With the MasterChef finale just a few episodes away, Laura Sharrad’s supporters are speaking up.

MasterChef viewers are fed up with the negativity towards Laura. Credit: Channel Ten

MasterChef viewers are fed up with the negativity towards Laura. Credit: Channel Ten

With the grand finale of MasterChef Australia just around the corner, fans are anxious to find out who will walk away with the coveted trophy and $250,000 prize. Jamie Fleming, Laura Sharrad, and Callum Hann have made it to the final week of the competition, with viewers placing bets on who they think will win.

Meanwhile, betting agency Sportsbet has listed three-time competitor Laura Sharrad in the top spot, with her odds sitting at 1.15. The talented chef has famously placed runner-up in two previous seasons and returned to the competition this year, determined to finally win.

Despite Laura’s obvious skills and dedication to the competition, the 29-year-old has copped endless criticism throughout the 2025 season, with viewers accusing her of “only making pasta”, using too many ants in her dishes, and being judge Andy Allen’s “pet”, thanks to their mutual connection to late judge Jock Zonfrillo.

However, with the season now almost at an end, fans of Laura are hitting back at the negativity and urging others to lay off.

Laura's supporters are speaking up in her defence. Credit: Channel Ten

Laura’s supporters are speaking up in her defence. Credit: Channel Ten

“I’m so disappointed at Australians doing the tall poppy judgment on Laura,” one fan wrote on Facebook. “Maybe she is just brilliant. Her food looks amazing. I’m team Callum, but geez, Laura can cook.”

They added, “She has been humble and supportive of every other contestant. Stop beating up on someone so good. She is not being favoured. She is just a really fab cook. Depinder IS amazing, but her cake was dry. Every cook is important”

“Very well written,” someone replied. “Laura showed in her first season, when she was only 18yo at the start and 19yo by the final, that she is gifted. Both her initial and current restaurants are high-quality and esteemed, and she deserves her place in the MasterChef top 3.”

“Well said! Laura is an amazing cook, she is supportive of her fellow cooks, I hate seeing all the awful comments, she is a young mum who is just doing her best! And the show is called Back to Win! They all want to win! Go, Laura, Callum and Jamie. You’re all amazing cooks,” another viewer wrote.

“I’m a big fan of the program, but the hate on this channel, esp towards Laura, whose food I can safely say, no one has actually tasted, is baffling,” yet another added. “There seems to be a lot of projection going on, and I find it very tedious. It’s a program, it’s mostly scripted, stop having personal grievances about contestants, it’s juvenile.”

“I’ve watched every episode, and Laura seems sweet to me,” someone else said. “I honestly don’t see what people are hating on. I’ve read the nasty comments, and I still don’t see it. She seems lovely.”

Others agreed that the editing throughout the season, which heavily featured Laura, had not done the young restaurateur any favours.

“I agree,” someone wrote. “People confuse confidence with being cocky. I do think the producers have done Laura a disservice by featuring her so heavily the whole season. What I find really sad is that Laura’s harshest critics are women.”

“I think the problem is how what we actually see on TV is what the producers/editors want us to see,” another added. “It is all about what attracts viewers to particular shows, hence ratings, and I honestly think that if we, the viewers, could actually be present for the whole day, we may well have different thoughts to what we have after about 60-90 minutes of actual viewing time. Isn’t it amazing how for the past two episodes (Monday/Tuesday), Jamie has shone through – is he the favourite now?”

Only one person can walk away with the trophy and $250,000 prize money. Credit: Channel Ten

Only one person can walk away with the trophy and $250,000 prize money. Credit: Channel Ten

Despite all of the support and positive sentiments, there were still people who refused to believe that favouritism was not at play in the competition, citing the fact that Laura hosts a cooking show, My Market Kitchen, on Channel 10.

“I disagree,” one viewer said. “Favouritism is so obvious it stands out like a sore thumb. She really shouldn’t be on the show. She is an employee of Channel 10; she is friends with Andy and Poh, who aren’t even judges anyway.”

“Laura is employed by Channel 10, so it’s not a fair playing field, and it stands out like dog’s balls,” another person eloquently said.

“Sorry, but she is being favoured by Andy. She has been since the beginning,” another chimed in. “Nothing you say will convince me otherwise. The only thing that will convince me is if she doesn’t win, and we all know that isn’t going to happen.”

 

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MasterChef Australia will crown its 2025 champion on Tuesday, 12 August, with a special two-hour episode kicking off at 7:30pm.

Finale week will officially begin at 7pm on Sunday, 10 August, with the semi-finalists going head-to-head with judges Andy Allen, Poh Ling Yeow, and Jean-Christophe Novelli in a surprising twist. One person will then be eliminated in Monday night’s episode, with the top two contestants advancing to the grand finale.