Country of origin Australia Original network Network Ten | No. of episodes 72 | |
Original release 27 April (2009-04-27) – 19 July 2009 (2009-07-19) | ||
The first series of the Australian reality television series MasterChef Australia began on 27 April 2009 and aired on Network Ten, concluding on 19 July 2009 when Julie Goodwin was crowned the winner. The series was hosted by Sarah Wilson.
Contents
Judges
Special guests
Many of the guest chefs returned for the announcement of the winner, while Moran also presented a dish for the Pressure Test during the finale.
Episodes and Ratings
Allegations of vote rigging
Large numbers of viewers have raised allegations that the voting on the series one finale of MasterChef was fraudulent after Julie Goodwin won the crown. After the show talkback radio had been inundated with calls, both for and against the verdict, and the finale also became a top trending topic on social networking site Twitter, where many users said they felt “deflated” and “ripped off” by the final episode of the hit show. Similar allegations were raised when contestants were eliminated throughout the series. Judge Matt Preston has denied that eliminations were rigged or the result of a popularity contest, and asserted that Julie had won the title because she was the better cook on the night. Goodwin herself has also asserted that her victory was not the result of rigging, insisting that the professional integrity of the three judges would be damaged if it was.