MasterChef: Dessert Masters - Season 1 (2023)

[Snazzy Daisy]

CONCEPT:

MasterChef: Dessert Masters sets a group of the greatest pastry chefs from around the country against each other in incredible, pastry-themed challenges – all beneath the bright lights of the famed MasterChef Australia kitchen.

To claim the MasterChef: Dessert Masters crown, they will need to conceive an astonishing array of delectable desserts.

For 2023, ten (10) of Australia's greatest pastry chefs, chocolate connoisseurs and baking experts will compete for the $100,000 prize and to be named the first-ever Dessert Master.

 

2023 CONTESTANTS:

• Adriano Zumbo (IG)
• Andy Bowdy (IG)
• Anna Polyviou (IG)
• Gareth Whitton (IG)
• Jess Liemantara (IG)
• Kay-Lene Tan (IG
• Kirsten Tibballs (IG)
• Morgan Hipworth (IG)
• Reynold Poernomo (IG)
• Rhiann Mead (IG)

Dessert Masters: Meet The 10 Masters

 

PREMIERE: 

November 12, 2023 (Sunday) on 10 and 10 play!

[Snazzy Daisy]

Sneak peek 👀

 

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

Dear Mods,

Please assist to put up a banner for this thread. Thank you!

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Melissa Leong and Amaury Guichon will return for a second serving of Dessert Masters AU in 2024! 🍭🍫 

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

[Snazzy Daisy]

Let the magic begin...

[Snazzy Daisy]

S01•E01 - Season Premiere

Mel looks lovely. This style suits her.

Amaury is quite robotic. Hope his on screen charisma will improve over times.

The friendship between Reynold and Anna Polyviou is a nice surprise.

Reynold gets too much screen time, don’t you think?

Seeing legends like Adriano Zumbo and Kirsten Tibballs working under time pressure in MC kitchen is so satisfying.

I’d love to eat Anna’s Firecracker! 😋

Congrats Rey Rey on your first (pink) immunity pin.

The top 3 desserts:

• Monochrome by Reynold
• Fleur by Kirsten
• Roasted Fennel Cake by Andy

Edited November 13, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

S01•E02 - Is It Real? Immunity Challenge

Flavor wise, I’d love to eat “Whoops, I Dropped My Coffee Cup” by Gareth and Anna’s Hot Dog. Yummy! 😋

It has been 2 episodes in a row that Andy goes for “high risk, high reward” strategy. Both Andy and Rhiann are not to be underestimated.

The way Reynold has presented his dessert is unhygienic. There’s nothing underneath that plate.  It’s also not quite believable that the judges don’t realize a thing about his edible plate. They have been circling around the kitchen for 3 hours. Really producers??? 🙄

Congrats Anna and Andy for winning an immunity from the first elimination. Your deliciously dirty “wet trash” has saved you, Andy! 😆

Edited November 13, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[TVbitch]

Am enjoying the show except for the HEAVY focus on Reynold. It's downright Juliesque and with only 10 contestants and the level of talent in the room, they should be giving each contestant equal focus. I hate when they spend 10 minutes on Reynold's tasting and then just flash by some others. And I was 100% certain he would get the only immunity pin. I don't hate the guy or anything ...but he sure loves to hear himself talk. I laughed when he went on and on about how he painted his pear so meticulously with the mottling and blah blah blah, like it was the most interesting story ever told, and the other guy was just like "then I painted it to look like a lemon!" Yes, thank you, we get it! 🤣

I like that Amaury is rather demure. It's too much for me when all the hosts are shouting.  

 

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

S01•E03 - Smash It Elimination

Nooooo! Not Rhiann! She has made 2 amazing desserts and definitely has a lot more to offer.

Jess should be sent packing. She doesn’t really care about the smashed element despite being reminded by the judges. Lack of creativity - she makes her usual chocolate tart. And there’s nothing new about her flavor combo - chocolate/berries/caramel.

Anna on the gantry - a fun & caring cheerleader. 💕

Great job Gareth on your first sugar dome. 👏🏻

“It makes me feel powerful.” 

Amaury working through his childhood trauma while hosting. 😬

Mel doing the Jock thing - it doesn’t feel the same… 😢

Hey producers! Could you please stop with the spoilers of the finished desserts please. Why would you wanna do that??! Geez. 🙄

[TVbitch]

Yes, the slo motion, vaguely vaseline-covered lens spoilers of the finished dessert kind of kills the suspense of the stuck mold or burnt whatever crisis we are currently watching?! 🙄🤷‍♀️

No way Jess should have bee spared over Rhiann, but I knew they would, cuz they are favoring the former MC AU contestants. I'd never heard of Rhiann, but loved her first two desserts and was very eager to see more.  

