Masterchef (CA) - General Discussion

[Fex]

There is a Behind-the-scenes special airing on CTV right now (started at 5pm atlantic time). Just came across it entirely accidentally. Hope it's interesting!

[buffynut]

Fex:  How was the behind the scenes special? Anything interesting?

I found myself not wanting anyone to leave on last night's episode, though April Lee was the right one to go.  I like all of the final 4, and will be happy whoever wins.

I didn't realize till last night that Mary was a vegetarian. How did she react to that gross animal parts episode?  As I'm a vegetarian, I couldn't watch that, so not sure how she could deal with it. But I guess it depends on her reasons for being vegetarian.

[OnceSane]

I.think April Lee should have been gone at least two episodes ago, but I'm fine with her exiting now.  The final four are pretty good, but I realized I don't really care much about this season.  Maybe it's because the UK & Australian versions aired/are airing at the same time.

[Fex]

15 hours ago, buffynut said:

Fex:  How was the behind the scenes special? Anything interesting?

I found myself not wanting anyone to leave on last night's episode, though April Lee was the right one to go.  I like all of the final 4, and will be happy whoever wins.

I didn't realize till last night that Mary was a vegetarian. How did she react to that gross animal parts episode?  As I'm a vegetarian, I couldn't watch that, so not sure how she could deal with it. But I guess it depends on her reasons for being vegetarian.

It turned out to be top ten moments of the season so far, with, maybe, 5 minutes total of footage we haven't already seen. So no. If it re-airs, don't bother!

I loved the cocktail challenge. Very cool idea. As usual, I wonder what the hell kind of strategy is it to give everybody something challenging. If you want to target Mary, you have to give everyone else something they'll knock out of the park. I should be fair, though, April Lee was probably going home no matter what she got... I like her, but she couldn't compete with that final 4.

[buffynut]

8 hours ago, Fex said:

It turned out to be top ten moments of the season so far, with, maybe, 5 minutes total of footage we haven't already seen. So no. If it re-airs, don't bother!

That does sound like a waste of time. I was hoping maybe they would have some behind the scenes of how they prepare the contestants for the show. But I guess that would be like a magician showing how he does his magic.

[xcrayon2215x]

Thought Veronica would go home but I think April Lee was sent home for overall performance. Right now I like Matthew the most and Veronica the least but I don't hate anyone unlike Masterchef US.

[shok]

I was surprised to see Veronica go because it feels like they've been pimping her right from the beginning. Wasn't sorry to see her go though. She just had such an arrogant snooty air about her.

[BlueJayFan]

8 hours ago, shok said:

I was surprised to see Veronica go because it feels like they've been pimping her right from the beginning. Wasn't sorry to see her go though. She just had such an arrogant snooty air about her.

She was someone I disliked right from the beginning. Not sad to see her go at all!

[OnceSane]

Add me to the "Bye, Veronica!" sentiments.  Never cared for her, not sorry she's gone.  But I am surprised because they did feature her a fair bit.  I'm happy with the final 3; I think it might be Mary's to lose, though (based on airtime).

[xcrayon2215x]

I'm fine with Veronica leaving, she was my least favourite of the four. I didn't hate her, rooting for Jeremy.

[Canada]

I tried hard to like Veronica but she was just so darned arrogant.  "There's about 15 techniques required for these dishes.... even I might have a hard time with this."  After that statement, it was quite entertaining to see her go home.

[shok]

I'm happy that Jeremy made it to the final. I don't pay too much attention to the first shows but for some reason I liked Jeremy out of the whole big bunch. He had some struggles along the way but he's gotten stronger and he deserved his spot. I would rather have seen Matthew as the other finalist but, oh well, Mary has been their pet all along so it wasn't surprising they put her there. We'll have thousands of shots of her smile and her hair tosses but hopefully Jeremy's cooking will win in the end.

