'We'd spend 12 to 14 hours a day filming': Former MasterChef runner-up Ben Ungermann reveals behind-the-scenes secrets and says Gary Mehigan is '100 per cent the toughest judge' By Kristy Johnson For Daily Mail Australia Published: 15:22 BST, 26 May 2019 | Updated: 16:23 BST, 26 May 2019 1 Viewcomments He finished runner-up in 2017's season nine of MasterChef. And Ben Ungermann revealed behind-the-scenes secrets, in an interview with news.com.au published on Sunday. The 35-year-old, who opened an ice cream parlour in his hometown of Ipswich, dished on the hours spent filming and living away from home for seven months. 'We'd spend 12 to 14 hours a day filming': Former MasterChef runner-up Ben Ungermann (pictured), 35, revealed behind-the-scenes secrets to News Corp on Sunday Ben told News Corp while at the Ubud Food Festival in Bali last month, that the application form was 30 pages long and took him an entire day to complete. After making it to the first elimination, Ben revealed how producers wanted to see contestants crack under pressure. 'The producers kind of stitch you up by saying you have one hour exactly, but they don't tell you where anything is, so you could spend 15 minutes looking for your equipment and have only 45 minutes to cook,' he said. Ben, who has appeared on MasterChef Holland and Indonesia, also spilled the beans on what it's like to live in a house with 24 complete strangers. Time away from home: Ben (pictured) said, 'viewers don't realise contestants sacrifice a year of their lives' with five months of filming, followed by seven months living in a house with no access to the outside world 'Viewers don't realise contestants on MasterChef sacrifice a year of their lives,' he said. Ben explained how auditioning takes five months, followed by seven months living in a house with no money or access to the outside world. 'We'd spend 12 to 14 hours a day filming, and every evening I'd study for another four or five hours and survive on three or four hours sleep,' he said. Ben also revealed Gary Mehigan to be '100 per cent the toughest judge' on the show. Second: Ben placed runner-up to Diana Chan (right) on MasterChef's ninth season in 2017 Ben's secrets come after season four's Alice Zaslavsky told Domain in May 2017 that the judges eat cold food. 'Once you finish cooking, they take your plate away and shoot it with an overhead camera so it looks fresh,' she revealed. 'Then all of the dishes go straight into the fridge, while the cast and crew would break for lunch.' 'When your name was called, you'd walk up and put your dish on the bench, then they'd show that overhead shot,' Alice continued. 'The judges put a fork in, eat a mouthful of the cold gloop for the cameras and pretend it's the first time they've tasted it.' Ice cream king: He has since opened an ice cream parlour in his hometown of Ipswich, and is about to open another in Bali Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility