Everything we know so far about MasterChef 2022.

Dust off your aprons and get ready to question everything you know about cooking, because MasterChef Australia is back for its 14th season and holy dooley, we are so excited.  

In the newest series, we'll be seeing 12 MasterChef favourites go head-to-head with 12 fans in the hopes of winning $250,000 (and our hearts).

And it's just the wholesome content we've been craving, thank you very much.

So get your hibachi grills going, because here's everything we know about this season of MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites. 

Trailer: Catch MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites Easter Monday at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play on demand. Post continues below.

What can we expect from this season?

A collective sigh of relief please! In the new season, MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites, our favourite trio of judges will be returning with Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen guiding contestants through their MasterChef journey.

We'll also be seeing some guest judging from top chefs like Adriano Zumbo, Shannon Bennet and Curtis Stone. 

So. Good.

As for the structure, we'll be getting to see all the best challenges across different days of the week. 

On Mondays that's the coveted mystery box followed by a pressure test and elimination on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, teams will be cooking for a place in Thursday's immunity challenge and the remaining cooks will take to the stage on Sunday for another elimination.

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When does MasterChef start?

It's out now! You can fill your love bucket by watching MasterChef from Sunday to Thursday at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play on demand, starting Easter Monday. 

Who are the contestants?

The question on everybody's lips. This season of top and aspiring chefs looks like it might be — dare we say it — the best of the series YET. Here's who you can expect to see on this season.

Favourites

Aldo Ortado - Season 10

We last saw Aldo in season 10 of MasterChef Australia (with the most impressive Fabio locks), and since then, he's kept up his appearances on television while also opening pop-up restaurants in Sydney.

Growing up in Italy, we can expect some delicious European meals from this chef.

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Alvin Quah - Season 2

Yes. Season 2 favourite, Alvin Quah is back, funky glasses and all.

Born in Kuala Lumpur with a Chinese-Malaysian heritage, Alvin is passionate about sharing his culture's food (and we can't get enough of it). 

He's an all-rounder in the kitchen with a great love for desserts too. We adore a versatile cook! Hopefully more iconic specs coming from Alvin too this season.

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Billie McKay - Season 7

Since Billie McKay's season win, the dairy-farm-raised chef has been all over the world sharing her delicious passion.

For a while there, McKay took her place as a chef in Heston Blumenthal's famous three-Michelin star restaurant, The Fat Duck, but she's back and better than ever, ready to claim her second MasterChef trophy.

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Christina Batista - Season 5

ICYMI: Christina Batista was a season 5 favourite who made it all the way to Finals Week before she left the famous kitchen in fifth place. Since then, she has worked at Sydney's very prestigious Quay restaurant, opened her own market stall at farmers' markets, and has been running her own catering business. 

She also posts banger food content and cooking hacks on her socials, and admittedly has a much better TikTok game than us!

This time around, Christina's vying for the Masterchef title, motivated by her love of Portuguese food and culture.

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John Carasig - Season 7

He was an absolute king at the mystery box challenges in Season 7 and is now returning for another shot.

Strongly influenced by his Filipino heritage, John has become a master of precision desserts. Since leaving the competition, he has started Adobo Kitchen Bean To Bar Chocolates, relaunching as TSOKOLATE, creating single origin handcrafted chocolate. YUM!

John also works in the travel industry as a flight attendant, but has since been grounded because of COVID. 

Instead, he's been working from home with his fiancé Dave, which led them to create Human Hair Wigs by Dave, providing wigs for dancers, Drag Queens and cancer patients. 

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Julie Goodwin - Season 1

That's right. SHE'S BACK.

The OG MasterChef, and one of the most beloved faces to ever cook on our tellies, Julie Goodwin is back for her second season of MasterChef Australia and this. Is. Huge. 

We'll never forget that 2009 finale where Julie was cooking up against THE Poh Ling Yeow. Edge-of-our-seats stuff.

Julie has made a household name for herself since taking away the first-ever winning title of season 1, with her cookbooks and Australian Women's Weekly recipes sure to have graced your tables and bookshelves ever since. 

We can't WAIT to see all the wonderful recipes and heart she'll bring to season 14.

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Michael Weldon - Season 3

Season 3's versatile chef Michael Weldon is back for Fans & Favourites and we've got a good feeling we're in for some delicious dishes.

It was quite the close call in 2011 when Michael landed as runner-up to Kate Bracks in the season 3 finale, and since he's been developing recipes for Coles and co-hosting Farm To Fork, another Channel 10 cooking show (alongside fellow MasterChef alumni Courtney Roulston).

With a penchant for savoury flavours and great enjoyment for preparing sweet treats, we've got a feeling he'll be able to take on any challenge the MasterChef kitchen throws at him.

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Mindy Woods - Season 4

Proud Bundjalung woman, Mindy Woods is back from fourth place in season 4 of MasterChef, ready to share her Aboriginal culture through food. 

In 2020, she opened her own restaurant, Karkalla in Byron Bay, and last year Mindy was also asked by the Australian Government to represent Australia as a guest chef at Dubai's World Expo.

She'll be ready to take out first place this time around, and we honestly can't wait to learn more from Mindy about how to use and hero some of the world’s oldest living ingredients in our own cooking.

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Minoli De Silva - Season 13

Yep, last season's Minoli De Silva is back for the third time (she was eliminated fourth in season 13, then returned in Second Chance Week coming 10th in the competition), Now she's intent on making it to Finals this time around! 

