MasterChef star Declan Cleary has spoken out after being eliminated from the show right before Sunday night’s finale.
The 24-year-old carpenter – who was this season’s youngest contestant – went head-to-head with Rhiannon Anderson and Brent Draper in Thursday night’s semi-final in a gruelling challenge which pushed them all to their limits.
The contestants were individually tasked with serving 20 diners and the judges an entree, main meal, and dessert – almost 70 dishes each.
At the end of the nailbiting episode, Declan was sent home, paving the way for a Rhiannon versus Brent finale.
It was a decision that left many viewers baffled, with Declan an early fan favourite to win the whole series.
But speaking to 10 Play following his elimination, Declan admitted he’d bitten off more than he could chew with his final menu, which included Scampi toast, a Blue-Eye Trevalla with Green Curry and his take on a Paris Brest.
“I was definitely very ambitious in my menu planning,” he said.
“I thought, semi-finals … I’m going to go hard or I’m going home. And I ended up doing both. I went hard and I obviously went home. I wasn’t going to do a simplified version.
“When we were at Top 10 and I made that apple crumble … don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, but as the judges said it wasn’t Top 10 worthy. It was a moment for me where I pivoted and I was like, all right, you’re here on MasterChef … here I am in the semi-finals, I really wanted to bring my A-game.”
In another interview with Yahoo Lifestyle, Declan insisted he was happy to have even competed in the semi-final.
“I’m so pleased that I made it that far, and being in 49 out of 50 episodes is such an achievement,” he told the publication.
“I’m super proud of myself, I know all my family is absolutely over the moon for me, and the feedback from the fans on social platforms and all across Australia is just amazing. I really hope that I’ve inspired some people and I can change some people’s lives along the way.
“I would have loved to have come first but I didn’t, so here I am.”
Declan added: “At the end of the day, there’s a lot of stuff going on in the world that could be worse and I was just very grateful for where I was at that current time.”
He also hinted at his future projects, now that his time on the show is over.
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“I just want to inspire people that you can cook decent affordable food at home and maintain a healthy lifestyle and eat great food,” Declan said.
“So definitely a few things in the foreseeable future happening.”
MasterChef’s grand finale will air Sunday night at 7.30pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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