Robert Irwin has appeared as a guest judge on Wednesday night’s episode of MasterChef Australia.
The wildlife conservationist came in his usual khaki ensemble for the elimination challenge, where the cooks had to create dishes using native Australian ingredients like lilly pilly, wattle seed and river mint.
Contestants praised Robert for how warm and attractive he was in person, with contestant Aaron Kher saying that he is “so much better looking in person”.
Luke Harris, was teased by his fellow cooks after his hug with Robert left him a little red-faced and stuttering over his words.
Fans of the show were quick to praise the Wildlife Warrior, with one writing: “Can Robert Irwin replace Andy Allen? He’s so enthusiastic.”
“Can we keep Robert? Like, right now,” another person said on social media. “Robert Irwin has been on for 15 minutes and he’s already been more personable and easier to watch.”
Another person wrote: “Robert Irwin in the MasterChef kitchen…. the best guest on.”
“Robert makes up for his lack of critique by being a loveable joy,” another commented.
“Robert is excited about every dish. He’s excited about everything,” a fifth added.
One person praised the conservationist for his energy, saying: “Robert is a genuinely nice guy with an infectious love of life.”
The praise came after initial doubt on Robert’s cameo on the show, where fans doubted his relevance as a guest judge.
Masterchef Australia judge Andy Allen defended his appearance, saying that the Wildlife Warrior does have some culinary knowledge.
“I was so surprised at the guy’s food knowledge, how much he cooks, how much he loves to eat and how much he just knows about food,” Andy told WHO, in an interview the day before Robert’s appearance on the show.
“He has a restaurant up at Australia Zoo and so when he came on, I was like, man, you have just given Australia, especially the female population of Australia, just another reason to swoon over you,” Andy added.
“Because you can cook now, everyone knows you can cook now and you love your food and you know a lot about food, so you’re just ticking more boxes. It’s amazing.”
On Wednesday’s episode, 31-year-old cook Dot McHugh was eliminated from the show, after her attempt at making donuts with river mint was too overpowering and unbalanced for the judges.
Image: Ten
