Masterchef (US) - General Discussion

[mlp]

On 6/13/2024 at 11:19 AM, fishcakes said:

I was trying to have sympathy for her based on her having to look at her husband's mullet. But then she used teriyaki sauce on lamb, so I want them both in jail.

That made me LOL for real.  I'm still laughing.  

 

On 6/13/2024 at 11:19 AM, fishcakes said:

I'm sure not all Gen Zs are this heinous, so they're clearly casting specifically for the worst of the worst.

They must be.  All my grandchildren are Gen Z and they're all gainfully employed decent people with spouses the same.  Also, I've had a computer since before they were born which I haven't had to point out because they're not smug or disrespectful.

Edited June 14 by mlp
Correct typo

[mertensia]

I'm glad Kale Salad didn't make it.

Lava cakes? I mean, you can get them at Chili's.

I'm hoping the Nigerian woman will have some original dishes.

[DEL901]

1 hour ago, mertensia said:

I'm glad Kale Salad didn't make it.

Lava cakes? I mean, you can get them at Chili's.

I'm hoping the Nigerian woman will have some original dishes.

I can get Lava Cakes at my local grocery store in the frozen section.  Two for $4.99 Canadian.  

[cameron]

So wished that Must (have to wonder what kind of name that is) got the boot.  Such an obnoxious person.  My Gen Z's grandchildren are nothing like him.  Thank goodness.

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, cameron said:

So wished that Must (have to wonder what kind of name that is) got the boot.

It's Murt. But yes, I agree. He was the worst of the lot.

[AZChristian]

I was afraid he was going to rip off his shirt to distract the judges from the mess he was making.  And I'm glad he didn't.

[fishcakes]

At the very beginning of the episode when everyone was milling around talking, you hear one guy say to a contestant, "you should do a Julia Child imitation" and the woman replied, "I don't know who that is." We didn't see her cook anything so she didn't make it on the show, but how can you want to be a chef and not know who Julia Child is? At that point a PA should have run that info back to Gordon so he could come scream at the woman to get out.

[cameron]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It's Murt. But yes, I agree. He was the worst of the lot.

 

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

It's Murt. But yes, I agree. He was the worst of the lot.

Spell checker got me again.  I really should check everything that I type.

[Colorado David]

On 6/13/2024 at 10:19 AM, fishcakes said:

That's what I was thinking. It sounded like a menu from a chain restaurant where it's mostly steak and fries or burger and rings, but then they add a few dishes like jambalaya or fajitas, which they describe on the menu as "authentic."

completely agree. if you are on MC I expect something better than I can get at my local Denny's (and not slamming Denny's, i think they have their place esp at 3 oclock in the morning and you need a burger and a shake.) 

[threebluestars]

Gen X walks in: "I'm not even supposed to be here today."

[leocadia]

"Murt" (I refuse to take that name seriously) lost me before he started cooking with his "I'm the most unique person you'll ever meet" statement.  Really?  First of all, who says that about themselves?  Also, pompous snake oil salesmen are a dime a dozen so, not that unique.

I was sooo glad Ms.  "I cook for the camera first" didn't make the cut.  That is not something I imagine a real chef saying.  It is however the job description of a food stylist, so maybe she should look into that as a career

[Colorado David]

i think tiktok is creating a whole generation of self-indulgent people who rank their numbers more importantly than their true talent. JMO. 

of course then again if they can lead the masses with whatever content they provide, they might be onto something i am completely missing. mind you unless i was culinarily trained, i wouldn't dream of creating a cooking channel. and i wouldn't do it for tiktok, i would do it for youtube as that seems more like a pbs type format than quickie squirts on TT. 

[eel2178]

7 hours ago, Colorado David said:

i think tiktok is creating a whole generation of self-indulgent people who rank their numbers more importantly than their true talent. JMO. 

Definitely not JYO!

[seacliffsal]

I couldn't get over the inconsistencies of the judging during this episode.  Overcooked salmon?  That's a 'no.'  Overcooked lamb?  You're in.  You're trainable?  That's a 'yes.'  You're a captain in the Air Force which means you're really trainable?  That's a 'no.'  Potential?  Yes.  How does one measure 'potential'?  

