MasterChef Australia
TEN's cooking show celebrates camaraderie and fine food, with a $250,000 prize on offer this year.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under Reviews, Top Stories
There’s a fundamental difference between MasterChef Australia and My Kitchen Rules that’s evident from the first episode.
One show sees its competitors sharpening their knives and cranking up their finest insults. The other celebrates a camaraderie, applauding each other’s dishes even when they know it means their own odds of succeeding are diminishing by the minute.
Yes, in MasterChef we are reminded everyone admires a level of skill and being a good sport is part of the show’s DNA.
This year MasterChef has a mountain of challenges to overcome: fatigue, the network’s own brand and heated competition. The judges tell us this will be “the best year ever” -I’m not really sure how they attained such fortune-telling skills.
The show will also offer its biggest ever prize, $250,000 (about time!), up from $100,000, plus a publishing deal, Alfa Romeo and restaurant experience.
This year the show resumes its auditions as 50 contenders vie for 24 places. Surrounded by their own families they have an hour to cook a dish and present it, American Idol-style, to the judges in a private room. It’s a welcome return because it helps us connect to the personalities and their back-stories.
As in previous years, they come in all shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities. They plead for their life-changing opportunity, sharing dreams of cafes, to better their lives for their families, or to gear-change careers. It’s hard not to feel for some of them.
“We want to fall in love with you,” Gary Mehigan confides. So impressed are our judges, they even take ‘selfies’ with stunning macarons to send off to Adrian Zumbo.
The level of food at this early stage of the contest is sometimes eye-popping -or should that be mouth watering? Promos that talk up the ‘best cooks ever’ may well be close to the money.
No surprises that some of the backstories aim for the heart strings, with the occasional sob story. Hopefully this isn’t overplayed, it’s a genre cliche these days.
Some contestants are so impressive they score three “Yes” votes to the Top 24. But one “No” (and there are some tough-love eliminations) means a Second Chance group cook-off involving an Invention Test. It’s here that a handful of white aprons are on offer, yet everybody applauds their competitor dishes.
By episode three all former champions, Julie Goodwin, Adam Liaw, Kate Bracks, Andy Allen and Emma Dean will all return.
While I despair about the show going head to head with The Voice and House Rules (history has shown there is not enough audience for 3 Reality shows in the same timeslot), I am encouraged by the content and a return to basic storytelling and fine cooking.
TEN should also be applauded for sticking with Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston for its sixth season, when the temptation might have been to shake up the hosting. Their rapport and love of food reminds us why we fell for the show in the first place.
MasterChef may not have you hissing the villains and cheering the heroes, but it will put a smile on your dial.
MasterChef Australia returns 7:30pm Monday May 5th on TEN.
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- Tagged with American Idol, House Rules, MasterChef Australia, My Kitchen Rules, The Voice
21 Responses
What a stingy show.
Only $20000 prize for second place compared to $250000 for first.
Where are all the profits going???
What a pathetic reward.
When are the producers of masterchef going to realise intelligent viewers are sick of the rubbish the show inflicts on them.Let’s see a show on cooking instead of the childish dramatics played out for the drama hungry masses.Sooner it’s gone the better,let’s see a show where the best wins and ratings go where they belong.
Masterchef Australia advertising on the Lifestyle Food channel on Foxtel during Come Dine with Me this afternoon
Free to Air channel advertising on Subscription TV…..
Is this a first?
I’ve seen it the other way around but agreed, not this way.
@Rach – they seem to end up on the ABC or SBS because Aus FTA tend not to invest in Aus (actual) cooking shows. The UK TV landscape is different from Aus with the BBC being dominant unlike the ABC here.
No where near full on scripted and set up/staged like MKR but no where in the League of MC UK, pure cooking, judging without the carry on’s.And the winners forge high profile careers
The past winners on MC Aust really have they done that well i.e become household names? a bit like MKR winners..where are they now.
As always I am looking forward to Masterchef, but hate that it is on at the same time as House Rules, which I really enjoyed last year.
There is only so many hours in the day and I can only really take one of these types of shows at a time.
I agree with Leo!
I’m a bit reality Fan, and there is nothing for us on Friday and Saturday nights. Because the networks think no one is watching, they chuck on crap movies etc… And so then I don’t watch…
If they programmed those nights with as much taste as the rest f the week, I think people probably would stay in on those cold nights.
I really missed Friday night Masterclass Eps of masterchef!
I did like the promo I saw tonight. Much better than last year.
Another challenge for Ten will be launching MasterChef just days after MKR has wrapped, compared to last year when it returned in June.
Dear Ten. Please program this so it gets the chance to succeed it deserves. This house will be watching, but we don’t have a ratings box.
Maxxdude: least we are spared the guys vs girls promos from last year 🙁
No 1 curr.
Last season was the worst season yet & yielded the worst champion yet. No successful cookbook from her.
I am glad they have returned to the auditions section because as you said it sets up the contestants in our eyes.
I just wish the ads would focus on some great male contestants as well as we only seem to be getting the females at the moment.
With winter approaching everyone goes out less – why doesn’t 10 move Masterchef to Wed – Sat, with Sat being a Masterclass type of thing.
I would certainly watch!
The week is so top heavy (Sun – Wed) I wish the networks would spread it around a bit more.
It also takes Masterchef out of the competition with The Voice & House Rules.
With less competition later in the week it might work for Ten!
Sounds better than last year. Last years season was the only season I skipped
Looking forward to Masterchef AU. Hopefully there will be some good ratings.
Hope this year will be better than Last season :)< Hopefully Gorge isn't a hash judge this season.
This is exactly what I had hoped to hear about the show. Great cooking and a return to basics after a lackluster season last year.
I really hope that MCA gets the ratings that it deserves. It is a great show and I can’t wait to watch it. My favourite channel 10 show.
Very much looking forward to season 6. But I love both MC and House Rules, and since it clashes with House Rules for half of the week, I will have to watch HR on Channel Seven website to catch up 😉
Even though it’s not at 7 I still hope it does well for itself because it’s such a good brand of feel good tv with great hosts and not the negative crap you see on Mkr