The Rundown: Calombaris to host Hungry; Love Island plays up the funny and dumb

Foodie favourite George Calombaris is back at the station that dumped him, fronting a new show with a MasterChef alumni.

George Calombaris is making a comeback to Channel 10 with a new food show. Picture: David Caird

Former MasterChef judge George Calombaris is returning to Channel 10 fronting a new food focused show.

Calombaris was dropped by 10, leaving the MasterChef family after 11 seasons, in 2019 as his restaurant empire crumbled.

But the foodie favourite is back, albeit in an ‘off Broadway’ timeslot.

Calombaris is teaming up with Sarah Todd, who grew her international culinary career out of being a contestant on MasterChef, to host Hungry.

The brand funded – as in fully sponsored – show will debut on Saturday, November 26 at 6.30pm.

Calombaris was dropped by 10 in 2019 as his restaurant empire crumbled.

Embargoed until July 6, MasterChef Australia Fans v Faves Top 4 contestant Sarah Todd. Picture: Ten

He has always harboured a desire to return to TV and popped up as a ‘duster’ on the 2021 season of The Masked Singer.

Calombaris revealed he had a new TV project with Todd in the works to the Sunday Herald Sun in April this year.

“It was an absolute pleasure to be able to film it with Sarah. We had a lot of fun doing it,” he said.

“It is really honest, it is raw and real and the viewer who will get to watch it, on whatever network it gets put on, I really, truly believe, will enjoy it and see another side of both Sarah and I.”

Todd said of the show in April: “For us, George having a Greek background and me spending so much time in India and then both of us growing up in Australia, I think it shows how food can go beyond cultures and countries and it really brings people together. I am really excited about this one.”

Playing the fool for love

Love Island Australia purports to be about finding love in the sun, but part of the appeal of the show it that it is so knowingly dumb and unintentionally funny.

Surely some of the contestants have to be deliberately playing the fool.

Here are some of the more notable moments of conversation from the ‘islanders’ in the Spanish villa.

A meaningful conversation between electrician Jordan and model Claudia produced this moment of hope: “If this does not work out then meet me on the outside,” Claudia said.

Jordan replied: “By then hopefully I can tell you I have read a full book.”

Pool boy Callum hails from Wales which has been helpful for his dating identity.

“One of my nicknames is WILF: Welsh man I’d like to f***,” he said.

Callum does know his limitations: “I think I could find love (on the show). It would have to be a girl that is cute, got a mad tan, with some sort of intelligence, because I don’t really have much intelligence, to be fair.”

Married At First Sight’s Al Perkins is the big name in the villa and he was brought his reality TV A-game.

“These girls are hot,” he enthused after meeting his castmates.

“I forgot their name because I was just looking at their face and their bodies.”

Perkins, the shoey king, doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings in the villa.

“Jess told me she had tunnel vision for me,” he said.

“I did not want to say it back to her because, I guess, it wasn’t true.

“I had multiple tunnel visions.”

Meanwhile, Sydney-sider Jess is “the whole package.

“If my boyfriend is ever in your DMs you can have him and I have a strict no return policy,” she said.

“How can you cheat on me?

“Like, have you seen me? I am the whole package. I am hot, I’m hot, f***, what else, can’t say I am smart, (I’m) not really that smart.”

Changes on the weather front

With Kate Freebairn moving into the Adelaide news reading role next year, Channel 10’s Melbourne weather presenter role suddenly becomes interesting.

Will Adam Morgan, who has been covering for Freebairn while she was on maternity leave, keep the gig or will 10 take this as an opportunity to freshen up the news team with a new face.

Kate Freebairn is moving to Adelaide leaving a spot open in the Melbourne newsroom. Picture: Channel 10

A bit of ‘talkability’ would benefit the 10 Melbourne team and a new addition is an easy way to tick that box.

For the past two years the Adelaide news bulletin has been presented by the Melbourne anchors, Jennifer Keyte and Stephen Quartermain.

Freebairn, a South Australian, will take up the news reading job next year but will be presenting the bulletin from 10’s Sydney studio.

Freebairn lives in Sydney with her partner, PointsBet founder Nick Fahey, and their seven-month-old daughter Airlie.

Tina’s uplifting tribute

Tina Arena has been described as a ‘human Wonderbra’ among an array of tributes lavished upon the celebrated singer on Monday night’s edition of This Is Your Life.

The unique description was courtesy of writer Kathy Lette.

“Thanks for being my human Wonderbra, uplifting, supportive and making me look bigger and better,” Lette said.

“Tina, what I also love about you is your sense of humour. It is drier than an AA clinic. When we go out I have to be hospitalised from hilarity.”

Arena’s episode of This Is Your Life was Monday’s top entertainment show with 532,000 metro viewers tuning in to Channel 7.