Meghan gave advice and critiques to contestants during her appearance on MasterChef as a guest judge(Image: Sunrise/Youtube)
Meghan Markle has broken records with her appearance on MasterChef Australia, with the episode raking up an impressive number of views. The Duchess of Sussex was a guest judge on the show, which aired on Sunday, where she guided contestants to create a dish ‘fit for a Duchess’.
The episode was filmed in April, when Harry and Meghan undertook a trip to Australia where they completed a series of engagements in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. And while some viewers were divided over the Duchess’ inclusion in the cooking programme, more than one million people tuned in to watch the episode.
Meghan was a guest judge on MasterChef Australia(Image: Sunrise/Youtube)
More than 1.5 million people watched the show as it broke the record for the biggest overnight Sunday audience since July 2023 and the biggest-ever overnight streaming audience, according to figures released by broadcaster Network 10.
It also topped the seven-day total viewing audience with 1.22 million national viewers. Meghan’s episode saw a 16% increase in its national total TV audience compared with the same episode last year. Total TV is a special metric used in Australia to measure viewing across screens and combines traditional linear broadcast television with digital broadcast video-on-demand (BVOD) viewing.
The impressive viewing figures come as watchers shared their divided opinions online over Meghan’s involvement in the episode, given the guest judge position on the show is usually reserved for high-calibre chefs.
The Duchess’ episode broke viewing records(Image: 10/Masterchef)
Viewers were divided over Meghan’s involvement in the episode(Image: 10/Masterchef)
One viewer said: “It makes you feel a bit sorry for the contestants. They’ve gone on that show to learn from industry chefs, which Meghan is not. She’s a home cook, like the competitors are.”
Others, however, loved to see the Duchess on the programme, saying her calm energy and encouraging words were a nice change for the usually frantic MasterChef kitchen.
During the episode, Meghan spoke of her love of cooking, as she said to the contestants: “Food and cooking to me is really a love language.” She continued: “I think it’s such a great way to connect. It’s something that can feel sentimental and meaningful and it’s how I show my nurturing and love for my friends, family, and my kids.”
Meghan filmed a guest spot on MasterChef Australia as part of their ‘quasi-royal’ tour
Meghan spoke of her kids during the episode, as after choosing the ingredients the chefs would be using in their challenge, Meghan told them they had “quite the bounty” – and went on to share that Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, “eat Brussels sprouts.”
The fresh surprise came with Harry’s appearance during the show’s judging portion when he called to check in. “Hi, my love,” Meghan said after producers handed her a phone, introducing Harry to contestants and judges and showing him the dishes.
“My husband’s here,” she told the stunned crowd. “He’s a charmer, isn’t he?” she said after the phone call ended.
Meghan received a call from Harry while she was filming the show(Image: Not known)
Behind the scenes footage showed her smiling as she spoke to fellow judges and contestants. Meghan explained why she wanted to take part in the episode when her appearance was announced earlier this month.
She said: “What attracted me to the MasterChef Australia kitchen? Two things: my love of food and my love of Australia. It was an easy yes. It’s such a great show. I’m just really honoured that I was asked to be able to be here with you and to be able to judge some of these meals.”