Meanwhile, Reynold continues to audition for his own TV show. 😁

[Snazzy Daisy]

S01•E04 - Sweet Team Relay

“An abstract dessert of textures.”

Adriano goes vision-less. Nobody can understand what’s going on inside his head. Thank god he doesn’t go the WCV route. 🤣

Gareth’s tantrum is so unnecessary. Everything turns out OK. He’s such a drama queen. And I love him for it. 😂

Kirsten is the total opposite of Gareth and Kay-Lene, cool as cucumber.

Morgan the doughnut guy is praised for his quick thinking of pairing & balancing flavors. I hope he plays his card right and doesn’t get easily intimidated to stay longer in this competition.

Amaury’s undersized, identical white shirt is a character on its own. 🤣🤣🤣

And the Reynold worshipping continues…. 🙄🙄🙄

UGH. Just make it stop. Yes, the guy is talented, so are the other contestants. Do the EPs & editors forget who Adriano, Kirsten, Anna and Kay-Lene are??! Some idiots are tweeting about Amaury and Andy Bowdy being jealous of Reynold blah blah blah. Unbelievable! 😣

[retrograde]

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.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Damn it. I wanna see how Anna and Andy cope with the pressure in the elimination round.

[Snazzy Daisy]

Here's the menu for 2nd week.

Two eliminations??! 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

S01•E05 - Frozen Mystery Box

What? The only mystery box for this season? 

No drama from Gareth today. All smooth sailing. Phew! 😮‍💨

Adriano is such a gentleman. The ladies open the pantry door and he just rushes in. Nothing else matters. 😂

Damn it, Morgan! You know the frozen element is crucial. Your main focus should be on that. You should have made a second frozen element as back-up. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I truly hope a dark horse will win this competition, not the favorite or overrated one.🤞🏻

[Mellowyellow]

Really loving this show which is weird for me because overly desserty contestants tend to irritate me on Masterchef!

I know someone who works for Andy Bowdy and he’s lovely in real life. He’s one of my favourites along with Anna. I was neutral towards Anna on MasterChef but I absolutely love her here! She’s so sweet and animated! 

The new judge is awkward! I’m not sure whether it’s intentional half the time or whether they are having an awkward moment. I feel stressed for Mel having to move things along.

 

[Mellowyellow]

Nooooo they should have eliminated Jess!!! I like her but she made a tart whereas Rhiann made a whole pig plus elements, imperfect as it was! You can’t ignore the challenge parameters!!!

[Snazzy Daisy]

“It’s a lot of anxiety and a lot of stress after the cook. Until you hear the verdict it’s probably a good five or six hours, so it’s a long time of waiting. Seeing each contestant going in and filming their tasting and waiting for yours. It’s definitely very, very stressful, to say the least!”

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

A Milosaur recipe from Kay-Lene... 

[Snazzy Daisy]

S01•E06 - Chocolate Elimination Challenge

For once, Amaury wears a shirt in the right size today. 😆

And he’s very protective of his slightly-weird-looking koala. PROOF.

Good job, Gareth! Top 2 dishes. 👏🏻

Some say that your tart looks similar to Heston’s “Taffety Tart”. Similar plating maybe but different flavor profile.

The intricate work that Kirsten has done for “Chocolate & Coffee Caviar” is amazing. But the overall plating doesn’t really make sense. What’s with all the leaves?

The look on Amaury’s face when Reynold says his favorite chocolate is white chocolate. 🤣

Anna’s Mess 2.0 is quite triggering for me. The mess, ugh. 😣 The judges should be given the PPE suit, not just apron and goggle.

Andy, you’ve made the yummiest looking dessert tonight. 💕😋

[Snazzy Daisy]

S01•E07 - Movie Inspired Elimination Challenge

Au revoir Sweet Assassin!

Kay-Lene or Anna should’ve gone home today, NOT Adriano. Having a cracked element is worse than not meeting the brief and the unpleasant overall taste affected by a grainy element? Really judges? 🙄

Andy’s Impending Tragedy is said to be technically faultless while Gareth’s Grease dessert is sexy & technically intelligent, but Jess’ yellow dessert is the dish of the day??! Ugh, come on.

Whatevs. Am happy that Gareth, Andy and Kirsten are still in the competition.

These two! 😂

Edited November 22, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

S01•E08 - Fruity Christmas Elimination Challenge

Not Andy!!! 😣

The return of COLES mascot. UGH. 

There’s no need for Reynold to compete in the Semi Final because this show is created FOR him. 🙄

Among those 5 contestants, Reynold and Kay-Lene will be in the Final. Only one spot left.

