MasterChef’s nine minutes of excess fat
MasterChef's 90 minute episode actually ran from 7pm to 8:39pm. Yet it was pre-recorded. Why?
- Published by David Knox
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Today many viewers are venting their anger over the decision to eliminate Chris Badenoch from MasterChef Australia.
Readers on this site, as well as the forums on the official website, are unhappy that having delivered consistent dishes he was banished from the finale over a cookbook vision. In truth the judges weren’t happy with the taste of his final meal, but as readers point out, Julie had not even finished plating and has seen highs and lows all week. Alas, that’s life in reality television.
Many are unhappy with guest judge Donna Hay having such influence at a crucial stage. Indeed, there could well be reason next year to consider “blind judging” across the final week. As successful and as excellent as the show has been, it has not been without some questionable bending of the rules, most notably bringing back eliminated contestants.
Meanwhile TEN should also be slapped for screening the show from 7pm to 8:39pm. But the show was pre-recorded.
Does the word ‘edit’ no longer equate in this country?
It was already boosted from its 30 and 60 minute editions, padded out with flashbacks to character journeys of the final three. And still it couldn’t come in under 90minutes…
On Sunday night we will all be suckered in by 120 minutes as Poh and Julie face off in the pre-recorded finale.
What are the chances Glee will actually start on time, please?
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70 Responses
that’s common practice on network Nine.
I think a big factor is the increase in length and frequency of ad breaks, prime time ad breaks clock over 4 minutes regularly, almost double the length of ads 10 years ago.
Shame on you TEN!
Hey it says I voted in the poll when I actually haven’t?! Worse still, it has the pro-Chris option as my answer! Argh!
The funny thing about Julie’s cookbook concept is that I already have that book. A friend gave me a cookbook a few years ago, the first part of the book has photos and history of the chef/cook. The middle part of the book is recipes, each with a short story telling of the relevence of the dish. The last part of the book is blank with places for family photos, stories and recipes.
Sounds an awful lot like the book that Julie was pitching really ???
You may call it favoritism, but i reckon chris’ elimination was an outrage. He was a true aussie cook and probably the only real talent this competition had left. Between Julie always cracking under pressure and Poh winning every challenge, and he was Poh’s only competition for the final. Now, Poh is certain to win. Something smells fishy though, Poh always gets a thumbs up or wins these tests… Do i smell favoritism, or maybe even the smell of new money?
I won’t watch the final episodes after the dumping of Chris. I watched the show develop and enjoyed the nature of the competition, but after all these weeks I have had enough.
Chris was repeatedly told that the dish was for the front cover of a cookbook – that visiting ‘expert’ (all her books have now been tossed in the garbage) kept saying ‘you need brown, lots of brown’ and then said ‘there’s too much brown’ to the other judges. I’ve met these two faced people in life – wouldn’t waste a moment on their opinion.
But to give Chris the heave after Julie doesn’t plate up anything other than a couple chunks of meat and some very ordinary spuds and a slice of American brownie is beyond belief. She served up a main that the judges couldn’t taste a night earlier (uncooked – Uncooked for heaven’s sake) and then a ‘puddle’ (ie Not a pie but a bleedin puddle) tells me something must be horribly wrong in that kitchen.
Or is that the point – the Real All-Aussie Master I Was Gonna Do It Chef? One thing all Australian’s hate is inequity and hypocrisy – well I voted with the remote control – adios you tossers.
I cannot believe Donna Hay was a judge on Masterchef! I’ve been to her cooking demos, boring in the extreme, and so basic, totally unimpressed with her personality and cooking.
I think chris is great, he knows how to cook!! Just because he hasn’t got ‘reality tv’ personality, people may not have liked him. I think he has a vision and has stuck to it, he represents good, wholesome, well cooked, fresh cooking. Julie didn’t finish her plates properly and therefore should have gone home, don’t get me wrong, nice lady, but Chris should have been in the final and ultimately should have won! He would have produced a great cookbook representing Aus, whereas Poh will cook Malaysian and Julie, housewife basic.
All the best for the future, Chris, i’ll eat at your restaurant, no probs.
No excuses. For a pre-recorded show (with endless flashbacks, no less), it shouldn’t have exceeded the allotted timeslot. I can understand if a live show ran overtime, but this is ridiculous.
Lazy editors. 😛
As long as Ten keeps their EPG up to date, as they have been doing on Foxtel at least, I don’t care how long the show goes. FTA’s are A-graders at stuffing my IQ recordings up.
I have noticed Sea Patrol starting pretty much at 8:30 Mondays and not 8:35 or 8:40.
TEN could have it run 2 hours and kill in the ratings.
I’m not in any hurry to see Glee (phfft!), but seriously Ten and every network, if you know it’s gonna run late, tell us – we don’t care so long as you’re up front about it…
There’s nothing worse than thinking it’s gona run for even longer overdue and coming back to see the next show has started…
TEN tell us each night to the minute what time the sport will start, I wish they’d do the same for shows like MC which are serial offenders.
