Is anyone watching Masterchef? No-one I know is - even non foodie people who like reality shows.

I remember back a few years when it was the talk of the tea room with lively discussion on who we thought would be the winner, and our indignation when a previously eliminated contestant was brought back without contest.

This year I have watched off and on, only if there was nothing more interesting on offer, and I am getting cynical. It seems to be populated by pretty young things who play to the judges and the camera well.

Perhaps it has run its course - it will be interesting to see if it returns next year now that the original judges have not had their contracts renewed.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2019 08:24PM by Ali W.

I'm still hooked and unashamedly so! Oddly I have seen season 12 judges named as Poh, Maggie Beer and that big, blonde handsome chap whose name, momentarily, escapes me. But in a piece in the current Listener 3 entirely different people are named as judges, none of whose names are familiar. Love'em or hate'em Gary, Matt and George have been integral to the show's enduring appeal. I'm not sure it will survive without them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2019 09:17PM by Stephanie39.

I record it and am always several episodes behind. So no spoilers please.... I always fast-forward through the beginning and end as I'm not interested in the personal stuff, However I do find some of the cooking interesting, especially when they use native Australian ingredients.

I cringe when Gary talks to the contestants as if they are six years old, and I cringe at the shrieking and capering around, but they seem to be calming down.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2019 09:35PM by TPANDAV.

I haven't watched any of the MasterChef series, Oz, Uk or anywhere else, for several years. It bores me to death. When the contestants were true amateurs it was more interesting. Now that everyone who passes the initial testing seems to already be a wonder-cook, it no longer interests me.

Another aspect is that I like to see some dishes that I could genuinly aspire to reproducing myself, but that just doesn't apply anymore. Everything has turned so weird and wonderful, it's impossible to recreate.

Masterchef hasn't appealed to us this season, but when there's nothing much else on we have tended to gravitate towards it more recently but don't watch all the episodes in the week. I was horrified last night at the amount of butter put into a potato 'spray'(?) I think it was called! I think I find it more interesting as Masterchef dwindles down to a handful of competitors and even then we can take it or leave it.
Regards,
Dawn.

I am not an avid fan of TV but it is one of the few programmes I usually watch. I am not a vegetarian but I do admire what Simon (?) produces with his vegetables. I have never heard anyone ever say before that they loved the carrots. I agree about the cringe factor the way Gary sometimes speaks speaks to the contestants.
I also wonder how the show will be received with the new judges. I will watch with an open mind.

Yes I agree Lorna. How can a person barely out of their teens know how to use complicated professional machines, and to apply different flavour combinations that are at a level higher than most home cooks.

It is a reality show and the contestants are picked more for their camera appeal than their cooking ability, then trained up to keep it interesting.

It seems strange also that they know every famous cook and what restaurants they own even before their names are announced.

Sorry to sound grumpy, I am just disappointed. How far would Julie Goodwin get in today’s competition?

I only watch it because it's the perfect show to watch while running on the treadmill! It doesn't matter if I don't hear all the words, visually it changes every few seconds so no long boring shots (where words are often integral) and the pace is good. In the past I've made some of the recipes that the judges have exclaimed over in the show, but when I've made them they've been pretty disappointing and not nearly as good as they were made to sound so I don't bother making the recipes as much as I used to. One good one from Oz Masterchef 2018 was Chloe Carroll's Ghanaian Peanut Stew with Jollof Rice. [10play.com.au] I am bored with the current three judges and look forward to some new ones.

I watched this year's MC hesitantly at first, as I felt the last few years that the programme had moved quite a way from the original premise. I was pleasantly surprised as I enjoyed it more than the last couple of years. I particularly like the teaching class by the 3 judges. I think the way in which the Gary, George and Matt left was unfortunate, and could have been handled a lot more graciously; and I'm looking forward to seeing how the next bunch go. There are quite a number of contestants who've gone on to have successful careers in the food business, (half a dozen here in Adelaide), which can't be said for My Kitchen Rules, which seems to me to be a trashy, 'birchy' show that I haven't watched for several years.