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MasterChef burnt in reality cook-off

Ratings: It was a helluva challenge on MasterChef, but everybody was watching My Kitchen Rules.

2013-02-13_0936It was arguably the toughest challenge MasterChef had ever undertaken, but it was overlooked by many of Tuesday’s audience.

Two contestants served up a 3 course meal for 120 guests but only one would survive. At just 524,000 viewers it proved to be something of a metaphor against My Kitchen Rules (1.92m) and to a lesser extent, The Block (926,000).

Seven again won the night with network share of 37.3% then Nine 24.2%, TEN 17.1%, ABC 16.3% and SBS  5.1%.

Seven won from 6pm onwards, including a first win for the new look Today Tonight. It was a better episode than Monday, albeit with some technical hiccups for Sydney and Melbourne. Aside from the might of MKR, next for Seven was Packed to the Rafters (1.33m), Seven News (1.11m), Today Tonight (1.09m), Home and Away (963,000), Deal or No Deal (435,000) and Castle (383,000).

Nine News (1.12m) led for Nine then a new Big Bang Theory (992,000), The Block (926,000 / 919,000), ACA (922,000), 2 Broke Girls (604,000), Hot Seat (587,000), Two and a Half Men (435,000), Anger Management (269,000) and Embarrassing Bodies (214,000).

NCIS (697,000) was the best of TEN’s bunch then TEN News (644,000), NCIS: LA (533,000), Masterchef (524,000) and The Project (481,000). The Simpsons was 277,000.

On ABC1 it was ABC News (962,000) a New Tricks repeat (702,000), 7:30 (693,000), Foreign Correspondent (616,000), Grand Designs (247,000) and Next Stop Hollywood (225,000).

Who Do You Think You Are? and Insight were both on 184,000 viewers for SBS ONE then World News Australia (160,000) and Dateline (146,000).

Neighbours led multichannels with 247,000.

Tuesday 12 February 2013.

30 Responses

  1. I have never watched either and laugh that the discussion focuses on both.
    @ Mason I too hope Ch 10 dramas do well.
    @ Dewit 2 million are not wrong, everyone has different tastes! The high figures indicate it is popular.
    I think it is trashy TV and I only get that from the heavily promoted adverts! If you enjoy it great.
    I think it is a shame that this style of reality show and ‘talent’ shows rates higher than well scripted and acted Aussie drama.

  2. I’m watching both but Masterchef is by far the superior show with a much more stimulating cast and more interesting challenges. I’m on the verge of quitting MKR with the lack of cooking talent and tabloid caricatures. And I want to put duct tape over the screen where the bloody tweets appear.

  3. Thoroughly enjoyed Masterchef Professionals last night. Great viewing and was glad that michael got through as he is one of my fav chefs on the show. Was so bored watching MKR last night. I don’t know how much more I can watch of this round of instant restaurants. Though I am curious to watch tonights take on healthier cooking by the nsw duo.

  4. All that glitters is not gold my friends.
    It would seem there is a set of psedo-intellectuals that are blinded by the (ever fading) shine of the masterchef brand.
    This show is old and stale (like its ever-dwindling fans I fear) in comparrison to MKR.

    MKR is most certainly the best Australain primetime show on TV at the moment. Over 2 million people cant be wrong. It’s made for the people – and this is just a small part of its brillaince.
    It is genius in its design on so many other levels too.

    Maybe the words from one of your cloth will help you see the light…
    abc.net.au/radionational/programs/thelist/my-kitchen-rules/4512676

  5. It’s a shame seeing MCP being pummeled in the ratings as cooking wise it is far superior to MKR. MKR is more focused on personalities & ‘storylines’ than cooking.

  6. I did not add this to my previous post fearing a rap across my digital knuckles for not being succinct, and because of thunderstorms and old age hearing loss and headphones, can anybody advise if it was 120 or 180 guests last night please?

  7. Wait … Castle was on last night? Why is it on so late and multiple times a week. It deserves a consistent 8:30pm slot where it could get some good numbers, now I can’t keep up.

  8. I think David has summed it in a couple of his news items, saying that MCP will be where the professional chefs will prepare meals we will probably only see on MCP, but probably never eat, overseen by one of the best chefs in the world, and another time he ended his page, saying it comes down to ‘perceptions'(or words to that effect, I’m to lazy to search back, so I could quote).
    But last night again, and as on many other nights, to me one of the best chefs in the world, has been responsible for some pretty lousy meals reaching diners, sometimes for the sake of only a couple of minutes extra, to meet his own preconceived dead line?
    Last night he again even judged against meals that were returned uneaten for being underdone, and not to many diners satisfaction, I wonder what their “Perception and Appreciation” would have been, if they had waited a couple minutes longer to receive a medium rare(safest for the mass produced) meal instead of the many near raw offerings, and I wonder how many perceptions changed as they munched on Kerbab’s as they returned home?

