TV Review: Send Flavorless ‘Masterchef’ Back to the Kitchen

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CHICAGO – Almost laughably trying to blend FOX hits “American Idol” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” the new cooking competition show “Masterchef,” which debuts on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010, is nowhere near as interesting as either and falls ridiculously flat when compared to the excellent “Top Chef.” With clearly-scripted, false moments and hysterically little focus on actual FOOD, “Masterchef” is cold, flavorless, and should be sent back to the kitchen for a refund.

HollywoodChicago.com Television Rating: 1.0/5.0
Television Rating: 1.0/5.0

The set-up is simple and relatively intriguing enough that the actual product is all the more disappointing. Amateur chefs compete for the title of “Masterchef” through a series of cooking challenges. Believe it or not — and to a fault — “American Idol” feels like the larger influence on episode one than “Hell’s Kitchen” or “Top Chef.” You know those audition episodes where most of the contestants are brought in merely for ridicule but you can also expect a couple of heartwarming, maniuplative human-interest stories? The premiere of “Masterchef” follows the exact same structure.

Masterchef
Masterchef
Photo credit: Florian Schneider/FOX

There’s no parallel to Ryan Seacrest (which is a bigger problem than you might imagine as at least Seacrest softens the blows of some of the harsh criticism on “AI”) but the three judges on “Masterchef” have a DIRECT correlation to “Idol.” Of course, Gordon Ramsay takes on the uber-critical role made popular by Simon Cowell and parrots the tough love of his fellow countryman. Chicago chef Graham Elliot takes on the Paula Abdul role, smiling a bit too much and coming across as the most understanding of contestant’s failures. He actually comes off as the most honest and genuine, as Ramsay’s tough guy shtick has grown old by now. Finally, there’s Joe Bastianich, who owns over twenty restaurants and several wineries. Clearly, he’s the Randy — somewhat in between the critical poles of the other two and with notable behind-the-scenes experience. The common structure of “no” from Joe and “yes” from Graham, which puts the ego-centric Gordon in the role of the decider, feels awfully forced.

Masterchef
Masterchef
Photo credit: Greg Gayne/FOX

In the first episode of “Masterchef,” Ramsay, Bowles, and Bastianich introduce themselves to 100 contestants, telling them that 30 will get an apron and move on. Clearly, there are at least 30 in the room with no cooking ability whatsoever and they’re merely there to enhance the “bad auditions.” I’m sorry, but you could randomly grab 100 people off the street and they wouldn’t make fish tacos that Gordon Ramsay spits out in a fit of classless behavior. It all feels so remarkably scripted and staged.

For example, did they really think the overall-wearing guy who made the worst-looking potato casserole (called “Funeral Potatoes”) that I’ve ever seen would make it through to the next round? Of COURSE not. He’s like William Hung and I just don’t see the point in laughing at people’s bad cooking. At least with singing shows, you can hear the lack of talent. You can’t taste the Funeral Potatoes. Have you ever wanted to watch someone eat bad food, make funny faces, and ridicule people’s efforts? We’ve got a show for you.

Even the “positive” auditions, the folks lucky enough to get an apron, feel scripted. That’s the problem with “Masterchef.” It doesn’t feel genuine in the way it treats its winners or losers. And we see laughably little actual cooking. A shot of pasta in a pan, a cut to a jar of sauce — but we get very little sense of what the contestants have actually made and what it tastes like, as the writers, I mean, producers focus more on the personal stories of the chefs. Is this a personality contest or a cooking one?

Clearly, it’s the former and, as such, it’s a failure. “Top Chef” NEVER forgets the focus is on the food, letting the personalities of the chefs come out naturally through the challenges and their cooking. The judges on “Masterchef” are always talking about passion but rarely about actual flavor, technique, or the taste of food. What do we learn? Everyone under-seasons and Gordon Ramsay is just as much of a jerk to amateurs as he is professionals.

Maybe it will get better when they get to the meat of the competition. The audition episodes of “American Idol” are never really as much about the singing as they are about the personalities of the judges and the contestants. The thing is that I highly doubt “Masterchef” will ever be about anything but Ramsay and his buddies trying to torture amateur chefs. Gordon Ramsay will always consider himself the “Masterchef” and no one else. There’s only room in his universe for one.

‘Masterchef,’ which airs on FOX, stars Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot, and Joe Bastianich. The show debuts on July 27th, 2010 at 8PM CST.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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