As a MasterChef contestant, being able to watch a challenge from the safety of the gantry and cheer on your friends looks like an easy gig, but former contestants have revealed it’s anything but.
Aside from having to keep your energy high to cheer on everyone below, there are certain rules that people on the gantry must follow – and that includes not being able to help anyone!
Former MasterChef contestant Jamie Fleming tells WHO that he believes being up on the gantry “can be a double-edged sword”.
“Having a birds eye view of great chefs or your fellow competitors definitely allows you to learn. You learn quickly who moves fast and who’s organised,” he shares.
“Seeing professionals work vs normies, there is always some stark differences, particularly in organisation and being methodical.”
Former MasterChef contestant and winner of last year’s Back to Win season, Laura Sharrad, also shares that “holding back” from helping your fellow contestants “is the hardest part” about watching from above.
“I don’t think you ever want to say the wrong thing, so saying less is more,” she says.
Is the gantry chatter on MasterChef scripted?
Laura explains that despite what viewers might think, contestants aren’t told by producers what they should shout from above, sharing, “There are prompts for time calls, but it’s all just natural and casual energy that forms between contestants up there.
“It’s a real fun time.”
Jamie agrees that contestants aren’t told what to say by the producers, adding, “You get the time calls and then try to be as loud and supportive as possible. There are always some little catchphrases I hear from season to season that always make me smile.
“An intergenerational in joke or two are absolutely filtering through as I watch at home.”
MasterChef star reveals reality of being in the gantry
Trent Vu, who appeared on the show in 2021, also shared his insight into this in a Reddit AMA.
“We’re not supposed to help TOO much,” he explained at the time. “Like we can’t tell people what to do, both because we’re all supposed to know what to do and because if they listen to us and mess up, that’s bad.
“With pressure tests too, we don’t know the recipe. We can say things like ‘Watch your caramel,’ or ‘Remember to check your oven,’ or whatever.”
He also shared that the contestants who are up in the gantry end up with very sore feet from standing the whole time and shared that it’s actually very cold up there, too.
The magic of TV, eh? We had no idea!
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