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"MasterChef: Season #3"

Posted by Estee on 06-05-12 at 04:42 AM
Now with 75% more commercial break teasers, 40% extra filler, and 0% hope of having the network tell you how many people actually showed up to audition this year.


Table of contents

Messages in this discussion
"RE: MasterChef: Season #3"
Posted by Estee on 06-05-12 at 05:36 AM
Let us now consider the logistical problems involved with a blind chef.

Should she reach the competition rounds, her kitchen station will not be an issue: all they have to do is let her set it up so that she knows exactly where everything is (down to the last millimeter), let her label the temperature settings on the stove, put Braille buttons on all relevant appliance activators, give her some time to memorize it all, and she's good to go. The pantry -- now that could take a while, along with the tool shelf. But eventually, she'll have the whole thing written down in her head and all will be well, as long as you can get the other contestants to yell "Behind you!" at all necessary moments plus the field can get used to a sweeping cane at awkward moments.

But then we have the challenges in the field.

Did anyone bother telling you where the butter was? How about where the oven is? The distinctly non-labeled oven? How far does the cooking surface go on that grill, anyway? Any hot portions that aren't on the home model where someone's hands could land because another contestant forgot to yell "Behind you!" Cooking in a parking lot? Anybody fill the potholes? Oh, hanging pots, what a very bad idea...

Now let's talk presentation. Sure, no one else has ever seen that ingredient either, but at least they know what color it is. Did you know using it will turn your sauce to the rough hue of sewage unless you counterbalance? Let's hope so. Can you artistically arrange your plate when you can't see the results? With enough time, practice, and people giving you feedback, absolutely -- which isn't available here.

By the way, remember that Identify The Ingredients challenge?

She could qualify for the last eighteen. She might be one of the most talented cooks in the field. But the producers are going to need some fast thinking to accommodate her -- and if there's anything reality TV hates to do, it's think.


"RE: MasterChef: Season #3"
Posted by Starshine on 06-05-12 at 08:10 AM
I don't mean to be mean, however remembering previous competitions there have been "chopping onions" style challenges, looking at her cutting the lemon I'm not sure how safe that would be.

That said why shouldn't she do well, it is just a matter of having the equipment and ingredients equally available to her.

Still think Australian Masterchef is 20 times better

Although if she gets to list the ingredients she needs then she avoids incidents like we saw in Masterchef New Zealand (where two contestants swapped ingredients, which apparently is much against the rules)


"RE: MasterChef: Season #3"
Posted by Pretty_Kitty on 06-05-12 at 10:30 AM
Oh how I cringed when she was cutting the lemons. I really admire her drive but.. Im thinking she will be eliminated during the second round.

Im so happy this show is back!! Although I could do with less "fake outs" with the aprons. It got old after the second time.


"Keep in mind..."
Posted by krismiss2us on 06-05-12 at 01:18 PM
this woman (i cringed when i saw her name was christine and sincerely hoped she wont be hated like the last christine in survivor) has NOT been blind her entire life...she lost her sight gradually so if it's an ingredient she remembers, she will have a picture in her head. i'm really hoping she goes far....b/c honestly my eyesight is quite horrendous. and if i were to lose my sight altogether, i can see myself in her shoes...though my husband won't let me use his knives right now as it is...says i'm dangerous or some crap like that!


"RE: Keep in mind..."
Posted by jbug on 06-07-12 at 12:51 PM
But what happens when they contestants have to run into a totally unfamiliar pantry and gather ingredients?
and with a time limit.
and with everyone running & pushing.

Maybe to make it fair, they'll blindfold everyone else.


"RE: Keep in mind..."
Posted by JessicaRN on 06-07-12 at 01:23 PM
I thought of all of the issues that you all mentioned and it seems like she would have to have her husband, or some aide with her.

But boy, did I feel inadequate about my life!


