MasterChef Australia- Back to Win, is in multiple ways like a first pancake. It is not only the
first time the MasterChef Alumni are returning as contestants, but also the first time the show is introducing its new set of judges to the audience.
MasterChef Australia being a reality show that enjoys a huge following, the smallest of changes are sure to be noticed. So, a change in something as pivotal as the hosts/ judges is sure to create ripples within its audience base. It definitely is a balancing act for the producers of the show to strategically plan it in a way that they hold the audience through till the new hosts find their bearings.
It takes time and experience to get the pan heated and seasoned enough to flip out golden-brown pancakes. While watching the new season of MasterChef I could not help but notice how well they had played their cards. This article is me trying to unpack how the show managed to keep me hooked on to it despite the changes.
Familiarity
The show runners tried not to introduce any major changes to the show structure. The tonality of the show in terms of the studio, color scheme, music, shooting styles and editing is lovely and does not stray away from that of the past seasons. Even the composition of the host trio is similar; two chefs and a food writer, all based out of Australia and the challenges were mostly ones that had been tried, tested and well received in the past seasons.
The only radical move they did (apart from introducing the new hosts), actually brought in more familiarity to the space for the audience: MasterChef Australia- BTW brought back some of the most loved MasterChef Alumni back into the kitchen. The contestants who came back for their second innings, are chefs who work in or run popular restaurants in Australia. These restaurants have had their own niche follower base on various social media platforms. So, while these familiar faces definitely help with the digital outreach strategy for the show, it more importantly keeps the current ardent follower base_ who might be apprehensive of the new hosts_ hooked onto the new season.
Celebrating the contestants and their stories
At the end of the day the kind of content that is impactful is the ones driven by the story of its characters. The reason why I really enjoy MasterChef AU is because of how much attention they give to the people and the story behind the food they make.
Australia is home to a diverse immigrant population. The MasterChef Alumni over the years offer a snapshot of this cultural diversity. The show has always managed to give ample opportunity for the contestants to celebrate their culture and it’s cuisine, and this season was no different.
Laura recounting how her early years in Italy with her nonna inspires a dish, Reynold’s experience as a second generation immigrant seeing his parents work hard for the promise of a better future, making way to The Bali Sunrise or the picture of Khanh on the day he crossed over to Australia, all of these stories just meld so well into the narrative of show. It was an exhilarating experience to hear their stories and see the kind of food that it lends itself to.
The global audience that the show enjoys is definitely a result of how strongly diversity is showcased in terms of the people and food.
The story arc for the contestants this season was so much stronger, as it connects back to their first time in the kitchen, and their journey henceforth. While the former is something the audience might be familiar with, the latter is something the audience are curious about.
The MasterChef directors have used both these opportunities so well in setting up the story this year. The promo for each contestant gave a glimpse of what their journey post MasterChef was all about, serving as a great tease to lure you into the season. The timely flashbacks that garnished almost all episodes gave so much context, and build up the tension so well. Just to pick one instance, it was so strategic to insert the flashback of Emelia’s elimination on a desert dish in her season, at a pivotal point in the finale when both Laura and Emelia are neck to neck in terms of their scores and the desert would be the deciding factor. Emelia being known for her deserts, this little piece of information offsets the audience and makes them feel like it still is anyone’s game, especially as Laura is a chef who has managed to tread the line of both sweet and savory with ease. Throughout the competition there is an element of déjà vu that lurks, the contestants have been at these very points of the competition before and there is always this question of if history will repeat itself.
Surprises
Pleasant surprises are a charm. And oh boy, was I charmed by the art department this season. The golden mystery box shined like never before, the one-inch cubes lined up back to back was a thing of beauty, the rows of cloches for the lucky dip challenge- so much drama, the books for the fairytale challenge-felt like right out of a fairytale.
The charm did not stop at the art, it flowed into the dishes the contestants put up. The tag line of the show in the previous seasons_ Ordinary People, Extraordinary Food_ does not hold true this time around. The contestants in the kitchen are no longer amateur home cooks, they are all chefs playing their A game in the industry. The added experience of their years and the pressure to keep up the good name has kept them on their toes to deliver breathtaking food. It was exciting to see contestants bringing different techniques to the table- Emelia’s compressed choux pastry, Reynold’s snitch, the seitan that Poh made, to name a few. To me it was treat to watch this kind of food and plating, leaving me wanting for more at the end of every episode.
