FTA-TV Masterchef Australia

[IanG]

This isn't a bad show but it's a completely different format to Masterchef UK, why do they even need to buy the license to the format? It's not like the original was such a big hit in Australia.

The name I guess which is perfect for the show.

 

[Exhale You]

This isn't a bad show but it's a completely different format to Masterchef UK, why do they even need to buy the license to the format? It's not like the original was such a big hit in Australia.

My guess is that when they bought the rights they didn't fully realise just what our version would morph into.

I don't know how true this is, but i was told that Fremantle Media have actually sold their version of the show overseas.
Apparently because it varies so much from the original concept, they have some sort of ownership of it.

Jabso, what is the format of Masterchef UK? I have never seen it. When is it shown here, if at all?

The UK version is basically focused entirely on cooking, whereas ours is cooking meets Big Brother.

They have many of the same things we do (including pressure tests, invention tests etc.), but they focus on the food rather than personal relationships and food.

In their series we only really see the contestants cooking, there's no living together, no 'oh i really like her, but i dislike him' stuff, and most importantly, the judges pretty much do all of the voting.

They're very different shows and i love them both, but the Australian one has captivated me more than any of the British series.

BTW The British Masterchef airs on Foxtel's Lifestyle Food Channel.

I think we should all try and enter ourselves in the auditions for next years show. Exhale, Likka, Ian, Blackhart and all the rest, you should give it a go. Lets face it, we can't do any worse than the guy who specialised in serving road kill and left his hair in the dish. Would be interesting to go through the "process". Most of us would be kicked out straight away, but it would be an experience for sure. I am all fired up to do it.

Haha

My tastes aren't fancy enough to impress the judges, but i'd love to see likka go on the show.

I can see it now.
The judges dislike his dish and say so, only to be interrupted by likka who proceeds to tell them they're hopeless and know nothing about food.

 

[crownie]

is it really going to matter who wins?

like the idol shows all you need is good enough exposure and usually finishing 2nd or 3rd is better then finishing first.

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

is it really going to matter who wins?

like the idol shows all you need is good enough exposure and usually finishing 2nd or 3rd is better then finishing first.

The cook book deal, $100,000, and some training by expert chef's would be a nice kick start to their new restaurant to the contestant who wins it. Plus there is the prestige of it(might be worth a few more punters in the door or higher prices) and the high exposure.

I guess it depends who wins it. For someone like Julie who is not aiming at the high end of the market with her restaurant it might not matter as much winning it compared to a contestant like Andre who is aiming high.

They would be all aiming for the $100,000 and cook book deal though. How much would a contestant make from publishing their own cook book potentially?

 

[crownie]

The cook book deal, $100,000, and some training by expert chef's would be a nice kick start to their new restaurant to the contestant who wins it. Plus there is the prestige of it(might be worth a few more punters in the door or higher prices) and the high exposure.

I guess it depends who wins it. For someone like Julie who is not aiming at the high end of the market with her restaurant it might not matter as much winning it compared to a contestant like Andre who is aiming high.

They would be all aiming for the $100,000 and cook book deal though. How much would a contestant make from publishing their own cook book potentially?

Aaron got eliminated early and got a spot in a kitchen learning under a expert chef and most get that when they win team challenges.

if the most popular contestant doesn't win then who will care about what kind of cook book the winner releases?

a guy like Chris who most have accepted is the most skillful chef has got enough exposure already to set himself up if he doesn't end up winning.(although i guess that $100,000 does help )

will be interesting to see what happens after the show and if we are going to have a masterchef every year then we will see how quickly contestants get forgotten.

 

[Exhale You]

They would be all aiming for the $100,000 and cook book deal though. How much would a contestant make from publishing their own cook book potentially?

I don't know, but it's a bizarre prize.

As much as i enjoy watching Chris, Andre and Justine, i'd have no inclination to buy a cookbook authored by any of them.

I'd actually go so far as to say that i'd prefer to buy an Antony Worrall Thompson cookbook than anything from the Masterchef contestants.

 

[likka]

Cannot even remotely imaging anyone buying a cookbook by Sam... most of what he cooks does not work, and those dishes he doesn't completely **** up are average at best.

If Chris produced a book of "nose to tail" and beer related recipes I'd give it a look. Wouldn't mind giving that roasted pig's head dish a crack, and his duck neck sausage looked sensational.

