Channel 10 confirms upcoming episodes will feature social distancing and strict hygiene practices

Channel 10 has confirmed episodes of MasterChef Australia: Back to Win will feature social distancing and strict hygiene practices from Monday.

The popular cooking show continued filming during the coronavirus pandemic despite widespread industry shutdowns, and producers implemented strict safety precautions on set.

‘On Monday night’s episode of MasterChef Australia: Back to Win, you won’t find too many cooks in the kitchen… unless they are 1.5 meters apart,’ a network spokesperson told HuffPost.

They added: ‘Social distancing regulations begin to affect production, but as the saying (that we just made up) goes, the chefs must cook on.’

MasterChef started filming at Melbourne Showgrounds in January, two months before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March. 

On April 1, returning contestant Poh Ling Yeow said they were only halfway through production.

In order to continue filming, location shoots were banned and contestants were told to keep their distance from each other in the kitchen.

Viewers will also see plenty of soap and sanitising stations set up around the kitchen, as well as contestants wearing gloves when shopping in the pantry.

The judges will no longer eat from the same plate when sampling food either.

Promotional pictures of judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo revealed exactly how new social distancing measures will look on screen.

In April, Jock confirmed a report in The Daily Telegraph claiming that the coronavirus pandemic had caused a ‘dire situation’ for producers.

The article claimed that international judges Nigella Lawson and Heston Blumenthal have had to cancel their scheduled appearances, while challenges involving crowds have been shelved.

Planned travel was also cancelled, while shooting outside the set had been banned, according to the report.