MasterChef fans criticize the judge’s controversial edit: “I feel a little sad”

Chef Viewers have expressed disappointment with the way judge Jean-Christophe Novelli has been mounted throughout the season. The French chef and restaurateur joined the reality show this year alongside Poh Ling Yeow and Sofia Levin, as well as returning judge Andy Allen.

While fans have loved the new lineup of judges, calling them a “breath of fresh air,” many have noted that Jean-Christophe has been given the least amount of screen time. One person took to Reddit this week to admit that they were “a little sad” for the chef since his co-stars seemed to be paying so little attention to him.

“I personally love him, but I feel like the contestants and judges don’t pay much attention to him,” they wrote. “They don’t really include him in the contestants’ discussions, they don’t even look in his direction when he talks, they giggle when he talks out loud, they laugh embarrassingly when he praises or slams his fist on the table.”

“Poh gets all the attention and is part of everything. Even when he praises the participants, they do not take him seriously. He tries to be sweet and as helpful as possible, but no one cares. Is it just me?”

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Many fans responded that Jean-Christophe is their favorite juror and that his role in the editing is “underrated.”

“Less of Andy saying, ‘This is the bomb,’ and ‘This is just full of flavor,’ and more of JC!” He is such an encouraging, honest and funny person,” one person wrote, while another added: “I love watching him. He is extremely helpful and you can see he is a mentor.”

“I understand how you feel, but I don’t think it’s the judges/contestants who are ignoring him,” said another. “For some reason, the producers/editors are minimizing JC’s screen time, i.e. editing Sue (Bazely). So they’re showing less of JC’s interactions with everyone. Hell, they even cut out Sumeet (Saigala) hugging him goodbye.”

Fans went crazy about Jean-Christophe

Meanwhile, a fan’s post on a popular Facebook group this week, calling Jean-Christophe “incredibly stunning”, has drawn hundreds of comments from people expressing the same opinion.

“I absolutely love how he has embraced our Australian culture. Showing little bits of his personality and his friendly support is wonderful,” another user replied.

“This is a great addition,” wrote another, while a third said: “Takes the show to a whole new level!”

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Who are the MasterChef 2025 judges?

Earlier this month, Channel 10 released a statement confirming that this year’s judges will return to the competition for season 17 next year.

“Judges Andy Allen, Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli will return to MasterChef Australia “In 2025, we’ll be back in the kitchen to serve up another season of Australia’s delicious cooking show,” they said.

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