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We can all agree MasterChef Australia is the wholesome TV show getting us through isolation. The new season is giving us exactly what we need right now: our favourite contestants are back, the competition is fierce and the food creations somehow looks a lot tastier (and even more unachievable for us home cooks.)
But like all reality TV shows, a lot happens behind the scenes that we don’t get to see. And it turns out the filming process isn’t always that enjoyable.
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From cold food to strict rules here are nine MasterChef behind-the-scenes secrets.
Contestants are told about the challenges ahead of time.
From mystery boxes to immunity challenges, MasterChef is all about putting contestants under pressure. But it turns out contestants are actually told about the challenges beforehand.
“Contestants are given the heads-up on the challenges, themes [and] recipes the night before filming, so they can research techniques and recipes,” an unnamed source told New Idea.
The source also claims that producers choose which contestants to tell in advance so they can plan the content before the cameras start rolling.
“In particular, Poh was told about the 90-minute Gordon Ramsay challenge.”
“Poh and the producers sat down to plot how it would play out on air, plus promos and publicity if she did the 90-minute cake. It worked out perfectly,” the source told the publication.
Former MasterChef contestant Dani Venn confirmed to Mamamia that contestants are given time to think about their dishes before the timer starts.
“There is a little bit more time in between when the judges tell you the challenge and when the challenge actually starts because obviously we have to reset the cameras so you do get maybe a little bit of extra time to think about what you are going to cook,” she said on Mamamia’s The Quicky podcast.
The kitchen and pantry aren’t as impressive as they seem.
The MasterChef pantry looks pretty impressive to us watching at home, but in reality, the food and water can easily run out on set.
“The kitchen isn’t really a kitchen as such, it’s a set. So things that you wouldn’t really think happen, happen. So for instance, the water in the taps is limited so it runs out quite quickly,” Dani told Mamamia.