MasterChef Australia: Top 20

And here are the Top 20 contestants who will make up MasterChef Australia.

The twenty begin daily challenges from tonight in TEN’s new reality series as they battle it out for the title of Australia’s first MasterChef.

They will also move into a a $16m house in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs and face  a cook off with chicken.

The 20 includes seven finalists from Victoria including Sam Ciaravolo who got married the day before he left home for the Top 20, leaving behind his new wife, and foregoing his dream honeymoon in Thailand. Four finalists from New South Wales, including Lucas Parsons, an ex-professional golfer and Julie Goodwin, a working mum who lives for her husband and three boys. Four finalists are from Queensland, including Tom Mosby a former solicitor, and Geni Papacostas, who at 58 is the oldest competitor in MasterChef Australia.

There are three finalists from Western Australia, including Trevor Forster who joins MasterChef Australia after 22 years as a Navy Submariner and 21 year old Kate Rodrigues, the youngest competitor in MasterChef who left UWA and her law degree to take part. Two finalists are from South Australia, including Poh Ling Yeow, an artist who was given a second chance by the judges in her first audition, and bowled them over with her Malaysian cuisine.