Celebrity chef Matt Moran says he couldn't care less about MasterChef's fall in ratings because it remains among Australia's most viewed television shows.
Now in its fourth season, the six-nights-per-week show has gone from a ratings juggernaut to a mere hit.
It remains in the top ten most viewed TV shows but recently dipped below one million viewers.
Moran, a regular guest on the show, said six to seven million viewers a week meant MasterChef still qualified as a "phenomenon".
"I think it's become bigger and better," he told AAP while in Perth to promote the federal government's "T-QUAL tick" symbol signifying quality in tourism-related businesses.
"I'm proud to be a part of MasterChef.
"But nothing lasts forever."
The show had substantially helped improve Australia's culinary culture, Moran said, the proof being 10-year-olds approaching him with the excitement of meeting a rock star to quiz him about food.
While TV commentators have attributed the ratings drop to the focus on simpler food - rather than the molecular gastronomy savoured in previous series - Moran said MasterChef aimed to appeal to all tastes.
Moran's next stop is Broome in Western Australia's Kimberley, a region he describes as the most striking he'd ever seen.
"Doing this work with T-QUAL, you see how beautiful this place is and the people are so friendly," he said.
"We have some of the best places in the world in Australia."
But Australian tourism was doing it "tough".
"Tourism needs all the help it can get with the Australian dollar being so high," he said.