Originally from Sri Lanka, Minoli has been hosting pop-up restaurants since her season stint, and also runs cooking classes in her hometown of Darwin.

She loves to share the delicious fragrance and flavours of her culture. If only we could enjoy them closer through our telly!

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Sarah Todd - Season 6

Season 6's Sarah Todd is back! Since appearing on MasterChef in 2014, she's been an in-demand international chef, TV host, author, restauranteur and entrepreneur.

She's studied French and Punjabi cuisine, and opened her first restaurant in Goa, India – even starring in her own TV series, My Restaurant in India. Sarah also opened her second restaurant in Mumbai, with a second TV series (perfectly) named, My Second Restaurant in India. 

She's become one of the most noteworthy chefs in the Indian food scene, and we can't see what beauties she cooks next.

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Sashi Cheliah - Season 10

Season 10 winner, Sashi Cheliah is back in the MasterChef kitchen with every intention of repeating the feat.

Sashi has a very loyal fanbase (us included!), and one of our favourite facts about his is that he worked in tactical operations for the Singapore Police Force for 12 years! Sashi, you're a wildcard and we love you for it.

The Singapore-born cook now lives in Adelaide, and went on to open his own pop up restaurant after his 2018 victory.

He also has his own range of Home Chef Meal Kits at Woolies called 'Sashi's Secret', which we're deliciously working (read: eating) our way through! We can't wait for Sashi's season 14 return.

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Tommy Pham - Season 13

Tommy was a true fan favourite of the show's most recent season, and he's thankfully back with his fresh, vibrant Vietnamese-style flavours. We're very happy to hear it!

After his truly iconic Bahn Mi Danish put him on the map as one to watch in season 13, Tommy's been balancing the running of his own food business with being a stay at home dad.

Love that he's largely a self-taught chef, and what we can keep learning from Tommy ourselves from his Vietnamese cooking that celebrates family and heritage.

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Fans

Ali Stoner, VIC

Mum-of-two and Artist, Ali Stoner is oh-so-excited to be joining the MasterChef fans team.

She says her greatest skill in the kitchen will be her instinctive creativity and savoury cooking. We're already on board!

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Chris Tran, VIC

Marketing Consultant, Chris Tran is professionally trained in preparing European dishes.

He also grew up with traditional Vietnamese cooking thanks to his mum. Did someone say double threat?

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Daniel Lamble, NT

Firefighter Daniel Lamble is often tasked with preparing lunch and dinner for his fellow fireys.

He's a big fan of savoury cooking and says he needs to work on his sweet skills to remain in the game. We love us some character development!

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Dulan Hapuarachchi, VIC

Dad-of-two and financial entrepreneur, Dulan Hapuarachchi is coming to the MasterChef kitchen with a skill for Sri Lankan cooking.

He prefers savoury flavours over sweet, but he can make a mean tiramisu and crème caramel.

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Harry Tomlinson, VIC

Coffee roaster Harry Tomlinson is an intuitive chef with a passion for taste and flavours.

Her signature dishes include veal cotoletta with herb oil, burnt cabbage with tarragon cream and parmigiano, and pickled fennel. Sounds very impressive, we'll take two.

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Jenn Lee, QLD

Dentist Jenn Lee was born in Taiwan and loves savoury and sweet cooking. 

Her signature dish is Korean-style BBQ with beautiful pork jowl and ox tongue, and judges can expect her to be cooking with fresh prawns and steamed fish alongside Taiwanese style BBQ corn and grilled king oyster mushrooms.

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Keyma Vasquez Montero, VIC

Stay-at-home mum, Keyma Vasquez Montero grew up in Venezuela, and her cooking reflects the Latin and Spanish community. 

Her signature dish would cover several courses, empanadas, golfeados (cheesy rolls), reina pepiada arepas (chicken and avocado cornmeal cakes), chupe (chicken and corn soup) and to finish it off, torta tres leches (three milk cake).

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Matt Landmark, VIC

Teacher Matt Landmark grew up on simple, classic and nutritious dinners. With a limited budget, his family rarely explored different cuisines, and fresh herbs were rare.

Then, in his first share house he bought fresh coriander to serve with a meal, and blown away by the flavour, his cooking journey really began.

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Max Krapivsky, VIC

Osteopath Max Krapivsky has applied for MasterChef three times before, but this time, he's set on making it to the Grand Finale.

His Russian grandmother Rita is his biggest cooking inspiration. We love you already Rita!

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Melanie Persson, WA

PHD Student Melanie Persson is coming to the MasterChef kitchen with a twist. 

She's coeliac, and hoping to show that gluten-free food can still pack a punch. Love to hear it!

Her tastes have been inspired by her experiences in Japan and Italy. 

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Montana Hughes, QLD

TikTok influencer, Montana Hughes is this season's youngest competitor, keen to show the judges what she can do.

She runs her food socials on the side, and cites Yotam Ottolenghi as one of her biggest chef inspirations. Same girl, same.

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Steph Woon, VIC

Banking analyst, Steph Woon is passionate about all things Japan, and dreams of opening a south-east-Asian inspired patisserie one day.

A lifelong fan of MasterChef, Steph watched in awe as Poh Ling Yeow cooked her way to the Grand Finale, and she has every intention of repeating Poh's feat. LOVE THIS ENERGY.

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Catch MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites Easter Monday at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play on demand. Post continues below.

Feature Image: Network Ten.