Seepi a regular commenter on this blog just wrote I wish they had kept Irmgard in a bit longer, and I have to agree.

I am not sure she was the greatest cook, but she was definite personality. I don’t think she would have done very well in the Mise En Place challenge as precision did not appear to be her forte, but I reckon she would have had fun doing it. And it would have been interesting to see her in a taste test challenge.

Even though we hardly got to know her TV Week had a tiny article about why she applied for Masterchef:

Winning a place on Masterchef’s top 50 was a much-needed boost for grandmother Irmgard Kastner, who has endured a roller-coaster of tragic events in the past few years.

Irmgard was heartbroken at the loss of her 19-year-old grandson Mark Zimmer in November 2008, when he was allegedly murdered in a hit-and-run attack Victoria’s Narre Warren.

“Mark died in my son’s arms,” Irmgard reveals. “So I’m not just mourning Mark, but also my son. He’s a broken man now. Mark was so loved.”

Irmgard says she feels unable to move on with her life until the case goes to trial in May, but in the meantime, Masterchef has provided a welcome distraction.

“I feel a bit stuck right now and I think after the trial, I’ll be able to move forward,” she explains. “Masterchef is a big distraction because it’s such a positive experience with really wonderful people. And that’s what I needed.”

The 67-year-old, who has worked in hospitality for many years, is also struggling to adjust to single life after losing her beloved husband, Alfred, to a massive heart attack in 2007.

Alfred a chef, shared Irmgard’s passion for food and she fondly describes him as “quite a character”.

“He would have been a bit jealous to see me on Masterchef,” she laughs. “Chefs always want to be the centre of attention – they’re misunderstood artists, I think. But he would have been thrilled for me.”

It is a pity they don’t give the viewers the ability to vote one contestant into the top 24, as Irmgard was a bit of a fan favourite.

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This morning I was fortunate enough to be asked to appear on The Morning Show on Channel Seven to discuss controversial contestant Justin Moran and how he got on Masterchef Australia.

Just for the record I was feeling ok until the first person I see when arriving is the gorgeous and Amazonian like Charlotte Dawson. I had a fuckity fuck I feel like a frump moment. But after I got over my nerves I did have fun.

Here is the link if you want to have a bit of a laugh at my expense, and I am fine with that.

What I was trying to articulate was I thought the timing of the story interesting considering it emerged on the day Justin was eliminated, and he had been getting a fair bit of air time compared to other contestants who were also flicked early, and his signature dish was pretty bad.

As any savvy viewer knows producers look for interesting back stories about contestants to help promote the show, and make the program more interesting. This is not a negative thing.

Having an interesting background can also assist in getting on the show.

Fremantle Media did know about the criminal history, and I don’t think this should discount someone from being on a reality TV show, but be aware it will come out from either internal or external sources. If you are thinking of applying for a reality TV program read my previous blog post Ten Things You Need To Know Before Going On A Reality TV Program.

However, I doubt the producers knew about Justin’s alleged child support issue.

Anyway this guys 15 seconds of fame must be well and truly over now.

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MasterChef Chris Badenoch Says He Has No Regrets

Adelaide Now has an article that states that MasterChef Australia bad boy said even though being on the show turned his life upside it wouldn’t swap it for the world. On the show Chris hooked up with another contestant Julia Jenkins, and had a few other women on the boil as well.

However I am unclear whether he is still with Julia as on twitter today, @projectnat tweeted Chris from masterchef wants my number ha

He is currently doing food demos at the Melbourne Show.

Justine And Lucas To Commence A Monthly Degustation Menu

From Tuesday 6 October when former MasterChef contestants Lucas Parsons and Justine Schofield meet, greet, cook and eat with diners at Ninos Hideaway   at Westfield Bondi Junction. Contact restaurant for details.

The Apprentice To Start On 28 September at 9.30pm On Channel 9

The Australian version of The Apprentice, with Mark Bouris taking on The Donald role starts on Monday the 28th of September at 9.30pm with a 90 minute episode. The winner will work with Mr Bouris on a six-figure-salary. The contestants are from all walks of life, from all around the country, with the youngest aged 19 and the oldest competing at 54. I am really looking forward to this show, and will be recapping it.

Kyle Sandilands Off Air For A Month

News.com.au says Kyle Sandilands has been suspended for a month without pay. He has also been asked to attend counselling The Jewish Museum have also offered him a tour.