I don’t understand why the judges never question the purpose of banana fritters on top of Kay-Lene’s cake. They’re pointless and make the cake look ridiculous TBH. 

“Trifle eating experience” is the reason why Anna and Andy have been sent packing. The judges should be grateful that they aren’t served with beef trifle ala Rachel Green. 🤣

 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

S01•E09 - Inspired By Nature Semi Final

Am so happy that Gareth has made it to the finale. He deserves it! 👏🏻

Hope Amaury won’t try to instil some doubts during the service challenge. If he does, Gareth just needs to trust his palate & instinct. Good luck! 💪🏼

That bonsai looks amazing but the matcha/chocolate combo isn’t that appealing for me.

Thanks to the preview, we all know what will happen to Kirsten’s bird cage. One thing though, a bird cage is the opposite of nature, isn’t it? 🤔

Reynold and his chocolate log with some fruity-flavored leaves, nothing new. Yawn. He will win tomorrow anyway.

[Snazzy Daisy]

2023 Dessert Masters finalists:

• Gareth Whitton
• Jess Liemantara
• Reynold Poernomo

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Edited November 28, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

The 6 desserts crafted by the finalists. ❤️

From Gareth:

From Reynold:

From Jess:

Edited November 28, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

S01•E10 - Grand Finale

CONGRATULATIONS Gareth‼️

🎉🥳🍾🎊👏🏻🏆

Quote

“A Dessert Master dessert!”

That’s a high praise coming from Amaury.

Gareth’s desserts are not pretentious. They are carefully considered, achievable menus focusing on flavors and textures. Less about fancy, artistic & delicate plating. Substance over style.

His >15 years of experience working in the commercial kitchen is truly an added advantage. He works methodically, clean and focus. He has learned his lesson not to bite more than he can chew. 👏🏻

I respect Amaury for not sugar coating his criticisms. What he says about Reynold’s desserts is spot on - 2 consecutive fully frozen desserts. You can see how Mel’s face falls after hearing this.

Am just so glad that I was wrong about the “intended” winner. Phew! 😆

From a Tart Anon to a Dessert Master.

Edited November 29, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

This guy is quite picky. He doesn't like vegetables in desserts, fully-frozen desserts and also mint.

Future contestants of DM, please take note!

😂😂😂

 

[Snazzy Daisy]

MasterChef star quits TV and plans to leave Australia after loss

Quote

“I can’t just be pigeonholed the whole time on the show. It’s time for me to keep growing and keep moving onto bigger things. It’s not the end, it’s just the beginning. Maybe I might go for Michelin overseas, maybe I might go into the entertainment industry overseas. But definitely somewhere in Asia or somewhere in the States.” - Reynold Poernomo

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[TVbitch]

Dear God, do not send Reynold over here! I finally was able to finish this show and am astounded Reynold did not win. The whole show seemed focused on him. By the look on his face, you could tell it was a shockeroo for him. I coud not stand to listen to him pontificate about himself by the end of this series, with all the fake drama about something maybe possibly going wrong every cook or whether he would make it to the final. 

I do not think Amaury and Mel make a good team. I do not see any genuine chemistry between them. I love that Amaury would not go along after Mel praised Reynold's dessert, and she did look uncomfortable when he started in on the issues with it. So glad the best chef won!

PS. Since I was so sure Reynold had this in the bag, the most intriguing thing for me watching this show was trying to figure out what Amaury was doing with his hair. Is it a Christian Siriano combover or something else? 🤔

[Aerobicidal]

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

[entire post]

Totally agree. I couldn't make it through more than about half of this show, but my main takeaways were very similar. They've now had three seasons focused on Reynold, plus the million times he's been referenced or featured as a judge, and the only thing I approve of is that he's never won. 

Between Mel's word salads, Amaury's skintight shirts, and Reynold's hubris, everything else just got lost. I also don't understand why the editors kept featuring Amaury calling food "sexy" at the beginning of the season and then ditching the creeper edit, although maybe it resumed after I stopped watching.

Regarding the interview with Reynold, I read it all and he didn't come across that badly (and I am absolutely not his fan). However, it's mind-boggling to me that he had the nerve to criticize the show at all after it's made him famous and, seemingly, loved by most viewers despite past actions that would potentially cancel him* forever in the U.S.--so good luck if he wants to move here.

That being said, I liked most of the contestants and would be happy to see them as judges or hosts or guests on cooking shows. Watching them compete didn't work for me. 

*I have no opinion on whether this would be a good or bad thing--just pointing it out. His apology for his homophobic comments sounded sincere, but some corresponding actions/activism would mean a lot more, IMO.