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MasterChef Australia

The first taste of TEN's new reality series spun FremantleMedia's lazy susan of audition devices previously employed for singers & dancers. But the real test is to come.

mcp“You’re going to Sydney!”

TEN served up it’s new reality series MasterChef Australia tonight cooked with a splash of colour, personalities and ambitions as its mid year main course.

The search to transform an amateur cook into the next big thing in the food industry will become stripped television, airing six nights a week.

For Australia it is a new format, with a new television host and new judges. The question is whether it can be eaten up by a new audience.

The first episode focussed on its searches in Sydney and Adelaide. 7500 people applied to be on the show. Some made it to these city cook-offs.

The show began safely, with a montage of what was to follow with a voice-over hyping up the stakes (or is that steaks?) and moments of drama.

Host Sarah Wilson introduced us to the Sydney cook offs with shots of the Sydney Opera House and queues of hopeful contestants. You could be mistaken for thinking you had tuned in to another reality show.

Select contestants soon followed in profile. Here contestants had an hour to cook and five minutes to serve up their best dish for three well-fed judges Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston.

Alas, several contestants didn’t cut the mustard until one woman was embraced, literally, for her home-cooked style as a tasty and honest dish.

Across the Sydney auditions the format stuck like glue to other FremantleMedia reality shows. Two judges have even borrowed Jason Coleman’s trademark “yeah?” (“We’re expecting something bam, yeah?” / “I want to see it, yeah?”).

Some contestants emerged jubilant to the waiting throng, elated they were ‘going to Sydney.’ Had they just sung a song or danced? Not quite.

Adelaide chefs were next, as Wilson told us the huddled masses were waiting to find out who would be Australia’s next MasterChef. Make that first MasterChef, Sarah? Reiterate the brand, perhaps…

But Adelaide failed to get the message, as it seemingly always does when TEN visits for reality television. At Mehigan’s insistence, Calombaris had to bark at the contestants to lift their game. Lo and behold, the next cook was a wonder. It’s a technique often employed by FremantleMedia -in fact so was the show.

The audition week on its first outing played it unexcitingly safe. A lazy susan of devices for auditioning singers and dancers was applied to chefs here. But cooking doesn’t translate anywhere near as well as singing or dancing. We  don’t smell or taste the dishes in the same way as when we are moved by song or watching dancers crumble in such a tele-visual heap. So it’s up to the judges to do it for us.

At first glance Preston is very good, larger than life, with an easily communicated character. He’s like a royal taste tester with an upper-class delivery. He’d have been perfectly good fronting his own show once a week. Mehigan, Calombaris -and for that matter Wilson- are yet to really prove their stuff. At least they weren’t pigeon-holed into good judge / bad judge.

This preliminary week is not the real test. That comes next week when MasterChef moves into its weeknight challenges. Then it will be up to viewers to take the taste test and decide if MasterChef works as an expanded feast or is just a television progressive dinner.

3_starsMasterChef Australia airs Sunday – Friday nights on TEN.

92 Responses

  1. I love MasterChef, but I am truly confused by Gary’s comment to Jay that with his ingredients he could have done more by making a choux pastry……! Choux pastry is French…the theme was Spanish! Be fair Gary!!!

  2. Tonight I have watched Masterchef for the last time this competition is meant to be about who cooks the best food, Just felt how Cleo went out was so unfair , end of story.

  3. sorry to say this but u guys have absolutely no idea what italian cooking is all about , when u guys judged tiramisu all of u had not even the faintest idea what tirmisu should look like or taste like ! like americans ur adding to the bastardasation of italian cooking . Just look what all ur great food chains bastardised pizza !hooo u know what i mean?

  4. Why does Gary, who is “English” use a knife live a stabbing implement’? e.g. A knife in a persons right hand, is Not a weapon. ! The handle od a knife should be hidden.!

    Yet Gary uses the knife as if he wants to stab someone. The handle is sticking out of his right hand. So much for U.K. manners.? Twitter.

