Who Won MasterChef Australia 2025?
Laura Sharrad finally claimed the trophy for MasterChef Australia 2025 after twelve wild, glorious, sweat-filled weeks—and honestly, it felt overdue. The finale was close, but Laura pulled ahead against Callum Hann in a battle that had both their nerves fraying like over-boiled pasta. She’ll be pocketing the $250,000 prize (plus the epic bragging rights) and frankly, watching her raise that plate made me want to run laps around my kitchen in celebration. If you’ve watched her battle through past seasons and near-misses, you know this win was a redemption arc for the ages.
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Who Is Laura Sharrad?
Laura is a 29-year-old chef from South Australia, co-owner of two thriving restaurants in Adelaide—Nido and Fugazzi Bar & Dining. She’s got Italian roots deep as her pasta water, but she’s just as sharp with native Aussie ingredients. She’s made it to the MasterChef finale not just once, but three times: runner-up in seasons 6 and 12, and now—finally—the winner in season 17. A new mum to Florence, she’s juggled chasing dreams with chasing a toddler, and somehow managed not to spill béchamel on either. There’s something quietly fierce about her; she’s a little bit like that friend who always shows up early to help you set the table, then dazzles the whole dinner with a perfect crostata.
What Was Season 17 of MasterChef Australia About?
Season 17 was a full-throttle, Back to Win showdown—24 former contestants returned, most now legit chefs or restaurateurs, all of them clearly out for unfinished business. The judging panel mixed legends and fresh eyes: Andy Allen (series 4 winner), Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin, and Jean-Christophe Novelli. The challenges, as usual, swung from nutty fun (judges swapped places with contestants for a day—that was chaos) to pure agony (149-step dessert pressure tests, anyone?)
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Gordon Ramsay kicked off the season and, predictably, yelled a lot.Legends like Maggie Beer and Curtis Stone dropped by with their own brand of kitchen wisdom.
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Every episode seemed designed to break someone’s spirit—but survival meant pushing your creativity, speed, and nerves well beyond comfort.
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It was a season for the grownups—pros with restaurants, TV shows, and real lives (including Laura’s adorable daughter making a cameo in the kitchen). This wasn’t amateur hour; it was the cook-off of a decade.
How Did Laura Win the Grand Finale?
In short: by keeping her cool, nailing the textures, and putting heart on every plate. The finale came down to Laura versus Callum Hann. Round one was a potato-rosemary celebration—both scored nearly perfect marks. Then: the notorious pressure test. Michael Llamanzares-Aspiras dropped in with a dessert challenge that had the chefs recreating a 149-step masterpiece. Laura leaned into the details—smaller profiteroles, glossy pebbles—and the judges ate it up (literally and figuratively).
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Andy Lee called her ganache “textbook.”
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Miko Llamanzares-Aspiras compared her work to his sous chef’s—probably the nicest flex ever.
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She scored a 42/50 to Callum’s 35/50, clinching the win.
Watching Laura celebrate, nearly in disbelief, with her daughter and family beside her—you could feel every bit of the journey. And when she thanked Callum for the friendship as much as the rivalry, it was pure MasterChef magic. That’s what makes this show so satisfying: the food, the adrenaline, and the genuine, messy human moments where someone finally wins big.
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