A second MasterChef contestant has been edited out of the new series following a scandal involving fired hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode.
The cookery show’s production company, Banijay UK said that the unnamed contestant asked to be removed after 45 complaints about the behaviour of Wallace and one against Torode were upheld.
“One other contributor decided that, given recent events, they would like not to be included,” Banijay UK said. “We have, of course, accepted their wishes and edited them out of the show.”
BBC News reports that the contestant has asked not to be identified and that the individual will not appear in the show whatsoever.
The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment.
The contestant is the second person who has been edited out of the current series of the show, which was mostly filmed before the allegations against Wallace emerged in November 2024.
Aspiring chef Sarah Shafi asked to be removed from the new series amid fears the show would send the wrong message to women.
Although Shafi had initially rejected an offer by Banijay to edit her out of the episode in which she appears, she later reversed her decision after it was announced that the BBC would be airing the show following weeks of uncertainty.
Speaking to The Independent, Greek chef Irini Tzortzoglou, who won MasterChef in 2019, supported the decision to air the controversial episodes.
“If I had gone through all that – the highs and lows – then somebody said to me, ‘Well, actually, we may not show the three months of your life when you spilled your blood and guts to see how far you could go,’ I’d be very unhappy,” Tzortzoglou said. “I’m very thrilled to see it on our screens.”
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Upon announcing that the series would be shown, a BBC spokesperson said: “After careful consideration and consultation with the contestants, we have decided to broadcast the amateur series of MasterChef.”
The corporation acknowledged that “not everyone will agree” with what it recognised as a difficult decision.
There appeared to be fewer jokes from Wallace and Torode and fewer chats between the hosts and chefs in the first episode of the new series, which lost almost one million viewers compared with last year’s launch.
After allegations of inappropriate behaviour surfaced against Wallace in November 2024, an investigation was launched by Banijay. More than half of the 83 allegations levied against Wallace were substantiated, but the report also upheld one accusation of “offensive racist language” allegedly used by Torode.
In episodes set to air next month, Wallace will be replaced by Anna Haugh. Meanwhile, Grace Dent was confirmed as Wallace’s replacement on Celebrity MasterChef last year – but the BBC is yet to confirm the pair’s fixed replacements on the main MasterChef show.
