Savindri Perera (more widely known as Sav Perera) says she didn’t anticipate such a quick return to a reality TV show that catapulted her to fame in Australia.
After placing third on MasterChef Australia just last year, Sav is set to appear in the ‘Back To Win’ season premiering this month. She says the opportunity to star in the 2025 all-stars season was put on her radar very soon after the MasterChef 2024 finale aired.
“It was literally not too long after the finale was on air, that I was contacted by the exec team,” Sav tells Draw Your Box. “Weirdly enough, one of the girls, Gill from my season, – who’s one my very good friends – she was actually visiting Adelaide when I got the call,” she continues. “I think I was one of the earliest people that were contacted, if I’m not mistaken.”
Having just had a taste of the incredible reality TV experience, one could assume it’s a fairly easy decision to return for more culinary fun in a star-studded kitchen. But the South Asian contestant says she needed to carefully consider if it was the right move, especially since she hasn’t been able to “actually have time off” since MasterChef 2024.
When Alicia Vrajlal – our founder and the host of Draw Your Box’s podcast, Unfiltered Chai with Alicia Vrajlal – teases Sav that she was the producers’ “first choice” to appear on Back To Win, Sav remains as humble as ever.
Listen to our podcast interview with Sav Perera below:
“I would love to say that and flatter myself, but I think it was more of a temperature check with me because of the people that they were likely to call back,” she explains.
“They were not obviously going to call back the winners. I had been one of the most recent ones that’s gone quite far as well. So I think it was a gauge on how everyone else, if someone else from our season was coming back – which now we know they do, like Darrsh and Snez – like how they would respond. So I think it was just mainly a temperature check.”
Sav reveals she initially told the show’s executive team, “I don’t know” about coming back. She then weighed up the “pros and cons” before giving it the green light.
“It literally came down to no, I don’t want to say no to an opportunity, and it’s still going to be a nice little boost in terms of PR and engagement and the storytelling piece. They’re all these positives,” she says.
With the likes of seasoned chefs Laura Sharrad, Callum Hann and Sarah Todd also starring on the show this year, it’s safe to say that the stakes could be higher for the most recent MasterChef alumni, who haven’t had as long of a career in food, compared to the aforementioned cast members. Sav’s well aware of that and won’t hide it.
“Look to be honest with you, you’re laughing if you think it’s a level playing field,” she reveals. “It absolutely isn’t, but that’s what we all signed up for. There is no way that me fighting match fit compares to some of our contestants for Back To Win that have actually been in the industry for 13 plus years – that work in restaurants, that have worked in restaurants, that have owned businesses. I’m still quite green.”
MasterChef’s on-screen format is famously known to feature various tasks and challenges such as pressure tests, immunity challenges, blind taste tests and elimination challenges. There’s no shortage of versatility, which means all contestants need to be on their A-game in using specific ingredients and showcasing unique cooking techniques based on the brief they’re given on the day.
“It’s interesting because those restaurant skills and all of that don’t necessarily always matter in the MasterChef kitchen, because it really is about who does the best on the day,” says Sav. “But of course, it helps… especially when you’re playing the long game. It helps you have the stamina to conceptualise dishes.
“So… I wouldn’t say it’s a level playing field in terms of skill sets, but I think being on the competition is an equaliser, because it depends on the challenge [and] depends on what you’re doing on the day.”
With four returning judges – Andy Allen, Poh Ling-Yeow, Jean-Christophe Novelli, and Sofia Levin– to impress, Sav says she’s still keeping calm and not putting too much pressure on herself.
“It’s just going in with the mindset of, ‘I don’t care if I’m here for a long time, and I’m gonna have fun while I’m here,’” she says.
“I’ve already shown myself that I can do it. I already know what I want to do with the industry, so I’m just going to have fun. Whether that’s going to get me into trouble in one week, two weeks, two months of filming, I don’t know,” she smiles. “But look to me, it’s just a good way to have a bit of fun, really. That’s my only mentality.”
Sav is one of 24 cast members on MasterChef Australia: Back To Win alongside: Alana Lowes (Season 3), Andre Ursini (Season 1), Audra Morrice (Season 4), Beau Cook (Season 4), Ben Macdonald (Season 6), Callum Hann (Season 2, Season 12), Cath Collins (Season 15), Darrsh Clarke (Season 16), Declan Cleary (Season 15), Depinder Chhibber (Season 13), Jamie Fleming (Season 6), Jimmy Wong (Season 8), Laura Sharrad (Season 6, Season 12), Matt Hopcraft (Season 7), Pete Campbell (Season 13), Rhiannon Anderson (Season 15), Rue Mupedzi (Season 15), Samira El Khafir (Season 5), Sarah Todd (Season 6, Season 14), Snezana Calic (Season 16), Steph de Sousa (Season 11), Theo Loizou (Season 15) and Tim Bone (Season 11).
MasterChef Australia: Back To Win premieres on Monday April 28 at 7:30pm on Channel 10 and 10 Play.
Top image source: Channel 10
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