'I'M THRILLED &TERRIFIED'

THE BELOVED TV STAR IS SET TO STIR THINGS UP AS SHE RETURNS TO THE PLACE THAT MADE HER FAMOUS

- Kylie Walters

There is a frisson of nervous excitement in the air on the morning that WHO joins Poh Ling Yeow in the kitchen on the Melbourne set for the 2024 season of MasterChef. The seasoned cook puts the lucky chosen few through their paces as she takes charge while filming a mystery box challenge.

As she flits from one workbench to another, dipping a spoon into a range of delectable dishes to taste, and chatting with the competitors as the clock counts down, Yeow appears as cool as a cucumber. But, she confesses, appearances can be deceiving.

"It's such a whirlwind of emotions," Yeow tells WHO of her newly elevated role as a permanent judge on the series. "I feel incredibly grateful and thrilled to be trusted with this role but I'm also terrified."

Her return is "a full circle moment" for the beloved TV personality who first endeared herself to audiences during the inaugural season of the hit reality cooking show back in 2009.

"As a competitor in Season 1, reality TV was still not a big thing, so it was unnerving to walk into such unknown territory - but you could be chaotic," she explains. "As a judge top-of-room, I have to be composed and not too much of a goofball. And there's a great deal of responsibility involved to make the right decisions on elimination days."

The new batch of 22 contestants, who are all hungry to succeed, could have no better role model to look up to than Yeow. Since her initial foray into the kitchen, she has penned several cookbooks, opened a gourmet pastry stall at the Adelaide food markets and fronted multiple food and travel TV shows. She has also been invited back to MasterChef several times as a guest judge and mentor. After so many achievements, it's easy to forget she didn't win, placing second behind Julie Goodwin.