Shelley Seid meets Alvin Quah, one of 2010 season's five finalists

MasterChef Australia, the reality cooking show in which 24 amateur cooks compete and are eliminated en route to the top prize, is a smash hit worldwide.

It has generated two spin-off series, a handful of cookbooks, and a monthly magazine. It's been described as a cross between Big Brother, The Amazing Race and Top Chef, with a good dollop of heart and soul.

A pivotal moment for we lucky few fans was to be milling around the exhibition centre at the Durban leg of the Good Food and Wine show. Suddenly, there he was: Alvin. The man who won a mystery box challenge on a salad of snails, pickled rhubarb and white chocolate. He has been voted the most popular MasterChef Australia contestant, which is how he came to be standing in front of us, rustling up an Asian-inspired chicken soup and promising to spill the beans about life in the MasterChef house.

Describe a typical week on MasterChef

It's about endurance more than anything else. We were in the studio six days a week, often from 5am until 10pm. Day One, Mystery Box; Day Two, Invention Test; Day Three, Pressure Test; Day Four, Celebrity Chef Challenge; Day Five Master Class. On Saturdays, interviews for the episode inserts. We had most Sundays off unless we had to begin a team challenge. The filming took place over eight months.

What was it like having cameras continually in your face?

We all responded differently. If I did something wrong, I would keep quiet, because I didn't want the camera to focus on the mistake but Aaron, for example, would act up and then the cameras would hone in on him. People love a drama.

What strategies did you use to get attention?

In the mystery box challenge, the audience only gets to see the three best and three worst dishes so I eventually decided to throw caution to the wind and added the craziest ingredients. I remember cooking next to Jonathan, who was always very restrained, and he looked at what I was doing and said, 'Come on, use them all, I dare you.' So I did.

Speaking of Jonathan, you made some comment in the beginning about how difficult he was. What was that all about?

I'll never live that down. Jonathan is a bit of an introvert and living with 24 people was very difficult. He is very honest and offends people because he is so blunt. But we became good friends and I spent the next three months apologising for 'villainising' him.

Who else did you become friendly with?

Marion, Adele and Skye. The four of us shared a room in the house, the master bedroom that had an amazing bathroom with mirrors on the ceiling. We called it The Porn Room. On the lowest floor, 12 of the contestants shared an open space with bunk beds and a tiny bathroom. It was called The Pit.

Living with 24 cooks must have been a challenge?

At the outset, all 24 of us wanted to cook. We would put in our food orders with the sponsor and everything we wanted would be delivered to the house. It was carnage in the kitchen and Generation Y- Callum, for example - never cleaned up. Later, when the group became smaller, we all got competitive and aside from Marion, no one wanted to share their skills. I was only prepared to cook things I'd already made on the show!

What was it like when Marion left?

We couldn't believe it. We had all been happy to bask in her shadow and were worried that no one would want to watch anymore.

So is the programme true to life? Were you all the best of friends? And why did you all cry so much?

With lots of personalities, factions inevitably develop, but we respected each other for what we cooked and I think we all genuinely liked each other. What you see on TV is exactly what we are like; they can't edit your personality. As for the crying, it happened so often that we eventually kept a log. Claire won. The crying was a result of stress and sleep deprivation. We all had our triggers. Mine was my mother. I never cry about her normally yet there I was, crying as if she were dead. It became a conversation piece.

How did you get on with the judges? Did they have favourites?

Of course they did. In fact in MasterChef 2011, the judges were asked to bring back their favourite contestant for a Master Class and Matt Preston picked me. He is a lovely guy, and was always my favourite judge. I really wanted him to like my food. Gary is a great mentor; he's like a dad, and George is antsy and temperamental. He is a real perfectionist.

Did the show change your life?

Absolutely, and I'm so grateful. It's been a year and I am still invited to events. I have a slot on a TV cooking programme, a blog - cinnamonpig.com.au - and a cookbook in the pipeline. You don't stop to think of the outcome when you are on the show, all you think about is how stressed you are. I recommend that anyone who wants to do it should - yet I could never do it again!