A former MasterChef contestant is in hot water after allegedly being caught more than five times over the drink-drive limit.
Victoria Molly Koszegi, 27, who got the boot from the latest series of the reality show last month, has denied charges of driving with excess blood alcohol and careless driving.
According to court documents, the defendant returned a reading of 262mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 50mg per 100ml.
Koszegi was due to appear in Auckland District Court today but the pleas were entered administratively last week and the matter was adjourned until next month.
She was allegedly stopped behind the wheel on Ponsonby Rd on August 2 and has opted to fight the charges.
But when spoken to she would not confirm on what grounds they would be challenged and refused to comment further.
"I'm actually at work, so I've got to go," said Koszegi, an Auckland real estate agent who lives in Remuera.
Koszegi, who has also completed hotel management and culinary courses in Switzerland and Australia, struggled to adapt to the heat in the MasterChef NZ kitchen.
She was axed after a "double mystery-box challenge", making her 13th in the competition, which is now down to its final five contestants.
"Food's my passion," Koszegi told Josh Emett, one of the show's judges, during a tearful goodbye.
Dr Anna Sandiford of The Forensic Group -- an independent scientific consultancy -- said it was very difficult to calculate how much someone had drunk to get to a certain blood-alcohol level without knowing what they were drinking, how much they had had to eat and what their drinking habits were like.
Koszegi will be back before Auckland District Court at the end of next month.
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