The 25-year-old Territory stockman is one of 22 contestants vying for the estimated $250,000 cash prize and the opportunity to elevate his cooking career.

Lynton said he dreamed of opening the first hatted restaurant in the Northern Territory, and has a keen culinary interest in Asian tastes and flavours, finding this influence on trips to Darwin as a child.

“I grew up loving the freshness of Asian food as a counterbalance to the meat and three veg back on the property,” Lynton said.

"My mum had a pantry and growing up I was fascinated by all the mysterious items she would put up on the high shelves after her trip to Darwin ... star anise, juniper berries, assorted dried fruits.”

The Top End stockman grew up on the remote family owned Maryfield and Mountain Valley cattle stations in the Roper Bar, about 230km south east of Katherine.

Lynton has been in lock-down in Melbourne with limited contact with the outside world since February when filming began, but was in close contact to his sister Emily.

“Emily was the driving force to get me on Masterchef,” Lynton said.

“She thought it would be a great experience for me.”

His father Ben Tapp said the producers appeared to be setting Lynton up as “the star of the show” after his son featured in commercials promoting the television program since the beginning of May.

The young Masterchef-to-be said he hoped the show would give him the skills and exposure to techniques that will take his food dream to the next level.

> For related stories: Our Masterchef Lynton cooks up a storm