Cooking shows seem to be ruling the TV roost at the moment.
M-Net’s starting things with Celebrity MasterChef SA. Food Network has given Siba Mtongana the green light for another season. And the US version of Junior MasterChef has been serving up some jaw-dropping talent.
This show adopts the British format, with Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and chef Graham Elliot sampling what those ingenious little darlings serve up.
Now Ramsay is as synonymous for his expletives as he is for his skill and uncompromising demand for perfection. Hell’s Kitchen, The F Word, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares all bear his signature, er, scars. Many chefs felt his stinging comments slice through their dreams like a hot knife through butter.
Is it safe to let him lose on little ones – aged between eight and 13? I guess that was probably the parents’ greatest fears when the first season started.
But he has been fabulous with his family-friendly tongue. Then again, I think these unbelievably remarkable youngsters left him speechless. Churning out those five-star- looking dishes, boasting skills that belie their ages and putting professional chefs to serious shame.
In the spectacularly tense finale, when 13- year-old Alexander Weiss went head-to-head with an equally competitive Dara Yu, 12, Ramsay’s comment said it all.
He told Alexander: “You and I are the same. Tough on the outside, magic on the inside.”
I don’t think I have ever seen Ramsay that stupefied by the dishes he had to sample. What I also loved about him helming this series was that he, while acknowledging the youngsters’ flair and passion, treated them like professionals rather than kids.
He was constructive: praised when a dish merited it, criticised when he wanted to bring out the best in them.
What I also enjoyed was Batianich, who didn’t cower when challenged on his comments or when he disagreed with Ramsay.
The great news is that season two is starting now. And it promises to be just as deliciously competitive and astounding.
Aside from restaurant-quality dishes being served, it comes with a generous seasoning of drama, entertainment and sheer cuteness. Oh, and more of Ramsay… an affectionate Ramsay.
• Junior MasterChef USA 2 airs tomorrow on M-Net at 6.30pm.