    Gary, should have observed from” educated’ and ‘famious people. ” how to use a knife.! (Over the past 14 weeks.) of Master Chef.’ “Manners” in Australia.

    Gary, Take it on board for future programs ” how to use a knife” Regards, Diana. Australia.

  5. The fellow who ended up cooking both dishes on his own was a complete jackass towards the lady who walked away. Saw the footage of him being a y gen pratt showing he wanted to control both the desert and the main. I can’t believe his getting another chance. Jerk.

  6. Jay! Your talking about Chris, with his hat. For goodness sake take a look at the Julie, with Sweat pouring into the food she is cooking. Or cutting her finger and blood gushing everywhere. Chris is a dam sight cleaner than she is. She has bloody flour and crap all over the place. Look around you and I would prefer Chris cooking for me thats for sure.

  7. Julie should have been voted off the other night because her food is simple and she didnt even serve it up properly. She probably got to the finals because of her speech and she started sooking. Anyways she won so theres nothing I can do but be happy for her.

  8. I think that Poh should have one, but Julie did.
    That was unfair because the judges gave Julie help and showed favour towards her. Poh is obviously the better cook as she is creative and is always being commented about her food. Julie probably only won because of her cook book ideas.
    Last nights show was rigged.

  9. I wont be watching the final, just like I did not watch Friday night. Chris should definately be in the running. I dont know how Julie has got through this week. My unreserved comment is that she should not have, and I smell a rat. Chris was possibly pushed aside by the “family values” the other night. Either way, he was unfortunate to come up against a female guest judge, that worked against him.
    Yeah, it was a contrived disgrace.

  10. I just love Master Chef!! I have fallen in love with the judges especially Garry, they are encouraging, caring and very fair with their comments. Recently I was in Sydney looking after my daughter who had an illness, and my tiny 4 year old grandaughter just loved watching Master Chef with me (if she misbehaved during the day she was not allowed to stay up and watch Master Chef and it ‘worked’, each night she would pull up a chair so she could reach the bench top where I was preparing dinner and asked could she help. God love her she helped by covering the chicken in breadcrumbs and beating the egg, amazingly not making a mess, she was extremely happy and asking questions. When Poh got voted off she cried she said I love Poh. She was extremely happy when Poh came back and she is now eagerly waiting to see what happens tonight.

    Congratulations on such a wonderful entertaining family show with such beautiful caring judges, I am unable to put into words how much I enjoy the show. The contestants have all been wonderful!!!!

    “Would have loved to sample the Chocolate Mouse cake, made my mouth water”.

    Thanks again for such a wonderful family show.

    Love Annette Keane

  11. I think keeping julie in was unfair for just 1 simple answer needed she didn’t even finish putting her food on the plate. They kept her there because they felt sorry for her and she sold her cookbook idea very well with all those tears . Chris is a much better chief …Bring him back …. unhappy viewer here you can keep your next season master chief

  12. I realised monday what the show was all about ,its nothing to do with who can cook,its all about what will get the most in rating ,i will not be watching anymore.

  13. What an absolute Joke. I never write or reply to events on TV but i had to tonite. When Chris was voted out after being the best through out and completeing his dishes and Julie who didnt finish at all but puts on this sob story to get the vote is just crap. All her food is covered in her own sweat yuk. I will not be waching the final because i already know the result. Im a South Aussie and I hope Po kicks her a*s all the way back to the soup kitchen where she belongs. What a joke!!!

  14. That decision tonight was a complete travesty!!! How a person can get through serving up raw food one night, a tart that was a puddle another night and then get through to the final without even finishing? What a complete joke this makes of the whole show. The other two completed their breif, but she fumbles through on plain Pedestrian home cooked food.It’ MasterChef !! Not master homecooking!. My family loved this show, but now… you have lost us, and many others…fools

  15. What a joke ,i have been watching this show from the start but after tonight show i will not bother to watch again.It not about who can cook the best,its about who they think will get them the best rating shame on the judges.

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