The 24 returning contestants were announced on 19 February 2020. Other past contestants such as Derek Lau,
Sarah Todd, and Alvin Quah were later confirmed to have been invited to compete in the series, but refused for various reasons. In March 2020, Ben Ungermann suddenly left the series after being arrested in a matter unrelated to the show. His departure was announced on 17 May 2020. Most charges were dropped when Ungermann pleaded guilty to a single count of common law assault, avoiding a criminal conviction.
Notes Future Appearances •
Emelia Jackson appeared on the
3rd Junior Series as a guest judge for a Mystery Box Challenge. •
Emelia appeared on the
following season as a guest judge for the first Mystery Box challenge. Reynold Poernomo, Callum Hann and
Poh Ling Yeow appeared later on as guest judges for an elimination challenge. Laura Sharrad appeared for the first Masterclass as a guest chef. • Reynold also appeared on
Series 14 as a guest judge for a pressure test. •
Poh also appeared on
Series 15 as a guest judge for a Mystery Box Challenge.
Emelia appeared later on as a guest judge for an elimination challenge. • Reynold along with Jess Liemantara had competed on the
Dessert Masters spin off series. Jess finished third on November 28, 2023 while Reynold was runner up. • In
Series 16 Poh will appear as a judge.
Emelia, Laura, Callum & Jess along with Reece Hignell, Tessa Boersma,
Khanh Ong and Simon Toohey appeared as guests for the 1st service challenge. •
Emelia and Reece had competed on the second series of
Dessert Masters. Reece finished fifth on November 18, 2024 while Emelia was runner up on November 24, 2024. • Laura and Callum appeared on
Series 17 for their 3rd chance to win. Laura won the competition on 12 August 2025, while Callum was runner up for the 2nd time.
Allegations of favouritism from viewers Despite the largely positive overall reception, the series has been met with some skepticism from viewers, mostly through social media, concerning the judges' apparent favouritism towards certain contestants. The most prominent instance of this has centered around contestant Laura Sharrad, who worked in judge Jock Zonfrillo's restaurant for two years following her
Series 6 appearance, thus sparking concerns that Zonfrillo may therefore be biased towards her. Other criticism has focused largely on Laura's supposed tendency to cook pasta dishes repeatedly, despite the fact that less than half her dishes could be classified as such. The judges' decision to award Weekly Immunity to Laura, rather than Poh, in Episode 50, was met with backlash from viewers, who felt that Poh's effort was evidently superior. Laura spoke out about her controversy, citing the numerous non-pasta dishes she has cooked on the show and claiming that having to cook for her former employer has made the competition harder, rather than easier, for her. Emelia Jackson called the online hate "narrow-minded". Other accusations have attacked the judges' apparent reluctance to eliminate contestants
Poh Ling Yeow and Reynold Poernomo, both of whom are considered fan favourites, and, therefore, beneficial to the show's viewership. Notably, contestant Tessa Boersma’s elimination stirred controversy and prompted allegations of bias towards Reynold. On the other hand, fans of Reynold called the finale "rigged" because Reynold was not in it. ==Guests==