Any one in the industry who knows what they are doing and have the knowledge how food should be cooked and presented would have known Chris as the winner. As for the so called chefs they should go back and learn from the beginning.We all know Poh was eliminated so why was she back? As for Julie she did not even plated her food and she is the winner what a joke my friends and family including my self won’t ever watch master or shall i say disaster chef ever again.
Chris may not have put much thought into his presentation, but Julie didn’t even Finish plating. I’d’ve thought that something looks better than nothing, no matter how brown. Or is Julie just that good that she doesn’t even need to finish? Judging from how many times she’s been up for elimination, I doubt it.
It’s normal for shows to run overtime, I’m sure that happens to Nine and Seven as well. Oh well. It kinda made sense to me that they brought back three eliminated contestants, I think they did so during the final 6 there are 6 contestants left, or I’m just wrong.
Eh, I was happy that Chris finally left even though he’s a pretty good cook. It’s too bad that they were testing around the concept of cook books yesterday, part of the prize is releasing their own cookbook . . .
@Angry Face:
I use Windows 7 for my media centre PCs since the 3rd party EPGs aren’t overly reliable. For recording shows it is a bit annoying having to go through say “The Simpsons” and “All New Simpsons” but it isn’t all that bad really.
If TEN offered online EPG data I’d be in heaven. Oh, Seven, Nine – this includes you too.
@AKA Suzy – I suppose I did get a bit detailed and technical there. heh.
Basically, I use a computer program to record TV. When you look at the TV guide on your TV, it is written by the TV stations. My program doesn’t work with that TV guide, so I use an ‘unofficial’ one.
So when shows run over time (eg, MasterChef ending at 8:39pm, rather than 8:30pm), I don’t get an updated guide – mine still says 8:30pm. So I either miss the ending of the show, or I miss the ending of the show that airs after it. This really annoys me.
I did try using the ‘official’ TV guide, in a different version of the computer program. But when I told the program to record “The Simpsons”, it missed some, because Channel Ten sometimes have it written as “The Simpsons”, sometimes as “All-new Simpsons”, and sometimes as “Simpsons Marathon”. Seven did it too, with “Thank God You’re Here Season Final”. Their information isn’t consistent, which means I was missing shows, so I went back to the guide I was using before, which always calls it “The Simpsons”, but it doesn’t know when shows run overtime.
In summary, I hate it when shows run overtime. Especially when they are pre-recorded and can easily be edited to fit into the correct time slot, but are not. The amount of times I missed the start of Spicks and Specks because Thank God You’re Here ran overtime was ridiculous.
Angry face – what?
I hate it when shows run overtime. My television is Windows Vista Media Center, and even with padding, I occasionally miss the start/end of various things. VMC doesn’t support the EIT EPG data, so I use the oztivo.net data, which goes with their original scheduled time of ending at 8:30pm.
I did try the Windows 7 Media Center (as it supports EIT), but apart from the frequent crashing, I found it horribly annoying that when I scheduled a series recording for “The Simpsons”, I missed “All-New Simpsons” and “Simpsons Marathon”, and my series recording for “Thank God You’re Here” wasn’t going to record “Thank God You’re Here Season Final”. The EIT data is not consistent. So I went back to Vista, and the oztivo.net data.
It was a discrace that the producers/judges allowed Dona to sway them to put Julie through, when clearly she shouldnt of been.
Disgusted with the way this show took its eye of the ball.
I’m happy Chris went. But i agree that the last week the judges should be taken out of the room and do a blind taste test. That is not knowing who cooked what dishes. It’s the only fair way. I’m worried about how the final will be decided cos this is a new show i have no idea how they do it, anyone who’s seen the uk version know?? But still glad Chris is gone. Go Poh!!
“and by the way I threw out the Donna Hay book that someone gave for Christmas!!”
Livia, that just seems wasteful? Talk about throwing your rattle out of your pram.
I agree with Craig. And thank God no more hocks and snouts. Next time I’ll shave your face Chris and pan fry with a little oil. Oh and over runs Who. Cares.
There is no question – Chris was unfairly eliminated last night.
The fact that Julie’s strong vision for her cookbook combined with three dishes of which two were plated up unfinished (the “basic lamb plate” was definitely questionable) were her winning mojo is indeed nonsense.
Having been professionally involved with the Restaurant Industry for 25 years, I have followed the show from the very start of the series – it is a fantastic concept, well executed and produced and I will continue to support it. However last night MC was just a tad off key … were Chris’s dishes that bad??
The guest appearance of Donna Hay was in fact a total loss for MasterChef.
Chris will no doubt be supported in his venture by those who have the eyes with which “to see”.
I personally look forward to eating in his establishment.
We are going to record it as there were far too many flashbacks and ad’s which spoil the flow of the show…..easy as !!
I have never watched a show that was so biased. Donna Hay was a disgrace. The type of cooking that Julie does is right up Ms Hay’s alley and she fell for the “oh woe is me” attitude that Julie has been serving up from the start. If she wins Masterchef then the whole show is a sham. I never thought I would say this but next year get some judges who actually have the guts to tell the truth and not be so insipid about elimating guests who deserve to go. What a shame we couldn’t have a finale with two people that deserve it and by the way I threw out the Donna Hay book that someone gave for Christmas!!