u/Rhojanxd

Okay so unsurprisingly like previous seasons, the grand finale for MasterChef Australia Season 18 had multiple endings filmed.

SPOILERS FOR WINNER BELOW

Despite clearly getting emotional, was this all an act? Like a lot of reality competitions, MasterChef Australia films two versions of the winner’s announcement to protect the ending from being spoiled.

This means that >!Vinnie!< only just found out that he won MasterChef — the TV announcement was one of two alternate endings filmed. In fact, >!Vinnie!< exclusively told Chattr he received a secret phone call from a producer on Sunday morning to learn of his victory.

“I found out in the morning. The producers, they did say ‘We’ll give you a call in the morning if you want?’ and I was very much like yes. I knew [I’d won] the morning of [the finale],” he told Chattr.

“It was pretty awesome. I remember I was in the car and I was just like doing a little dance. All this time, all that waiting and all the work that I put in that competition… it was very, very cool.”

For >!Petro!<, he exclusively told Chattr that he only learned he was runner-up watching it on Sunday night with his friends and family. >!Petro!< admitted the show had filmed different winner outcomes.

“We filmed the multiple endings, but we didn’t find out the winner,” he said. “I found out whilst I was watching.”

This meant that >!Petro!< had to film himself winning MasterChef — only to find out months later that he placed runner-up. Brutal, right? “It is a bit weird,” >!Petro!< admits. “Yeah, it is a little bit weird. But we have to do it because we don’t want the result to leak.”

Despite not knowing his fate, >!Petro!< had suspicions that >!Vinnie!< was the winner. “I only really found out I was runner up when I was watching it, and I kind of suspected that I was. I think I had already processed a bit of it,” he shared.

“But obviously, there is still some disappointment about the results, and maybe I wish I’d done better or that sort of stuff. But I’m just putting that behind me and being grateful for what I was a part of and what I was able to do, and move on to the next.”

I've been slowly but surely catching up on this season of MasterChef and it's been a blast.

Having the auditions really brought together a cast I can get behind who I've grown to love. Pretty much every member I've really enjoyed. They've been able successfully characterise every contestant pretty well with even some character arcs. Aaron's chase for perfection. Annabelle with seemingly limited familiarity with certain ingredients and diving in. Petro and his mini-dessert arc. Luke being a chaos agent. Dot with her endless side quests outside of the competition. The vibes are immaculate and that shows throughout.

I also need to talk about the EDIT. Yes, there are cast members who confusingly receive the no confessional cut (Jack I'm looking at you), but I think overall the editors have done a great job and making you think certain characters are going far before being eliminated. Is it perfect? No way. There's some awkward voice cuts and the aforementioned uneven confessionals. But, at least for me, it's been noticeably better than previous years where it felt obvious who would win from a few episodes in (Nat season, Brent season). The worst feeling for me watching any MasterChef season is that feeling like you know what's going to happen, and aside from some obvious elimination episodes, it hasn't been the case for me this season.

Would I love more challenge difficulty? For sure! I don't mind the nostalgia and family cooks in the early season, but mid to late show I expect more. It's been a valid complaint in the modern MasterChef era. But, at least for me, the cast has always been able to carry, and this season is no different.

Hopping onto this subreddit after finally catching up, it feels completely night and day with my experience. Everyone's complaints are valid, and maybe this might just be where all the complaints all congregate to, but it was just surprising to see regardless! Have I been living under a rock? LOL