Sonya Kruger And Todd McKenney Are Sacked From The Breakfast Show

This Dancing With The Stars have been told not to come back from their current holiday to host the 106.5 FM breakfast show. The ratings of the show halved since they took it over with no improvement in the latest ratings period. (Source Daily Telegraph)

Exit Interview With Australian Idol’s Ashleigh Toole

Who Mag has a great interview with the first person to be eliminated from the top 12 Ashleigh Toole. She said she had been rehearsing “Complicated” by Avril Lauvigne for Rock Week, but did not get to sing it.

Adam Brand Who Won Dancing With The Stars Is Dating His Dance Partner

Adam the twice married country singer is now dating his dance partner from the show of Dancing With The Stars. There had been rumours for quite sometime about the pair. He is 39, and she is 19. Not sure what I think about that.

Who Mag interviewed Adam but did not ask him about the age gap.

Exit Interview With Anthony Capon Winner Of Project Runway

Who Mag has an interview with Anthony where he talks about what is next for him. He said he will continue to work as assistant designer at Etal, who refreshingly design for people up to size 18.

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It’s probably clear to all who’ve been reading my guest posts on Masterchef that it’s filling my spot of “show I love to hate”. That position has been empty since Kitchen Nightmares demoted itself down the order to “show I now merely hate, and therefore no longer watch” thanks to an ill-advised American adaptation that was half abuse, half recap. I wasn’t expecting Masterchef to fill that vacancy; from the moment I first heard that we were getting a local version, I was looking forward to it.

Like many Australians, I took advantage of the working holiday visa and spent a while living in London, working strange temp jobs, and spending most of my meagre earnings at the pub. Of course, since the Labour government came to power, many things – including licensing hours – have changed, but back then, with Major in charge, pubs closed at eleven and were open for a bizarre period of time on a Sunday. Sunday opening gave us enough time for a hearty roast with Yorkshire pud, a couple of pints of bitter, and then we’d head home for a lazy afternoon in front of Masterchef. That’s right – it was on once a week, on a Sunday afternoon.

The show was hosted by Loyd Grossman, a Bostonian whose bizarre native accent had been rendered even stranger by his time in Britain. Each week, he judged the competitors – who competed in heats of three hopefuls a time – with the help of a couple of guest judges: a chef, and a celebrity. The competitors were true amateurs; they were the types of people you’d also see on Mastermind. I recall – although this is through a haze of 18 years and the beer fog I’d be in at the time – cardigans with elbow pads. The show had a cosy feel to it. Each week, I looked forward to the results, which were delivered with Loyd’s trademark: “We’ve deliberated, cogitated and digested”. I don’t remember there being a prize, beyond being crowned Masterchef.

When we finally took the plunge into “pay TV” this year, I was excited to see that Masterchef was on. Not just the vanilla Masterchef, but also Masterchef: The Professionals. The format had changed since those days in Clapham South, and Loyd no longer presided over the competition, but I was still hooked. Hooked by the catchphrases (“cooking doesn’t get tougher than this!”), by the extreme volume of the two hosts/judges, by the rapid pace (six contestents cook from mystery ingredients – three go on; three cook in a professional kitchen; three cook a two course menu – one goes on… all in 30 minutes) and by the focus on food, rather than the personality quirks or flaws of the contestants. In fact, the prize seems to be nothing more than the Perspex trophy and the prestige that comes with the title. With that, though, doors do seem to open up.

That’s what I was hoping for with the home-grown version, but ours has trended more towards an American model and away from the original. Remember when Survivor first started? Well, do you also remember Shipwrecked? This was a British version, but instead of alliances and challenges, the aim was to adapt to a more hostile environment than what the participants were used to. There was no prize, but there were occasional lively spats over who’d taken more than their fair share of Hob Nobs from the bikkie tin. The British Masterchef is, of course, no Shipwrecked but they share some bloodlines. It’s not about the cash. It’s about both the journey (but not “the journey”) and the destination. It’s about nurturing and developing talent, not being sidetracked by squabbles.  It’s also, despite how that sounds, quality entertainment.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Thanks for your responses to my guest posts! It’s been great fun being here. No doubt I’ll see you around in the comments on Raver’s posts…

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And so it has, for the winner of the most recent season of the REAL Masterchef, Mat Follas.  Given that Mat spent a lot of his life in New Zealand, I’m amazed that nobody here has tried to claim him as a local.  That’s gotta be a first. Anyway, Mat has just found a venue for his own restaurant and is working to get it open in just over a month.  He keeps a blog, which includes recipes, news on the food he loves, and some inside goss on his time on the show. Here’s hoping it goes well.

