Casper Kenworthy’s MasterChef Australia journey came to an emotional end after an elimination challenge centred around an ingredient chosen by his parents, grapes. But after watching him leave the competition, they were left carrying some guilt of their own.
“They definitely felt guilty,” technology consultant Casper, 28, tells TV WEEK. “But I reassured them that they weren’t the ones cooking. Having that challenge before the semifinal is something that I actually thought was a great final test. If I got through on that I think I would have been a big threat in the semis and even the grand finale if we made it there.”
His dad, a leadership coach in the Navy, and his mum, a lawyer in the Navy, have helped shape the resilient mindset that’s carried him through life, something that hit home when he read their heartfelt letter in the MasterChef kitchen.
“Dad would always give me these lectures on leaning into your failures because they do give you that opportunity to learn,” Casper recalls. “I used to think, ‘Oh no, not these again.’ But that letter made me emotional, acknowledging that a lot of those lessons they taught me as I was growing up shaped my journey here in the kitchen.”
Throughout the competition, those lessons helped Casper bounce back from setbacks.
“When I think back to the mussels dish that went wrong, and then the next cook mussels were in Sanjeev Kapoor’s mystery box and I came out on top. When we had the pressure test with Sam I was so close to having a perfect dish, but I had a bit of crab shell in it, which really put me at risk of going home. Then the next cook I had Marion’s mystery box and came out on top there too. Those dips really drive you to do better.”
Since leaving the competition, Casper has reunited with his family, returned to work and is looking forward to expanding his charity work after publicly sharing his cystic fibrosis diagnosis.
“I’d really like to step into more of an ambassador role because it’s obviously connected with a lot of people. So if I can keep beating the drum, I’m really keen to do that.”
While he’s still figuring out exactly what comes next in the food world, one dream remains firmly on the menu.
“I don’t want to dive in headfirst and smack my head on the bottom and ruin it for myself, so I want to wait till the right moment,” Casper says. “In the meantime I’m just making the most of opportunities on the side, working in kitchens here and there in parallel with my current job and I still really want to write a cookbook.”
MasterChef Australia airs Monday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7pm on Network Ten and 10Streaming.
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