Riding the Pandemic Wave
COVID-19 caught everyone off guard. At the time when the world went into lockdown, many reality shows being filmed decided to shut shop or pause their schedules. MasterChef Australia was one among the select few who decided to complete the shoot with reasonable restrictions in place. To be able to know for sure that there is closure, personally helped me follow the show much more enthusiastically. As the competition proceeded with the restrictions in place, the scenes around the world was rapidly changing and these changes showed itself in the MasterChef kitchen too. You could see the yearning to have the soothing human to human contact, the utter dismay in having to bid goodbyes from afar, the rising amount of tension in the kitchen as contestants shared how concerned they were about their livelihood and families. The show in a way started mirroring what the audience were going through. This just added an extra layer of relatability to the show that was hard to find on television around that time.
“We baked bread, and Martin Benn did that” says Andy Allen while Martin carves into Emelia’s version of his lockdown entertainment, the toffee apple dish which was the final pressure test for the season. Jock holds onto his worry beads for some of the high-pressure episodes, and Melissa tears up while eating a plate of food that reminds her of her mom.
The lockdown and isolation have definitely pushed most of us emotionally to our tipping points, that the slightest nudge was all it took for the waterworks to open. There have been quite a few times I found myself looking at the amount of work people had managed to do during this period of uncertainty and could not help but compare myself. Tiding over this phase saw all of us holding onto different types of coping mechanisms. To let these moments of vulnerability, stay in the final cut of the show did bring a lot of human connect to the new hosts.
MasterChef Culture
“Rest Up, go home, make a cup of tea, and be kind to each other. We will see you all on Sunday” says Jock Zonfrillo while bidding adieu to the contestants before an elimination episode.
The first time I heard this I thought to myself, this line embodies the kind of culture this show reaffirms- a culture of healthy competition. While most popular cooking shows tend to take a tone of excessive competitiveness that at times inches to the side of violent behavior, this one stands tall in its positive approach to competition rooted in the idea of learning and self-betterment. As much as I love the show for promoting this culture, I admire them for not taking the spirit of the competition out of it. It’s nice to see the human moments of self-doubt, frustration, fear, ego, strategy and the yearning to win, all subtly seeping in at various stages of the competition. And to top all this off, is the healthy dose of sweet sarcasm that is hard to miss.
The choice that the show runners have made to highlight and this culture and camaraderie, and not blowing up the disagreements or grudges that is natural to develop over time while being under so much pressure is admirable. While Jess running in between her cook to help Amina or Reynold and Emelia helping out Laura make for heartwarming moments, I particularly enjoy the focus shifts on different contestants while the tasting is underway, it gives so much perspective to the competitive spirit in the air. It is a tough path to tread_ to balance the screen time for the competition and the culture_ but the MasterChef team with their expert directors, editors and cinematographers make this look like cakewalk.
Production
MasterChef AU is on top of the game when it comes to its production. The show captures and knits together the content so meticulously that you feel the kitchen is right there in front of you. Every time I watch MasterChef, I try to breakdown the technical setup required for such a shoot. To be able to shoot something which is fairly unscripted with such finesse is commendable. With what might be thousands of hours of footage, I am always in awe of how well the show is edited; especially in the initial phases of the competition when there are so many contestants and different storylines happening simultaneously. The cinematic treatment lets the content shine so well that for the one hour I watch it I could leave my day behind and walk into the gantry to see the kitchen come alive. The few times my parents joined in to watch, it almost felt like I was in a cinema hall back again. I could see them hold their breath, shift in their seats, let out an intermittent sigh of relief or crackle of laughter. It is just wonderful to see how well the show drives you in.
The trick they did is simply this; while they changed something pivotal to the show, they made sure that they played their A-game with all the other elements that made the show what it is. They got Gordon Ramsey to open the season and introduce the new judges. While he anchored the show to a quick and engaging pace that is so characteristic to him, this start held the audience on their toes.
By the time Gordon transitions out and the judges host the first elimination episode, a section of the core audience (much like me) who might have been apprehensive about the changes would have found a buy in to give the season a chance. Even though the show was hosted by the new judges, as a viewer and an ardent follower I felt it was anchored by the contestants. This season cleverly bought time for the new judges to explore their screen persona and find their bearings, while it held the audience long enough for them to be able to embrace the new normal.
The litmus test of whether the new hosts will really be able to keep the momentum going will come from the next season. The question is, next time around when the kitchen will be filled with new faces and a similar structure, can the persona of the hosts reel you in for the ride?
.
Comments