The Cornhole girl's dish looked totally unappetizing to me-overcooked vegetables and plain rice?  No thank you.

Just nothing made sense.  And, the guy cooking behind Cornhole girl got rice thrown at him during the stupid Cornhole routine and then he didn't even get featured on the show.

I understand this is a 'show' and the producers think all of their shenanigans are entertaining, but this episode was just too frustrating for me.  Yet, it's a Gordon Ramsay show, so, of course, I'm in... (it's a sad, sad sickness I must have...).

[Yeah No]

I finally caught up with this thread to find that I could have written every single post!  I knew my Primetimer friends would feel the same way!  This show is so fake anymore. The judges' comments bear no resemblance to the decisions made.  And of course we had to have at least one really obnoxious Gen Z guy that puts down Boomers. Everything about him is so 20 years ago and boring already including his food.....🙄  Typical reality show schlock. I knew those uncreative, old fashioned dishes wouldn't get past anyone here. I thought they were pushing everything Gen Z was going to do as novel and cutting edge and then we see nothing but a parade of lackluster, old-school dishes any Boomer would make with more finesse and creativity!  I don't get it!

And I have news for that one guy, I was using the internet before his parents even MET much less had him!  I worked at a university where we already had email, chat and more in the '80s.  Many people had to work with computers and the internet and we evolved and updated ourselves as they changed an evolved.  Does he think we're all using stone tablets or something?  The stereotypes are so insulting.  I really hope the Boomers they picked don't fulfill the negative stereotypes and put this guy in his place.  But I won't hold my breath for that.  And his name, "Murt", sounds like his parents were trying to be unique and cool and chose that.  Meanwhile, it's another eyeroll moment.  Little does he know that his name sounds like a nickname for the old, old name "Myrtle", LOL!

One point that was made, thankfully, is that it's not about how a dish looks if it doesn't taste good and some of these people are just good at making food look good on camera but not necessarily taste good.  And even though most of them photographed and posted their dishes online many of them still looked bad.

[Colorado David]

cant resist:

Etymology: murt

Along with the variant mort, from Middle Irish martad, a borrowing from Latin mors (“death”).

Noun

murt (genitive singular muirt, plural muirt)

murder

[whinewithwine]

On 6/13/2024 at 4:39 PM, mlp said:

so I want them both in jail.

I had to watch the episode just for this...-)

And Joe told her she was "uningredient savvy"...wtf

 

[KLovestoShop]

I cannot tell you how much I despise Joe.  Some of his comments are beyond rude and he denigrates so many cooks.  Plus, he’s never consistent in his comments.  One time he bitches that there’s not enough salt, but then he tells others there’s too much.  

[DEL901]

Was Gen X the least obnoxious of the generations?  I liked the grey haired guy, the woman at the end and the indigenous woman.   Reserving judhpgement on Gouda guy.  I don’t remember the 5th person.  

[LennieBriscoe]

I thought McKinnon's Restaurant guy was a shoo-in! 

That kneeling proposal got me. I'm a proud Boomer, but I'm rooting for this Gen Xer!

 

Edited June 20 by LennieBriscoe

[PhoneCop]

5 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Was Gen X the least obnoxious of the generations?  I liked the grey haired guy, the woman at the end and the indigenous woman.   Reserving judhpgement on Gouda guy.  I don’t remember the 5th person.  

That was definitely my takeaway, but that might be my own generational bias, LOL. A contestant named Sunshine is so Gen-X—I knew a girl with that name in day camp c. 1979. "Hippie parents, huh?" "...Yeah."

So, a possible few rooting options for me this week, along with Adam and Fatima from Gen-Z and...I think there were people I liked from the first two weeks, my memory isn't what it used to be, y'know. Can't wait to hear Karen Walker—I mean Kimberly—yelling orders at the top of her lungs when she's captain and hopefully Murt bounces fast and hard.

[fishcakes]

I agree this was the least annoying group so far and their food looked a lot better than any other group's. It made me wonder if TPTB decided they want a GenX winner from the outset. The apron-winning dishes all looked great, but the lady who stood up her fried softshell crab didn't get one, yet the woman (either from the boomer or millennial group) who presented a similar vertical fried pork chop did. What the Xers made, as a whole, was miles ahead of any other group, and I don't see how that happens by accident.

