★★★★★ 0/5

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.

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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. So You Think You Can Cook.

    Seriously, some good cooks and some bad cooks stroll in just as we see a package of their sob story of how they quit their job and all the rest of it. The melodramatic judges then make a big song and dance about how much the person wants it, and announced “You’re Going to Sydney!”. The person then runs out of the audition room screaming excitedly and hugging anybody within reach. I also think I saw one of the judges say “It’s time…to cook for your life” on one of the promos.

    I think I saw the judge that looks like he should be in prison make a big deal about a contestant who wasn’t going “Lyk cooking, OMGGGG!!” and I was just like that doesn’t impair my cooking ability, stfu.

    It’s cooking, stop with the drama already!

  2. I thought it was okay – I agree David having this audition process is not as funny/moving/interesting as a dance or singing show. I also agree that Matt Preston was the most interesting judge. But Sarah Wilson does nothing for me. She needs to talk louder! LOL Having said this, my parents loved it so we’ll just have to see if it maintains a solid audience.

  4. I agree with comment by richardh. Format matched the contestants – amateur!! Judges very egotistical. I’ll stay with the UK professional version.

  6. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz to contrived and boring, judges are so up themselves and whats with all the auditions? UK format was much better and more intelligent. Why do we in australia get treated like dumb viewers.

    And yeah why was one contestant given another go? that stinks big time did others get same chance? I would very much like to know the answer to that question. David can you find out for us?

    1. In other Fremantle/TEN shows people have had second chances on occasion. It’s just up to judges’ discretion really. Doesn’t make it right or wrong. Obviously if it affects the credibility of the show they’ll find out quick smart when people turn off.

  7. Like others have suggested …

    1 cup of Idol
    1/2 cup of SYTYCD
    2 litres of tears
    3 handfuls of Pompous Judge

    Blend and cook for an hour. Garnish with some Hells Kitchen

  8. Absolutely shite. The entire format is far too drawn out. Watch it drop like the steaming pile it is, without The Biggest Loser to prop it up.

    1.5 Stars

  9. Why did we have to watch the auditions at all? Why didn’t they just jump straight on in with the finalists? Who cares about the ones who didn’t get in? This is so boring and old-school. *same old same old*

  10. Quite boring. An hour a night definitely too much. Looks like a cooking version of Austn Idol/Aust Got Talent/Dance thing – audition, three judges, “you’re thru to the next round”. Notice so many before me think the same. As do my teenage children.

  12. why did they tell people who lived in Sydney that ‘they’re going to Sydney?!?!?’

    Surely they could say like ‘you’re moving on to the next round!!’ or ‘you’ve got the apron! ‘(that apron thing was a good idea, should be used more)

  13. Tony said “All we’ve got is Australian Idol with spoons”. I couldn’t agree more. I kept thinking how strange this concept was with food. I found it funny when Calombaris tried to get the remaining contestants to lift their game. What did he expect them to do? Cook better? I’m pretty sure they already thought they were doing their absolute best. Very strange show. I won’t be watching it again.

  14. I’ve also watched all the UK seasons and it’s a shame we didn’t get something like that and I have to agree with a lot of stuff already said.

    I’ll stick with it to see what happens, but there’s no way in hell that I will endure the agony of watching it live again. This is one for the IQ while I give it another go.

    Oh and what’s with the big hugs and stuff? I did see a bit of press beforehand where they were saying that they didn’t want to go all Gordon Ramsay on the contestants, and that’s fine, but do they have to go all Brady Bunch at times?
    The UK hosts don’t go either way and just say it how it is and they are great.

  15. I’m incredibly amazed with how closely they’ve stuck to the Idol/Dance formula. Apart from all the elements previously mentioned, it appears from promos that the main competition will be happening at Carriageworks, precisely the same venue that they use for So You Think You Can Dance. I mean, you could try to mix things up a little bit, guys.

  17. Show was quite boring exatly the same direction as idol but with food, surely they can come up with a better directed/prodced audition process that is also a bit snappier, it was quite droll

  19. All these reality shows now seem to over-do the whole audition process. Will hopefully be alot better once we have the final contestant competing. And – yes – I didn’t get the Sydney contestants being told “you’re going to Sydney” either!

  20. Totally agree David.
    No need to see auditions in all other states and why,oh why, is Sydney first cab off the ranks again.
    Iwant to see challenges and whether Oz format works better than UK one.
    P.S. How come they allowed one female contestant to go home, get another lot of ingrediments and start again. Did others get same chance ?

  22. After enjoying UK Master Chef over the years I was really looking forward to our very own Aussie Master Chef.
    However……….
    Firstly, The contestants don’t seem to be taking this show seriously
    Secondly, Preston is great and you can see he knows what this stuff is all about, the others are Ok but I hope they improve in their attitude.
    Thirdly and most important – for me anyway – are the continuous ads and flash backs making the show slow and dreary to viewers.
    I will stick Master Chef in the hope that the show improves but won’t be watching it live again…….Thank goodness for Foxtel IQ

  23. The catchphrase “You’re going to Sydney” is very overused in reality TV now too. Last night they told contestants in Sydney, that they were going to Sydney. They could have just said “you’re going down the road a bit”.

    The bit about not having tasteovision is true too. I really wanted to try that roast lamb and mashed potatoes.

  24. Hopefully this will get better once the “auditions” are over. As it is now, it’s a bastardized version of the more subtle UK show. All we’ve got is Australian Idol with spoons.

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