Welcome the 22 budding cooks competing on MasterChef Australia’s 16th season

Cleanse your palate, fire up the ovens and stock the giant fridge, because MasterChef Australia is back for 2024. Judge Andy Allen returns with three new pals – chef and season-one runner-up Poh Ling Yeow, food critic and writer Sofia Levin and Michelin-starred chef Jean-Christophe Novelli.

They’re joined by guests such as Jamie Oliver, Adriano Zumbo and Anna Polyviou, as well as 22 contestants hungry to succeed.

Meet the new judges. (Image: Supplied)

Continue scrolling to discover the new contestants competing on MasterChef Australia 2024.

(Image: Ten)

Alex Crisp

27, WA, Sales representative

Alex’s love of cooking started young – on her ninth birthday, her dad told her to choose any present she wanted, and she opted for a Jamie Oliver cookbook.

(Image: Ten)

Darrsh Clarke

31, WA, Management consultant

Darrsh was inspired to get into cooking on all sides of his family, and loves experimenting in the kitchen –

especially when making sweet treats.

(Image: Ten)

David Tan

30, QLD, Pharmacologist

David grew up in Singapore and became a foodie young. He jokes that in his home country, eating is “a national hobby”.

(Image: Ten)

Gillian Dinh

31, NSW, Lettering artist

With Italian heritage on her mum’s side and Vietnamese on her dad’s, Gill is experienced with both European and Asian styles of cooking.

(Image: Ten)

Harry Butterfield

29, QLD, Commercial property

Harry is most at home on the beach, and has fashioned himself into quite the seafood-cooking guru. He loves using local produce he catches himself.

(Image: Ten)

James Holmes

38, WA, Primary school teacher

British-born foodie James has travelled the world, and dreams of opening a cafe in Perth, where he lives with his wife and kids.

(Image: Ten)

Jon Hooper

29, NSW, Carpenter

Tradie Jonathan is a largely self-taught cook who’s heavily influenced by his nonna Sandra, who helped raise him.

(Image: Ten)

Josh Clarke

27, QLD, Coffee roaster

Dad-of-three Josh’s family is supportive of his cheffing dreams. In fact, it was his wife Laura who secretly filled out his MasterChef application!

(Image: Ten)

Luan De La Cruz

39, NSW, Board-game designer

Bubbly Argentinian-born Juan De La Cruz spent much of his childhood at his mother’s side in the kitchen, and his love of food came from being her official taster.

(Image: Ten)

Josh Perry

43, TAS, Butcher

Small-town bloke Josh loves cooking with local Tasmanian produce and dreams of opening a paddock-to-plate restaurant in his home state.

(Image: Ten)

Lachlan Whittle

34, VIC, Landscape gardener

Lachlan enjoys bringing his love of botany into his cooking. He dreams of opening a restaurant with a kitchen garden.

(Image: Ten)

Khristian Walker

26, VIC, Insurance services

Khristian has been a keen cook from an early age, and would often make meals for his younger sister when his single mum was working 14-hour days.

(Image: Ten)

Lily Davies

30, NSW, Former nurse

British-born Lily got into cooking early thanks to her mum Jo, one of the youngest chefs to be trained at the famed Le Cordon Bleu international cooking school.

(Image: Ten)

Lourdes Leschen

22, VIC, Marketing coordinator

This season’s youngest contestant, her Spanish heritage means she loves working with Mediterranean flavours, though she confesses to having a sweet tooth too!

(Image: Ten)

Mimi Wong

25, NSW, High school teacher

Mimi loves experimenting with Asian fusion, which grew from a childhood in both Australia and her native Hong Kong.

(Image: Ten)

Nat Thaipun

28, VIC, Barista

Nat’s parents ran a Thai restaurant when she was a kid, so it’s safe to say cooking is in her blood. She’s inspired by how food connects people around the world.

(Image: Ten)

Savindri Perera

30, SA, Banking consultant

Sav’s mum was an excellent home cook, and whenever Sav is in the kitchen, she hopes to emulate the incredible Sri Lankan flavours of her mum’s cooking.

(Image: Ten)

Snezana Calic

40, VIC, Financial services

Croatian-born Snezana has been cooking since she was seven, and is heavily inspired by the flavours of Serbia, where she grew up.

(Image: Ten)

Stephanie Griffin

28, QLD, Events manager

Steph liaises with chefs daily through her events work, but wants to explore her own passion for cooking by going on MasterChef.

(Image: Ten)

Stephen Dennis

62, QLD, Tour guide

Stephen was cast in MasterChef’s very first season in 2009, but a cyclone stopped him travelling. Will he make up for lost time on season 16?

(Image: Ten)

Sue Bazley

58, VIC, Customer manager

Sue has been a MasterChef fan for years. When her workplace shut down, she was inspired to take the next step and become a contestant instead of a viewer.

(Image: Ten)

Sumeet Saigal

46, NSW, Sales manager

Sumeet’s grandfather is her food hero, as he loved to experiment in the kitchen. He bought Sumeet her first cookbook and encouraged her culinary adventures.