Age: 47

New Zealand

Instagram handle: @foodie_ben

Previous season & place: Season 6, finished 6th 

It might be 11 years since Ben Macdonald set foot in the MasterChef Australia kitchen, but he returns with the same dry sense of humour and steely determination that he is remembered for.

Ben has been busy in the years in between, returning to his New Zealand homeland and becoming dad to two daughters, now aged 9 and 7. Ben’s girls are a big part of him jumping back into the frying pan. As food lovers and big MasterChef Australia fans, they can’t wait to see what Dad has in store for Back To Win.

Following season six, Ben worked in Brisbane restaurants before returning to New Zealand in 2017 to manage kitchens. He ran the kitchen at top Auckland café Buoy for two years, before setting up Ben’s Kitchen, offering bistro style food and catering which he ran for five years.

A Covid-era pivot also saw Ben launch a fresh pasta home delivery service which became another success story. Leveraging his IT background and skillset, in recent years Ben also launched a successful payroll software start-up.

Laid-back Ben brings a quiet confidence to the competition in 2025, focussed on taking care of unfinished business. Last time the learning curve was exponential, so he is strapped in for a wild ride. After a break from cooking professionally, Ben admits to craving the passion and adrenaline of a fast-paced kitchen again, and there is no better place for it than the MasterChef Australia kitchen.

Where last time he was technique-driven, this time Ben’s MO will simply be to create delicious food. Continuing to draw inspiration in the kitchen from his late Dad, Ben plans to showcase his expanded experience into more creative dishes as he eyes the top prize.