Ex-MasterChef judge Gary Mehigan reveals the truth behind his shock exit

MasterChef judges Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris. Photo / Supplied

Former MasterChef Australia judge Gary Mehigan has revealed the surprising truth behind his exit from the popular show.

Mehigan - along with fellow judges Matt Preston and George Calombaris - left the show in 2019 after a 10-year stint, with the show’s network, Channel Ten, claiming it was because Ten “couldn’t meet their demands for a pay rise”. However, Mehigan claims there is a different reason.

The Daily Mail has reported the television star has claimed the trio’s decision to leave was inaccurately depicted to the public, and the network wasn’t transparent about what happened behind the scenes.

During a press conference in India, while filming a National Geographic show, the star reportedly said he had made a deal with himself “early on” that if the show ever felt like it wasn’t aligning with his brand anymore, he would leave.

“I promised myself early on that once I felt that it wasn’t my thing, that it was time to move on,” he said adding, “The way we parted from Channel 10 was a little bit different. Ten decided to take the narrative and make it about the ‘greedy judges’. But it wasn’t.”

The trio had hosted the reality TV cooking competition for 11 years before failed negotiations saw them leave. Photo / Supplied

The star went on to further slam the network and the successful cooking show admitting that since his departure, he has not been a fan and believes the contestants are “too professional”.

“[Contestants are] too professional for my liking. The first season for me is special because it was unexpected. I think the level of home cooks seemed genuine,” he said.

Mehigan, Calombaris and Preston were the key judges on the show between the first season in 2009 and season 11 in 2019. Following their shock departure, they were replaced by Melissa Leong, Andy Allen and the late Jock Zonfrillo.

Zonfrillo tragically passed away at age 46 on April 30 - the scheduled premiere for the show’s 15th season.

After a bereavement period and edits, the season continued to air with reports the showrunners are looking for a new judge to replace Zonfrillo in the next season.