MasterChef Australia judges (2)
As “My Kitchen Rules” heads towards its grand finale on Sunday night 8 p.m. on Seven, “MasterChef Australia” judges have some friendly advice for Manu Feildel and Pete Evans, the “MKR” judges. Instagram/garymehigan

Fans of “MasterChef Australia” are recently treated with a sneak peek of what to expect on the cooking competition’s ninth season. The new teaser video, posted on the show’s Facebook page, features this year’s home cooks who will be embarking on an extraordinary culinary journey.

The overall theme of the video centres on the life after the Logie Award-winning reality show. The trailer tells fans that part of the excitement about “MasterChef” is the adventure of great home cooks coming in and really morphing into something special. “For so many contestants, “MasterChef” is not the end of their journey. It’s the start of their dream. This is what it’s all about,” judge Gary Mehigan said.

Matt Preston, on the other hand, reveals that 75 percent of people who come into the “MasterChef Australia” kitchen go on and change their lives. “That’s an unheard-of proportion,” he pointed out. To prove the calibre that the culinary game show has been churning out every year, the teaser video showed a montage of former “MasterChef Australia” contestants who achieved their food dreams with the help of the competition.

Fans saw ex-contenders Julie Goodwin and Callum Hann, who both opened their respective cooking schools. Adam Liaw, on the other hand, said he has written five books and has his own television show. Former contestants Pho Ling Yeow, Justine Schofield and Hayden Quinn also revealed that they appeared on various cooking shows after “MasterChef Australia.”

The cooking competition also ushered in numerous business opportunities for some “MasterChef Australia” alumni, including Reynold Poernomo, who opened a dessert bar, and Rose Adam, who now owns a family café. Andy Allen and Andre Ursini, on the other hand, both run their respective restaurants, while Philip Vakos has two.

Contestants from “MasterChef Australia” 2016 Heather Day and Nidhi Majahan also entered the food business – Heather launched Hey Day butter, while Nidhi started Nidz Kitchen, a concept catering business. Their former rival, Matt Sinclair, is also flourishing in his food truck and catering business called Ten Piece Cutlery.

Despite his failure to win in Season 8, Matt has since been having the sweet taste of success. Apart from his food business, the former coffee roaster was named as Noosa’s tourism ambassador in January this year. Fans would remember that Matt ended up as the runner-up, trailing behind “MasterChef Australia” 2016 winner Elena Duggan. She took home $250,000 prize money to kick off her food dream, as well as a monthly column in Delicious, a national food magazine.

In the new season’s teaser, “MasterChef Australia” judges gave a hint of what to expect on this year’s contestants. “This year, the standard of cooking is mind-blowing,” George Calumbaris promised. Gary, on the other hand, mused that he’s surprised on how creative the contestants are very early on. “I’ve learned that the potential of these home cooks is almost endless,” he concluded.

Channel Ten has not yet specified when “MasterChef Australia” 2017 is going to air. However, based on previous seasons, fans should watch out for the new season by May. Stay tuned for “MasterChef Australia” spoilers and news.

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