retrograde

Noting here for anyone else unaware (as I was) that there is a separate place to discuss Dessert Masters https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/141500-masterchef-dessert-masters/

Generally enjoying this so far, though certainly the contestant pool is wildly uneven and the Reynold stuff is a bit tiresome. I wish there was a third judge - it all feels so centered around Amaury, who is a bit of a personality vacuum. I like Mel, but she is really not an expert in this area. Honestly it feels like Anna is almost filling this gap as a commentator and having fun interactions with the other contestants; she is a delight and the showrunners are lucky she is there to balance out the judges. I like that all the top-level contestants have generally been humble and good sports about the whole thing.

Boooo! I guess at least I like Poh and I'm glad they're retaining some diversity (the bar is pretty low). But part of the show has always been the judges' chemistry, and this all sounds thrown together pretty last minute.

Hmmmm no I don't think I like this. I like Jamie Oliver fine as Jamie Oliver, but he will eclipse the whole show.

Awwwwwww.

Well that was a predictable result. At least Amaury Guichon's pressure test was good, and it seems like he'll be a solid judge in the dessert show. Super sad for Jock's last episode, the tribute at the end was nice. Thoughts on the season as a whole: Pro: The shortened timeframe was good for me, I didn't get bored or have as much trouble figuring out who was who. I was very happy to skip the audition episodes. I personally was also fine with nixing the masterclasses, though recognize others may miss them. Con: Not the strongest pack of contestants, though a few standouts -- I think Theo and Declan will go on to do interesting things, and hopefully someone gives Robbie a cooking show. Pro: I actually liked a lot of the challenges and themes this season -- for the most part they were interesting without being too gimmicky. I liked nostalgia week especially, and the trip to country Victoria was lovely. Con: It's been said before, but letting Brent on with so much prior experience was unfair and boring. He seems lovely, they just should've put him on Fans vs Favourites (I actually kind of wonder if they tried and the timing didn't work out, so they slipped him in this season because they couldn't resist the comeback storyline). Con: There was a lot of repetition from some contestants, and the judges were very inconsistent in discouraging it. Hate to say it, but it feels like "western" food was given a pass, but other cuisines were not. "Curry" is really just a western term for a huge array of dishes that don't necessarily have much in common. Meanwhile, Brent barbecued seafood every second dish with no issue. Pro: Gabriel Gate! Con: Everything is a salsa now. Pro: No excessive ice creams, domes or lame "deconstructed" desserts that barely involved cooking. Con: Shannon Bennett's grey t-shirt. Pro-turned-Con: The judges had really hit their stride this season, which makes what happened to Jock even sadder.

Oh man, this is a worst-case-scenario finale for me, though I can't deny that the outcome of the semi final itself seemed fair -- Rhiannon's stuff looked nice if simple; Brent's was obviously good even if it's the same shit he cooks every week; and Declan blew it by overcomplicating his menu. This is probably the first time I've ever seen unanimity across this forum, Reddit and the MCAU Facebook page -- almost everyone was cheering for Declan, doesn't understand how Rhiannon made it this far, and thinks Brent has an unfair advantage. I'll still watch it, but I can't pretend to care who wins, and Brent will definitely win anyway. Meanwhile, the word of the season is definitely "salsa," especially when used for things that aren't salsa. "Fruit salad" already has a name.

I could tell Theo was probably a goner from his first solo to-camera interview, because his voice was very gravely like he'd been crying. I believe they film those either after the cooking or after the judging. It is a bummer but I don't think I can blame the producers on this one* -- he clearly screwed it up royally. Hoping for a Declan win now. * Still I do think it was a bit rough to make them fly to Sydney and back before the cook? Including the drive to and from airports, that is around 5 hours travel at an absolute minimum.