Other finalists

One of my only criticisms of the current version of Masterchef in the UK is the section in the quarter finals where a contestant is eliminated without getting a chance to cook.  This decision is made on the basis of their performance in the “ingredients test” (identifying, say, particular birds, cuts of meat, spices…) and in the “passion test”, where the prospective semi-finalists have to demonstrate how much they want this (and, for those who have only seen the local version of the show, “this” seems to be nothing more than bragging rights – there is no $100,000 cash prize, no book deal… just a trophy designed to go straight to the pool room). I dislike this, particularly, as it seems to favour the articulate, as well as those who are willing to pimp out their emotions for the camera.  It’s the only time of the UK Masterchef week that I really talk back to the TV.

This is all preamble to the news that finalist Andy Oliver was, indeed, a finalist who really wanted “it”.  Despite losing to Mat, he has chucked in his job to follow his dream of a career in food.  He’s recording his “journey” over at The Cook’s Broth.  I don’t know how many of the local contestants would be willing to do this:

i went about making a list of london places which do the food and have the kind of style & vibe i love, so these are the places i’m planning to work in: Bocca di Lupo, The Modern Pantry, Moro, Nobu, Brindisa

There may be other places too, but as i’m mainly offering to work for free it cant last forever, so plan is to take full time cooking job at one of them or somewhere similar in perhaps a month or 6 weeks. In the meantime i’ve got to be Frugal McDoogal because the bills still gotta be paid!

Now that’s what I call having a calling!

According to the Evening Star, the other finalist, Chris Gates, has made a few TV appearances and has had some offers from restaurants, but is still working in his old job.  He’s blogging over at the creatively named Christopher Gates.

It’s hard to compare the skills of these guys and our local contestants, given that cooking plays such a ridiculously small part in the local version, but I haven’t seen anything from the locals so far that matches what these guys turned out on a regular basis.  Subtext: don’t give up your day jobs, MCAers!

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On the blog Abstract Gourmet a debate about the auditions has erupted. There are allegations that the producers are casting on looks and personality and not cooking skills.

Adski said I was in exactly the same position as you and got through to the end of the day, only to be told they didn’t want me any further. Bit strange considering that I can cook, whereas a guy in my group confessed he couldn’t cook and when he did, got his food from dumpsters. He didn’t even have to go to the 2nd interview, they gave him a pass to go straight through to the cooking day! He was a great guy- but he got through on 100% personality and 0% cooking ability. If that’s what the show is based on, I’m not that upset that I didn’t get through.

and Sarah wrote:

My husband auditioned in Syd yesterday and his group all thought his meal was the best of the lot, but he didn’t get through to second auditions. One girl who did get a second audition admitted she didn’t even make her own dish – she bought a balmain bug already cooked?!?! But of course, she was pretty

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Australia’s Next Top Model Severs Ties With Vogue Australia

A new host is not the only change of this season’s Australia’s Next Top Model, as Harper’s Bazaar and Cosmopolitan will take over from Vogue Australia as the magazine represented in the show. The Sunday Tele gossip column (scroll down the article) states the split could have occurred because they did not put Demelza Reveley last year’s winner on the cover as they did with Alice Burdeau. However I think this is bollocks as Alice was the first winner ever to be put on the cover and there was never any expectation that other winners would get this honour.

Head Judge For Interior Design Show Home Made Announced.

Belle magazine editor-in-chief Neale Whitaker has joined the team on Nine’s lifestyle reality series Home Made. It is thought his role will be as head judge. Similar to that of Johnathan Adler of Arena’s Top Design. Sorry I should not have mentioned those shows in the same post as apparently they are going to be completely different. Each show is about interior designers competing to design different spaces and a designer is eliminated each week.

The producers Julian Cress and David Barbour of The Block fame, look like they are on a winner with this show. Also they always have high production values. David Heimann, proprietor of Orson & Blake will be the host.

Masterchef Australia – Another Melbourne Chef/Judge Announced.

As a Sydneysider I am about to crawl into a dark corner and curl into the feotal position with shame. Matt Preston a chef from Melbourne has been announced as the third judge to join the other two chefs from Melbourne Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris. Just a minor snipe why no female judge? Are there no good female televisual chefs in Australia?

The show is currently in pre-production and carrying out auditions throughout Australia.

