Masterchef

Usually I don't care for reality shows, but (shhh, don't tell anyone, my secret is out) I'm addicted to Masterchef. If you've never heard of Masterchef, it's a TV show where 20 ordinary people test their culinary skills in what is basically an old-fashioned cook off. The judges are Chef Joe Bastianich, Chef Graham Elliot and Chef Gordon Ramsay. When it comes to cooking and being creative, they are a formidable bunch to please, believe me.   Facing these three judges, the competition becomes more like an endurance test than a cooking contest.  Each week a contestant is eliminated until we are left with a winner.

We are now down to the final six five contestants, and it’s pretty much a faceoff between Jennifer (the heroine) and Christian (the villain). They spend much of their time sniping at each other and gritting their teeth over each other's successes. My favorite contestant is Ben Starr from Lewisville, Texas. He always looks so surprised when anyone wins ~~ especially him ~~ or when anyone loses, for that matter. He has the most winning personality of the group, and he is sort of the comic relief. I think he's a pretty good cook, too. He has lasted until now, in any case, and that's not easy. I will be sad if and when he is eliminated.

I love chef Ramsay; every second word he utters has to be bleeped out, and just by his body language he is able to make a grown man cry. Cry over food? Well, I guess so... These folks take this stuff very seriously. Occasionally the judges are presented with a dish so bad, so unpalatable, so unfit for human consumption, it is scraped off the plate and tossed into the garbage, while the unfortunate contestant stands frozen like a deer in the headlights. On one episode Chef Ramsay told a contestant that her offering was the worst dish he had ever eaten. Tears ensued. Chef Bastianich just fixes the contestant with an icy stare, and we are left to guess what it means. Did he like it, did he hate it?  Was he blown away by the dish, or was it beyond disgusting? Chef Elliot just looks amused by the whole thing, but he can be very angry if a dish is not up to his liking.  He likes  his food.

Oh, the drama, the drama.

My favourite part of the show is the mystery box, which is a wooden box filled with surprise elements that the contestants are required to transform into a gourmet meal. Last week several live prawns walked right off the table, their antennae twitching as they nonchalantly strolled away, trying to look inconspicuous. Mercifully, we were not permitted to watch as they were dispatched from the state of being living creatures, into flavourful culinary delights.  However, it all worked out in the end ... well, maybe not for the prawns...

I ask you, is there anything more rewarding than the perfect soufflé, or anything more disappointing than bland tomato soup? "The soup is okay, but it needs more seasoning..." Damned by faint praise.  I had no idea cooking could be so much fun.  Who knew?