"RE: Keep in mind..."
Posted by krismiss2us on 06-09-12 at 05:54 PM
as stated above, she probably won't get far, but i really hope she does...it's quite inspirational when someone faces a huge adversity like this and is able to overcome it. this is the kind of thing parents need to teach their kids - that sh!t happens to everyone and you CAN overcome it, if you try hard enough


"RE: Keep in mind..."
Posted by Starshine on 06-27-12 at 03:46 AM
Michael Caines had one Michelin star, lost an arm in a car accident, now has 2 Michelin stars, and is one of our rising chefs.

"And then there were eighteen."
Posted by Estee on 06-12-12 at 06:54 AM
The logistical challenges begin. Kudos to the producers for not taking the fearful way out. Yet.

No early favorites yet, although I'm picking up the scent of Max's ego coming from the stockbroker -- they never did get the place fumigated -- and I'd like to see the basketball player last a while. (The lack of names is because I'm deep in insomnia right now and I'm lucky I can remember what they all look like.) The preview cells also makes it look like the underhanded gameplay is about to kick in. Fortunately, it stands a chance of getting kicked out even faster -- unless the panel lets a few more HK elements in.

Tonight: actual cooking in competition! (We hope.)


"Master Chef: Hold the CHEESE"
Posted by moonbaby on 06-12-12 at 01:21 PM
Did this show always use the commercial break right at the elimination announcement in other seasons? SOOOO over that- HK kills me with that crap. Also over Joe's death stare and am thinking the very emotional woman with the big glasses and the 2 year old son is a ringer. To stay tuned or not, that is the question.

"Sensible reactions."
Posted by Estee on 06-13-12 at 07:07 AM
'Beef Wellington? Run.'

Oh, look: conspiracies and alliances are starting to crop up. Sabotage during group challenges is probably next. Followed by the panel reviewing the footage and kicking everyone involved into the nearest stove. (Let us hope.) Someone has just been praised: we must take them out! Because only the most mediocre can be the MasterChef! Cooking is not a meritocracy!

Seriously, where do they think they are, Bravo?


"Apple pie royale with cheese."
Posted by Estee on 06-19-12 at 07:01 AM
The question of Christine in team challenges was always present and finally manifested with the resounding awkwardness of a ballet dance performing on an airplane hull while wearing hyper-magnetic boots. 'So we'll put her -- somewhere...' Awkward, and not helped by her not getting to use her assistant to help her work in an unfamiliar setting. But her cooking is keeping her in this -- although I did wonder what would have happened if Gordon finished praising the beauty of her pie by taking a bite and falling over from taste poisoning.

As for the challenge -- take Marine cooking and give it actual flavor. You want meat, you want a starch, you could throw in a desert if you're feeling bold. Cake (no frosting) might have gone over well. But pasta salad -- well, it wasn't a landslide loss against the blue team, but the feet voted and the majority went pork chop.

The pressure test? They should have made the free pass into the shape of a hidden idol, then floated it in the sink on a sea of cooking oil and watched it go down the drain. 'Letting me out of this is an insult to my cooking skills!' There are meritocracies and there is not getting out while the getting's good. Those chef brains can be dangerous for their owners. Apple pie can turn on you in a second -- and for a few of the contestants, did.

It's a good thing this format doesn't allow alliances to work. This group clearly can't manage that kind of strategic leap.



"Least liked so far"
Posted by moonbaby on 06-20-12 at 09:40 AM
I hope smugsley Ryan loses in the biggest losingest uber failingest pointing and laughingest way. I have a feeling there will be a giant party in the MasterChef kitchen when he bites it.

"RE: Least liked so far"
Posted by Estee on 06-26-12 at 06:55 AM
I wasn't expecting him to losingest that quickly. The party was somewhat abated by his having finally called the loss on himself (who knew he was capable of acknowledging failure? -- but even then, he kept talking about Cooking As Art Versus Baking As Mere Chemistry Pursued Only By Geeks Too Stupid To Really Cook, which kind of detracted from the noble image of his falling on his own knifes. Also the highly enjoyable image.

But as far as uber-fail, point and laugh went -- that Mud Puddle Cake was it.


"RE: Least liked so far"
Posted by Tummy on 06-26-12 at 05:57 PM
I like Taliman-tali-me-bananas even less than Ryan.

