MasterChef fan favourite sent packing in shock elimination, as top five revealed
MasterChef fan favourite sent packing in shock elimination, as top five revealed

News.com.au

time3 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • News.com.au

MasterChef fan favourite sent packing in shock elimination, as top five revealed

One of the fan favourites on this season of MasterChef Australia has been eliminated just shy of the grand final. Sunday's high-stakes episode saw the remaining contestants battle it out to make the top five, with debut MasterChef winner Julie Goodwin and most recent victor Nat Thaipun forming part of the special-look judging panel. The current season of the long-running Ten cooking series has seen past stars return to the kitchen for another shot at the title. In Sunday's elimination, Goodwin and Thaipun set the contestants a challenge of creating a meal with ingredients they each used in their respective winning dishes. With just 60 minutes on the clock, Depinder and Ben ultimately came out on top, joining last week's immunity winners Callum and Laura to make up the top four. Sarah and Jamie were then sent to a second round for the final spot, tasked with whipping up yet another dish from Goodwin and Thaipun's pantries. Sarah, who recently went public with her relationship with fellow MasterChef star Declan, set herself the almighty feat of making Pork Assiette – which required her to cook pork three different ways in just 60 minutes. Jamie, meanwhile, leant into classic flavours with roast chicken and vegetables. After a last-minute hurdle, in which Jamie was forced to abandon his failed gnocchi, the first-time returnee was ultimately victorious over Sarah, with the judges unable to look past her undercooked pork belly. The third-time MasterChef competitor, and runner-up in season 14, broke down in tears upon realising she just missed out on the top five, as the judges rallied around her. 'Sarah. You are so unique,' Jean-Christophe Novelli said. 'It is a pleasure watching you cooking. Every single dish you came out with were very different, and please, do not change. 'It's just a bad day in the office. You are so credible. Trust me. I really admire you.' While Sarah didn't make it to the final, the TV cook did leave the show with a new love in her life, Declan, who was eliminated several weeks ago. The pair revealed their secret relationship to Stellar in June, saying they began dating during filming of the latest season in Melbourne. 'We instantly got along and started spending a lot of time together,' Declan, 27, said. 'Nothing was ever rushed or forced – we just enjoyed spending time together. And Sarah, being from Melbourne, knew all the places to go. So we'd go to the beach, or go-karting, and we went out for lots of dinners.' It was Declan who made the first move on Sarah, who has a 14-year-old son, as she faced elimination for the first time. 'I was [panicking]. 'Oh sh*t. I've been spending all this time with this bloody amazing chick and now she might be leaving,'' he told the magazine. 'And so, as she's walking into the elimination [challenge], I said, 'Sarah, can I ask you something? Would you like to go on a date with me?' And she just looked at me and said, 'You're a bloody idiot!'' MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA'S TOP FIVE REVEAL THEIR HIGHLIGHTS: Ben Macdonald, New Zealand 'Travelling to Doha and winning immunity cooking in an Alain Ducasse restaurant. Unforgettable,' Macdonald said. Callum Hann, South Australia 'All the way back on day one, I was lucky enough to be the leader of the Green Team in the Gordon Ramsay service challenge, and we won! Afterwards, Gordon said to me 'if this is how you run your restaurants, I can't wait to make a reservation'. To get that positive reinforcement from one of the best chefs in the world was a pretty incredible feeling. 'Another great memory was our trip to Doha and cooking with so many ingredients in the desert that I've never heard of or seen before. Winning the first immunity challenge of International Week was incredible. 'Cooking with Hugh Allen and Vue de Monde, with another ingredient I wasn't familiar with, was also a very special experience.' Depinder Chhibber, NSW 'My proudest achievement would be winning immunity in the final challenge in Doha. I had a rough week so winning that immunity just made it all worth it. 'My fondest memory is the Dough-Fest team challenge where Callum and I were safe [with immunity] and we got to roam the MasterChef Garden and taste everyone's the dishes.' 'My fondest memory of the season far is definitely winning a business class flight to Doha in the travel challenge. Getting to travel in style with some of my good friends was pretty wild.'

Even MasterChef Australia Winner Nat Thaipun Struggles With Imposter Syndrome
Even MasterChef Australia Winner Nat Thaipun Struggles With Imposter Syndrome