[Christina]

I watched this episode on my computer, and found myself blowing on the screen to try and knock Mary's hair out of her face while she was cooking. It didn't work. Then I tried flicking it out of her face, but it didn't work either. At one point, I tried to knock Matthew's hat off his head and onto hers, and you'll never believe me when I tell you this, but it didn't work either. Finally, that portion of the show was over and even as distracted as I was, I knew she was going to win. Especially after they edited in that chef saying she would hire her. 

I was pretty sure Jeremy was going to be the second chef when they showed him cooling his custard before filling his pie crusts and Matthew filling his hot. So when they started with Jeremy's trio, and his was good and Matthew forgot something, I knew that they would try the other non-pie next and Matthew's would be better so we would have one winner for each dessert going into the final pie which Jeremy would win. 

Matthew's anxiousness was making me a bit anxious too. It was obvious how much this meant to him, and radiated off the screen. Making it to the final three should help him get a job in a kitchen, if that is what he wants to do. A lot of the chefs on these types of show seem like they want to skip over culinary school and working their way up in a kitchen. I know it was discussed in the thread of one of these shows, so I don't want to repeat myself if it was this one, but if this is what he wants, I hope he at least gets a job in the field based on his experience on the show.

Going out in third place would be worse to me than second, because you would think that if you just made it to the finale, you could have taken first. At least us delusional people who try and move the hair out of the face of people in the computer.

[buffynut]

I agree, when they showed Jeremy cooling his custard, it seemed like a given he'd win.  And also, when Mary complained that she "just wanted to sit down" I figured that was a red herring and she'd be fine.

I suspect Mary will win it all, though I'm usually wrong. Still can't believe she prepares all those meat dishes and never tastes them.

[lynny]

"These 13 chefs come from across Canada". Cue them introducing a Calgarian, a Vancouverite and everyone else from Toronto. They did eventually show someone from Montreal and Halifax, but if you're going to go on about special ingredients from every province and territory, make your cast more geographically diverse.

 

That done, I love Jeremy and I'm glad he made it through. But, I like all of them, really. One more reason to prefer this to the US version - no one makes me want to punch their face every week.

[xcrayon2215x]

Hopefully Jeremy can win this, him and Matthew have been my two favourites since Doctor Shawn was eliminated. 

[Fex]

The guest chef from Calgary, Connie, was on Top Chef Canada. Known for meat and sausages.

None of the mystery box dishes seemed that great. Clams do not photograph well without their shells... yuck! The tartar sauce and gnocchi looked disgusting. 

[Fex]

I knew Mary would win as soon as pointed out that she'd be the first female winner of Masterchef Canada. All the food looked pretty good though! I don't love panacotta, but milk tea panacotta sounds pretty great.

[shok]

Pfffft. What a set up. The winner was obvious from Episode 1 regardless of how well any of the other chefs cooked.

[OnceSane]

1 hour ago, shok said:

Pfffft. What a set up. The winner was obvious from Episode 1 regardless of how well any of the other chefs cooked.

Yep.  I liked Mary's cooking, but it was obvious early who would be the chosen one.  The editors need to do a better job next season. 

[Christina]

I would have eaten every dish both of them cooked, but would probably lean more towards Mary's menu if I had to choose. I'm not a huge sushi fan, but the dessert Jeremy made gave me the only "must have that" reaction.

Like Matthew, Jeremy should be able to go far in the industry based on his appearance on this show. Both of them should be proud. It was nice that none of the final three had bad attitudes like I'm expecting from MC:US. Mary won, so of course she'll be making the circuit and then will probably be able to open her cafe. Is that what she wanted? I think one of them wanted a food truck, but don't remember for sure.

[buffynut]

I was happy with Mary winning. Her dessert appealed to me more than Jeremy's did. I think she said she wanted to start her own catering business.  Not sure what Jeremy's dream is.

[BlueJayFan]

14 hours ago, shok said:

Pfffft. What a set up. The winner was obvious from Episode 1 regardless of how well any of the other chefs cooked.

Mary could have served KFC and she'd still have won. What a joke.