As there were some that thought kindly of Ryan I'll give him that editing had something to do with what I thought about him.


"The Bad Hat"
Posted by moonbaby on 06-28-12 at 09:28 AM
The hat must go!

Seeing Ryan's cake sploosh out like that was just so satisfying! HAAAAA!

He repeated in twitter that his failure was due to so much baking-that if it was more cooking he'd still be there. Hooray for baking!!!


"Tali-ho!"
Posted by Estee on 07-10-12 at 07:31 AM
Has anyone else noticed that in MasterChef, the order-sorter challenge doesn't work? Well, it serves to show who can function with a rough ingredient and who can't, which means it's sort of doing the job -- but as far as knocking contestants out, it's a failure. All it does is give those locked into the hard stuff a chance to show off. And they did, they did...

Oh, poor Tali. No one in the world is intelligent enough with a sufficiently-refined palette to properly appreciate his food. But when aliens visit Earth, he'll be the first person they turn to.

If we're very lucky, they'll take him along when they go.


"Got the impression"
Posted by moonbaby on 07-10-12 at 12:17 PM
that the judges didn't care for him very much

"We all hate Monti"
Posted by Starshine on 07-10-12 at 04:39 PM
I don't understand this Monti hate, if this were a British programme then I would put it down to her being the lowest on the class scale, however I thought this wouldn't be an issue in America.

"She reads recipe books" seems like a very odd objection, although if no-one else does then that explains why the standard is so low, there are a lot of foods out there, and so many ways to prepare, combine and cook them that anyone who eschews recipe books is cutting themselves off from a vital source of ideas and information.

"She doesn't have that cooking passion that the rest of us do" Que? I watch Masterchef Australia, I watch Hells Kitchen, I have an idea on what cooking passion looks like, and none of you lot appear to be showing it. In fact I would say that Monti and Christine are the only two who are showing more than a vague interest in food, and in Montis' case this is at least partially demonstrated by her reading cookery books!

Why the hate?


"RE: We all hate Monti"
Posted by jbug on 07-10-12 at 10:39 PM
I don't understand it either.
Is it jealousy?
I get tired of contestants who are full of themselves. Even if Becky is a great cook, she needs to be brought down a notch or two.

"RE: We all hate Monti"
Posted by weltek on 07-11-12 at 01:05 PM
LAST EDITED ON 07-11-12 AT 01:08 PM (EST)

Agreed. I sort of understand the "she reads cookbooks," but in reality, most of you are probably regurgitating recipes you've tasted or seen prepared elsewhere. This is Masterchef, a home chef show, not a professional culinary artist show.

The passion part really confused me, too. It's a pompous comment and I'm glad it's seemed to fuel Monti's fire. The whole snobbish "foodie" culture of the last decade is pushing my patience. I love food, enjoy cooking, enjoy trying new things, but there seems to be an attitude that if I'm not on Facebook making out with my local farmer, getting a tattoo of an eggplant, rejecting Food Network or eating fois gras out of a little spoon, than I'm not really into food that much. ETA: To be fair, I think those who strive to eat local and such are doing a great thing. I'm just getting sick some people that go to extreme lengths to work it into every.single.conversation, then brag about the new $400 Coach purse they bought.



-Handcrafted by RollDdice


"RE: We all hate Monti"
Posted by msquared on 07-11-12 at 01:54 PM
The reason Tali went home and David didn't, IMHO, is that David accepted that he has messed up. Tali still thought that the judges were wrong each time they brought him up for poor cooking.

How many times was he in the bottom three?

I think it is going to be Frank and Monti in the finals.

Has Monti had a bad dish yet? She has done some of the best work with the worst ingredients.