I'm cold-hearted, but I really disliked the marriage proposal. I don't like public proposals to begin with, but I already found the couple a little creepy when she finished cooking and they kissed for long enough to make me wonder if Gordon was going to have to come out and get her before the dish got cold. Also the overlong sobbing group hug when she got her apron and her son's OTT jumping up and down at the proposal was all deeply weird to me.

[preeya]

18 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

One time he bitches that there’s not enough salt, but then he tells others there’s too much.  

I also despise Joe, but the salt thing can actually go both ways.

[KLovestoShop]

I hope someone here can explain something for me.  The guest chef, how can someone be a chef when totally blind?  How do you prepare anything and how can you cut, chop or do any other preps when you can’t see what you’re doing?  

[fishcakes]

4 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

I hope someone here can explain something for me.  The guest chef, how can someone be a chef when totally blind?  How do you prepare anything and how can you cut, chop or do any other preps when you can’t see what you’re doing?  

Here's an EW article from when Christine was on Masterchef originally that talks about her degree of blindness. As I recall, it was no secret that she had an assistant on the show who they never showed onscreen, and I assume that in her restaurants, she also has an assistant for the same purpose.

[Yeah No]

14 hours ago, fishcakes said:

I agree this was the least annoying group so far and their food looked a lot better than any other group's. It made me wonder if TPTB decided they want a GenX winner from the outset. The apron-winning dishes all looked great, but the lady who stood up her fried softshell crab didn't get one, yet the woman (either from the boomer or millennial group) who presented a similar vertical fried pork chop did. What the Xers made, as a whole, was miles ahead of any other group, and I don't see how that happens by accident.

Perhaps but I took it as a sign of bias since all the judges are technically Gen X and perhaps some of TPTB behind the scenes, although Gordon is really a "cusper" on the edge of the Baby Boom generation.  I don't think he really belongs squarely to Gen X, but he probably would rather be with that generation based on his own prejudices about Boomers and his desire to seem and feel younger, which I can tell preoccupies him somewhat.

It was not lost on me how overly fairly and thoroughly they judged Gen X while they glossed over the auditions in the Boomer generation and most of those that were shown were men and most that got an apron were men. And the people chosen to represent the Boomer generation did not seem to represent that generation as well as the other generations in my opinion. I don't know why unless they had a harder time finding suitable candidates. But it came off making me feel like the Boomer generation got purposely shortchanged.

And again we had at least one or two people that technically seem to be too young to be in the generation being auditioned or are right on the edge of it.

It also irked me how the contestants kept pushing how great Gen X was for reasons which apply to me too so I'm like, "so what?". I was a "latch key kid" and learned resourcefulness and independence, etc. too. And do they really think they're the hardest working generation? I'm not seeing it. I'm a later Boomer so I often identify more with Gen X but even if I didn't I don't see how they can lay claim to being the most hardworking when they're no different than any Boomers I ever knew on that dimension. I have never had any beef whatsoever with Gen X but I found myself mildly pissed off after this episode!

[fishcakes]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

And do they really think they're the hardest working generation? I'm not seeing it.

Haha, yes. The most GenX movie ever is Slacker.

[GHScorpiosRule]

As someone posted upthread, I found the Generation X contestants to be the least obnoxious of the lot.

But Sunshine? Please stop with showing the judges Yoga breathing techniques while cooking? Okay? Thank you.

If y'all don't mind, I'mmagonnacreateathread of Gordon showing me us how to make deeelicious food in a short amount of time.

Whaaaat????

[preeya]

12 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

I hope someone here can explain something for me.  The guest chef, how can someone be a chef when totally blind?  How do you prepare anything and how can you cut, chop or do any other preps when you can’t see what you’re doing?  

I believe she's legally blind (20/200 or worse) but not totally blind. My Mom had a similar condition.

[eel2178]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

But Sunshine? Please stop with showing the judges Yoga breathing techniques while cooking? Okay? Thank you.

First, she told us how into her Native American culture she is and how she wanted to share it with everyone.