Andre would produce some sort of Tuscan themed book, which I don't think would sell well in an already very crowded niche.

Justine would probably do a French themed book, which she doesn't really have the knowledge to pull off. Ironic that she gave Lucas the chance to cook off against Ben and he ended up learning under Manou... the perfect placement for her really.

 

[likka]

My tastes aren't fancy enough to impress the judges, but i'd love to see likka go on the show.

I'd make the house interesting at least... tell ****wits like Sam exactly what I think of the pig swill they dish up daily. I'd also file down those ridiculous chompers in the night whilst he slept.



Being a professional chef is a shit job IMO. Long hours, terrible conditions, constantly cut and burned, and I wouldn't get out of bed for what a vast majority of them are paid.

Telling the judges these home truths at an audition would be fun though, and could potentially be entertaining to watch if they took the bait.

 

[Exhale You]

Being a professional chef is a shit job IMO. Long hours, terrible conditions, constantly cut and burned, and I wouldn't get out of bed for what a vast majority of them are paid.

Absolutely.

It'd be a brutal way to live and one you could only sustain if you had enormous passion and dedication.

Even if i had the talent and inclination, i don't think i could handle working in a professional kitchen.

Telling the judges these home truths at an audition would be fun though, and could potentially be entertaining to watch if they took the bait.

Start by telling George that all the Ramsay mannerisms make him look like a twat.

 

[The Boy From Brasil]

I don't know, but it's a bizarre prize.

As much as i enjoy watching Chris, Andre and Justine, i'd have no inclination to buy a cookbook authored by any of them.

I'd actually go so far as to say that i'd prefer to buy an Antony Worrall Thompson cookbook than anything from the Masterchef contestants.

Yeah, I don't think I will be buying it either, as much as I loved the show.

I would think the book would sell extremely well at places like Target, K Mart etc where Mr and Mrs Average(the main demographic of this show) shop. Then the massive popularity of the show would sell the book on its own. Maybe they will bring it out just before Christmas, and get the Christmas present trade as well.I guess it also depends on who wins it also. Julie's cookbook with nice filling deserts and home booked meals will probably appeal more to the female demographic than Chris's cookbook with pigs head and beer deserts.

So, I am fairly confident it will sell well, I am just curious as to how much it is worth to contestant as far as bottom line $ goes.

For anyone without a huge exposure to put out a serious cookbook must be hard work. There is so so much competition out there. I was in Borders yesterday and there was nearly 4 aisles under the cooking book section. It was like a library. You really need a point of difference or a fantastic brand to stand out from the rest.

 

[HBK619]

Interesting tonight Sam working with Chris. Will Sam bring Chris down, or will Chris lift Sam up?




BTW **** I LOVE JUSTINE.

 

[Exhale You]

The cooking in the invention test was very disappointing.

Andre's lasagne looked terrible and again he screwed up his timing, Chris and Sam totally failed at cooking the salmon (not for the first time), whilst Julie obviously forgot the theme of the challenge.

Poh's dessert looked amazing, Justine did well with the fish whilst Chris' ideas for the dessert really suited the theme perfectly.

Justine and Julie won by default as they were the only team not to totally stuff up a dish, but it's good to see them bounce back from the overseas challenge.

The mystery box challenge was fun to watch because the contestants were taken well out of their comfort zone.
The minute it was announced as a 'sausage making' challenge i expected Chris to shit it in, and right up until the tasting it looked as if that would happen.

I'm looking forward to tonight's elimination challenge.
It's bound to be exciting with Poh, Chris, Sam and Andre involved.

 

[IanG]

I couldn't believe Chris stuffed the fish up that badly, you'd think he would have learned after the uncooked chicken debacle. Poh obviously succeeded with her dessert but I didn't think it was very christmassy especially after J&Js dessert was criticised for being not christmassy enough. She did not look happy at losing, although, despite the editing, J&J were never going to lose. Poh made a bad choice for her partner, Julie would have been perfect.

 

[SunKing]

I'm really hoping Sam survives another elimination challenge which would make it ten!

Poh did surprisingly well with her sausage & desert.

Quote of the night

"I believe in me
I believe in my sausage"
-Andre

 

[Freo Big Fella]

Am I the only one who thought that everyone pretty much just chucked the whole theme out of the window?

