Josh Pezza Perry on MasterChef
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“Found it hard to sleep”: MasterChef’s Josh ‘Pezza’ shares his disappointment at coming second

"So sad that I couldn't do it for them."

TV
WRITTEN BY Danica Baker / Edited BY Danica Baker
17 July 2024 , 4 minutes to read

Josh ‘Pezza’ Perry made it all the way to the MasterChef Australia 2024 grand final but narrowly lost to Nat Thaipun.

Despite making it so far, Pezza told Chattr in a post-elimination interview that coming runner-up was a hard pill for him to swallow.

“I just think you get so close and you want to take it all, but there had to be somebody that was second, and it was just me on the day,” he said.

“When I look back, I was lucky that I wasn’t 22nd; I was very close!” he joked.

Josh and Nat in the MasterChef final. Image: Ten.

Pezza struggled to come to terms with being the runner-up

Coming runner-up in a popular cooking show like MasterChef is no small feat. However, Pezza opened up about how he struggled to come to terms with the fact that he was so close to winning.

The home cook shared that he watched the finale alongside his family and said it was an emotional experience.

“We watched it, we had a tear, and just reflected on it. For them [Pezza’s kids] to say, ‘Look, Dad, we love you and we’re proud of you’ before they left, that was pretty heart-wrenching,” he said.

“I was so sad that I couldn’t do it for them, but they were still so overly pleased with what I achieved.”

Pezza’s family at the finale. Image: Ten.

Over time Pezza realised what he’d accomplished

While he might not have won, over time, Pezza gained a new perspective on just how impressive his MasterChef journey truly was.

“The first couple of days after it was filmed I found it hard to sleep and I was thinking about it a lot. But as time goes on, and you reflect on it, I realised what I had actually achieved,” he said.

“There are thousands of applicants, so to just get accepted into the top 22 [was massive]. And then to be one of the finalists out of that 22, who are amazing home cooks, the best in Australia.

Pezza and Nat on MasterChef
The two MasterChef 2024 grand finalists. Image: Ten.

“I’m still really happy now with what I’ve done and what I’ve achieved and I wouldn’t change anything,” he added.

Fortunately, Pezza got to take home a $40,000 cash prize for coming runner-up, as well as a long, long list of fans that he’s racked up over the season thanks to his lovable larrikin attitude.

Stream MasterChef 2024 on 10Play.

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