Josh finally got a little air time on the mystery box but was invisible during the elimination challange.

msquared


"Team leader switcharoo"
Posted by moonbaby on 07-17-12 at 09:04 AM
was brilliant! Wahahahah! Frank made the best of it and his team kicked butt. I wonder what's in that barbecue sauce. Some secret hypnotizing ingredient, maybe? Monti panicked, showed no leadership whatsoever and a member of her team was up for elimination. She was crying a river. One of my favorite chefs got the boot


"RE: Team leader switcharoo"
Posted by msquared on 07-17-12 at 09:27 AM
I liked Josh alot too, but he had just not shown enough up to this point. Only one top showing. Monti has come through many pressure tests and elimination test with lousy ingredients.

When Josh only had 1 good egg, I knew it was him. Becky and Monti both had 2 good eggs and other good meals behind them.

I liked the fact that Monti did not even try to save herself when they said only three had to cook. She took responsiblity for the team loss. And I think she was correct in her making the choice on who to save.

msquared


"RE: Team leader switcharoo"
Posted by Starshine on 07-17-12 at 10:00 AM
LAST EDITED ON 07-17-12 AT 10:18 AM (EST)

I didn't mind Josh, but all his whining about being best on team put me off him a lot.

A couple of points about poached eggs :-

A) Gordon, you are a moron, you should only use vinegar if you believe the egg is past its best. Be honest now, do you think vinegar enhances the flavour?

B) Clingfilm your egg and poach it in the clingfilm, correct shape and no bits

And a final word on omelettes, no-one in France would have accepted any of those, Beckys was closest to an omelette, but it was still overcooked.

This -

Crispy-scaled snapper smoked potato puree calamari crackling ink sauce, was what the bottom 3 in the last 9 of Australian Masterchef had to cook...


"RE: Team leader switcharoo"
Posted by weltek on 07-17-12 at 10:44 AM
I have only ever heard you should add acid to your water to keep the whites together. Nothing about flavor. Hm-now I feel the need to read up on this. Good idea about the cling wrap. Not sure if that would've impressed the judges as a good idea or an easy way out. At any rate, I want to try it!


-Handcrafted by RollDdice


"RE: Team leader switcharoo"
Posted by Starshine on 07-17-12 at 11:43 AM
The acid is to keep the white together, but it only flabs out when it is an old egg.

"RE: Team leader switcharoo"
Posted by weltek on 07-17-12 at 10:42 AM
I think the sauce won it for the blue team hands down. It's all anyone was talking about. Otherwise, I think equally poor mistakes were made by each team. I'd have killed the sweet potato scoopers. Those were really generous servings.

Picking the "strongest" performer to be safe sucked. I think nobody really outshone the others and all four should've had to compete in battle egg.

I? have never made a soft boiled egg. Kudos to Monti for nailing it. I would've been clueless on time, probably bringing it to a boil and letting it sit for a minute in the hot water before pulling it. Who knows how that would've turned out. I could've nailed the sunny side up egg and poached egg. The omelet probably wouldn't have turned out fluffy. Becky's was beautiful.

Not really feeling one way or another about Josh going. Him just as well as anyone else.



-Handcrafted by RollDdice


"RE: Team leader switcharoo"
Posted by Estee on 07-17-12 at 11:14 AM
I would have liked to see Josh hang around for a few more episodes, but he really left on merit. And editing: I figured he was gone as soon as he started arguing for being the one to receive immunity. All signs pointed to the egress: the egg was just the final confirmation.

At a guess, that barbecue sauce recipe will be in the inevitable MasterChef magazine/cookbook, or possibly the website. (Not on that last yet.) It sure taught me a lesson: when you're cooking for 101 cowboys, sauce it up!

I'm not sure when I'm going to use that.


"Top 2?"
Posted by msquared on 07-17-12 at 02:51 PM
My guess is Frank and Monti.

Frank has impressed the judges time and again and his leadership skills in the cowboy challenge helped his cause.

Monti has been in the top three a few times but has also done well when given crap to work with. She has done very well (top 3) on most of the elimination challanges as well as the pressure tests.

