Meghan Markle has been criticised for her appearance as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia, with a PR expert calling it 'weird, messy around the edges, strategically questionable, but ultimately harmless.' The Duchess of Sussex appeared on the Australian cooking show on Sunday for an immunity challenge ahead of the semi-final.
Critique from PR Expert
Renae Smith, founder of PR and branding agency The Atticism, told the Daily Express: 'In my honest [opinion, her appearance was] weird, messy around the edges, strategically questionable, but ultimately harmless. It will be forgotten by next month, and for Meghan, forgettable is often the best possible outcome.'
Smith, who has previously taken part in MasterChef herself, said the show is built around measurable skill, but Meghan's 'only contribution' was that she is 'famous and likes food.' She added: 'She went on as a personality, not as a cook, and MasterChef doesn't often do that. Pleasant presence, enjoys food, but that's not what the show measures. And having been in that kitchen myself, surrounded by some seriously talented chefs, I can only imagine there were a few quiet giggles behind the scenes.'
Challenge and Viewership
Contestants were challenged to transform a staple ingredient into a dish 'fit for a duchess.' Ingredients included carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, Brussels sprouts, celeriac, Australian honey, macadamia nuts, quince, lemons, apples, mandarins, and strawberries. Meghan appeared alongside judges Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin, and Jean-Christophe Novelli.
Despite the criticism, the episode achieved record-breaking viewership. It reached 1.6 million total TV viewers, breaking the record for the biggest overnight Sunday audience since July 2023 and the biggest-ever overnight streaming audience at 118,000 viewers. The seven-day total viewing audience was 1.22 million national viewers, a 16% increase compared to the same episode last year.
Competition Performance
Channel Seven's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow led with 2.5 million total TV viewers, and Channel Nine's Lego Masters reached 1.7 million viewers.
