MasterChef all stars planned to take the focus off new judges
Tonight the first episode of MasterChef will air on Australian TV screens since the departure of Gary, Matt and George, with the new format intended to take the focus off the new judging trio.
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Tonight the first episode of MasterChef will air on Australian TV screens since the notorious departure of the original judges, but the new trio won’t be in the spotlight.
Jock Zonfrillo, Andy Allen and Melissa Leong took over the reigns from Gary Mehigan, Matt Preston and George Calombaris and will make their debut as judges on the first “all star” season of the show in its 12-year history, which has been subtitled Back To Win.
But according to TV expert and curator of media website TV Blackbox Rob McKnight, showrunners have done their best to keep the new judges out of focus.
Instead, the focus will be on the fierce competition between returning fan favourites such as Poh Ling Yeow, Hayden Quinn, Callum Hann and Courtney Youlston as well as huge celebrity guests such as Gordon Ramsay and Katy Perry.
“It’s not relying on the new judges – they’ve been very smart in building the show around fantastic contestants and guest judges,” McKnight said.
“It’s not all reliant on them and I think that’s a wise move.
“We don’t know the judges to be a big enticing factor.
“The reason we’ll watch is to see Gordon Ramsay, Katy Perry and contestants like Poh.
“We’re not watching for the judges right now, but if the judges impress then people will tune in next year.”
This theory is supported by Channel 10’s advertisements for the show barely showing the new judges, focusing heavily on the contestants and Gordon Ramsay instead.
McKnight said by doing this the show took the pressure off the new judges and will give them a soft entry into the show, allowing the public to warm up to the them at their own pace.
He said the genius way the show had been formatted was no accident, saying the “all star” format was most likely decided on as a reaction to losing drawcards Preston, Calombaris and Mehigan.
“If I was a betting man they did this once they lost the original three,” McKnight, also a former television executive producer said.
“It’s the kind of stunt you pull out when you really need to protect your brand.”
There was plenty of controversy surrounding the manner in which Preston, Calombaris and Mehigan left the show last year, with speculation surrounding pay disputes, contract disputes and allegations 10 tried to boot Calombaris due to his wage theft scandal, so the other two left out of solidarity.
But an emotional post by Calombaris would strongly suggest there is no bad blood there now.
“OMG!” he posted to his Instagram. “Just watched the sneak peek of @masterchefau Series 12 on @channel10au. So proud. So emotional. A few (tears) too! So excited for this series. Go get them guys! An exciting new era.”
MasterChef season 12 premieres on Channel 10 tonight at 7.30pm.