MasterChef Australia 2023 winner Brent Draper has a lot to be thankful for after his $250k victory over Rhiannon Anderson during the Sunday, July 16 Grand Finale.
After a two-round challenge — including an epic recreation of Dessert Masters’ chef and judge Amaury Guichon’s Pocket Watch — saw the home cook take the victory with a combined score of 63/70, the win was “a very special moment”.
Given the series filmed two alternate endings, Draper was given the opportunity to find out he had won from the comfort of his own home, with some very special guests supporting him.
“I had a few mates from Season 13 and a few mates from Season 15 [watching with me] and the family and little Alfie,” Draper told Mediaweek following an interview after his win. “It was it was a very, very special moment.”
While his victory was undoubtedly a highlight, having his wife Shonleigh, mum and dad, Mandy and David and Alfie (who stole the show) up in the gantry was what got him through.
“There’s nothing better than cooking with those guys up in the gantry,” he said. “Having the people that you love watching down and seeing what you go through day to day.
“I always love to cook with emotion and having the family there was one of the reasons why the cook went so well.”
Brent and Alfie Draper. Ten
Draper’s 2023 turn in the MasterChef Australia kitchen was poignant, due to the fact that he’d left the 2021 season due to a battle with his mental health, something he wouldn’t have gotten through without his family.
“Family is everything and I’ve always stood by that,” he said. “It’s been probably one of the things that got me through MasterChef both times and that’s one of the things that helped me in my first season, and to get well again and work on myself.”
As for little Alfie: “All he cares about is the trophy. When I lifted the trophy, he got little tears in his eyes.”
Brent Draper on “facing his demons” in the MasterChef kitchen
With the support of his family and the judges, particularly the late Jock Zonfrillo, Draper left the competition, before returning to the competition with full force.
“The biggest thing was getting through that first cook,” he revealed. “The last time I was in that kitchen, it wasn’t on great terms. So obviously, coming back the first episode and that first cook, I had to get that out of the way and, face the demons real quick.”
He also revealed that fans had supported his exit and subsequent return, with the support something he wouldn’t forget.
“It’s amazing,” he admitted. “At the time, that one little moment that I put my hand up and stood away from the competition, what the ripple effect it had throughout the nation and also worldwide. At the time, I wasn’t thinking like that, and neither was I in the period after.
“But it’s the people relating to that and it’s just just to never judge a book by its cover because so many people are struggling behind the door.”
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Brent Draper on his relationship with Jock
When Draper left MasterChef, Zonfrillo was the one he spoke to which made his win even more special for the judge who became emotional during the finale. And for the father-of-one (with another baby on the way), being part of the TV chef’s final season was “bittersweet”.
“I’m just so I’m so happy and I’m so grateful that I got to spend this season with Jock,” he said. “Just to be able to be a part of his legacy. He’s touched so many people worldwide, and you don’t even need to have met the guy and you feel like you just know him.
“So I was just very grateful and very honoured to do this last season with him. He’s Mr MasterChef. For me personally, he is what makes the show amazing and relatable to so many people. It’s very sad and that final episode, what a beautiful tribute.”
Jock Zonfrillo. Ten
Brent Draper reveals what’s next
Winning the MasterChef Australia title has come with not only bragging rights and a cool $250k prize pot, but it also means exponential opportunities for the home chef.
“I’m really excited to get working on a cookbook that involves mental health,” he said. “With stories and recipes and maybe a mental health toolbox in the back. It’s such a great little present that you could give to someone that might be struggling a little bit. You might find it hard to talk to them, but it’s a subtle way of helping.
“With food, you share a bit more emotion then we tend to talk a bit, so why not put the two together?”
Stream MasterChef Australia 2023 on 10Play.