MasterChef US Season 5
This is one cooking competition that I have been following religiously throughout the past 4 seasons. And now, Season 5 has begun, and 5 episodes have already aired. Of all the past seasons so far, my favourite one has to be Season 3, featuring Christine Ha as the winner. There were villains, heroes, and plenty of drama and touching moments. Fellow followers of this television program will have to agree with me on this one - Christine Ha has to be the most inspirational winners of them all. And who even remembers who her fellow winners from the other seasons are anymore?
So now, we have gone through 5 episodes of the latest season. Usually by the fourth or fifth episode, one would have already started to have an idea of who's the one to watch out for, and who their favourite/hated contestant would be. But the show-stopper at the start has to be about how much weight that Graham Elliot has lost! We are talking about reduction in what seems to be more than 50 percent of his previous body mass. Although I thought he actually looked really adorable as a tubby, good for him anyway. I just hope that his kindness on the show remains unchanged.
We are currently down to 17 contestants. Here are my favourite ones and the ones to watch out for: -
1) Francis Legge
Quirky Scottish guy who now resides in US. Started off with a mad scientist persona who is not afraid of experimenting with different and opposing flavours (donut topped with Guinness stout, maple syrup and prosciutto ham?!?) and says he tampers with ideas from molecular gastronomy a lot. Does not radiate any negativity at all, and cheery always. Even helped out a fellow contestant by handing her extra yeast that he did not need.
2) Francis Biondi
He is the Frank from Season 3. Very likeable, easy on the eye (READ: cute). Possesses sharp cooking skills, and very confident about his cooking. However, I sense that he loses this confidence the moment something screws up. It is pretty obvious that he is the most well-liked amongst all of his fellow contestants. If everything goes smoothly for him, we should see him at the top 3.
3) Willie Mike
Everybody calls him "Big Willie" on the competition. I love his personality that he brings every time the camera is on him. He is really fun to watch and listen to - very sassy with his one-liners too. Oh did I forget to mention that he has shown really great techniques behind the stove too? He was really prominent at the start, but I sense him slipping away as the episodes progress on. Sure hope he stays in the competition as long as he can, although I cannot really see him as the winner. Don't know why.
I notice that the guys are pretty strong this year. Usually my favourites in almost every season so far are ladies. Among the three I have picked, I think I am rooting for Francis Legge. At least for now.
And then there are the cat fights and the one that everybody hates in the entire season. And the title goes to Leslie Gillians. He is the oldest of all the contestants, and obviously has many opinions on the younger competitors. He seems pretty fiery and quick-drawing with his mouth. I suspect that even more drama goes on when the camera goes off, which is why it seems the entire group hates him - and it shows. He was the team captain in episode 5's team challenge, and nobody wanted to listen to him. He was shouting all the time, and we already saw a scuffle between Ahran Cho and him. But then again, Ahran is a bitch to, so who's judging who? Although I hate him right now, the show wouldn't had been half as entertaining without him on it. He is like the train-wreck you see on the news - terrifying and shocking, but you just can't stop looking at it.
For people who want to follow the show, some kind souls have been uploading entire-length episodes on YouTube with good video and sound quality.
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