[xcrayon2215x]

I was hoping for Jeremy but once Claudio commented on his 4 seperate dishes not being a good idea, I had a feeling Mary would win. I found it pretty funny that they said it's very Canadian that Mary gave Jeremy some sugar. I really enjoyed this version of Masterchef a lot.

[The Crazed Spruce]

It's started airing in the States, so if any Americans want to avoid spoilers, feel free to discuss the show here. :)

[spiderpig]

Doctor (Sean?) knew what he was doing with the South American challenge.

I felt bad for the ejectee, though, with the "I am doomed" look when hearing the required cuisine.

[GHScorpiosRule]

34 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

Doctor (Sean?) knew what he was doing with the South American challenge.

I felt bad for the ejectee, though, with the "I am doomed" look when hearing the required cuisine.

The cooking channel is all wonky! They aired the third episode last week and the second and fourth this week, by not the premiere!

imagonna have to watch in order this time even though I know who got booted most recently!?

[Wings]

I am so happy to find this thread! I want to discuss and avoid spoilers. This is so much better than the US version. 

The judges are fabulous, even Alvin.

It was clear to me that Sean was a gonner when he butchered/mangled the fish last night.

I am getting the episodes in order. I have first run specified on my DVR to avoid random repeats showing up. That will help you, GH. 

I don't have all names down yet.  I would love to find a restaurant that serves an entire fried fish Asian style.  A Chinese woman I knew talked about how disappointed she was not being able to find it outside of San Francisco.  

Monk fish, poor man's lobster? No way. A term clearly coined by those who never had a Maine lobster. 

Edited October 26, 2016 by wings707

[susannot]

I love MasterChef Canada!  Such a great episode tonight with cooking of all kind of proteins. My favorite chef so far is Michelle(?),older, long dark hair.

[hilaryvm]

I know that this show is basically exactly the same as the US one, but I just love the judges on this show so much and can't bear to watch the US version.  The Canada judges make even the silliest lines they have to say sound good.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I really expected to see the US Masterchef posters here!

Anyhoo, agree that the judges are better here, but I do miss Gordon and his "my Darling," hee!?

Sean is one very lucky guy that the blue team's appetizers and salads were better than the entree. He made the same mistake last week, when he was teamed up with the other Sean, and waited too long to put the lamb in the oven.

But I have to admit I thought those dresses the models wore were fugly.

[Wings]

I am here. Just found this last episode and it didn't look that adtive.q. I prefer this version and I am here to discuss! 

[Snarklepuss]

I have been watching this since season 1 and have been singing its praises ever since.  It's the only reason I can half tolerate the US version anymore - because I know this exists and I will be able to regain some of my sanity from watching it, LOL.

If anyone has missed any episodes (or seasons) they're all on YouTube.  That's how I saw Season 1, then I found out it also airs on the Cooking Channel.

[susannot]

I am watching.  I love the Canadian version.

[susannot]

I like Veronica the lawyer and Terry the law student.

[spiderpig]

Adding my two (US) cents worth:

MC Canada is a joy to watch.  The home cooks are real people, not irritating rejects from Central Casting, and I love the way they support one another.  I hear MC Australia is the same way.

I adore the judges, and have to say Claudio is hot - even though I'm old enough to be his mother.  Their strongest criticism is nowhere near the typical beatdown of MC US - even though the chefs' challenges seem much more complex in CA.

I'll be happy with anyone who wins.

[KLovestoShop]

I much prefer the Canadian version as the contestants are very relatable.  One thing that does bother me is Jeremy's wife beater t-shirts.  Even for the women, I just don't care for sleeveless tops in a kitchen.  I also much prefer the Canadian judges over the US judges.  

I don't see how Sean gets saved.  He opened the smoker during the team challenge, which caused their team to lose, and I thought the cupcakes he made looked awful.  

