MasterChef’s Harry Foster hits back at claims new judge Melissa Leong is biased and ‘irritating’

Eliminated MasterChef contestant Harry Foster has hit back at unfair criticism against judge Melissa Leong. 

The show’s first female judge, 40, has faced a barrage of trolling, with haters taking aim at everything from her behaviour on set to her fashion sense.  

Despite being eliminated on Tuesday night’s episode, Harry had nothing but good things to say about the Melbourne-based food writer.

‘She’s a queen, I love her,’ Harry told HuffPost Australia. ‘She is energetic, passionate and really just vibrant.’

When asked about accusations Melissa was rude and biased on the show, he said: ‘This could not be further from the truth.’

All three judges have received an overwhelmingly positive response from fans, but Melissa has copped a backlash from a vocal minority.

While many have praised her for her fashion sense and positivity, others claim she waits for feedback from Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen before repeating it as her own.

‘Any chance Melissa Leong has an original idea on MasterChef? Or just continue  to wait for others to tell her what to think about the dish,’ one viewer tweeted. 

Another added: ‘New judge Melissa speaks like an affected Melbourne millennial, and as an affected Melbourne millennial myself, I am in a good position to note how grating that is.’ 

‘I love MasterChef bringing back the old contestants but loathe the new judges, especially Melissa Leong. I’ve only been watching for ten minutes and she’s already irritating,’ a third fan wrote on Twitter. 

Others claimed she was biased towards certain contestants, such as Hayden Quinn and Khanh Ong. 

MasterChef continues Thursday at 7.30pm on Channel 10