Jack Hosking had no idea he was heading home until the very last moments of MasterChef Australia’s pork-themed elimination challenge.
“To be honest, at the end of the cook I felt pretty happy with my dish,” the 29-year-old tells TV WEEK. “Unfortunately, the judges didn’t quite share my enthusiasm.
“Looking back, there wasn’t a moment during or after the cook where I knew I was going home. However, after tastings I knew I had a big chance of being eliminated.”
The South Australian events manager’s MasterChef journey came to an end during Aussie Classics Week, when the contestants were challenged by Curtis Stone to hero one of Australia’s favourite ingredients: pork.
Jack served air fryer pork belly with pickled salad and roasted apple purée, but the judges felt the dish lacked a clear direction, while the pork itself wasn’t cooked consistently.
“I’m actually not a big pork fan, so it’s not something I cook with very often,” Jack admits.
As a self-confessed perfectionist, it’s a cook he has replayed in his mind more than once since leaving the competition.
“Like most MasterChef contestants, I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so I spent a lot of time replaying my elimination cook and thinking about what I could have done differently,” he says.
“Eventually you make peace with it and focus on what you’ve learned.”
While leaving the competition was emotional, there was one silver lining waiting for him at home.
“I couldn’t wait to see my partner Liv, give her a big cuddle and kiss, and spend time with my two dogs,” Jack says. “I tried to stay as positive as possible in the moment and focus on how lucky I was to have had the experience.
“Liv was trying very hard not to act too excited,” he adds with a laugh. “By that stage we’d been apart for a number of months, so she was ready for me to come home.”
While a return to the MasterChef kitchen isn’t high on his priority list right now, Jack’s culinary journey is far from over.
“I think I’m probably a one-and-done kind of guy,” he says. “Right now I’d say no, but if this experience has taught me anything, it’s that you never know what’s waiting around the corner.
“There are definitely a few pop-ups in the works, so keep an eye out for those. I’d also love to create simple, approachable cooking content that inspires younger people to get into the kitchen and give cooking a go.”
MasterChef Australia airs Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7pm on Network 10 and 10.
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