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While most people would rather sip wine and critique from the sidelines, MasterChef icon Poh Ling Yeow has confessed she actually prefers sweating it out inside the pressure cooker. Turns out, judging others' culinary meltdowns isn't nearly as thrilling as having your own dreams evaporate in a cloud of burnt sugar.

Poh, who first stole Australia's heart with her joyful chaos in the MasterChef kitchen years ago, is back on screens — but this time, she’s revealing she finds judging almost... boring. Where’s the adrenaline? The existential dread? The sweet terror of your panna cotta refusing to set with two minutes left on the clock?

Bigger picture? MasterChef Australia has pivoted into a weird hybrid of reality cooking and wholesome therapy session — lots of hugs, fewer Gordon Ramsay meltdowns. Poh’s honesty about missing the pure, sweaty fear of competing reminds everyone why the original MasterChef formula worked: ordinary people chasing extraordinary dreams, sometimes crying into undercooked beef.

The latest? Poh’s currently juggling judging gigs and her own creative projects (because of course she’s also an artist, a cookbook author, and an entrepreneur — overachiever alert). Meanwhile, fans are divided: some want her back in the chaos, apron and all; others say watching her tearfully critique a soggy cake is pure TV gold.

Either way, Australia stays Poh-ssessed. Sources: (Based on The Australian and 9News MasterChef reporting, 28/04/2025)