Channel 10 has given a sneak peek of Meghan Markle’s appearance on MasterChef this Sunday, with a clip showing the Duchess of Sussex admitting that “I don’t like to cook that way”.
It was revealed in April that the duchess would be joining the show as a celebrity guest judge on its 18th season, with her appearance kept a secret until she arrived at the Melbourne studio during her Australian tour with husband Prince Harry.
In the new teaser released ahead of the episode airing this Sunday, the beginning of finals week, Meghan declared that she loved her time on MasterChef.
“I love watching all the guys hug and connect and just be proud of each other because they’ve all worked really hard,” she enthused.
The ingredients she selected for the final four contestants to cook with included lemons, macadamia nuts, honey and brussels sprouts – “my kids eat brussels sprouts”, she proclaimed.
Ten entertainment editor Angela Bishop noted that Meghan was excited to see edible flowers in the MasterChef pantry, given that they are a signature ingredient on her Netflix lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, which has been nominated for an Emmy but not renewed by the streamer for a third season.
But the duchess, who describes food and cooking as her “love language”, noted that there was a lot of pressure in TV kitchen.
“I don’t like to cook that way,” she said.
“I like to cook in really relaxed fashion, so all I could say to the competitors was just remember to have fun, to keep a sense of humour about it and to cook from the heart.”
There was backlash from some fans when her MasterChef appearance was announced several months ago, with a number of social media users criticising the decision to invite her as a celebrity judge alongside other guests such as wildlife warrior Robert Irwin and musician Jimmy Barnes, who appeared earlier in the season.
However, regular judge Poh Ling Yeow said at the time that the contestants themselves were thrilled to see Meghan enter the set.
“They were in total shock; everyone’s jaws were on the ground … it was very joyous for us to watch.”
Yeow’s comments were echoed this week by final-four contestant Petro Papathomas, who told TV Week that Meghan was “really genuine”.
“There’s been so much written about her, you kind of don’t know what to believe, but I loved her,” he said.
“She was so kind and talks really intelligently about food as well.”
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