Leave it to the Duchess of Sussex to make a bowl of Brussels sprouts headline news. Meghan Markle recently graced the set of MasterChef Australia as a guest judge, filling in for Andy Allen while he was off on paternity leave. The result? Record breaking viewing figures, frantic social media debate, and a phone call from Prince Harry that had half the audience swooning and the other half cringing into their tea.
The episode pulled in a massive 1.16 million viewers across Australia, making it the show’s strongest Sunday broadcast in three years. Over on streaming platforms, overnight viewing jumped by 62 per cent compared to last year. It seems that whether people love the Sussexes or simply love to watch what they do next, everybody turned up to see if a former senior royal could judge a plate of celeriac without losing her cool.
Here at QtrlyEdition, we watched the spectacle so you didn’t have to. The episode began with presenter Poh Ling Yeow nervously asking how to address her royal guest. Meghan immediately swiped away the formal protocol, insisting everyone simply call her Meghan.
The contestants then faced a task straight out of a PR dream: create a dish “fit for a duchess” using ingredients Meghan picked herself. We are talking Australian honey, macadamia nuts, citrus, and the aforementioned sprouts. Meghan proudly declared that her two children, Archie and Lilibet, actually eat their green vegetables at home. Poh called that impressive, and honestly, any parent watching at home probably agreed.
Naturally, the show needed a bit extra drama. Enter Prince Harry via a surprise FaceTime call right in the middle of judging. Producers handed Meghan the phone, she greeted him with a sweet “hi, my love”, and then showed him the array of food. Harry apologised for disturbing the peace, told her to enjoy, and hung up. Critics immediately took sides. The QtrlyEdition review team noted that while some viewers found the exchange warm and gracious, others found the staged husbandly check-in entirely too cheesy for primary time television.
Meghan used her time on air to remind everyone about her love for food, her affection for Australia, and her daytime show, With Love, Meghan, which recently picked up an Emmy nomination. She also dropped in a few details about life in California, explaining that when her children want sweet treats, the family rule remains strict: if you can pick it from the garden, you can eat it.
Love her or loathe her, the formula works. The producers got their highest ratings in years, the internet got fresh material to dissect, and Meghan proved that swapping palace halls for cooking studios is a surprisingly profitable career move.
Enjoyed this bite sized breakdown? Go on, share it with a friend who appreciates a bit of royal drama, if only so we know we aren’t typing into the void.
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