"Touch and go": Masterchef winner wanted to leave comp
Masterchef 2021 winner Justin Narayan has been known as the show's underdog and won by just one point against rival Pete Campbell.
The nail-biting final saw the final three, which had Justin, Pete and Kishwar Chowdhury, make two hard dishes by guest chef Peter Gilmore.
Luckily, Justin crushed the dishes, which were golden crackle desert and squid noodles and ended up winning the plate and $250,000 in prize money.
He's now confirmed that the prize money was far out of his sight as he was hit with a tragic family circumstance during the competition.
His father ended up falling sick and ended up in the ICU, which made Justin contemplate his role in the competition.
"He got sick during filming and ended up in ICU for a few days, and it was touch and go if I would continue on with the comp or not, but he ended up getting better and got out of the hospital," shares the 27-year-old with Now To Love.
Luckily, his father overcame the illness and Justin admitted he leaned on his co-competitors, Brent Draper, Pete Campbell and Amir Manoly pretty heavily for support.
"I remember telling those guys, I didn't really tell anyone, but I told those guys one morning, and there was a couple of tears. Those boys were really supportive, and we all just had each other's backs.
"It was just a genuine friendship, like competition and everything aside, it was awesome to have people like that around you in moments like that," says Justin.
His father was absolutely thrilled that Justin won the competition, as well as his fiance and his grandparents.
"The first person I thought of would have been my dad, who was next to me, which was awesome," he remembers.
"And then my grandparents; so it was real special to have them around, and it was real awesome to have my fiancée there. I definitely wouldn't even have signed up if it weren't for her."
"I was just genuinely so shocked I wasn't ready for it at all.
"I honestly was so confused I just went blank, like this is nuts, the weight of the moment just hit me," he recalls.
As for what he's up to next? He still hasn't "figured it out".
"I still haven't figured it out. I think I still want to get a little more experience and see what new techniques I can work with, but I do love the nostalgia of the food I grew up eating, so I am sure that will sneak into every type of food I make," he explained.