Ex-MasterChef judge Matt Preston blasts the ‘irresponsible’ and dangerous radio stunts he was asked to do – and why he finally decided enough was enough
Former MasterChef judge Matt Preston has described some of the ‘silly’ and ‘irresponsible’ FM radio stunts he was forced to participate in a decade ago.
The food critic, 58, explained that the stunts ranged from identifying things by smell – such as a dishcloth ‘soaked in petrol’ – to putting his hand in a box to guess an object – in his case, a snake.
He eventually put his foot down when things became progressively dangerous – including an incident when a seven-foot boa constrictor was hidden under his table to scare him for Halloween.
Not happy: Former MasterChef judge Matt Preston has described some of the ‘silly’ and ‘irresponsible’ FM radio stunts he was forced to participate in a decade ago. Pictured in 2018
When asked about his radio experiences from 2010 to 2011, Matt offered context to the Halloween incident, telling News.com: ‘I was waiting in the studio and under the table was a seven-foot boa constrictor, just lying by the heater.
‘While I was waiting, there was a tune I liked and I was jiggling my feet to the rhythm and apparently as I was tapping my feet the boa constrictor sat up and started swallowing my foot!’ he added.
There was also another incident when his colleague placed a snake in a box, and he had to reach in and guess what he was touching.
‘That’s just plain irresponsible. If you poke around at a snake with your fingers, the snake wants to strike at you obviously,’ he said.
Sssseriously? The ex- MasterChef judge explained that the stunts ranged from identifying things by smell such as a dish-cloth ‘soaked in petrol’ to putting his hand in a box to guess an object – in his case, a snake
Yikes: The 58-year-old revealed there was also an instance where a seven-foot boa constrictor was hidden under his table to scare him for Halloween’
Matt said he was eventually forced to tell radio show executives that he was ‘done’ with the stunts, and refused to participate in them any more.
The British foodie is currently promoting his new show, Plate of Origin, which is set to air on Channel Seven later in the year.
He told The Daily Edition recently: ‘It’s a lot of fun, and it’s a joyous celebration of the best food in Australia, and I think that’s exactly what people want to see.’
The show will pit people from different cultural backgrounds against each other in cook-offs as they show off their national cuisines.
‘I’m done!’ Matt said he was eventually forced to tell the radio show executives that he was ‘done’ with the stunts, and refused to participate in them any more
Matt will co-judge alongside his friends Gary Mehigan and Manu Feildel – who he has know for more than a decade each.
‘We’re old mates, and to actually finally be on the same network on the same show together and mess around together and share our combined love of food is brilliant,’ he said.
Matt was a judge on Channel 10’s MasterChef Australia for 11 years, beginning in 2009.
Foodie: Matt was a judge on Channel 10’s MasterChef Australia for 11 years, beginning in 2009