Chef Tom Aviv, who rose to fame by winning the sixth season of MasterChef about a decade ago, says he has spent years trying to separate the real person from the image built around him. In a long interview with Walla’s “Walla Ishi,” he discussed the violent incident outside his restaurant, his past alcohol problem, the breakup of his engagement, the criticism he drew on Dancing with the Stars, and his wish to build a calm family life.
Aviv said he no longer chases attention or social FOMO, and that he has deliberately scaled back his life because he cannot control the story told about him. “I already didn’t know how to distinguish between who I am and who they write about,” he said, adding that some stories were inflated and some were diminished. He also described how, in earlier years, he reacted aggressively to rivals and even once called a competing burger chain owner after believing they copied his packaging.
He said he was deeply affected by the attack case involving a man outside his restaurant, which led him to rethink the “bad boy” persona he had embraced after MasterChef. He also acknowledged heavy drinking, saying alcohol was easy to access in kitchens and that his problem was behavioral rather than physical. He added that he later developed the ability to control it, after nearly two years without drinking.
On Dancing with the Stars, Aviv said the show was physically difficult because of his knee and that public claims he looked drugged were false. He singled out judge David Dvir’s line, “How dare you,” as unnecessary, though he said it gave his exit some message value. Regarding his broken engagement, Aviv said the relationship ended because “it was a whole combination of many things,” and admitted they did not truly try to repair it. Now 38, he says he wants a “settled” life, a family, and less drama, and gave himself until age 42 to get there.
