Haunting final footage of Jock Zonfrillo on the new season of MasterChef Australia emerges following his death – after Channel 10 mistakenly upload episode despite vowing to postpone it out of respect for his family
Footage of Jock Zonfrillo on the new, unreleased season of MasterChef Australia has emerged online, despite Channel 10 vowing not to screen the series in the wake of his sudden death.
The first 17 minutes of MasterChef Australia was available on 10 Play on Tuesday afternoon, with the lengthy video introducing the season’s new contestants and showing Jock welcoming the eager cooking contestants to the show.
The 46-year-old star chef was found dead in a Melbourne hotel room at 2am on Sunday, just hours before he was due to begin promotional duties for the show.
Shortly after Daily Mail Australia contacted Channel 10 regarding the availability of the preview, it was taken down from the 10 Play streaming site.
In the clip, the cheeky Scotsman – dressed in a dapper blue suit – recounts the journey of cook Brent Draper, who prematurely quit the 2021 season.
Brent left the show to take care of his mental health, a decision that Jock praised at the time, telling the struggling chef how ‘proud’ he was of him.
Draper has returned for the 2023 season, with Jock introducing him as the surprise final contestant.
The first 17 minutes of MasterChef Australia was available on 10 Play as of Tuesday afternoon, despite Channel Ten’s vowing to pull the show off air following the sudden death of judge Jock Zonfrillo. Pictured is a still from the episode showing Jock alongside fellow judges Melissa Leong and Andy Allen
‘This belongs to you, I believe you left it here,’ Jock told Brent, handing him an apron and laughing gleefully.
‘First thing for you, let’s get it out of the way, how are you feeling?’ Jock then asked him, with Brent replying that he was aiming to win.
The judges, including Melissa Leong and Andy Allen, next introduced the season’s special guest, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, with screams of joy and applause from the delighted contestants.
‘From a very early age, you’ve really dedicated your life to the producer, to the produce, but also championing home cooking, which is what MasterChef Australia is all about. What does home cooking mean to you now, 25 years on?’ Jock asked him.
Jamie explained that food was ‘really powerful’ and could take us back to our ‘nonnas cooking for us’ as children.
The lengthy video introduces the season’s new contestants and depicts Jock, looking healthy and chipper, welcoming the eager cooks to the show
Dressed in a dapper baby blue suit, the cheeky Scotsman recounted the journey of cook Brent Draper, who prematurely quit the 2021 season
‘Whether you do it at home or take it on as a career, it’s a beautiful thing,’ Jamie replied.
The contestants were then set a challenge to cook a dish that they normally whip up at home if they want to impress their guests.
The timing of the screening of the full opening episode, and the remainder of the series, will ultimately be decided by Zonfrillo’s wife Lauren Fried, Channel 10 sources say.
She and the couple’s four children are flying back to Australia from Italy early this week, where the family had been on holiday.
Jock had earlier flown back solo to do some promotion of the new series, but was found dead in his hotel room in Carlton, in Melbourne’s inner north, after police were requested to perform a welfare check.
Daily Mail Australia has reported the hotel was Zagame’s House on Lygon Street – the city’s famous Italian restaurant strip.
Shortly after Daily Mail Australia contacted Channel 10 regarding the availability of the preview, it was taken down from the 10 Play site
Filming for the 15th season of MasterChef had wrapped up several weeks ago and the show was set to launch on Monday night.
The series is now in limbo as network bosses and sponsors – including major stakeholder Coles – consider how to proceed in light of Zonfrillo’s death.
Ten has already announced the series will not air until at least Monday, May 8.
However, sources close to the production say the show – arguably Ten’s annual centrepiece with a production price tag of $30million – may be held longer than that or even shelved entirely.
It comes after news that the immediate future of MasterChef Australia will ultimately be decided by Zonfrillo’s wife, Channel 10 sources say. Pictured with his wife Lauren
‘It will really come down to Jock’s family and what they feel he would have wanted,’ the Ten insider told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Commercially, and in terms of timing, this is a disaster. It is simply diabolical.’
