In shocking news, Masterchef Australia judges George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan have quit the popular cooking show after eleven years. As soon as the announcement was made by Network 10 on Tuesday, there was complete buzz everywhere with everybody wanting to know about the reason behind such a move. Now, the latest buzz has it that George, Matt, and Gary have quit Masterchef Australia due to financial reasons. This announcement comes in the wake of the revelations that chef George Calombaris had underpaid staff at his restaurants by nearly $8m over a period of six years.
As per a report in The Hindu, CEO of Network 10, Paul Anderson, had released a statement saying that despite months of monetary negotiation they couldn't agree to the compensation and hence had to bid them good-bye.
"Despite months of negotiation, 10 has not been able to reach a commercial agreement that was satisfactory to Matt, Gary and George. Australia is full of remarkable cooking talent and we can't wait to introduce another group —and the next generation of exceptional judges —in season 12 of MasterChef Australia next year", the statement read.
In its 11 seasons Masterchef Australia has given us some remarkable winners like – Sashi Cheliah, Diana Chan, Elena Duggan, Brent Owens, Emma Dean, Andy Allen and Billi McKay.
On Tuesday, Network 10 announced the upcoming finale of its eleventh season will be the last episode for Calombaris, Preston and Mehigan, who have been associated with it since the beginning. "After 11 sensational seasons, we bid a fond farewell to our judges - Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris. Thank you for being a part of this remarkable #MasterChefAU legacy and helping make the culinary dreams of everyday home cooks come true," the official Twitter handle of MasterChef Australia tweeted.
This surely comes as a shock to audiences across the world who have followed the show ardently over the 11 seasons, and who were already reeling from the news of George Calombaris’ wage scandal that broke earlier.
(With Inputs from PTI)
