“It Was a Shock”: Dami Im Recalls the Moment She Was Eliminated From Celebrity MasterChef

On Sunday night, Celebrity MasterChef eliminated their second contestant, and it was one that took viewers by surprise. She’s previously won the X-Factor and has represented Australia at Eurovision, so it’s safe to say, Dami Im is no stranger to working under pressure.

Unfortunately, the MasterChef kitchen was too much to bear and the singer was sent home after a major cheesecake mishap. The 33-year-old spoke to POPSUGAR Australia and told us exactly how she was feeling after last night’s intense dessert challenge.

POPSUGAR Australia: How are you feeling after last night’s pressure test?

Dami Im: It was a shock for me, and just watching that whole disaster unfold is awful and traumatic in a funny way. At the end of the day, I got to be on MasterChef and that was a lot of fun, and I have such great memories just by being a part of that. 

PS: What made you want to compete on Celebrity MasterChef?

DI: I loved the show, it’s such a beautifully made, classy show and when I got asked to be a part of it, I was delighted. I love food and my mum is a good cook and I wanted to share some of my Korean recipes. Also, this year was a funny year, so many of my shows from my tour got cancelled, so it was really good timing to focus on something else for a little bit.

PS: What is something you would do differently if you had another chance to be on the show?

DI: I wish I had a bit more time to practice and refine my recipes, I just had no time to prepare any of it before the show began. So I wish I could practice more desserts and my cheesecake recipe *laughs*. Yeah, just more practice! Because I felt very fresh, I just went with the skills I already had and didn’t really have to fine-tune it.

PS: Can you tell us more about your chosen charity?

DI: I chose Compassion because I’ve been supporting them and sponsoring children since I was 17. So I wanted to support them through this show, and I love what they do and how they work with children who are living in poverty around the world. And how much hope it gives the communities in those poverty-stricken areas, and how much hope and joy Compassion gives, through empowering that community. So I love being able to support them.

PS: What competition was harder? The X-Factor or MasterChef?

DI: I don’t know! I think X-Factor was how I got my start, and how I discovered my fans. It allowed me to have a career that I have as a touring and recording artist. So that was different. But MasterChef is about food and cooking, and it was more for fun than trying to follow my dreams and something I’ve been working on my entire life. I felt like with MasterChef, it was a lot of fun. I had been telling everybody that it was good timing and I did it on purpose so I could promote my album that’s coming out on Friday. So it worked out really well.

PS: What was running through your mind during the elimination challenge?

DI: It was quite intense. When they told us it was going to be a dessert challenge I knew I was in trouble, because I never make dessert at home, it’s not my thing. I don’t like measuring things, because when you’re baking you have to be precise and I’m not a precise person. I just like to throw things in, taste it and make it up as I go, I don’t like to follow recipes. And that doesn’t really work with baking, and I knew I was in big trouble and it got me good. 

PS: Finally, who do you think will win Celebrity MasterChef?

DI: Everybody is different, and each week each person surprised us with their skills so I think it’s really hard to tell. I think everybody will be surprised the more you watch it.