Oof that whole episode was painful and you could tell the judges thought so too. The vibes in that room seemed really weird. All of the coddling of Cath when it was clear there was no way she could win, and no one really sounded convincing when they suggested she might. Even if her dessert turned out fine, she would've lost to Brent, but screwing up every element just made it brutal to watch. I have to assume the guys will be the final three, unless one of them really screws the pooch or the producers interfere/set a very one-sided challenge. I know there has been some discussion of it being a relatively weak batch of contestants this season, but watching the grain challenge, I was pretty impressed with all three (though strongly agree on the above that Brent is very repetitive; Theo's crack about there being no hibachi made me laugh). My preferred winner remains Theo, but I think it will be Declan or Brent. However, I think only one of those two will make the final two as otherwise it'll just be a fish-and-salsa-off. I think Declan will be the decisive factor in whether he makes it to the finale -- he will either do something really bone-headed or have a savant moment.

Catching up on a few episodes here: "Willy Wonka's wife." I almost envy Declan's apparent lack of shame. If I'd said something like that I would crawl up into a ball for a year. I can't believe I'm saying this, but: Malissa was robbed. Baking soda aftertaste aside, there's no way she should've lost to Rhiannon's imploded fondant. That wasn't a minor issue, it's like the whole dish. I think that was backed up by Rhiannon's struggles in the following two episodes. Surely she is next to go?

Did we know that the Dessert Masters contestants had been announced? Some pretty big names, as well as of course Reynold. Jess Liemantara, though?

I have grown to like Declan. He's very awkward and clueless sometimes, but he does seem like a lovely person and he obviously has a lot of raw talent. If he wins, I won't be mad. But Theo I think just has a more confident, cohesive and interesting perspective on food, as well as a wider skill range. Brent is fine, and I'm glad he's conquered his mental health struggles, I just can't get excited about someone with such a big advantage winning. He has half a season of experience ahead of everyone else. I suppose there's a chance one of the remaining women win, but I doubt it.

I don't disagree generally, though I will say that in this one case, I think Rhiannon did the most interesting thing with the "everything" mystery box and was robbed of screen time by three blokes cooking meat and bread. I liked Rue more than most, but she was definitely struggling in recent episodes and can't be too salty about her exit. Theo remains my favorite, a little by default, but I'll eat my hibachi-burned hat if Brent or Declan don't win this.

Ahhhh thanks. I guess they are saving me from myself, so I should be grateful.

I wasn't ever wowed by Grace but agree she was better than some still left. Was this the first time we'd heard Theo's "former fat kid" sob story? I feel like I've had to sit through entire documentaries on Brent and Declan's lives, but all I knew about Theo up until now was "good at bread." I guess Theo remains my favourite. Antonio is the dark horse I'm waiting to break out of the middle-of-the-pack. I've warmed up to Adi and still like Rue, even though she has been boring lately. I have warmed to Declan over time, but his wide-eyed schtick still wears thin -- he said the other day he'd been to Mexico several times, yet he allegedly couldn't pronounce even basic Spanish food words? I guess if a Tradie McBloke must win this year, I far prefer him to Brent. Everyone else is whatever, with Malissa as my predicted next elimination. Are no betting sites doing MC this year? I can't find the odds anywhere.

I'm sorry but who is Malissa? Have we ever seen her before? Legit couldn't name a single fact about her.

Excited for Gabriel Gaté for nostalgia week -- I think I actually joked about it here a few seasons back, calling for more old-school Australian TV chefs on Masterchef. They really missed the chance to have Elizabeth Chong in the last ep. Now please Jeff Jantz, Peter Russell-Clarke and Ian Parmenter.

Credit to Adi for correctly identifying that Fruit Loops were the most fun cereal -- all those cornflake dishes put me to sleep. Correct (childhood) ranking of the Kellogg's variety pack: Fruit Loops / Coco Pops equally great, Nutri-Grain, Sultana Bran, Rice Bubbles, Cornflakes, Sustain, Special K.

