Ben Ungermann was cut from Masterchef, then wiped from the show’s intro as if he never existed – and now he’s vanished from something closer to home.
Virtually all references to the cooking show contestant, 34, have been deleted from the website of the family’s Brisbane dessert parlour, the Ungermann Brothers.
Any trace of the reality TV show contestant has been removed since he was revealed to have been charged with the alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl.
Deleted: All traces of Ben Ungermann have been wiped from the website of the ice cream business he runs with his brother, Danny (together), and mother, Emerence
The Masterchef: Born to Win contestant raised eyebrows with his sudden disappearance from the show in recent weeks. Daily Mail Australia revealed Ungermann had been charged with two counts of allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl, 16. He denies the charges
Gone is a lengthy ‘about us’ section which hailed Ben Ungermann as ‘the Ice Cream King’ and once spoke of he and brother Danny’s ‘journey … making an ice cream experience like no other.’
Every photograph of the well-known chef has been deleted.
A prominent picture of Ungermann posing with his business director sibling has instead been replaced with an artistic image of a dollop of of ice cream.
A biography which once described Ungermann as the company’s founder has likewise been erased.
At the same time, profiles of his business partner brother and store manager mother remain online.
Ben’s bio had described him as the ‘founder’ of the business and detailed his achievements as the 2017 Masterchef runner-up, but it is now absent.
The deletions could have occurred at Ungermann’s suggestion, but neither he or representatives for the business responded to a request for comment.
BEFORE: A picture of Ben and his brother, Danny – ‘the Ungermann Brothers’ – was front and centre on the company’s homepage
AFTER: Ben’s image was replaced with an artistic photo of a dollop of ice cream and a slice of pie
BEFORE: Former MasterChef contestant Ben Ungermann was listed as the founder of the Ungermann Bros’ ice cream parlour last week
AFTER: As of Monday morning his profile had been erased from the business’s website. His mother, the store manager; and brother, Danny, remain
The profile had said Ungermann developed his love of ice cream while studying about desserts as a contestant on the hit Network Ten show.
‘When I arrived back home I spoke with my brother Danny and asked if he would start this venture with me.
‘Its amazing to see how far we have come and can’t wait to release all the other plans and idea’s I have in the near future (sic)’.
The brothers’ business was launched to much fanfare two years’ ago and is a well-regarded local landmark known for its ‘artisan’ ice cream and 50s-style interior.
Ungermann had only recently begun a new role as a chef and cooking class host at an estate in Brisbane’s south before details of his charges were revealed by Daily Mail Australia last week.
Both Ungermann and those close to him – including his long-time flame, a South African media personality – have kept mum about his arrest.
Also deleted: One of several prominent pictures on the dessert parlour’s website to vanish this past week
The Daily Mail revealed Ungermann made an urgent call out to his girlfriend Leigh-Anne Williams less than a week after being charged
Ungermann was charged by Victorian sexual crime squad detectives on March 6 with two counts of sexual assault.
The charges followed an alleged incident in Docklands, Melbourne on February 26.
The Queenslander was in the southern city shooting MasterChef: Back to Win at the time.
He appeared to post what seemed to be a call for help to his South African media personality girlfriend, Leigh-Anne Williams, days later.
‘Honey, Leigh please call me asap at ques New Quay room 1705B,’ he wrote sometime in early March.
The post and its responses have since been removed and Ms Williams’ account set to private.
Fans first noticed Ungermann had disappeared from MasterChef: Back to Win when he didn’t appear on an episode with U.S. singer Katy Perry more than a week ago.
In a follow-up episode, judge Jock Zonfrillo made the shocking – and opaque – announcement that Ungermann had had left the competition for a ‘personal matter’ and would not be returning.
Ungermann then vanished from the show, and more recently, from the popular program’s opening credits.
Ungermann’s Sydney-based defence solicitor, Adam Houda, last week said his client was ‘distressed by the charges, which came as a huge shock to him.
‘The allegations, I am instructed, are a complete fabrication and are denied.’
Ungermann faces Melbourne Magistrates Court on June 25.