Then, she switched to Hindu culture and said her full time job is a yoga instructor.

I know you can successfully blend cultures, but there was just something about the way she presented herself as both that seemed hypocritical.

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, preeya said:

I believe she's legally blind (20/200 or worse) but not totally blind. My Mom had a similar condition.

I don't know that I ever understood how Christine's blindness manifests itself, but she once said she sees things as if looking into a steamy mirror after a shower. So she sees something but not much detail.

[mlp]

6 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

But Sunshine? Please stop with showing the judges Yoga breathing techniques while cooking?

That bit had to be set up just like the guy who did pushups.  No one who is serious about a timed competition would stop in the middle for that nonsense.  The judges wouldn't comply either.  Also, she brought a native drummer along.  Gimmeabreak.  

I liked most of the Gen X people.  My favorite was the tall guy with the 4 y/o daughter.  He was cute and seemed nice.

I've never given much thought to which generation I belong to.  Do most people identify with one as strongly as these contestants seem to or is that mostly for the show?

[cameron]

On 6/20/2024 at 11:24 AM, fishcakes said:

I agree this was the least annoying group so far and their food looked a lot better than any other group's. It made me wonder if TPTB decided they want a GenX winner from the outset. The apron-winning dishes all looked great, but the lady who stood up her fried softshell crab didn't get one, yet the woman (either from the boomer or millennial group) who presented a similar vertical fried pork chop did. What the Xers made, as a whole, was miles ahead of any other group, and I don't see how that happens by accident.

I'm cold-hearted, but I really disliked the marriage proposal. I don't like public proposals to begin with, but I already found the couple a little creepy when she finished cooking and they kissed for long enough to make me wonder if Gordon was going to have to come out and get her before the dish got cold. Also the overlong sobbing group hug when she got her apron and her son's OTT jumping up and down at the proposal was all deeply weird to me.

It wasn't the stacking of the food; but over frying of soft crab vs good tasting dish of the boomer lady dish.   You don't serve beets with soft crabs too.  Also thought the soft crab lady had an inflated ego.

Edited June 22 by cameron

[fishcakes]

3 hours ago, cameron said:

It wasn't the stacking of the food; but over frying of soft crab vs good tasting dish of the boomer lady dish.   You don't serve beets with soft crabs too.  Also thought the soft crab lady had an inflated ego.

No, I know. I get that presentation wasn't the only factor, but it did seem to me that the GenX group, for the most part, had the best presentations and the most complicated dishes compared to the other groups. So it seemed like the judging standards were lower for the non-GenXers because they simply brought in a lot of people who weren't as skilled, and when they're all together starting next week and judged by the same standard, the other groups could fall short. But I might be guessing wrong; we've seen in the past that a lot of people get on the show because they have one or two dishes that they can execute beautifully, but when faced with coming up with new things in the moment of competition, they crap out.

[Anduril]

When that guy proposed to his wife at the end, did anyone else hear him say “she’s the last one”?  

[oliviabenson]

I like the teacher with the cartoon voice and the 2 Asian men so far. 
 

I didn’t even watch the last season. I don’t know how long I will watch this year. 
 

It’s not a must watch show for me anymore.

[AZChristian]

Well, let's see if Murt can grow a little bit of humility before the next episode.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, AZChristian said:

Well, let's see if Murt can grow a little bit of humility before the next episode.

After he was sooooo suuuuuure his dish would win.

I we were soooo close to him being the first to go, what with the his dish being the WORST from his generation, plus the harsh reviews.

Jeet can also go any time, with her saying only Millennials should be there. Just shut up and cook.

[tinkerbell]

I really wanted Murt to be the first one out.

 

[cameron]

11 hours ago, tinkerbell said:

I really wanted Murt to be the first one out.

 

He is the "Remy" version from Master Chef Junior on this show.  Hope he goes soon.

Edited June 27 by cameron

[snarts]

Who names their child Murt? 

Happy Sunshine pulled it out. I was worried about that lamb shank. 

Surprised the shepherd's pie dude wasn't in the bottom. He didn't drain the grease? Yuck.

[cameron]

14 minutes ago, snarts said:

Who names their child Murt? 

