For most MasterChef Australia contestants, elimination comes with a wave of devastation. For Bella Di Conza, it came with something unexpected: gratitude.
The agriculture student was sent home during a high-stakes elimination challenge overseen by celebrity chef Curtis Stone – and was the second time she has walked out of the iconic kitchen this season. But unlike her first exit, Bella isn’t leaving with a heavy heart.
“Winning the second chance apron felt like such an impossible achievement,” Bella, 19, tells TV WEEK. “Everything from there on really was just a bonus.”
And what a bonus it turned out to be. Sweet Week, the ice cream taste test, the beat-the-chef challenge – Bella ticked every bucket list item off before the doors finally closed behind her for good.
“It’s hard not to get emotional in that moment because you’re closing the doors on a chapter you’ll cherish forever,” she says. “Equally, the thought of the next chapter brings a lot of hope and excitement.”
If she had one regret, it’s a sentimental one.
“If I had my time again, I would have loved to have cooked some of my nonna’s traditional recipes,” Bella admits.
As it turns out, it was a nonna inspired recipe that became the defining moment of her entire journey. Her nonna’s garden dessert – the dish that earned her a second apron – remains the cook she is most proud of.
“It was probably the most unique and original dish I cooked on the show,” she says. “It really felt like a piece of me on the plate.”
And if a back-to-win season ever came calling? Bella wouldn’t hesitate.
“I’d say yes without a doubt,” she says. “Being in the competition has forced me to think about food in entirely new ways. I’d be so grateful to spend a bit more time in the MasterChef kitchen.”
MasterChef Australia airs Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7pm on Network Ten and 10.
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