Edited November 25, 2016 by KLovestoShop

[susannot]

After the Heads Shoulders Knees & Toes challenge I am even more impressed with Veronica. Making caviar from agar agar and black vinegar??!!!  Even better in molecular gastronomy than Marcel Vigeron.

Edited November 30, 2016 by susannot

[Mabinogia]

I agree, that was super cool. Veronica has grown on me greatly. I didn't want her to make the show in the beginning but when she said she would not give herself immunity when her team lost I though "finally, someone who takes responsibility and wants to prove they do belong there rather than just sliding by on immunity".

Mary, OTOH...she was rather snippy this ep. I don't remember her being like that before. First with that quick "I'm doing the plating" thing with her partner (can't remember his name) and then with saying Terry was going to be going home within earshot of Terry then saying something bitchy like "oh, he's really pissed" no shit Sherlock. You just basically told him he is a loser.

I am finding this one so much more enjoyable than the US version. I like the hosts better too. Though the fake outs work my last nerve. All that "you should have tasted it" (in disapproving voice, long pause "because it's great" UGH. And "Mary, take off your apron"......................................."and go upstairs" STOP IT SHOW!!!!

[spiderpig]

Poor Terry choked.  I felt terrible for him because the other hors d'oeuvres were perfect.  Sean looked very uncomfortable.

Mary and Jeremy pretty much ruled this round.  Inner meanie that I am - I wonder if Mary, with her never-changing red wig and those oversized bright green glasses, is in the Witness Protection Program.  Does she not want her insurance broker employers to know what she's up to?

Doesn't really matter.  She's talented and seems friendly with the other cooks.  She just stands out visually from the rest of the crowd.

[susannot]

Very good episode just now.  The challenges just keep getting harder.  Baking a Charlotte Russe in 60 minutes--unbelievable.

[spiderpig]

While I still love Masterchef CA, the last episode had two features I personally don't care for: a team competition where all losing team members go to the (Dreaded) Pressure Test, and a (D) PT that involves pastry.

The participants all worked hard to get through the previous levels, yet I don't think Shawn did anything wrong in the restaurant and still ends up having to bake for his life. And the Charlotte just wasn't doing it for me. My stupid, ignorant opinion only - but it's such a gimmicky, frou-frou dessert.  This from someone who used to make pastry several times a week.

OK - Old Grumpy is going back to the DVR...

[meowmommy]

I've watched all three seasons and I had no idea until this episode that Eric Chong had gone into business with Alvin Leung.

On December 2, 2016 at 0:04 AM, spiderpig said:

I wonder if Mary, with her never-changing red wig and those oversized bright green glasses, is in the Witness Protection Program.  

That's a wig?  Usually I can spot them pretty easily, but I didn't catch this.  

Yes, I'm clueless.

[spiderpig]

1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

I've watched all three seasons and I had no idea until this episode that Eric Chong had gone into business with Alvin Leung.

That's a wig?  Usually I can spot them pretty easily, but I didn't catch this.  

Yes, I'm clueless.

I remember Eric! Wasn't he the one was an engineer or scientist or something, and despite his family's wishes he really wanted to pursue his dream of being a chef?  Good for him.

I'm no expert on hair, but Mr. pig is even less so.  When he saw the last ep, he said "who's the one in the red wig?"  She's cute. smart and talented and my pick to go all the way, funky hair and glasses or not.

[spiderpig]

Dang, these cooking assignments are difficult.

I don't have a dog in this hunt.  Whomever wins of the Final Four is certainly capable.

[susannot]

I think Veronica will win.  She is amazing.

[susannot]

I was wrong.  She was taken out by scallops.  Jeremy is looking strong.

[spiderpig]

I ws surprise to see Veronica choke on the scallops. You never know.

(Even so, as a scallop lover I'd have eaten her dishes in a hot minute.)

Edited December 21, 2016 by spiderpig

[Wings]

.

Edited December 26, 2016 by wings707

[spiderpig]

Final two.  Sticking to my previous choice.

Once again, complicated pastry in the death match.  Not my thing.