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“Far out… I did it”: MasterChef winner crowned!

<p dir="ltr">Brent Draper has been announced as <em>MasterChef Australia’s</em> winner!</p> <p dir="ltr">Brent was a returning contestant who had previously withdrawn from the 2021 season of <em>MasterChef</em>, after revealing that he was <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/food-wine/it-ain-t-weak-to-speak-masterchef-s-brent-draper-opens-up-about-his-anxiety" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggling with his mental health</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">For the first round the pair had to make “a dish that tells a story,” a challenge that was set by judge Melissa Leong.</p> <p dir="ltr">Both contestants presented a dish with a pork base, with Brent opting for a pork chop with tamarind ketchup glaze, roast cabbage and salsa, which the judges deemed “perfectly executed”.</p> <p dir="ltr">He scored a near perfect 29 out of 30.</p> <p dir="ltr">Rhiannon went next whipping up a crispy pork belly dish with citrus caramel, fennel and orange salad and crispy shallots.</p> <p dir="ltr">Although judge Andy Allen called it “the best-looking plate” she’d presented all season, she also received some criticism mainly that she was a bit stingy with the sauce.</p> <p dir="ltr">She scored 25 out of 30.</p> <p dir="ltr">The second and final round was more intense as the pair had to recreate a pocket watch dessert made up of layers of coffee, cream and cake.</p> <p dir="ltr">Both contestants struggled with making the clear “glass” sugar dome that sits on top of the cake. While Rhiannon nailed it after two attempts, Brent couldn’t quite do the same after running out of time, so he had to present a final dish he thought he’d “stuffed up.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Although his dish was less than perfect, Brent did a “very good job” at recreating the textures and flavours of the cake, which impressed pastry chef Amaury Guichon.</p> <p dir="ltr">Rhiannon’s dish failed to impress the judges with Amaury saying that the “textures are all over the place,” which Mel Leong agreed was an issue as it meant “we lose the joy of the dish.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In the end Brent scored 34 points in round two and Rhiannon scored 27.</p> <p dir="ltr">Brent redeemed himself after withdrawing from season 13 of the show, with a final score of 63.</p> <p dir="ltr">Rhiannon did her best and had a final score of 52 points.</p> <p dir="ltr">The finale of this year’s <em>MasterChef </em>ended with an extended tribute to Jock Zonfrillo, which showed a highlight reel from his time as a judge and the message: “Give it up for Jock Zonfrillo.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The season 15 <em>MasterChef </em>winner took to his Instagram to share his joy and tribute to Zonfrillo.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Far out… I did it,” he captioned the post.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is a big win but it isn’t just for me. Honestly it’s for every single person who backed me, who reached out and shared their hard stuff and stories with me, it’s for all those who never gave up.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuwdb0pxGvi/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuwdb0pxGvi/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Brent Draper (@brentdraper_)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“This win is for us and I couldn’t be happier than I am right now in this moment!!”</p> <p dir="ltr">He thanked the MasterChef judges before adding his tribute to Jock.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And to the man who’s been the most influential for me on my food and mental health journey, Jock. I’m gutted you’re not here mate and that we won’t get to have a scotch and celebrate this together - but just know that this win is for you.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thank you for the legacy you’ve left behind, for the memories and laughs and just know that you’ll never ever be forgotten in our home ❤️”</p> <p><em>Image: Ten</em></p>

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"It ain't weak to speak": MasterChef's Brent Draper opens up about his anxiety

<p>In what has been labelled as "the most pivotal moment in MasterChef history", the heart-wrenching scene where tradie Brent Draper raised his hand and confessed to struggling with his mental health to breaking point has resonated with hundreds of Aussies.</p> <p>Draper's decision to leave the competition and "rest his mind", as judge Jock Zonfrillo put it as he handed over a set of worry beads, was a first for the show, and a watershed moment for mainstream TV.</p> <p>Speaking to<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="http://news.com.au/" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>, the 31-year-old said it was just the first step in a tough journey he's beyond proud to have embarked on, as he described the darkness he felt when he arrived home.</p> <p>“To be honest I was probably at the worst then,” he said of reuniting with his wife Shon and toddler Alfie.</p> <p>“Because my symptoms were physical, I legitimately thought that I had a liver disease or something. My brain had tricked me into thinking that I was dying,” he said.</p> <p>A conversation with a trusted longtime GP helped him understand anxiety was at the root of his symptoms, a moment which saw "the weight lift" as the realisation that he wasn't drying, and could seek help for his problems, sunk in.</p> <p>Since last night's emotional MasterChef episode and Draper's Instagram video follow-up, the response from fans have been overwhelming with praise for his courage.</p> <p>The humble dad says knowing he's managed to help some people has been heartwarming.</p> <p>“The amount of young males reaching out to me saying this has helped them so much,” he said.</p> <p>“I’ve had a lot of wives reach out saying they’d never seen their husband cry before so just to witness that was such a big thing for them. Others said they just cried together during the episode. I’ve had 58-year-old plumbers reaching out saying, ‘I was a mess.’</p> <p>“A lady reached out saying she watched it with her family. All the kids were crying and asking questions and talking about life and mental health. These are kids from ages 10 to 18.</p> <p>“Even my brother, he’s 17 and that’s a tough age … he messaged me saying that he’s proud of me and that’s something I never thought I’d hear come out of his mouth.</p> <p>“I think it’s helped a lot of people,” he said.</p> <p>As for his two-year-old son, Alfie, he hopes to show him the episode one day to teach him the importance of mental health awareness.</p> <p>“This is my responsibility now,” he said.</p> <p>“After going through this I need to make sure Alfie knows we are all emotional human beings, that’s what we run off – emotions.</p> <p>“I want to tell him, if you find that you wake up in the morning and just feel sad – it’s OK. He’s going to see this episode one day and see me break down on it, and I think it’s going to be something that’s really powerful.”</p> <p>As for what he’d pass on to those facing similar struggles of their own, his message is simple: “It ain’t weak to speak.”</p> <p>“There’s nothing weak about going and getting help from a professional,” Draper stressed.</p> <p>“There’s nothing weak about going to your mates and saying, ‘I’m having a really tough time at the moment’, or your wife or your girlfriend or your boyfriend. I just did on national TV.</p> <p>“Nothing bad can come out of it. I’ve gone and dealt with and learnt so much; it’s been nothing but positive since I opened up.</p> <p>“I like that line: If you’re not speaking it you’re storing it and storing it gets heavy. Especially for us males, we need to not just go to the pub and talk about the footy score, but talk about how your week was and what you’re feeling … and then the footy score after that,” he joked.</p>

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