That’s a wrap on the 2025 season!

Laura Sharrad proved she was truly Back To Win for Season 17. (Image: Channel Ten)

As the curtain closes on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win following Laura Sharrad’s emotional victory, the series’ judges are reflecting on the last 16 weeks of delicious dishes and challenges that pushed some of Australia’s best cooks to the limit.

“I can’t believe it’s already the end of the season… it’s gone so quickly,” Jean-Christophe Novelli shared with Woman’s Day. “Being a part of MasterChef Australia: Back To Win has been an absolute joy.”

The French chef and restauranteur, who first joined the show’s judging panel alongside Poh Ling Yeow, Andy Allen and Sofia Levin in 2024, said the level of talent on display this season has been extraordinary, and believes all the contestants are culinary stars.
Jean-Christophe says it was “pure joy” working alongside fellow judges Poh, Sofia and Andy. (Credit: Instagram)
“One of my personal highlights was seeing how each of them poured their personal stories and culture into their dishes,” he said. “It was about more than just technique, it was about heart and that shone through.”

“As someone who is known for bringing French flair, passion and creativity to the kitchen, it was wonderful to see so many of them bringing their unique attributes to the fore, to create some mind-blowing and truly original dishes.”
Sofia suspects she and Poh share a telepathic connection. (Credit: Instagram)

TELEPATHIC TWINS

For Sofia Levin, judging Back To Win was a totally different beast.

“From day one we were served restaurant-quality dishes, so a lot of the time our job has been to separate the great from the good,” she told Woman’s Day. “A highlight was witnessing established cooks reinvent themselves.”

“Even though some contestants have restaurants, their cooking styles absolutely evolved.”

Like Jean-Christophe, Sofia also loved the challenges where the contestants had to transport the judges to different places through dishes and ingredients.

“There’s this magical sense of wanderlust and excitement that comes with sharing unfamiliar flavours, and you can taste that aliveness in the dishes,” she said.

“I also adored working alongside Poh once again. We have giggled, dissected our decisions and confided in each other more than ever this season. Sometimes it feels like we are telepathic!”
Laura is preparing to put pen to paper for a new book. (Credit: Channel Ten)

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM

After coming second twice on MasterChef Australia, Laura Sharrad has proved third time’s a charm and has been crowned the winner of Season 17.

“I’m thrilled and completely overwhelmed with joy and pride to finally win the title of MasterChef Australia. It’s a very surreal feeling,” she told Woman’s Day.

During the neck-and-neck two-round battle between Laura, 30, and her fellow South Australian chef, Callum Hann, 35, both cooks received 30 out of 40 in the first round, where they were required to create a series of classic flavour pairings.

In the second round pressure test, Laura edged past Callum with a near-identical recreation of Miko Aspiras’ bouquet of petit fours called Botanical Garden, which cemented her victory.

“It was so special to have my husband Max and my parents there for the verdict, and my daughter Florence there for the cook,” Laura revealed. “Our families are with us through the whole journey so to be able to have them in the room and share such a big moment together was extra special.”

Looking back on the competition, Laura says a highlight for her was getting out of the MasterChef kitchen to cook in Doha.

“I feel like I really got to tick off the quintessential MasterChef experiences this season, so that was fun,” said Laura.

“Plus, being able to do it all with such an amazing bunch of people. We had so much fun, especially in the final few weeks with Ben, Jamie, Callum and Depinder.”

With the $250,000 grand prize and the MasterChef trophy secured, Laura will be channelling her energy into some exciting new projects in the future.

“I want to focus my time on writing a book and finding the right publisher to help me share my message and my love of food and handing down recipes to future generations,” Laura shared.

“That’s probably my biggest project for the moment.”

Previously, Laura came very close to taking the MasterChef crown by placing second in seasons six and 12.
Callum says he’s “proud and excited” to have reached the grand finale. (Credit: Instagram)

FULL CIRCLE MOMENT

Like Laura, Callum has previously come very close to winning the competition as the runner up of Season 2 in 2010, and fourth in season 12 that aired in 2020.

He also says facing Laura in a showdown was a full-circle moment for them both, and an homage to the talented cooks MasterChef has helped develop over the years.

“I think on the very first day of the competition we said to each other, how cool would it be if it was you and me right at the end?” he said, noting the Back To Win grand finale is likely the last time he and Laura will compete in the MasterChef kitchen.

“There’s an element of sadness to it just because it’s been a really big part of my life. I really enjoyed how much the competition has got the best out of me, how much it has pushed me and there’s that little sense of knowing that I might not cook there again.”

“At the same time, I’m really proud and excited to have gotten all the way to the end of the competition where there have been so many other good cooks I competed against.”

Now MasterChef is done for another year, Callum reveals he’ll be returning to Adelaide to run his two restaurants and cooking school, while also helping his wife Crystal raise their three kids Elle, 5, Henry, 2, and two-month-old Fleur.