Angry fans have become embroiled in a heated debate over whether the MasterChef eliminations were ‘predetermined’ after Amina Elshafei was booted off the show on Tuesday night.
Several viewers suggested on the MasterChef Australia 2020 Facebook page that popular contestants such as Reynold Poernomo, Poh Ling Yeow and Hayden Quinn were deliberately kept in the competition longer.
The debate began when one fan asked if anyone thought the eliminations were based on ‘popularity’ and ‘fame.’
Is MasterChef rigged? Angry fans have become embroiled in a heated debate over whether the MasterChef eliminations were ‘predetermined’ after Amina Elshafei was booted off the show on Tuesday night
‘Hi everyone, I’m new here, but been a fan of MasterChef since season one,’ they started their post.
‘Does anyone else feel like the order of contestants going home has already been decided prior to the season even starting based on popularity and fame of the contestants?’
The post received a mixed response, with one fan agreeing that the show is ‘manipulated’ this season.
Fiery: The debate began when one fan asked if anyone thought the eliminations were based on ‘popularity’ and ‘fame’
What do YOU think? The post received a mixed response, with one fan agreeing that the show is ‘manipulated’ this season (pictured is contestant Poh Ling Yeow)
‘Normally no… but this season I think they definitely manipulated due to popularity of course!’ they said.
The fan who pitched the question to the group then added that they ‘can’t imagine someone like Reynold [Poernomo] agreeing to come back without some guarantee that he wouldn’t be out before a certain point.’
But other fans disagreed.
‘It’s a cooking show, no who’s the most popular,’ one viewer remarked.
Chiming in: But other fans disagreed. ‘It’s a cooking show, no who’s the most popular,’ one viewer remarked
Another added: ‘No, some contestants might be getting more exposure than others because of their drama and also because the producers know who reached the top eight and who has already won so they edit the show accordingly.’
Meanwhile, one fan insisted: ‘Unless you’re blind in most cases you can see why they are sent home.
‘Judges are not going to deliberately send home a contestant who is not as popular as others!!! Nobody phones in and votes for them.’
Devoted viewers were left devastated on Tuesday when beloved contestant Amina Elshafei was booted off the show.
Gone: Fans were left devastated on Tuesday when beloved contestant Amina Elshafei was booted off the show
Judge Melissa Leong choked back tears as she bid farewell to Amina, calling it a ‘sad day’ for the kitchen.
Amina accepted her elimination with dignity, saying it had been a pleasure to be back on the series for a second time.
‘Being back in a competition, I’ve learnt about these new strengths of my cooking abilities that I just didn’t think I had in me,’ she said.
Emotional: Judge Melissa Leong (pictured) choked back tears while saying goodbye to Amina, calling it a ‘real sad day’ for the kitchen
‘Sadly, it’s time to say goodbye. I’ve created, and I know this, like I’ve made lifelong friends out of some of these contestants,’ she finished.
Amina came unstuck while competing in Twist Week.
During Tuesday night’s episode, the contestants were tasked with recreating a dessert by British pastry chef Darren Purchese. Halfway through the task, they had the recipe sheets taken off them.
When all was said and done, the beloved chef ended up in the bottom alongside co-stars Poh Ling Yeow and Hayden Quinn, who also struggled with the cruel twist.
Despite the pressure test ending her time on the show, Twitter was quick to come to Amina’s defence after the episode aired – calling out the stupidity of the ‘twist’.
‘It’s almost as if MasterChef shouldn’t have had a ridiculous twist that completely incapacitated some of the contestants. Sad to see Amina go,’ one fan wrote.
Another raged: ‘The twist was unrealistic and totally unfair. What the heck! Sad to see Amina go.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted representatives of Channel 10 for comment in relation to this article.
What a twist! The contestants were tasked to recreate a dessert by British pastry chef Darren Purchese. Halfway through the task, they had the recipe sheets taken off them (Hayden Quinn is pictured with Amina and Poh)