Apart from Chris and Sam's dessert, none of the dishes were exactly bursting with christmas cheer. Would have seen some more interesting dishes if they'd gone for the Turkey or Ham combos IMO.

Still, Justine's Salmon and Poh's dessert looked pretty tasty. The sausages looked pretty interesting as well, has anyone here ever had a crack at making their own?

 

[likka]

Geez there was some tripe served up last night.

Sam's sausage looked (and tasted) like an early term abortion, Chris and Sam served up dangerously raw salmon, and Andre once again was way too ambitious and in the end plated a dish that resembled baby food salmon lasagne. When Andre applies the KISS principle he does well, when he tries to go outside the box his food is disastrous.

Poh was a standout last night, but these are the types of challenges she excels at. Those fried meringues looked amazing, but take her out of the MasterChef kitchen and into the real commercial world, with commercial world pressure, and she crumbles.

Finally figured out why I dislike Sam so much. He reminds me of a year 10 work experience kid we had in the office last year. He was cocky, lazy, overly familiar, lacking intelligence, poor work ethic... but had a delusional sense of belonging. He elevated himself to those around him via simple proximity, even though he was nothing but a clueless kid.

Sam has that same sense of delusional belonging despite his skills, drive, work ethic and food knowledge being far below those around him. In his head he probably believes now he is one of the best amateur cooks in the country, but in reality most of our mums cook better fare than him.

Poh did surprisingly well with her sausage & desert.

A sausage in the desert... was the theme Lawrence of Arabia?

 

[Exhale You]

Quote of the night

"I believe in me
I believe in my sausage"
-Andre

Gary's line about Sam's 'small sausage' was the line of the night for me.

Am I the only one who thought that everyone pretty much just chucked the whole theme out of the window?

Sadly the theme gets thrown out the window quite often.

The judges will refer back to it sporadically, but generally it seems to be forgotten by all involved.

 

[crownie]

Sam has that same sense of delusional belonging despite his skills, drive, work ethic and food knowledge being far below those around him. In his head he probably believes now he is one of the best amateur cooks in the country, but in reality most of our mums cook better fare than him.

i think he knows he doesn't belong and thats why he says a lot of stuff on camera and laughs after it to hide it and make it out like it is not affecting him.

 

[HBK619]

i think he knows he doesn't belong and thats why he says a lot of stuff on camera and laughs after it to hide it and make it out like it is not affecting him.

...but really, he's crying inside.

 

[IanG]

I actually think Andre's a bit lucky to still be there. Despite what Matt said about his panacotta getting him through he stuffed up more elements of the total dish than Sam did. I reckon Andre got through purely on the fact that he's generally a better cook.

It was a great test though, a hugely complex dessert dish with many elements, it was so funny at the end when none of them could get their panacotta's out of the bowls.

 

[Dagless]

Hallelujah!

 

[Exhale You]

I was quite surprised (and relieved) that it was Sam going home tonight and not Andre.

They both screwed up and i know they claim that they vote purely on the dishes in the pressure test, but the contestants history and potential must factor in somewhere, and i think that is what saved Andre tonight.

Sam has served up so many raw dishes over the last month (two in the last two nights alone), has been extremely lucky to survive and has really been shown up, whereas Andre, despite being inconsistent and sometimes too adventurous, has shown he has some real talent and creativity.

I think the obvious talent gap is what saved Andre tonight.

As most would know, i jumped on the Andre bandwagon early and just love his passion, creativity, personality and talent, but he's extremely frustrating because he just can't seem to harness that talent and find a direction and an outlet for it.
I actually believe that he's got more raw talent than anyone on the show, whether he ever fully realises that talent is another thing.

 

[Kahuna]

The judges love of Poh concerns me, I really don't want her to win. She will write and book and that will be it really, I don't think she really wants to be a head chef in a kitchen.

Tonights dish didn't appeal to me at all, thought the presentation was quiet boring really, it just didn't look right.

 

[Russian]

I'm sick of spoilers being posted in here.

If anything else that vaguely resembles a spoiler appears in this thread it will be a red card and permanent M&E ban.

 

[hamG]

Saying Sam is going to be eliminated isn't a spoiler its a highly educated guess

Is it just me or does Poh seem to be a dessert queen? In the earlier team challenges I swear all she did was desserts, she got eliminated and went home and practiced that dessert then she got to cook it yesterday and now tonight was a dessert elimination challange. Say dessert again!