Will Poh Ling Yeow become the fourth MasterChef judge? Rumours swirl the fan favourite could make a return amid the show’s dismal ratings decline
Her grand return to MasterChef last week proved to be a massive hit with viewers.
So it’s no surprise fans are literally begging for Poh Ling Yeow to make a permanent return as a fourth judge, alongside Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo.
As ratings for Channel 10’s once-unbeatable cooking show continue to decline, the 48-year-old’s brief appearance on the program has led to viewers demanding she come back on a regular basis.
Bring her back! Fans are literally begging for Poh Ling Yeow to make a permanent return as a fourth judge on the show, after she returned to mentor the 2021 contestants last week
‘Can Poh be a fourth judge for the rest of the season?’ one fan wrote, while another gushed: ‘Jokes aside, Poh needs to be a judge on this show, permanently.’
‘Poh needs to be in Australian TV every single day. What a legendary woman!’ another added.
‘Poh Ling Yeow is an Australian icon and legend! A true Australian food superstar! – please make her a judge next year! She is the best ever,’ a fourth wrote.
‘We could have ditched the week of superstars on a giant screen and just got Poh to pop in each night. Contestants are star struck!’ another chimed in.
Beloved: An influx of viewers to demand Poh come back on a regular basis, with one writing: ‘Poh needs to be a judge on this show, permanently’
Memorable: Poh was a runner-up on the first season of MasterChef Australia in 2009 and came sixth in its all-stars season MasterChef Australia: Back To Win last year
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel 10 for further comment.
Poh was a runner-up on the first season of MasterChef Australia in 2009 and came sixth on all-stars season MasterChef: Back to Win last year.
Indeed, MasterChef could certainly do with a boost after this year’s less-than-stellar ratings.
Season 13 launched to just 670,000 metro viewers on April 19, which was a considerable drop from the 1.23 million who watched the premiere of MasterChef: Back to Win on April 13, 2020.
All stars: She was joined by former contestants Reynold Poernomo and Callum Hann on the judging panel. All pictured
Last year, the cooking program had managed to reach more than a million viewers four nights in a row during its debut week – and even towards the end of the season in June it was still pulling in 900,000 viewers per episode in the five major cities.
But for some reason, this year’s season hasn’t been able to pull in similar numbers.
It’s perhaps because the latest series includes all-new contestants, while last year’s featured a cast of returning favourites – including much-loved chef Poh.
Current line-up: MasterChef Australia is currently judged by Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo (all pictured)