Happy Sunshine pulled it out. I was worried about that lamb shank. 

Surprised the shepherd's pie dude wasn't in the bottom. He didn't drain the grease? Yuck.

He was saved because his team won the challenge.  Gordon even mentioned that.

[mertensia]

Si's dish looked horrible.

Please continue to cut Murt down to size.

[AZChristian]

2 hours ago, snarts said:

Who names their child Murt? 

His real name is Christopher Murton.  And he's too special to be called Chris.

[eel2178]

3 hours ago, mertensia said:

Please continue to cut Murt down to size.

I was more annoyed by the Millennial who thought her generation had discovered that you could substitute canned beans for dry beans to save time.

Give me a break!

[Colorado David]

3 hours ago, AZChristian said:

His real name is Christopher Murton.  And he's too special to be called Chris.

mebbe just me, but this sounds like a demented version of 'Winnie the Pooh'. And tween going by Chris or Murt, I am choosing Chris. Or Chris Em.

Lol yeah, hey millenials, you know you can also microwave stuff instead of actually cooking to save time?!? Just a tip since time saving seems to be paramount. SHEEEEEEEEEESH

[KeithJ]

So tired of "our generation is the best" already.  How many episodes are left? :(

[Tango64]

"I'm on a big cooking competition. I have one hour. What should I make? Oh, I know. I'll make this tasty dish that requires a 37-hour cook time." 

We see it over and over.

[fishcakes]

Si's dish didn't look good and normally I would say the judges know better than I do because they're tasting the food, but that elimination was some bullshit. Murt's curry had raw spices floating on the top. Gordon even made note of it. The only reason Murt is still there is because he can't stop being a douche for even a minute, and they know that we'll watch because we want to see him lose. If he starts to be humble at any point, they'll put him in the top 4 to jack up his ego and make him go back to fully insufferable.

Arthur probably shouldn't be making fun of boomers for their age, since I have no doubt that when he's out with his daughter, people tell him what a lovely granddaughter he has.

I was happy for Rebecca, and her meat loaf did look really good and seemed to be exactly what the judges wanted out of the challenge, but I would also have been happy if Adam had won. That dessert looked great and also pretty complex considering he did it in an hour.

[Yeah No]

I was so angry after I watched this episode I wanted to call or write to SOMEONE to complain about it, but I know it probably wouldn't do any good.

Why is it allowed for even the judges to rag on Boomers, telling them they should charge their batteries, their scooters or take a nap? They look as bad as the immature young people doing that. And Gordon has NO room to talk. He's going to be 58 this year! The ageism is disgusting coming from them. You can excuse the contestants because there are always assholes, but not the judges. It just goes to show you who TPTB likes and doesn't like that they let this happen. Just wait until they're the target of that crap!

What pisses me off is even 10 years ago someone over 50 was considered "old" for this competition and people that age were talked down to like maybe they couldn't keep up. Now the judges are in that age bracket and older themselves and they're STILL putting people older than them down. Have they looked in a freakin' mirror? I'm DONE with it! I'm sick and tired of being in the only groups that it's still OK to insult based on age/ethnicity. I've also carped about how it's always been OK to openly insult Italian Americans but no one else. At least I haven't seen that for a while. 

They can take this "generations" bullshit and shove it up their asses, seriously. At least the judges couldn't find fault with the Boomer woman's dish and gave her a deserved win, probably in spite of themselves!

Most of the Boomers seem like genuinely decent people and no one is that annoying except that gym guy with the bad shepherd's pie. And even he's tame and mostly tongue-in-cheek compared to that Murt asshole. Everyone is saying that Gen X seems the most likeable but I'm not seeing how they're so much more likeable than the Boomer group here. That "Sunshine" is already annoying me. And why are the oldest Gen Xers only 52 when the Boomers they have go up to 70? Gen X should go all the way up to 59 and that one guy they have down as a Boomer is really on the cusp of Gen X.

This competition is far away from it being about the food anymore and in such a way as to piss people off for being who they are, too. I guess it's still PC to do that to CERTAIN people but I'm tired of being the target of that especially when it's so hypocritical and mean spirited.