Rick Stein kicked off ‘Around the World’ week on MasterChef on Sunday night, readying fans for a week of challenges centred around international cuisines. Many were delighted to see a familiar face, however, the celebrity chef’s appearance reignited a division among fans, and it’s something the show itself is trying to grapple with.
While Rick’s appearance was widely embraced by the audience, it sparked grumblings that “actual chefs” should be on the show rather than “influencers”.
It’s been a constant complaint of the season (one of many), and the friction between keeping the show as it is and moving it forward with the times seems to be ever-present, with a large portion of the audience complaining that celebrity chefs have taken a back seat with judging, and online content creators have taken centre stage.
Should MasterChef feature ‘influencer’ chefs on the show?
Victoria Minell (Recipes by Victoria), Lily Huynh (Bites with Lily), Catherine Zhang (Catherine Desserts), and former contestant Khanh Ong appeared on the show during ‘Viral’ week last week.
The week’s theme acknowledged how the internet has changed the way chefs and food lovers share and consume recipes online (and ultimately has changed the industry), but many fans were unhappy that the guest judges were unfamiliar to them.
“Who are these people?” one confused viewer asked online.
“Oh boy, not another unheard of online “viral” sensation. Can’t we have some well known chefs that actual cooks in a kitchen?” another said.
“Why did MasterChef AU stop bringing in actual chefs?” another asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I personally love some of the guest appearances (especially Andy Cooks) but previously there were more professional chefs brought in to judge challenges.”
However, others defended the decision, with one fan pointing out that the show is called MasterChef not “mediocre chef”.
“It’s wonderful to see a new twist in presenting food, and what our Aussie chefs are capable of achieving,” the fan said.
Another person shared that the whole reason for the ‘viral week’ was likely the increased viewership the show received when comedy group Sooshi Mango appeared last year, something that judge Andy Allen spoke to WHO about.
“Last year, we had Sooshi Mango come on, and it was a massive gamble for us… It was our highest rating show of the whole season,” he told WHO.
Channel Ten revealed that their episode received an extra 100,000 viewers thanks to the comedy duo, and it’s likely the show is trying to recapture that magic in a time when broadcast TV is struggling to retain any viewers at all — as most people are watching their content, you guessed it, online.
Love it or hate it, it appears the major change is one here to stay, as the network continues to adapt and keep up with the times.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here is another of the network’s big reality TV shows, and the latest season also introduced format changes in a bid to cut costs and encourage viewership.
With rumours I’m A Celeb has been “axed” as broadcast TV continues to contend with an increasingly difficult landscape, it’s no surprise that shows are pivoting to embrace the new way of consuming media.
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
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