New MasterChef host Grace Dent has repeatedly panned the show and its disgraced ex-presenter Gregg Wallace in her previous reviews of the programme.
The food critic is set to replace Wallace after he announced he was stepping aside amid an external review into historical allegations of misconduct.
Dent expressed excitement about her new position, calling it more than just a dream. However, the Mirror revealed her previous criticism towards the show and its hosts, including her colleague John Torode.
She once made a sarcastic comment insinuating that any woman in a pencil skirt could easily succeed on the BBC show by claiming she is attracted to older bald men like Wallace.
Furthermore, she joked about contestants being able to advance to the celebrity version semi-finals by simply impressing Gregg Wallace with a dish involving custard and toffee, even if they set the restaurant on fire.
And after watching the celeb edition of MasterChef, she declared: ‘We are in the dying days for many of these spin-rinsed TV formats.’
Dent will judge the upcoming 20th series of Celebrity MasterChef, having appeared regularly as a guest and then even a contestant on MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics in 2022.
Writing for The Guardian in 2011, she said of the show: ‘For a long while I said any girl could get through round one of MasterChef simply by turning up in a pencil skirt and making a fried Nutella sandwich with condensed milk and an expression that says, “I like older men with no hair”.’
Grace Dent will judge the upcoming 20th series of Celebrity MasterChef with John Torode, having appeared regularly as a guest and then even a contestant on MasterChef: Battle Of The Critics in 2022
The critic is set to replace Gregg Wallace (pictured) after he announced he was stepping aside amid an external review into historical allegations of misconduct
However, she did add that her ‘wholly unfair theory is disproven in episode one’.
Writing about the show’s celebrity series that same year, Dent said: ‘Celebrity MasterChef has fallen to 2.15pm on weekday BBC1 (with a Friday night half-hour highlights package).
‘Perhaps the BBC sensed that the sight of Tony from Hollyoaks clumsily gutting a sole, splashing guts, brains and skin about, then frying the salvageable detritus was not top-drawer telly.
‘I’d as much choose to watch people badly gutting, scaling and debraining animals on TV as I would gleefully jump out of a car on to the hard shoulder. And if it’s not bloody, it’s just bloody awful.
‘We are in the dying days for many of these spin-rinsed TV formats. More worrying for British industry than rising fuel prices or depleted fish stocks is our national shortage of ‘recognisable people to put on telly who the public give a damn about.’
Dent again slammed the programme in 2012, writing for The Independent: ‘Is it my pained imagination or is MasterChef in some manifestation on British screens almost perpetually?
‘The format has now been so hammered and drained of every surprise and twist that I’ve had happier times recovering from norovirus than sitting through 30 minutes watching former Olympic swimmer Steve Parry explain why he can’t fillet a pollock.
‘And do we care if Madge Bishop from Neighbours can make her own pasta? Oh and that bit where they’re all sent to work in a restaurant and it’s jolly scary and the big scary chef man is all gruff with them, but the round ultimately counts for bugger all as it’s never mentioned ever again in any judging capacity (in fact one could set fire to the restaurant and calmly stand outside drinking a can of white cider when the fire engines arrive and still go through to the Celebrity MasterChef semi-finals if you’re pretty and made something for Gregg Wallace that involves custard and runny toffee).’
In 2022, Dent extraordinarily quit I’m A Celeb after ‘losing all her energy’ in camp and reaching breaking point ahead of doing another Bushtucker Trial
And writing for the same publication in 2015, Dent said: ‘I have written about MasterChef, due to its acid reflux staying power, more times than almost any other show.
‘Perhaps the BBC’s intention when commissioning MasterChef – endlessly, tirelessly, one strand blending into another, no change, no deviation – is to shake off TV critics.
‘One day, surely, we’ll have nothing left to say? Perhaps the plan is that in order for British citizens to feel the full value of their licence pennies, every living being should have 15 minutes of fame cooking John Torode pasta (which he pronounces ‘pusta’ and enjoys while wearing cowboy boots)?’
She also said: ‘The one no one really loves, but hey, it’s here now for another 24 episodes. Ever-shrinking Gregg – all eyes and teeth these days – doing a good line in “I’m still excited about this format”. I don’t think he is. I think his agent is. There are no more words to say about chicken rolled in parma ham. If a turbot is pan-fried in butter and John Torode doesn’t taste it, does it still exist?’
Author and podcaster Dent’s takeover from Wallace was first reported last week, with a source telling the Sun that Dent is seen as ‘the perfect choice’ for the show.
John Torode’s wife Lisa Faulkner has voiced her support for Dent, responding to a BBC post announcing her appointment with three ‘raising hands’ emojis and a heart, writing: ‘Go Grace!’
In 2022, Dent extraordinarily quit I’m A Celeb after ‘losing all her energy’ in camp and reaching breaking point ahead of doing another Bushtucker Trial.
Prior to her jungle entrance, the food critic revealed she would be ‘strong and resilient’ in camp due to her past tragedies.
Author and podcaster Dent’s takeover from Wallace was first reported last week, with a source telling the Sun that Dent is seen as ‘the perfect choice’ for the show
John Torode ’s wife Lisa Faulkner has voiced her support for Grace Dent after she was named as Gregg Wallace’s Celebrity MasterChef replacement
Restaurant critic Grace, 51, is set to step in to judge the next series amid an external review into historical allegations of misconduct that have been made against Gregg
Dent had previously vowed never to take part in I’m A Celeb, describing the show as ‘a puerile venture into starvation, televised constipation and animal cruelty, abbreviated by ads for Iceland £1 curries’.
A source close to the MasterChef star told MailOnline at the time: ‘Grace decided to leave the jungle soon after it was announced that she would be doing the latest Bushtucker Trial.
‘Knowing that she would be facing another tough challenge was the straw that broke the camel’s back.’
They continued: ‘It was mutually agreed upon that she would stand down from the competition, it was clear that she wasn’t being herself, she had lost all energy when usually she’s witty and fun to be around.
‘ITV’s duty of care and welfare teams had stepped in, and rightly so.
‘She had struggled since living in the camp with less amenities, the weather this year has been particularly miserable and as a restaurant critic, not eating well proved to be harder than she could have ever imagined.
‘Grace is looking forward to seeing her loved ones now and after a few days of rest and recovery will be fine.’
Wallace has faced a series of complaints about his alleged behaviour, including claims he made inappropriate sexual jokes, shared intimate details of his sex life and even walked around set naked except for a penis on his sock.
Wallace’s lawyers have said it is false he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature.
MailOnline have approached a representative of Grace Dent and the BBC for a comment.  Â
