Masterchef Australia: Sufficient Food for Thought

When the clock strikes 12 noon at my residence, both my mother and grandmother rush in at their various speed levels for a spot in front of the television to watch their favourite show ‘Abhiruchi’ on ETV. One hour of non-stop cooking interspersed with fake “Ooh, ninda bagaundhi Chef” comments is the best recipe to grate my nerves. I have never been a fan of such cookery shows. I always end up questioning her,

“Why are you watching this, when you know that you’re not going to try out any of the recipes?”

She does not get frustrated then. She only waits till it rings 9pm, to see the hypocrite in her daughter put on her cerebral apron to wait expectantly with a straight spine for ‘Masterchef Australia.’

Initially, this seemed as the latest entrant into the reality TV show genre: another game based cooking program, with the “elimination drama”, with excellent marketing in a bid for increased ratings. But there is a simple reason for nearly four million viewers to have tuned in to watch the show, especially its final episode which aired on New Years Eve. The show reeks of innovative ideas which include invention tests, the mystery boxes, team challenges and of course, the most dreaded pressure tests.

The biggest selling point of Masterchef Australia was its refreshing mix of contestants, ranging from Indian food ingredient researcher Jimmy Seervai to band manager Aaron Harvie and police detective Sarah Carmichael.

It involved a set of people who were so genuinely nice to each other that up till the finals between Adam Liaw and Callum Hann, the other contestants seemed interested in each other’s well-being as their own chances of victory.

It involved a set of civil and encouraging judges in the smart and suave Gary Mehigan, the sarcastic and over-the-top George Colamboris, and the blunt and outrageous Matt Preston.

It involved a set of an uber-impressive guest Chefs, who set eye-popping dishes as challenges, including Rick Stein’s Sea Food Platter and Adriano Zumba monstrous Croquembouche and Macaroon Tower.

The show silenced its critics accusing it of favouritism, when Marion Gasby, easily the favourite, fondly referred to as “the food thesaurus” was eliminated. She was sent out on the back of a simple satay sauce, against Aaran Harvie. (easily my favourite)

The grand finale was just like any other international sporting event final, both the contestants always close, but in the end, only one of them held it together, the other didn’t. Adam became Masterchef 2010, clinching a book deal and a hundred thousand dollars to start off his culinary career.

On one side, we have shows like Roadies and Big Boss which portray people as being shot or being blown up. But on the other side, we have shows like Masterchef Australia that are clear in its goals: to be simply watchable and result in unadorned fun. In that way, we can safely assure… a new benchmark has been set.