Becky has a chance but the rest, I think, are toast.

msquared


"RE: Top 2?"
Posted by emydi on 07-18-12 at 11:03 AM
I think they are setting up Becky Frank final and Becky goes down like the arrogant guy from New England did last year...I forget his name

Finally a male Master Chef

My take on how it will go....David..Monti(mistake)....Christina(will be very emotional)....Felix...Becky...Frank


"Twistaroo #2- a beauty to behold"
Posted by moonbaby on 07-19-12 at 11:56 AM
The preview makes it look like one of the booted chefs can cook his or her way back into competition if the judges make it so. The judges? are the other contestants. Love it!

Those who might not have played nicely with others (and you KNOW who I am tawkin about) have not a chance in hell of that comeback. How very entertaining! Any predictions on who might come back? I'm hoping Josh.


"RE: Twistaroo #2- a beauty to behold"
Posted by weltek on 07-19-12 at 12:08 PM
I think as long as Josh makes a decent dish, he's back in. But will contestants pick someone that is an easy target (Cowboy Mike?). I don't think so. They all want to impress the judges with their taste (so wouldn't pick a subpar dish to win, IMHO) and many will want to show their "I want to win against the best" mentality.


-Handcrafted by RollDdice


"RE: Twistaroo #2- a beauty to behold"
Posted by krismiss2us on 07-22-12 at 11:36 PM
team christine all the way. i hope she goes far.


"You both called it..."
Posted by Estee on 07-24-12 at 06:30 AM
...Josh it is: ten-day contract with an option to be signed for the year.

"RE: You both called it..."
Posted by emydi on 07-24-12 at 12:15 PM
Gordon pulled a Simon

"RE: You both called it..."
Posted by Estee on 07-24-12 at 12:35 PM
Blamed Joe and Graham for any ratings drop and fired them, with Nigella & Arti as replacements?

"Elimination Houdini."
Posted by Estee on 07-25-12 at 08:15 AM
That's what David's turned into. I have no idea what's keeping him in this competition -- and at this point, I'm not sure he knows either.

Felix? Really?


"RE: Elimination Houdini."
Posted by emydi on 07-25-12 at 11:14 AM
David pulled a Robyn

and Josh...lost some respect for him...Karma's a b*tch...just give him the rice to hang himself with.


"Major disappointment"
Posted by moonbaby on 07-25-12 at 01:44 PM
Felix should have stayed. And Joe heaping an extra helping of harsh on her plate? Not cool. Not cool at all.

"RE: Elimination Houdini."
Posted by weltek on 08-02-12 at 03:24 PM
Those profiteroles sucked, no doubt about it. But yes, David deserved to go. Given that he had the challenge handed to him on a platter, he should be GONE. I wish we had taste-o-vision technology.



-Handcrafted by RollDdice


"Where oh where has my Monti gone?"
Posted by msquared on 08-24-12 at 09:06 AM
I get David getting the boot. He had been inconsistent.

But Monti? Over Josh? Monti has done well in many of the pressure tests and in several other tests. Josh had a huge advantage and still came up short.

And why no special love at the end for Monti? David gets to work for Grahm but what does Monti get? Nada.

Becky and Frank in the finals?

msquared


"Final 3"
Posted by moonbaby on 08-30-12 at 08:06 PM
Blecky, Christine and Josh. I admit I was sad to see Frank go.

Who do you want to win? can the studio accomodate the egos of Josh or Blecky if either one takes the prize?

Go Christine!!! And dearest Joe, even as you complimented Christine and admitted you were wrong you were so self congratulatory about it. Yeah, you're brilliant for recognizing her talents. Whatever. It took you long enough.


"RE: Final 3"
Posted by Starshine on 08-31-12 at 03:50 AM
I cannot understand why Josh is there and Monti is gone. He seems to feel that he is The God of the kitchen, and he just isn't all that.

Josh - Arrogant and fairly good, one sincerely hopes that as he has already been booted out he doesn't win.

Christine - Good with flavours and plating(!), but I can't help feeling that she has had a lot of luck/assistance. The intention of all the other Masterchefs that I watch (UK, Australia, New Zealand) (OK not the celebrity versions) is to find someone who may be the next superstar chef, the US version seems more to be aiming at finding an half decent home cook. If we are looking at professionalism then Christine would have needed assistance with the soufflé task, and I think she would have big problems running a pass. That said if they are looking for a home chef and have no problems with her having someone do her seeing for her then I think she has a good shout.

