While “Australia’s Next Top Model” wannabees have been reportedly down from 100 to 20 as it premieres Down Under last week, the show’s judges have admittedly grown closer to one another - - despite the inherent differences in opinion. Especially even after the controversial announcement of the winner in last season’s finale.

It will be recalled that then host Sarah Murdoch, a model herself, was in hot water in last year’s season of the show due to a mix-up she had caused when she announced the runner up, Kelsey Martinovich as the winner and not Amanda Ware.

This season’s judges Charlotte Dawson, Sarah Murdoch and Alex Perry are all set for the latest installment of “ANTM” and they have with them the much-talked about finale last season as they begin a new one.

Sharing some meal with the judges at John and Peter Canteen at CarriageWorks, Eveleigh, Kate Waterhorse of the Sydney Morning Herald wasted no time how the announcement of the winner will be handled now.

“Let's just say there is an envelope!,” Alex Perry wittingly quipped when asked about the finale in a show that has yet to even begin.

And Sarah is still being haunted by the day’s event.

“I can laugh about it now but what was interesting … was that those two girls handled themselves with such grace and defended me tirelessly,” Murdoch, who will now be sitting as one of the three “ANTM” judges.

“I felt more for the girls than myself. I was like, 'OK, quieten the audience down, now we have to change tack,' she added as the gang was feasting on roast onions with buffalo mozzarella, Florentine broad beans and rare tuna with kohlrabi.

Hearing Murdoch’s take on the issue, Perry could not help himself and but in.

“You quietened them down all right - you could have heard a pin drop!,” said Perry laughing, noted the Sydney Morning Herald.

And the third judge, Charlotte Dawson has her take on the controversial “winner-announcement mishap”.

“We went 'Oops!' and then went out and had a really great night and we didn't realise the magnitude of how people were going to react,” Dawson is quoted telling during the interview.

Murdoch attested that things could not get better among the judges.

“We are like a family and it's got to the point now where we finish each other's sentences,” Murdoch, who was in hot water even long after last season’s finale, was quoted as telling Waterhorse during the interview.

Join the judges as they look back at the last controversial series. Check out the photos of the top finalist of "Australia's Next Top Model".

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What to Expect from “Australia’s Next Top Model”?

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