MasterChef Australia Season 18 will shine brighter than a finale trophy, with captivating contestants, glittering guests, joyous judges and a series of sparkling challenges.

Following a heated audition process, 24 of the country’s best amateur cooks will battle it out in the iconic MasterChef Australia kitchen in the quest for culinary stardom.

They’re not the only ones stepping up to the plate, as Andy Allen, Poh Ling Yeow, Sofia Levin and Jean-Christophe Novelli team up with some of the most dazzling guest judges yet.

Hospitality heroes like Maggie Beer, Curtis Stone, Adriano Zumbo, and Rick Stein will once again light up the kitchen, while stars like Justine Schofield shoot back to the place that made them household names.

Speaking of household names, the likes of Robert Irwin, and Jimmy and Jane Barnes, will experience the MasterChef magic for the very first time.

Social media superstars and viral VIPs DimSimLim, Andy Cooks, Recipes by Victoria’s Victoria Minell, and biteswithlily’s Lily Huynh, will swap feeds for feeds and prove that good food is better shared.

With a skyful of stars to guide them, our Top 24 have the culinary cosmos at their fingertips.