The second season of Channel 10's highly-rated MasterChef spin-off series Dessert Masters launched on Sunday – but presenter Melissa Leong-in's publicity team was in crisis mode ahead of the premiere.
According to a well-placed source, the celebrity chef, 42, was 'afraid to speak to the media' amid an alleged feud with ex-MasterChef Australia co-star Andy Allen.
The source says Leong is putting the wheels in motion for MasterChef to return to Australia – without Alan.
'Melissa told Den she was going back to MasterChef Australia when Andy Allen left,' a TV insider said. He told Daily Mail Australia.
'The idea of getting the show back to what she once had seems a bit too far-fetched, and the only way for Melissa to return is if the whole format is revamped.'
Melissa left MasterChef Australia last year. Allen.
The news that he was no longer on the MasterChef Australia line-up in 2022 followed the revelation of backstage tensions between Leong and team members hired by Ten's production partner Endemol Shine.
Melissa Leong 'dreaded' a recent promotional tour following reports of a feud between her and former MasterChef co-star Andy Allen.
Leong shocked fans when she shared the news of her exit on Instagram a day before the network's 2024 Upfronts.
'Changing the guard is something I've always planned to embrace, and today I'm more than happy to do it on my terms,' Leong wrote last October.
Meanwhile, beloved Alan returns to the show this year with three new judges – media darling Bo Ling Yeow, Michelin-star chef Jean-Christophe Novelli and Melbourne food critic Sophia Levine.
Leong quit, claiming he was fired following publicized off-camera dramas.
Leong infamously received a blowout with the project's hair and makeup team in 2022 with a replacement freelance hairstylist.
'There is no beef with Andy Leong,' a source told Daily Mail Australia. But she previously revealed her former colleague wasted a lot of time on hair and make-up.
'He felt her control over what was filmed was compromised by her perfectionism.'
Channel 10 and Endemol Shine did not respond to the allegations when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
Andy now stars on MasterChef Australia alongside media darling Bo Ling Yeow, Michelin-star chef Jean-Christophe Novelli and Melbourne food critic Sophia Levine.
Leong jumped ship to Desert Masters and waited until the heat died down to prove his worth to network executives, the insider said.
The first season of Dessert Masters saw a team of Australian pastry chefs compete for a $100,000 prize and deliver ratings for the highly competitive network. The reality TV market.
451,000 Australians tuned in across all major cities for the premiere episode and viewers raved about the TV veteran.
Ten have confirmed MasterChef will host an All Stars season in 2025
Gordon Ramsay, perhaps the world's greatest celebrity chef, has also signed on as the fifth judge.
The second season of Desert Masters was given a paltry plug by comparison.
“People said it wasn't compelling enough to greenlight the show again,” the insider continued.
'Network Ten announced on Upfronts that MasterChef Australia would return next year, explaining the fact that they have no plans to film a third season of Dessert Masters.'
What Leong will do next for the Ten Network is yet to be revealed.
Desert Masters means Desert Masters will return in 2025, but the network has redeemed itself by delaying the formal announcement until the second season airs.
'Last year, there was a strong appetite for the introduction of Desert Masters,' a Den spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
'In 2024, we are delighted to offer a second helping hand.'
Leong was infamously smitten with the project's hair and makeup team in 2022, along with a replacement freelance hairstylist.
Leong was a respected food critic and journalist before rising to household name status on MasterChef Australian with Allen and the late. Jack Sonfrillo.
He attended Zonfrillo's funeral in May 2023 with an entourage but unlike Allen was not given a prominent role in the ceremony.
Zonfrillo's widow, Lauren Fried, sparked rumors of a fight between the three MasterChef Australia judges by sharing her thoughts on the new judges on Instagram.
In a lengthy social media post, she wrote that she would be 'very happy' in the queue without her late husband Leong.
Allen and the late MasterChef Australia judge Jack Zonfrillo were close friends
'This would make Jack so happy – @andyallencooks unexpectedly came into our lives four years ago. She quickly became Jack's best companion, sharing a passion for food and fun, and someone who cared deeply for our family,' she wrote at the time.
'This is a group of people who appreciate the privilege of being a part of such an extraordinary show, they know they are stronger together than they are as individuals, and they want to nurture the contestants in making their dream of food come true.'
When pressed about friction on MasterChef Australia ahead of his surprise tree changeover set for 2023, Leong said: 'I have no love and respect for not only Andy, but everyone I've worked with.'
'We're a team, we're a family, that's all you really need to know.'