‘But not even a major TV network would be ghoulish enough to put anything other than the wishes of Jock’s family first and foremost.
‘Ultimately, it will be about whether or not they think he would have wanted the show to go on and if it’s too soon, it’s too soon. There will be a contingency plan whatever decision is made.’
A major possibility is Ten opts to hold this current season until 2024 and air an alternative in its place.
Filming for the 15th season of MasterChef had wrapped up several weeks ago and the show was set to launch on Monday night fresh off the success of Sunday’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here finale
A major possibility is Ten opts to hold this current season until 2024 and air an alternative in its place
However, network sources say there is little else that could compare to MasterChef, in terms of premium quality product, that would be available to screen.
‘MasterChef is Ten’s tentpole. In terms of costings, it’s the same as Married At First Sight for Nine or A Farmer Wants A Wife for Seven,’ the source said.
‘It is by far Ten’s biggest investment so there’s really nothing else that could run in its place.’
MasterChef is also unique in its reliance on corporate sponsorship, with a number of major brands investing heavily in the show.
Coles, for example, accounts for about $6million of the show’s production budget.
Harvey Norman, Somat, Bulla, L’Or Espresso, Primo Small Goods and HCF Australia are other big names who advertise heavily.
However, network sources say there is little else that could compare to MasterChef, in terms of premium quality product, that would be available to screen
‘The network is in an awful position. This is a devastatingly unique situation and navigating it must be unthinkable for everyone involved,’ says a source.
A tribute to Zonfrillo is also in understood to be in production, with plans to air it in the coming days, however a Ten spokesperson declined to elaborate.
Zonfrillo’s family issued an emotional statement soon after confirmation of his death, which was not being treated as suspicious by Melbourne police.
‘With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday,’ his family said in a statement.
‘So many words can describe him, so many stories can be told, but at this time we’re too overwhelmed to put them into words.
The British-born chef is survived by his third wife, Lauren Fried, and his four children: Ava and Sophia, from his first two marriages, and Alfie, five, and Isla, two, with Fried
‘For those who crossed his path, became his mate, or were lucky enough to be his family, keep this proud Scot in your hearts when you have your next whisky.’
They continued: ‘We implore you to please let us grieve privately as we find a way to navigate through this, and find space on the other side to celebrate our irreplaceable husband, father, brother, son and friend.’
Ten boss Beverley McGarvey said in a statement: ‘This is a terribly sad day for Jock’s family and friends, his Network 10 and Endemol Shine Australia colleagues and for MasterChef fans around Australia and the world.
‘Jock was an extraordinary man. He was a wonderful colleague and friend, and we feel very privileged to have had him play such an important and impactful role in MasterChef. Despite all his notable professional milestones, nothing brought him more joy or happiness than his family. Our thoughts are with them at this very difficult time.’
Peter Newman, chief executive of production company Endemol Shine Australia, said: ‘We are shocked and extremely saddened by the news of Jock’s passing. Jock was an incredible talent, not just as a renowned chef, but as someone who could bring joy into the homes of people in Australia and around the world in his role as judge on MasterChef Australia.’
A Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia they found Zonfrillo’s body at about 2am on Monday after they were called to a hotel on Lygon Street in Carlton for a welfare check
The Scottish-Australian chef and restaurateur became a host of the popular Channel 10 cooking show in 2019 alongside Andy Allen and Melissa Leong.
Zonfrillo, who started his career working under Michelin-starred chef Marco Pierre White in the UK, overcame an addiction to heroin during his teenage years in Glasgow before becoming one of Australia’s most celebrated chefs.
In 2018, the year before he joined MasterChef, he was named Australia’s Hottest Chef by The Australian newspaper.
He is survived by his third wife Lauren and his four children: Ava and Sophia, from his first two marriages, and Alfie, five, and Isla, two, with Fried.
The Scottish-Australian chef and restaurateur became a host of the popular Channel 10 cooking show in 2019 alongside Andy Allen and Melissa Leong
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