Wednesday night’s MasterChef Australia delivered a brutal end to Masters Week, with Grace King missing out on a spot in the Top 10 after one of the season’s most intense Pressure Tests.
In the nail-biting challenge, guest judge Kirsten Tibballs returned to the kitchen to get contestants to recreate her elaborate Chocolate Iris: a seven-layer entremets topped with a delicate chocolate flower and involving more than 100 steps. No biggie!
Grace, Luke, Aaron and Emily were the four cooks fighting for survival in the Black Apron cook-off, with only three hours and 45 minutes to recreate the dessert. While Grace managed to produce something that looked beautiful from the outside, the inside didn’t come together. A few small mistakes left her dish unformed, and she was ultimately sent home in 11th place. Devo!
It was a painful exit for the 23-year-old Victorian, especially after her strong early run made her look like one to watch. But her elimination also landed during wider fan backlash against the show.
In recent weeks, viewers have been turning on the season for lacking the magic of earlier years. Most of the criticism has centred on the long-running show having fewer off-site challenges, Team and Service Challenges, less creativity and a format that feels more repetitive than nostalgic, with past fan favourite staples like Pressure and Invention Tests being largely fazed out this year.
MasterChef fans are turning on the long-running cooking series
During the Wednesday night episode, fans shared their confusion over why some contestants were struggling so much in the kitchen, calling attention to the lack of basic skills they could have gotten from some of the OG challenges.
On X user highlighted the lack of Pressure Tests and Service Challenges so far, going as far as calling this season a ‘car wreck to watch’. Ouch!
Maybe if they'd had more pressure tests this season, and actually been pushed to expand their skills regularly through service challenges and the like, maybe this wouldn't be such a car wreck to watch… #MasterChefAU
— anonymissjane (@anonymissjane) June 24, 2026
The lack of Pressure Tests this season has not gone unnoticed by fans.
It's about to go to Top Ten & this is only the 2nd Pressure Test.
— Crowbar Jones 🥘🔪 (@gomichild) June 24, 2026
This is really disappointing.
Remember in past seasons how a series of Pressure Tests could really bring a contestant up to a new level.
We used to have Pressure Test Assassins!#MasterChefAU
One of the biggest criticisms from viewers is that MasterChef contestants have largely been given free rein in the kitchen this season, a stark contrast from the strict cuisine or themed challenges of the past.
Honestly, with all the “cook whatever you want” cooks this season a majority of them have learnt nothing. 😡#MasterChefAU
— Sue K (@SueKennedy1410) June 24, 2026
Instagram creator Shriya spoke passionately about how she thought the show had lost its way in 2026, and the video has over 130k views, 5k likes and 500 comments.
“I love MasterChef Australia... but the show is just not serving it like it used to,” her video began.
“Who do we do just one Service Challenge and one Team Challenge and call it a day?” she vented. Shriya added that she didn’t believe the cooks were pushing the envelope enough this season. “I haven’t learned anything that I haven’t seen before, and that’s boring and disappointing.”
The video has been flooded with comments in agreement. “So true!” said one Instagram user. “Everything is 75 minutes, with an open pantry. Same repetitive guests, same challenges.”
“I thought it was just me!! This season is literally not seasoning,” read another comment. “Omg finally someone said it!!” added another, noting they “haven’t been so uninterested in any MCAU season ever.” Ooft!
MasterChef contestant Hannah weighs in on whether the show is ‘too easy’ now
One MasterChef Australia contestant who did make the Top 10 is Hannah Johnson. In an interview with Chattr, she spoke about what fans don’t see about these ‘easier’ MasterChef challenges where contestants have free rein to cook whatever they like.
“There’s moments where it is really great when you’re like, ‘Sweet, it’s open pantry, 75 minutes, I can come up with something’, but then at the same time I’m kind of like, it’s really easier with a Mystery Box because you don’t run to the kitchen and you just focus in and you just gotta figure something out right in front of you,” she told Chattr.
“There are times where I actually really did appreciate the constraints to be focusing on something, like the episode a couple of weeks ago, the Perfect Pair challenge. You have to just focus in on those flavours, and it nearly helps your brain go, ‘Okay? What can I pair with these?'”
Hannah believes that the OG challenges are actually easier than what MasterChef contestants are doing in 2026. “It’s a lot easier to kind of create a dish when you’ve got a starting point, even if it is a limitation,” she said.
MasterChef Australia airs Sunday 7pm and Monday and Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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