The secret insider deals MasterChef is trying to keep hidden
The MasterChef kitchen has been plagued with rumours of infighting, searing tensions and short tempers this season, and as the final episodes begin to air, the competition is getting tough.
According to Woman’s Day, the talented final contestants have been competing against each other for lucrative TV offers, cookbook deals and future media jobs, and it’s causing friction behind the scenes.
"It's not just been a case of trying to win the show, they're trying to scoop up deals left right and centre," a set insider tells Woman's Day.
"They're being thrown contracts for everything from homewares to books. Everyone's trying to cash in on the show's booming popularity," adds the insider.
"It's everyone for themselves when it comes to making it happen after the show."
The returning cooks are no strangers to fame and fortune, such as Poh Ling Yeow and Hayden Quinn, who have both gone on to land a number of TV jobs and book deals since their original seasons.
But the 12th season of the show has made certified celebrities out of returning cooks such as Khanh Ong, Sarah Tiong and Laura Sharrad, who are all allegedly in the talks for their own cooking shows.
The cooks haven’t kept quiet about their hunger to take out the top spot.
Speaking about the sacrifices she made to be on the show, Laura said “I left my husband Max back at home in Adelaide, and our business, too.”
Both Khanh and Sarah are releasing cookbooks this year and dessert king Reynold Poernomo has signed on to talent agency SF Management.
Speaking to Woman’s Day last week, Poh said if she wins she'd use the prize money to “produce my own TV show”.