    Unfortunately many High Class Meals prepared by World Class Chef’s in High Priced Eateries, require a taste that must be acquired(sometime by some High Class Snobs), and unfortunately many of us will never have enough $$$$ to acquire such tastes, and is often after occasional visits(night out) to some of these eateries, many leave unimpressed and possibly even feel a little ripped off?

    Could this explain the popularity differences between MKR and MCP?

  9. @smit0847, I would love to see an older couple on MKR, say a couple in their 60’s. There are too many incompetent Gen X and Yers. That said, a number of the females on the show this year are truly vile. First the Spice Girls and now that truly diabolical pair from WA plus those tiresome girls from Adelaide. They had a preview of two of the gatecrashers last night – gee what a surprise, they were bitchy females. I think the casting of this show is terrific but I have a feeling they have overdosed this year on Alpha female, hyper competitive, vicious pieces of work.

  10. Agree with those saying MCP is superior to MKR. That said I watch both, along with The Block. The “encore” editions certainly make it possible to watch all. Love that the focus of MCP is on the food and service – what is required in the industry – and that the contestants are people in the industry. MKR definitely seems to be more focused on personalities rather than ability.

  11. Gotta say I have not seen alot of either MCP or MKR…but have to say MCP is such a better produced show. It looks so much better. MKR is cheap and nasty. Here is TEN giving us quality and people will not watch. It’s a joke what many Australians want to watch on TV. The Block is the same….cheap production full of advertorials. And then there is TT and ACA…I just don’t understand it. Thank god for the ABC

  12. @people that dont understand the popularity contrast between MKR and MCpro. i think it is a fundemental principal from television 101. People do not watch tv to be enlightened or educated, primetime tv is primarily a means of entertainment and relaxation after a long days work. MKR offers more, so people watch it.

    i watched the first 2 weeks of MCpro and thought there was a lot of talent, but it was a boring show with a boring cast. MKR is a easy choice.

  13. Im very surprised the 2nd round of contestants on MKR are rating this highly – they are not nearly as interesting as the 1st round.

    If they’re going for personalities over abilities on this show (as opposed to MCP) they could have got some far more interesting people. What about a lesbian couple? What about an elderly couple?

  14. +1 to bettestreep.

    I think it’s an indication that people want to hiss a baddie and MCP doesn’t have them, which I like.

    I think 10 is still on the nose and they don’t look like getting out of their slump any time soon, which is a shame because they have some great shows. I guess they did it to themselves though.

    They have some good Aussie dramas coming so hopefully that will help. Anything they slate should start after MKR (as in 8.45) finishes otherwise they can forget it.

  15. mj – totally agree that MCP is far superior to that rubbish MKR.

    Just can’t understand why MKR is outrating it 4 to 1.

    I think the problem with it is that Ten overdosed on promoting Marco Pierre White as some sort of monster that made Gordon Ramsay cry.

    That’s why viewers are flocking to MKR – some of the contestants are truly vile and somehow this is what Australians want to watch.

    I received an email asking me if I would watch MKR anymore now that the Spice Girls were out! No doubt they’ll bring them back as a gate crasher just to stir things up again.

    And last night the MKR promos were focusing on a couple ‘cheating’ but when I tuned in – after MCP – the ‘cheating’ couple came in second on the tallyboard!

    The promos for tonight’s episode are now focusing on one couple getting tens and another couple boasting that they are going to mark them down so they don’t win.

    MCP showed two professional young male chefs working their butts off to serve 120 diners under the supervision of Marco and MKR had cheaters and bitches.

    How sad that this is what Australian TV has become.

  16. Last night’s episode of MCP was great television- two young chef’s in a showdown, fighting to stay in the competition each producing a three course meal for 120 people. This episode had all the elements you could ever want in a cooking show, great stuff. It’s just a pity more people weren’t watching.

  17. Started watching MCP but then stopped… and the reasons?

    Love Marco but only in small doses – and I’ve been a fan of his cooking and aware of his reputation for years. For the average/mainstream punter though, he could be a bit odd and eccentric.

    Also, Professional chefs? Really? Some of them are truly incompetent and therefore as a viewer I feel a bit ripped off. It would have been good if they were all highly capable but then if they were they wouldn’t appear on this show. Therein lies the problem with the concept I think.

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