MasterChef Australia judges leave show amidst scandal

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Nadine Mather and Chloë Loubser

#NEWSWATCH: After 11 years of screening Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris will not return as judges in the next season of MasterChef Australia.

Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston, George Calombaris

“Despite months of negotiation, 10 has not been able to reach a commercial agreement that was satisfactory to Matt, Gary and George. Across 11 sensational seasons, 'MasterChef Australia' has established itself as one of the most popular and respected cooking television series around the world," Network 10 chief executive officer Paul Anderson

"Calombaris, Mehigan and Preston were reportedly on salaries “well over $1 million”, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. All three are believed to have left MasterChef after the network refused to up their salaries “by more than 40 per cent”, according to the newspaper." Reports www.news.com.au

This comes after the George Calombaris scandal broke last week, where it was revealed that he had underpaid his staff by AUD7.83-million (about R77-million).

Fans of the show have been lobbying for Calombaris to be removed from the judging panel of the hit show, however the broadcaster decided to not renew the contracts for all three judges.

There’s a petition to get #MasterTheft George Calombaris dropped from #MasterChefAU and I thoroughly endorse it. To punish all wage thieves, please share. #auspol https://t.co/vuaH7Vku6i
— Van Badham (@vanbadham) July 23, 2019

“Australia is full of remarkable cooking talent and we can’t wait to introduce another group — and the next generation of exceptional judges — in season 12 of MasterChef Australia next year.” Paul Anderson