We’ve already said goodbye to some of our favourites!

MasterChef Australia is back with a new season in 2025: Back to Win. As the name suggests, the show is bringing back fan-favourites and giving them another shot at the MasterChef title!

Andy Allen, Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli are ready to judge the dishes, and the competition is sure to be fierce. However, even with all the talent amongst the cooks, there can only be one winner.

Here’s who has left the competition thus far in MasterChef Australia 2025: Back to Win:

Who has left MasterChef Australia 2025?  

Matt Hopcraft, 53

Previous season: Season 7, placed 6th

Matt was the fifth person to leave MasterChef Australia: Back to Win. The former dentist failed to bring some “tableside theatrics” as required in the episode 12 elimination round.

After his last time on the show, Matt went on to host some pop-up dining events. He also continued working on his cooking skills alongside his dentistry work.

A former CEO of the Australian Dental Association (Victoria), Matt is an Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne’s Dental School. He also served in the Royal Australian Army Dental Corps for seven years before working as a dentist. He has a PhD and a Master’s degree in community dentistry.

Passionate about oral health, he co-founded SugarFree Smiles to advocate for reduced sugar consumption. Matt also focuses on mental health in dentistry and has published a cookbook, Food to Feed the Family, combining his love of food and family wellbeing.

“I loved it even more the second time around,” says Matt on his departure. “It’s liberating coming back.”

“I’m sad to be going home, but it’s been an amazing experience… As a dentist, I’m going to be leaving with a smile!”

Read the full episode recap here.

Steph de Sousa, 52

Previous season: Season 11, placed 12th

Unfortunately, Steph’s second time around in the MasterChef kitchen ended in episode 8. She ended up in an elimination cook after her team lost the notorious “One Inch Cube Taste Test”. Jamie was their team taster, and he missed strawberries!

Steph opted to cook a pork belly with belachan (a punchy fermented prawn paste) caramel sauce and coleslaw with celeriac, fennel and green apple.

However, her dish didn’t quite hit the mark. While Jean-Christophe praised the sauce’s texture, Andy noted that the belachan overpowered the caramel. More critically, Steph had chosen a particularly fatty cut of pork belly — something Jean-Christophe couldn’t overlook.

Back in episode 4, Steph shared that three years ago, she quit her job as a chef to care for her sister, who was dying. This was why she started creating content online. Now, she has an online empire which she credits to her sister, her now “Guardian Angel”, for all of its successes.

Since her first appearance on the show, Steph’s life has completely transformed. Steph left her human resources job and dove head-first into the food world. She launched her website, Easy Recipe Gang, and began producing colourful, accessible cooking content for her ever-growing online community. Steph also worked as a chef in a Modern Australian restaurant and ran her own catering company before focusing full-time on content creation.

Her bestselling debut cookbook, Air Fryer Queen, was followed in 2025 by Easy Dinner Queen, and she now hosts her TV show, Frugal Foodie, bringing her joyful, practical recipes to life on screen.

Read more about her here.

The third person to leave the MasterChef kitchen is Sav Perera Credit: Channel 10

Sav Perera, 31

Previous season: Season 16, placed 3rd

Sav unfortunately fell victim to another pressure test, this time set by Kirsten Tibballs, the chocolate queen. It spelled the end of her time on MasterChef: Back to Win.

This season, Sav returned not to prove anything to anyone else, but for herself. With more confidence, technical finesse and a desire to experiment, she embraced her second chance with heart and grit.

While the pressure test dish didn’t land (read the full recap here), Sav’s passion for food — and her refusal to give up — has cemented her as a fan favourite. One thing’s clear: this may be the end of her MasterChef run, but it’s far from the end of Sav’s food story.

In a post to her Instagram page following her elimination, Sav wrote:

“Today I conducted myself & walked away in a way that would make my parents and my loved ones proud. My mum was not a quitter, neither am I, and I am so very proud of myself. I spent a lot of time last year afraid of taking pride in my successes — and maybe this is who I’ve become after MasterChef: a person unafraid to be proud of herself. A person who firmly knows her life’s work is in food.

I walk away as a version of Sav that’s shown up authentically and unapologetically, that has honoured her mother & her culture again & again, a version of Sav that has made new friends and isn’t so burdened by grief.”

The second person to leave the MasterChef kitchen is Cath Collins Credit: Channel 10

Cath Collins, 54

Previous season: Season 15, 5th place

Everyone’s favourite fluent speaker of “Strayan” has left the MasterChef kitchen. Read our interview about her experience on the show here.

In the first elimination episode of the season, Cath unfortunately burned the important element of her dish. Resulting in the judges bidding her farewell.

The elimination challenge was to cook a dish that represents who they are now. Cath decided to demonstrate how much she has grown and so tackled a Japanese dish “with a Cath twist”. She used the hibachi grill to cook her delicate mushrooms, wanting to achieve some charring. However, unfortunately, many pieces were burned, and that burnt flavour overpowered the entire dish.

After the episode aired, Cath took to Instagram to share an emotive statement:

“Devastated that I have gone out on a dish that I love…cooking at home is so much easier with a glass of wine in my hand. Proud that I was brave and went back to MasterChef knowing how hard it was going to be. Grateful for meeting the MasterChef legends that I now call family…good luck everyone, I can’t wait to see what you do. I’m even more grateful for my beautiful family and friends. Thank you, darling Brad, Alex, Abby & Ted.”

She reminded her followers to cook with joy and “Remember to give yourself a hug.”

Read our full episode recap here.

Pete Campbell, 40

Previous Season: 13 | Place: 2nd

Pete lost out on winning season 13 of MasterChef Australia by a measly one point. However, it wasn’t the end of his cooking career. The former tattoo artist dove headfirst into the industry and has since worked at some top spots around Sydney, including Peter Gilmore’s Quay restaurant and top Surry Hills eatery, Poly.

Backed by his wife Alana and daughters Scout, 12, and Lux, 9, Pete returned to the MasterChef kitchen for his second chance at the title. Alas, it was not to be.

In episode 3 of the season, judge Andy Allen announced that Pete was leaving for “personal reasons”. Pete had shared on his social media accounts back in January that he was undergoing cancer treatment, so we assumed it was related to that.

Pete confirmed this with a post on Instagram following that episode. In the caption he wrote: “Didn’t even get to cook for the judges! but you know what they say… “if you have cancer you should go get chemo” A massive thank you to everyone messaging and checking in, you’re all so nice X”
MasterChef: Back to Win recap: Pete has decided to leave the competition for “personal reasons”
Furthermore, Pete did an exclusive interview with Woman’s Day where he shared what was happening behind the scenes:

“The diagnosis was a complete shock”, he said in the interview. “I asked (kinda begged) the doctor if I could start treatment after the competition.

“She told me I’d possibly die and that’s when the severity of the situation really hit me and replaced the disappointment. From there I just wanted to start treatment as soon as possible and get better for my family.”

So Pete is focusing on his health and his family. But if the opportunity arises, he will definitely be back in the kitchen.

“This time around ended for me before it even began so I certainly feel like I have unfinished business in the MasterChef kitchen. If I’m lucky enough to get the opportunity again, I’ll take it.”