MasterChef Australia: Show finally addresses Ben Ungermann's sudden exit

MasterChef Australia: Back to Win finally addressed Ben Ungermann's mysterious departure from the show.

On last night's episode, Ungermann was noticeably absent from the elimination round and judge Jock Zonfrillo revealed that a "personal matter" had led to Ben's sudden exit.

"You're probably wondering where Ben is," Jock told the contestants at the start of the episode. "Due to a personal matter, Ben has had to leave the competition, and he will not be returning."

Jock's announcement at the start of the program was quickly followed by details of the challenge they were about to compete in. It was clear that the reality cooking show wouldn't be going into any more details about Ben leaving prematurely.

During twist week, it was noted that he was already missing from an episode that Katy Perry starred in. When the camera panned to the contestants watching the immunity challenge from the gantry, Ben was not in attendance. But he did appear later in the episode for the MasterClass which was seemingly filmed prior to the incident.

In April, Ben acknowledged that he would be leaving after he replied to a fan's comment on Instagram.

"I'm actually devastated," the fan wrote to him. "How do they edit you out?"

"That's up to MasterChef Australia," he replied. "Appreciate the support."

Last week, Ben turned off the comments on his Instagram account. However, he has continued to post regularly on his channel.

On March 20, it was reported that Ben would have a short-lived run on the show after being arrested by police.

"We can confirm Ben Ungermann has left the MasterChef Australia competition. As this is a police matter, we will not be making further comment," the spokesperson told the Herald Sun.

Ben first appeared on MasterChef in 2017, where he placed runner-up to Diana Chan in the competition. He was a fan favourite to take out the title in the current season of the show with a penchant for making quality ice cream.

After a successful run on the show two years ago, he opened an ice-cream parlour with his brother, Danny, called Ungermann Brothers. They recently opened their second store on the Gold Coast last year.