1. The Series Is Longer
It starts with the mass auditions, whittles it down to the top 50, then the final 24. It gives viewers a chance to find out much more about each contestant, and the fact that the finalists share a house gives the whole competition a more intimate feel. Each time somebody is up for elimination you see them taking their photos off the bedroom wall and packing the suitcase. Rather than the short, sharp “cook/eliminate” format of each British episode, there are different skills tests, and not every cooking session ends with a person leaving. It’s not a race to crown the winner as soon as possible – viewers have nearly three months of challenges to enjoy before the showdown between the final two.
2. Charismatic, Knowledgeable Judges
Chefs Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris each run their own restaurant, and thankfully do not subscribe to the Gordon Ramsay style of kitchen training. There is no “Yes chef!” as they roam the benches where contestants attempt their latest dish. Enthusiastic and encouraging, they’re not there to belittle people for their lack of skill; they know how hard it is to become a professional chef and want to see contestants improve, not fall by the wayside after one poor performance. Cravat-sporting food critic Matt Preston may come across as slightly pompous, but he’s a vast improvement on UK greengrocer Gregg Wallace, who seems to have only two facial expressions – Serious Frown as contestants come in to learn their fate, or Big Smile when he sees a dish he likes. Chef John Torode frequently morphs into Shouty Man to ensure contestants get that true professional kitchen experience, ie being treated like a dog.
3. Facilities Are So Much Better
The kitchen is fabulous. Set in a huge warehouse in Sydney, there’s ample room for the 24 contestants to cook without feeling cramped. Every kind of appliance, large and small, is available to use, plus professional items such as pizza ovens, a blast freezer, a sous vide for high speed water cooking and a “thermo mixer” (basically a blender on steroids). The UK kitchen looks pretty much what it presumably is, a small studio with standard equipment. BBC budget cuts perhaps?
4. Contestants Have The Chance To Learn
Rather than face endless pressure tests and living in fear of elimination, participants get a chance to pick up everything from basic skills (de-boning fish, chopping vegetables or making mayonnaise) to watching top chefs create fabulous dishes. Every week there is a “masterclass” where contestants can relax while Gary and George get to do the cooking, providing all sorts of tips and techniques. Surely that’s what amateurs need to improve, rather than being thrown in at the deep end with yet another sink or swim challenge?
5.. No Droning Voiceover
Rather than letting the contestants explain what dish they are cooking, the BBC has drafted in India Fisher to monotonously announce the title of each recipe. There’s no tension, no sense of “are they being over-ambitious?” or “will they be able to finish on time?” – on and on she goes as if she’s reading listings from the phone book. Down Under, meanwhile, there’s loads of talking head shots interspersed with the actual cooking, so viewers get a much clearer picture of how the contestants are coping with a particular challenge.
So settle in with your morning cuppa, and let MasterChef Australia (weekdays, 11 am, Really) get your mouth watering. To paraphrase Gormless Gregg, cooking doesn’t get any better than this.
Arlene Kelly - Born and raised in a small prairie town, by the time I graduated high school I decided I’d had enough of Manitoba winters and headed ...
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