Refinery29

time6 days ago

  • Entertainment
  • Refinery29

Even MasterChef Australia Winner Nat Thaipun Struggles With Imposter Syndrome

MasterChef Australia's Nat Thaipun has had a whirlwind year since taking home the grand prize during the 2024 finale. She's worked alongside Jamie Oliver in London, has her first cookbook Anywhere and Everywhere coming out this year, completed 22 pop-ups, and has a new docu-series called For Now launching in August. Yet, when Refinery29 Australia speaks to her, she admits she still struggles with " imposter syndrome" — a feeling that's far too common in women. The young cook is returning to the MasterChef Australia kitchen later this month alongside former winner Julie Goodwin, and will be judging food cooked by the remaining contestants — all who are professional chefs. Even though she's had such an incredible career so far, Nat couldn't help but have "the jitters" and nervous energy running through her veins. "It was terrifying trying to set a challenge for these chefs, because obviously, it's Back To Win, and there were a lot of amazing contestants. It's just a lot of pressure for me," she admits. "I always have imposter syndrome, so yes, I definitely had imposter syndrome [in that moment]." The concept of "imposter syndrome" was first introduced in 1978 by researchers Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Ament Imes. After studying 150 women at the top of their field — who also had PhDs — they discovered the subjects continually believed they were lucky to have success and felt they were considered more intelligent and capable than in reality. For Nat, her link to imposter syndrome harks back to her childhood, when her mother dismissed her dreams of becoming a professional chef. "The imposter syndrome part just comes from something that is very personal to me as well.... because in Thai culture, being in the kitchen is quite normal," she explains. "When I told my mum I wanted to be a chef like her when I was really young, she was like, 'You wouldn't, you can't be a chef because you're Thai. Like [all] Thai people know how to cook'." It's a hard feeling to overcome, especially when society is built around building up and supporting men, so how did the chef realise she finally deserves a seat at the table? "No matter what, I feel like you'll always feel imposter syndrome.... I think it's got to be one of those things where, for me, even in the last year, it was like over time. The more [ MasterChef Australia ] episodes I had won through my dishes, [the more I] had to really hype myself up," she says. "Celebrating the little wins that you have in life is just so, so important. Not even just in life, just in your job, in your day-to-day, and in the cook." ' I feel like you'll always feel imposter syndrome... celebrating the little wins that you have in life is just so, so important. ' Nat believes we are far too hard on ourselves, and with the world being so "difficult and tough", we simply need to give ourselves a break. "It's really important to make sure that you understand you've come a long way. You've learned a lot, give yourself a pat on the back." Being Thai-Australian, Nat's journey has come with struggles being in the hospitality industry. At times, she wondered if she was hired because of her skills, or if she needed to fill a diversity quota. "I'm such an overachiever as well, but sometimes I have this thing where I feel like I'm only achieving things because I'm like, a diversity card. That sounds horrible, but sometimes I'm like, 'Oh, I feel like I'm an easy pick because I'm a woman with tatts, and then I just happen to be of colour as well'. I tick all the boxes, and you know, that's probably why people choose me for things," she admits. "But at the same time, I have to remind myself that I'm good at what I do, and I truly do believe that now. I'm starting to believe it more and more every day." ' I have to remind myself that I'm good at what I do, and I truly do believe that now. I'm starting to believe it more and more every day. ' The cookbook author notes she's become an inspiration for younger women who are "terrified" of entering a career in hospitality, which is a "beautiful" thing. "If I stay in the context of the kitchen and hospitality, I represent something that is so much more, and it's inspiring for women, especially younger women as well," she says excitedly.

‘I'm a sucker for any pub': MasterChef winner Nat Thaipun's go-to spots to eat and drink
‘I'm a sucker for any pub': MasterChef winner Nat Thaipun's go-to spots to eat and drink

Sydney Morning Herald

time22-07-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Sydney Morning Herald

‘I'm a sucker for any pub': MasterChef winner Nat Thaipun's go-to spots to eat and drink

It's been a whirlwind 12 months for Nat Thaipun since her MasterChef Australia 2024 win. Since then, she has hosted 22 dining pop-ups around Australia, Seoul and Hong Kong, developed a YouTube docuseries chronicling her culinary travels in South Korea and Hobart, and in October will release her debut cookbook, Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere. When she's not globetrotting, Thaipun picks up shifts cooking at Melbourne's three-hatted Vue de Monde, as you do. Yes, it's been a rapid rise for the former environmental science student and barista, who still lives in an inner-city Melbourne share house and now counts Jamie Oliver as a friend, but cooking has always been in her veins. Her parents ran popular Sunbury restaurant Thai Hut, until it closed in 2019 after 30 years. It was her experience at The Zin House, Mudgee's biodynamic farm and restaurant, that spurred Thaipun to accept a spot on MasterChef. The restaurant's commitment to organic practices also prompted her to return to Thailand for a deeper exploration of her culinary heritage before filming began.

‘I'm a sucker for any pub': MasterChef winner Nat Thaipun's go-to spots to eat and drink
‘I'm a sucker for any pub': MasterChef winner Nat Thaipun's go-to spots to eat and drink

The Age

time22-07-2025

  • Entertainment
  • The Age

‘I'm a sucker for any pub': MasterChef winner Nat Thaipun's go-to spots to eat and drink

It's been a whirlwind 12 months for Nat Thaipun since her MasterChef Australia 2024 win. Since then, she has hosted 22 dining pop-ups around Australia, Seoul and Hong Kong, developed a YouTube docuseries chronicling her culinary travels in South Korea and Hobart, and in October will release her debut cookbook, Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere. When she's not globetrotting, Thaipun picks up shifts cooking at Melbourne's three-hatted Vue de Monde, as you do. Yes, it's been a rapid rise for the former environmental science student and barista, who still lives in an inner-city Melbourne share house and now counts Jamie Oliver as a friend, but cooking has always been in her veins. Her parents ran popular Sunbury restaurant Thai Hut, until it closed in 2019 after 30 years. It was her experience at The Zin House, Mudgee's biodynamic farm and restaurant, that spurred Thaipun to accept a spot on MasterChef. The restaurant's commitment to organic practices also prompted her to return to Thailand for a deeper exploration of her culinary heritage before filming began.

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