Celebrity MasterChef viewers all had the same complaint about the final

As one celebrity cooked their way to victory, viewers shared a similar concern

John Torode and Greg Wallace in Celebrity MaterChef on September 20 2024
For viewers, this one thing put a dampener on the Celebrity MasterChef final (BBC screen grab)

After six weeks, twenty celebrities, and eighteen episodes, 2024’s edition of Celebrity MasterChef has drawn to a close.

For the high-stakes finale, our final three celebrities — Vito Coppola, Craig Doyle, and Rochenda Sandall — were tasked with delivering The Ultimate Dinner Party. This involved preparing a two-course meal for judges Greg Wallace and John Torode in just two hours.

The finale brought tears, surprises, and plenty of wholesome moments as one celebrity trumped the rest and emerged victorious. But online, viewers all shared the same complaint.

While Vito brought home the bacon, viewers had other things on their mind (BBC screen grab)
While Vito brought home the bacon, viewers had other things on their mind (BBC screen grab)

Throughout the series, Celebrity MasterChef has oscillated between hour-long and half-hour editions. This culminated with the final episode being half an hour long.

While this isn’t unusual, it sparked controversy online as viewers took to X to complain that they were hungry for more.

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“Why is the final only half an hour, this could easily be an hour long [sic],” one viewer wrote. “So disappointing.”

A second echoed that “having the final so short and rushed is weird scheduling.”

Others claimed that previous MasterChef finals involved three courses and an hour-long runtime, and questioned why other rounds were an hour long.

Meanwhile, a further user wrote that “the Celebrity format is getting smaller and smaller.”

Vito was thrilled at his win (BBC screen grab)
Vito was thrilled at his win (BBC screen grab)

While Doyle and Sandall put up a good fight, it was ultimately Coppola who emerged victorious,

The Strictly Come Dancing star’s winning main course was the Italian seafood pasta dish, Scialatielli Allo Scoglio. This was served with scialatielli, clams, mussels, calamari, and prawns.

For dessert, a Babà Di Vito cake was served with zabaione, marsala wine cream, and syrup-soaked cherries.

Upon winning, the first thing Vito did was video call his grandparents. Showing them his trophy, he tearfully said in Italian: “Nonno, I won! I won with your ingredients. I came first! I love you.”

“Vito came into this competition with a purpose. He wanted to show us his life on a plate,” Torode said. “What he’s grown up with, the food he loves and why he loves it, and what he’s done is made us love it too. That’s what good food is all about.”

All Celebrity MasterChef episodes are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.