MasterChef Australia is on and I am drooling again (Well, Partly at the food
but mostly at the contestants!). It is one of the best cooking shows in the
history of shows and it was back with a new and exhilarating idea- bringing
back the top contestants from all the three previous years and making them
fight it out. The money raised through their wins would go to their chosen
charity. It was perfect. There was Gary and his charming smile, there was
George and his childish hands-flailing while talking, there was the burly Mat Preston,
most of all, there were the most amazing contestants from 2009, 2010 and 2011
fighting it out in "MasterChef Australia All stars."
2010 is a personal favourite and Callum is the ultimate cook. To see Callum
back again in the MasterChef set was heaven! He was everything that a cook
would dream to be- Calm, composed, childish, cute, mesmerizing, methodical,
witty.
There was Jonathan, the Eliminator, my next favourite. The thing I loved
about Jono was the fact that he was chilled out but at the same time very
cautious. He plays it cool till the end but when it was time to step up, he
always pushed himself and gave his best. Marion was another lethal contestant
from the same year and watching her back in the kitchen was a pleasure. She was
funny, she loved what she was doing, she was a master when it came to the
mystery box and nailed it almost all the time. She gave this positive vibe in the
sets and was loved by the whole lot. Aaron, the Pasta specialist was a part of All
stars as well and cooked some brilliant dishes in this series.
2009, the original MasterChef contestants were a fantastic bunch. Chris kind
of grew on me as I watched the season and he is now easily my most favourite
cook after Callum. Poh and her 32 teeth smile was beautiful to watch as she
cooked away to glory. Justine grew a lot as the season progressed and was a
valuable asset to the All Stars season. Julie, though the winner of the 2009
edition, always came across as somebody who takes too much pressure and puts
strain before cooking. She never comes across as a person who enjoyed what she
did though she has cooked some really marvelous dishes.
All
stars is a baby that the MasterChef brains came up with this year. It
is one of the most innovative and awe-inspiring season I have ever watched.
Seeing the top chefs of Australia cooking away and loving their dishes is
something I had always wanted to watch. The episode of Curtis Stone was my
personal favourite. The pace at which they were cooking was extraordinary and
it was brilliant to see that most of them came out pretty successful. The
Adriano Zumbo Chrquembouche challenge was one of the toughest and I loved the
way the All stars handled the pressure. The concept of the participants taking their revenge on the Mystery box by breaking it apart and making a fire out of it and cooking was also a very innovative and delightful episode to watch. They had such a thrill in breaking apart the box with the hatchel and making a fire out of it.
When they brought their dishes for the judges to taste, all I wanted to do
was get my hands on those dishes. It looked superb, sophisticated and above all
classy.
One person who stood out in the whole competition was Chris. His helping
nature and his honest cooking was inspiring and this was what took him to a
totally different level. He looked very calm, sipped his beer and made sure
that the judges loved what he presented. He always plated well before time and
helped his fellow contestants at crucial stages. I remember this one time when
he helped Justine plate up her dish, early on in the season. She had burnt her
hand during the last few minutes of the challenge and he came up and helped her
plate all her stuff. This act was beautiful and went down well among a lot of
people.
Callum picked up pace in the later stages of the season and proved that he
was the youngest and most amazing cook. His beer dessert in the lead up to the
finale swash buckled the judges and all the three tapped the table thrice,
depicting that the dish was the best ever.
“This is the best dessert I have tasted this year,” said Mat Preston. The
three judges cleared the entire dish and looked like they could eat it every
day of their lives. This was the turning point in Callum’s innings (Sorry about
the cricketing term, but it just keeps cropping up!). He was propelled into the
Finals by that dish and he would have been mighty proud.
I am yet to watch the finals but my nerves just got the better of me. I
checked out the winner in Wikipedia and-BOOM, it was Callum. I was so happy and
I am waiting to watch the finale and watch Callum’s eyebrows go up and down in
worry/happiness, one last time.
The MasterChef All Stars is an amazing concept and I loved watching every
single episode of the season. Some contestants grew on, some contestants
irritated me, some contestants put me off. But above all this show is one
brilliant effort by the makers.
I have to talk about the three most inspiring people in the MasterChef
Kitchen- George, Gary and Mat. Their inputs, their timely comments, their dead
stares and above all their knowledge of cooking and their years of experience
in this field has definitely made them the people to look out for in the
competition.
George has and will always be the most brilliant cook, friend and host I
have ever seen.
One other thing I really loved about MasterChef is the family feel that it has to it. The contestants are always there to support and help each other out. The judges also have to be mentioned here. Their "Can we have hugs too" is a joyous scene to watch. There is always this connect that they establish and carry forth as the series progresses. There are tears, of both happiness and sorrow when participants leave the competition or when they win a challenge.
I have and will always continue to love this show, thanks to my sister,
Pooja, who pushed me into it.
Aishwarya Kumar.
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