MasterChef is considered one of my favourite exhibits on tv. If I had my method, it will run within the spring and fall so we’d get two seasons a 12 months as an alternative of only one throughout the summer season. It’s a pleasant approach to spend an hour and has made me need to enhance my actual life cooking, however as a fan, I have to say one thing out loud. I really like how the precise competitors is formatted with episodes alternating between the at all times chaotic staff challenges and solo challenges, however I completely hate the construction of the auditions.
As soon as upon a time, the best way it used to work is a possible contestant would cook dinner for the judges, and they might resolve, based mostly on the energy of the dish, whether or not that individual deserved an apron to get on the precise present. So, in idea, they had been cooking towards each single different individual auditioning to satisfy some type of threshold of efficiency within the minds of the judges.
That’s not the best way it really works anymore although. As a substitute, they’ve contestants actually cook dinner towards one another with the winner taking residence an apron and getting a spot on the present. As a substitute of competing towards everybody, they’re competing towards one individual in a mini-battle that sees considered one of them advance.
Let’s use this season for example. The theme is duos, and contestants are auditioning as pairs alongside somebody they’re near. So, we would get a husband and spouse or a brother and a sister or two firefighters that cook dinner collectively on the station. So, it’s not 1v1. It’s 2v2, however the idea is similar. Producers will pair two husband and spouse groups collectively, and so they’ll each cook dinner on the similar time. The judges will style every of their dishes and resolve which one goes residence and which duo will get the apron and advances.
That sounds good on paper. It provides a extra direct competitors component to the auditions and permits viewers to root for the staff they’d fairly see undergo. In actual life, nonetheless, it may be actually irritating to look at, and I’m certain it’s infuriating for the precise contestants too as a result of the standard of those auditions varies sharply.
We’ll see one audition the place each groups completely knock it out of the park. Judges Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and newcomer Tiffany Derry will rant and rave about what each of the duos did and speak about how unimaginable the selection is. Then they’ll ship one staff by and one staff can be left devastated as they exit the MasterChef kitchen for good. Then we’ll get the subsequent audition and each groups will make blatant beginner hour errors. Stuff can be undercooked. The flavour mixtures can be all improper. They’ll each be a sizzling mess however due to the format, we’ll see one of many groups undergo.
Clearly, the producers have a watch towards casting with the whole course of. I’m not saying they’re deliberately letting worse groups by as a result of they suppose they’ll make higher tv, however I’m saying in case you take a look at the pairs they put collectively, it’s fairly apparent they’re each candidates to suit a specific function on the present. So, we’ll get two pairs of longtime dude mates cooking towards one another. Subsequent, we’ll get two fortunately married {couples} cooking towards one another. The producers clearly need to fill that archetype to stability out the present.
Discovering some degree of stability and persona variance is vital to making a enjoyable and watchable season, however the best way these audition episodes are put collectively simply make it actually apparent that lots of the higher contestants are getting reduce. It’s simply being rubbed in our faces that worse individuals are getting by.
I believe there are two attainable options right here. Both the present ought to return to how the auditions was held with everybody auditioning on their very own and both getting aprons or not getting aprons, or they need to not air the auditions, have the producers solid whoever goes to make the most effective tv and provides us a couple of additional episodes of actual competitors. Perhaps we may get non-elimination weeks or possibly the present may begin with a couple of extra folks to fill the additional episode rely.
MasterChef is nice. Regardless of modifications in judges, varied seasons with gimmick codecs and the occasional twist that goes too far, it has maintained a enjoyable degree of high quality. I’ll maintain watching the present so long as they’re going to make it, however subsequent season, I hope I tune in to search out the audition episodes both modified format or don’t exist anymore.