Becky - Consistently good, very good at plating (although that is her job) and very good at flavours, frankly it would seem a bit of a travesty if she doesn't win. (But then I'm still in shock over Mindy and Amina not being in the top 3 in Masterchef OZ 4)


"RE: Final 3"
Posted by JessicaRN on 09-03-12 at 02:23 AM
Have any of the previous winners become "big deals"?

"Final Two."
Posted by Estee on 09-05-12 at 08:02 AM
Christine vs. Josh.

Anyone have that pairing at the end of their bracket?


"RE: Final Two."
Posted by msquared on 09-05-12 at 08:50 AM
Not me. I had Monti and Frank with Christine and Becky 3/4.

However, I think Josh showed that he deserved to be back in.

Any one notice that Tali(sp?) was almost not shown in the gallery. Every one else got some face time, but I don't think I was him more than once.

msquared


"RE: Final Two."
Posted by krismiss2us on 09-05-12 at 11:29 PM
I am thrilled that christine's in the final two. i really hope she takes it. And to answer starshine, they're looking for a home cook...for a cookbook.




"RE: Final Two."
Posted by PepeLePew13 on 09-10-12 at 10:06 PM
And the winner is .... Christine.

Amazing she cooked so well and knew exactly when all the food were cooked perfectly (particularly the pork as the final entree). Both were deserving winners, but thought that Josh was more stylish with his food = obviously taste won out over presentation here.


"RE: Final Two."
Posted by weltek on 09-13-12 at 04:27 PM
Yeah, I'm not sure if I agree with who they won, but only the judges knew how those dishes tasted. I thought it would come down to dessert and that Josh took that course. But when they said it came down to one course, that must have been the appetizer. I groaned when it was papaya salad because that's such an obvious choice. Every Thai person I know makes that in their sleep. But you can't deny that if Josh's lobster wasn't cooked correctly, he loses that round by default.

Weird. I wanted Christine to win going into the finale, but I was completely bored by her app and dessert and therefore began pulling for Josh. I might check out Christine's cookbook. Maybe. I'm more interested in her's than I would've been in Josh's, so in that regard, I'm glad she won.


-Handcrafted by RollDdice


"This just makes me sad"
Posted by moonbaby on 08-01-13 at 12:13 PM
From TMZ: 26-year-old 7-foot-2 Marks was arrested by University of Chicago police Monday after allegedly punching a cop and trying to grab his gun. 3 officers tried to subdue Marks with batons and pepper spray, but he broke free and took off running.


http://www.tmz.com/2013/08/01/masterchef-finalist-josh-marks-mental-illness/

I liked him-I hope he's OK


"RE: This just makes me sad"
Posted by Starshine on 08-02-13 at 05:30 PM
Trust Tali to get his word in.

I can see Gordon possessing someone, but surely Gordon's mantra is "There is no God but Gordon"? So he is unlikely to turn someone else into God


Best of luck Josh, they can sometimes work miracles, hopefully this incident will ensure that you get the best possible treatment.


"Rest in peace"
Posted by moonbaby on 10-15-13 at 12:25 PM
He killed himself

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/13/showbiz/masterchef-joshua-marks-suicide/


"RE: Rest in peace"
Posted by JessicaRN on 10-16-13 at 00:01 AM
This was sad. Some of these contestants on these shows seem crazy, but he was quite likable. I'm sorry for his family.

"RE: MasterChef: Season #3"
Posted by Agman2 on 01-12-16 at 05:25 PM
bump

"RE: MasterChef: Season #3"
Posted by Agman2 on 02-18-16 at 03:49 PM
It's a bump


"RE: MasterChef: Season #3"
Posted by Agman2 on 02-29-16 at 03:28 PM
It's always a good day when you can reply to an ESTEE post!

"RE: MasterChef: Season #3"
Posted by kidflash212 on 07-10-16 at 01:59 PM
Who won?