MasterChef Australia (series 12)
The twelfth series of the Australian cooking game show MasterChef Australia, also known as MasterChef Australia: Back To Win, premiered on 13 April 2020. It is the first series to feature Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and series four winner Andy Allen serving as judges, after the departure of Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston in the previous season. This series involves former high-achieving contestants from the past eleven series of MasterChef Australia, returning for another chance at the title of 'MasterChef' and the A$250,000 prize.
Applications for contestants for the twelfth series of MasterChef Australia opened in May 2019. However, plans were changed when returning contestants were brought onboard instead of home cooks. Katy Perry appeared as a guest judge in an immunity challenge based around her song "Hot N Cold", which is the theme song of the show.
This series was won by Emelia Jackson in the grand finale against Laura Sharrad, broadcast on 20 July 2020.
Changes
, George Calombaris and Matt Preston departed the show in 2019 and were replaced with new judges Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen.In this series, the typical MasterChef weekly format was slightly changed from prior series. Mondays now feature a Team Challenge with the losing team facing Tuesday's Pressure Test elimination. Wednesdays feature a Mystery Box with the best cooks competing in the Immunity Challenge on Thursday, in which one contestant will be granted immunity from the upcoming elimination. All the other contestants then head into the All-In Elimination Challenge on Sunday. In addition, only one Immunity Pin was up for grabs this season; it was awarded to Dani Venn in the first episode of the series. A new format schedule was debuted on 14 June, with the show beginning to air only three nights a week. Mondays featured the Mystery Box, Tuesdays featured the Immunity Challenge, and Sundays featured the All-In Elimination Challenge.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, production of the show continued while following government regulations. This includes the observance of social distancing, having individual plates for each judge during tasting, and the use of gloves when handling ingredients. In addition, the number of crew on set has been reduced by half, and outside challenges and guests have been dialled back. The new measures debuted on 25 May 2020.
Unlike recent previous seasons, there was no mid-way "second chance" return challenge for eliminated contestants; all eliminated contestants had no chance to return to the season.
Contestants
The 24 returning contestants were announced on 19 February 2020. In March 2020, Ben Ungermann was dropped from the series after being arrested in a matter, unrelated to the show. His departure was announced on 17 May 2020. The arrest was connected to accusations of sexual assault against a 16-year-old girl.| Contestant | Age | State | Occupation | Original Series | Previous Season Placing | Status |
| Emelia Jackson | 30 | VIC | Cake Designer & Chef | 3rd | Winner 20 July | |
| Laura Sharrad | 24 | SA | Chef | 2nd | ||
| Reynold Poernomo | 26 | NSW | Chef & Restaurateur | 4th | ||
| Callum Hann | 30 | SA | Restaurateur & Culinary Educator | 2nd | ||
| Reece Hignell | 30 | NSW | Cake Designer & Chef | 6th | ||
| Poh Ling Yeow | 46 | SA | Chef, Artist, Actress & TV Presenter | 2nd | ||
| Tessa Boersma | 28 | QLD | Chef & Criminal Statistician | 2nd | ||
| Brendan Pang | 26 | WA | Restaurateur | 9th | ||
| Khanh Ong | 27 | VIC | Business Owner & Chef | 3rd | ||
| Sarah Tiong | 29 | NSW | Lawyer & Restaurateur | 6th | ||
| Simon Toohey | 33 | VIC | Cook & Restaurateur | 3rd | ||
| Jess Liemantara | 22 | VIC | Chef | 4th | ||
| Tracy Collins | 44 | SA | Restaurateur | 5th | ||
| Sarah Clare | 33 | TAS | Restaurateur | 10th | ||
| Hayden Quinn | 33 | NSW | TV Presenter & Marine Biologist | 6th | ||
| Ben Ungermann | 36 | QLD | Ice Cream Shop Owner & Chef | 2nd | ||
| Amina Elshafei | 35 | NSW | Paediatric Nurse & Author | 11th | ||
| Chris Badenoch | 52 | WA | Business Owner & Restaurateur | 3rd | ||
| Rose Adam | 42 | SA | Chef & Café Owner | 10th | ||
| Dani Venn | 34 | VIC | Business Owner & Publicist | 4th | ||
| Harry Foster | 25 | QLD | Chef | 3rd | ||
| Ben Milbourne | 38 | TAS | Restaurateur | 5th | ||
| Courtney Roulston | 39 | NSW | Chef | 5th | ||
| Lynton Tapp | 32 | VIC | TV Presenter & Chef | 2nd |
Notes
Allegations of favouritism
The series has been met with sustained skepticism from viewers 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. The criticism has focused largely on Laura's apparent tendency to cook pasta dishes repeatedly, receiving praise from the judges despite her unvaried repertoire. The judges' decision to award Weekly Immunity to Laura, rather than Poh, in Episode 50, was met with instant 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.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.