Shocking! Masterchef judge trio won't return for season 12 over monetary reasons

Masterchef Australia, a show which began with a few home-cooks and three not-so-renowned judges, had climbed up the charts and emerged as one of the most popular reality shows on the small screen. Not just in Australia, the show paved way for many editions across the world. Apart from the grilling cooking challenges, mouth-watering dishes, phenomenal contestants; the biggest highlight of the show always remained its three fabulous judges.

Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris have not only been the hit judges of the show but, have also turned many Australian home-cooks into professional ones. So it comes as a shock to know that Matt, Gary and George won't be a part of the next season of Masterchef Australia. And the reason could be monetary.

As per a report in The Hindu, CEO of Network 10, Paul Anderson, had released a statement saying that despite months of monetary negotiation they couldn't agree to the compensation and hence had to bid them good-bye. The statement says, "Despite months of negotiation, 10 has not been able to reach a commercial agreement that was satisfactory to Matt, Gary and George. Australia is full of remarkable cooking talent and we can't wait to introduce another group —and the next generation of exceptional judges —in season 12 of MasterChef Australia next year."

There were also the reports of Chef George having not paid his employees by nearly A$8 million ($5.62 million) over six years. In its 11 seasons, the show has given us some remarkable winners like – Sashi Cheliah, Diana Chan, Elena Duggan, Brent Owens, Emma Dean, Andy Allen and Billi McKay.