Man I had a bunch of snarky comments and then the hot chef came along and I've forgotten everything. OK a few I can remember: Shannon continues to dress like an absolute derro. Also yikes. I too oscillate on Declan, but I guess I would say that of all the "aww shucks, I'm just a tradie making food with my big tradie hands" guys they have had as contestants over the years, he is probably the least annoying with that schtick. Brent "I'll just burn it on the hibachi" McTradie was far more annoying his first go-around. Robbie cracks me up. "Robbie's chicken." I dunno if Masterchef is quite the right lane for him, but he could do a pretty entertaining cooking show on the ABC or something. Favourite so far: Theo People I haven't seen enough of but think I will like: Antonio, Rue, Least favourite: Phil Those rankings will probably change, but I literally still cannot name or say a single fact about half of the contestants (even though this season does have far fewer interchangeable blond-girls-who-went-to-Vietnam-once contestants than usual).

I have never found Midge's comedy to be laugh-out-loud funny, but I've always been able to handwave that -- standup from decades past is rarely laugh-out-loud funny to me because stuff that was fresh and shocking then is by definition not now. I can buy that her act wowed 1950s/60s crowds, even though it doesn't in 2023. I didn't love all the flash-forwards sprinkled throughout this season, because they took me out of the main story and robbed it of some mystery and magic. I didn't object to finding out what happened to everyone, I just wish it had all been contained in the last or second-last episode. That said, I did like the very last scene with older Midge and Susie just bantering. Witty repartee is what ASP does well, and I thought the scene was a a fine example of the form -- their relationship felt lived-in and real. FWIW the Palladinos say Midge's building was neither the Dakota nor the Ansonia but a "fictional Manhattan."

Uggggggh, whatever happened to no returning "favourites"? Is there a loophole because Brent was no one's "favourite"?

Can we have a spin-off that's just Kwame's sister and Chelsea's dad giving people pep talks and being lovely?

Huzzah, but at the same time: I can't express how much I don't want "secrets and suprises" from this show.

Yeah I think that is right -- part of Phoebe's appeal (if we are comparing the teen girl contestants) is that she transforms from this dorky kid offstage into a compelling performer onstage every episode. Amali describes herself as just a girl who works in an ice cream shop, but really she already seems ready-to-go as a performer in every way. Which sucks for her but is just kind of the nature of these shows. I do appreciate that Harry is pretty candid about how Idol, and its voters, operate in that way. I suspect it's the influence of The Voice, which is so much about the judges (though perhaps also a cautionary tale, as its winners almost never seem to break out after the show). The original was such a different time, when in Australia especially there really were only a handful of channels to watch (every time I go home to Australia I am still struck by how much more of a monoculture there still is than the US -- like it's far more common for there to be a show or events that most of the country watches and talks about -- but there's no doubt it has been diluted a lot by streaming and the internet), so I understand the need to promote "star power" as selling point. Anyway I'm not super bothered by the increased focus on the judges -- and at least these ones offer real feedback, unlike the US ones who are completely useless -- but I agree they could still tell us way more about the contestants. I wonder if it's partly the record labels preferring that the winner be more of a blank slate whose image they can shape? It may also be that it's harder these days for shows to attract performers themselves if they are going to have to do a whole bunch of personal stuff. I think people (and parents, so many of the contestants are kids) are more aware of the pitfalls of very candid reality TV, and they are also in a better position to build their own careers and craft their own images online without the help of mainstream media. I'm thinking of people like Noora who already have their own followings on social media, and may not agree to do a show like Idol if it was going to interfere with that. Yeah this really struck me in the latest episode, where I think he at least said "my sexuality" rather than "difference" or whatever they had said in the past, but still felt like it was dancing around. It may also just be his own preference? Courtney Act was on Idol literally 20 years ago!

Just caught up for this week. Cutting the top 6 in half was pretty brutal, and it seemed like the pairings were basically designed to eliminate the three contestants they'd prefer. But I can't quibble with the top 3 -- Royston remains my favorite, Phoebe's voice and presence are undeniable, and Josh really stepped up from the middle of the pack a few weeks ago. I think Josh will probably win because I suspect teenage girls are the main people who vote.