MasterChef’s Hayden Quinn tells Yahoo Lifestyle why he disagrees with fan sentiment around this year’s Back to Win season.

Former MasterChef star Hayden Quinn weighs in on the major fan debate over whether Back to Win seasons should go ahead. Photo: Ten

MasterChef is back again for another year, and there are plenty of armchair critics out there who have a lot to say about the Back to Win format that the show is following this season. All of the contestants are previous stars who weren’t able to nab the win the first time they were on the show and are fighting for a second, or even third, chance to win this time around.

Viewers have been slamming the show for doing another Back to Win season, when they would prefer to see regular people competing against each other. However, former contestant Hayden Quinn tells Yahoo Lifestyle why he disagrees.

Fans slam MasterChef for doing another Back to Win season

“I don’t know if it’s just me, but I really miss watching amateurs in MasterChef AU,” one viewer wrote on Reddit. “The only reason I started this show is because it showed what home cooks can grow to be. Now it just feels like a celebrity MasterChef, which is okay, I’m sure there is an audience for that, but it’s just not what the spirit of MasterChef AU is (for me).

“I was really looking forward to the new season hoping they’d bring back large scale team challenges and harder challenges in general with some home cooks. I’m just really disappointed.”

Former MasterChef stars, like Callum Hann, are back again this year, fighting for another chance to win. Photo: Ten
Many others agreed, with another adding, “No we definitely don’t need one. I know I will watch but I just want a normal season. Back to Win could have been a separate series on its own.”

“I’ll still watch this for sure but admittedly I’m not excited for it,” a third said. “I want all amateurs. I guess returnees are better ratings? A lil bummed if MC AU is like Survivor AU with the obsession with returnees (as Survivor AU has done a lot of returnee seasons that feels a lil too much [in my opinion]).”

Others said they’d be “skipping this season” as they prefer to watch regular home cooks.

Hayden Quinn weighs in on major MasterChef gripe

Speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle about the viewers’ issues with this season, Hayden says, “I can understand where they’re coming from,” adding he’d love to see a Fans vs Favourites season again. “But I do love seeing some of those familiar faces, because there’s definitely people from past MasterChef seasons that we’re like, ‘Oh, that person could have done, you know, really well, kept on going, or they just made one little mistake,’ and they missed their chance to continue on.”

Hayden says that he is loving seeing Alana Lowes, who was on season three with him on the show again, “Good to see her back in the kitchen, love that. And then also, Declan [Cleary] is from the Northern Beaches. He’s a legend, absolutely amazing when it comes to cooking fish and seafood, love what that guy’s about. So I’m sort of digging [this season].”

Hayden says that while he understands where MasterChef fans are coming from, but enjoys seeing previous contestants back on TV. Photo: Instagram/hayden_quinn
He tells us that he watched the first episode and thought the team challenge with Gordon Ramsay “looked very stressful”.

“It’s funny because I look at someone like Callum [Hann], and then Laura [Sharrad]’s in there, who I’ve done a lot of MasterChef stuff with, and I think about those guys, I’m like, why are you guys doing that to yourself again? So stressful.

“It’s like, full on. But you definitely get those highs and lows when it comes to the MasterChef kitchen, and the adrenaline side of it is certainly quite addictive. And I can see why they’ve gone back, for sure.”

He quips, “It definitely ages you… It’s a stressful, stressful moment in life when you’re trying to cook in front of someone like Gordon Ramsay, plus the judges, plus all the armchair critics at home.”

So would he ever consider doing it again?

“I don’t think so,” he says with a laugh. “It’s quite terrifying.”