Project Runway Australia Season 2 – Applications Are Now Open.

Project Runway Australia Season 2 applications are now open for aspiring or otherwise fashion designers. It will start filming in April and will launch midyear. Kristy Hinzes will continue to be the host.

Aspiring designers need to upload a CV, design samples and a video audition at arenatv.com.au

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Channel 10 look like they are on a winner with Masterchef Australia with over 50,000 people applying to be on the show. This is a good sign for them as they are placing a lot of faith on the program as they will be screening it six days a week at 7.00pm. We know former Cosmopolitan Editor Sarah Wilson will be the host, and two chefs from Melbourne will be the judges and mentors, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan.

But if you haven’t watched the english version how are you to know how this show works?

Well luckily TV Week gives a quick synopsis as they talked to the show’s producer Paul Franklin:

What is the concept?

In the local version of the hit UK show, up to 24 non-professional cooks battle it out for the title of Master Chef. “It’s amateur foodies – everyone from the tuckshop mum to lawyers – getting the chance to show what great chefs they can be.”

How does it work?

After completing a series of challenges two wannabe chefs will leave the show. One leaves via the judging panel and the other is eliminated by their peers, who tast the meals without knowing who cooked what.

What’s the twist?

There will be chances for contestants to fast-track through to the finals week, and they may go head to head with well-known celebrity chefs around the country.”

What does the winner get?

It will be a ‘money can’t buy’ reward rather than a cash prize. It will be something that sets them up on the road to being a great chef.

The prize sounds a bit suss? A year’s apprenticeship at one of the judges restaurants?

Round 2  of  the auditions are now taking place around the country where people who have been selected must take food in for the judges to taste it. Abstractgourmet has an entertaining account of the Masterchef audition process.

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Sarah Wilson Host of Masterchef Australia says the show won’t be Gordon Ramsayesque

In the Herald Sun Sarah Wilson spoke about Masterchef Australia and in particular the tone of the show.

“It’s not your typical reality format which encourages narkiness,” she says.

“We’re not here to give these people a hard time – it’s all about mentoring and being positive.”

One of the mentors, Melbourne chef-of-the-moment George Calombaris from The Press Club, says he will be looking for passion.

“Everyone thinks they can cook, but to be able to go forward, to be a visionary, to completely understand what food is all about, that comes from the heart.”

Reality TV May Be Crap But It Is At The Forefront Of Showing Ethnic Diversity On TV

What do Jessica Mauboy, Casey Donovan, Hilton Dennis, Guy Sebastian, and Thanh Nui have in common? They are people who are non-anglo and have been a part of a successful TV show. Melinda Houston in an article in The Age says that reality TV shows like American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance show ethnic diversity which reflects the multicultural society we live in. This is unlike some famous Australian soap operas…

 Allana Cini Will Be vying for one of the Farmers on Farmer Wants A Wife

With Series 3 of Farmer Wants A Wife going to air next month we are getting little vignettes of the people who will be on the show. The Courier has a small article about Allana Cini a 29 year old teacher who will be vying for the affections of Damien the sheep farmer.

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Is this the new host of Masterchef? Sarah Wilson was an editor of Cosmopolitan (the mag that advises on how to give perfect fellatio) who now describes herself as journalist, author, and trend consultant.

It is a bold but also exciting move by Channel Ten to choose her for the show they are hoping will get them out of the rating doldrums in the 7.00pm time slot.

Personally I am glad they picked her over the mediocre males they were touting, like Neil Perry (his personality is just a bit flat on TV), Ben Donohue (too blokey, and at times annoying), and Curtis Stone (read what I had to say about Ben). At least she is an unknown quantity.

Someone that would have been perfect in the role would have been Matt Moran the chef in the much underrated reality TV show The Chopping Block. He is probably still contracted to Channel 9. But he has a good mix of niceness and empathy, but mixed with being a bit ballsy when he has to be.

Another TV chef who may have been good, is Darren Simpson of The Best on Lifestyle Channel. He has a nice TV personality and demeanour as well as being a great chef. His biggest liability is that he is British.

Masterchef if the casting is right should be a great show for Channel Ten and I eagarly await further announcements regarding the judges.

But does anyone else think it is strange that at 6.30pm they will be showing the weight loss program The Biggest Loser, and then they follow it with a food show? All viewers good intentions of dieting will be out the window by 7.15pm.

Full story on Daily Telegraph.

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