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Gary Mehigan: “Chris didn’t cheat”

Gary Mehigan tells TV Tonight he was with MasterChef contestant Chris Badenoch when he ordered meat at a Chatswood supermarket, and even watched it being chopped up.

gm“All I can say is the simple answer to the question ‘is it fixed?’ the answer is no,” insists MasterChef‘s Gary Mehigan. “I mean who pre-orders their meat from Coles?

“I think the accusation was that Chris cheated and his girlfriend rang up up Coles. But have you ever tried ringing Coles and ordering a rib-eyed steak? I challenge you to source a good piece of meat like that.”

MasterChef judge and mentor Gary Mehigan says he finds it hard to believe claims that Chris Badenoch cheated in the TEN reality series.

Last week A Current Affair confronted the former contestant suggesting he had used a mobile phone to text his former girlfriend to order meat under his name at Coles supermarkets, to maximise the 15 minute time frame contestants were given to collect ingredients. If true, it would have put him at an advantage.

But Mehigan has defended the show, and Badenoch, telling TV Tonight he was at the supermarket on the day in question.

“We were with those contestants, not 24 / 7, but that particular challenge at Chatswood we were there from 6:00 in the morning with these guys,” he said.

“I was with Chris when he went up and ordered, or before he ordered. They actually had a full on butcher’s section behind a meat counter with a head butcher. I think this is their showcase store, so if you ask them for a particular cut of meat, they’ll do it for you.

“He asked them what they had and had a poke around and looked at fillets, rib-eye and all the rest of it and then asked the guys to chop it up for him, which he did. And he did that in front of us.

“So how he cheated I don’t know, and he actually stuffed that one up completely. As far as I remember he came last because he overcooked and crucified 4 beautiful rib-eyed steaks.”

ACA produced text messages between Badenoch and his former girlfriend Gemma Pritchard. Pritchard didn’t deny assisting Badenoch saying she thought she was helping a friend.

“I just think you’ve got to question it. When I heard it I thought number one: come on, who’s ever tried to order their bloody meat from Coles over the phone? And how was he going to cover it up and hide it? Did he hide it under his hat?”

Mehigan is convinced there was no cheating.

“Like any bitter break up there’s some sour grapes and whoever’s got them I don’t know. I don’t know how you’re going to prove it, how you’re going to match the accusations, but I know we were there and he didn’t cheat.”

Is it possible that some manipulation was so clever even the judges didn’t see it? Or is a MasterChef judge simply trying to defend a prized brand?

The show was so wildly popular with the audience that media were notably reluctant to file stories that attacked its good name.

“We’re constantly as judges concerned about the integrity of the show,” he says. “And as chefs, very concerned about the integrity. We’ve often been criticised as we cruise the benches that at home people say ‘Oh you gave advice to such and such.’ And I say, ‘No we didn’t but if we did we would have given the same advice to everyone.'”

This week in Celebrity MasterChef the judges will be scrutinising the culinary skills of Michelle Bridges, Kathleen de Leon Jones and Peter Fitzsimons.

Mehigan says he was genuinely surprised at the level of skill from the celebrities cast in the show.

“What you get to see is they’re very competitive and serious,” he says. “It’s just not a whimsical thing that they’re doing. You can see that they cook all the time. I said to Eamon Sullivan, ‘Are you sure you’ve not worked in a kitchen? Are you sure you haven’t worked in a kitchen and you’re not telling us the truth?’ Because he was so switched on.

“And I have to admit I was a bit star-struck. I was standing in front of George Negus for goodness sake. And the same with Wendy Harmer, I’ve watched these people for years. All of a sudden I felt a little nervous myself.

“But it was great to find out they were more nervous than us.”

Celebrity MasterChef airs 7:30pm Wednesday on TEN.

7 Responses

  1. It’s very easy to prove or disprove, just ask one or the other to produce their phone bill from the night/morning in question. Come on Chris… Show us your phone bill

  2. Who cares? He came third anyway in the end! Its not rigged. Goodness sakes.. thats the only word associated with reailty TV these days. Its annoying.

  3. I dunno why everyone goes on about it being rigged.. Obviously there is a level of bias, but so what? I mean, anyone in the top 10 or so is going to end up finding themselves in demand..

    The producers have done the show well, and I really do believe that the judges are trying their hardest to make it as fair as possible. I’ll keep watching! 🙂 I just hope that in MC series 2 they can pull off the same sort of drama.. i liked the variety of contestants, and the way you learn enough about each of the characters to have a favourite. Keep it coming!

  4. The entire show is rigged anyway. Like a ‘normal’ MC pantry would have 100-day eggs in stock, to conveniently be used by Poh in on of her challenges. PS I hated Chris so not sticking up for him. Just saying the entire show is contrived, and seriously if it doesn’t improve next year to a fairer contest, I will be giving up the same way I gave up Biggest Loser and Big Brother.

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