WHILE Roxi Wardman, the winner of the third season of M-Net’s MasterChef SA, is working on setting up her eatery, the pay channel decided to inject a splash of drama and craziness by starting with the Celebrity MasterChef SA series.
And they have served up an eccentric batch of comedians, TV presenters, actors, a popstar and radio DJ. The tears flowed, stress levels peaked and the free-flowing stream of jokes peppered the unfolding drama.
I was in stitches. If this is an amuse bouche of what’s to come, I’m not moving from my couch come Sunday. The mix of personalities in that pressure-cooker environment is a bona fide treat.
As the introductory tagline goes: “There are no airbrushing, no second takes.”
Naked without their characters or scripts, these guys are forced to dress it up with their culinary skills – or lack thereof.
WHEN THE KNIVES… AND TEARS CAME OUT
PHEW, South Africa’s veteran Barbie doll – Patricia Lewis – brought many things to the MasterChef table. Making an entrance befitting her pop star status, she rocked up with her big hair, blinged outfit and a personality that is absolutely infectious. Her self-deprecating humour and warmth was disarming. Oh, and she does cry at the drop of hat.
The “silly cow” (her words, not mine!) got all sentimental over their first challenge – plating their most memorable dish from childhood. Hers was her mum’s Spanish steak and fluffy white rice.
A teary-eyed Lewis shared: “My mother would zhuzh the ingredients we would be able to afford into something more special. It’s not even Spanish.”
And this triggered Terence Bridgett’s waterworks too, who shared fond memories of his late mum’s lasagne. To his credit – that dish looked as mouth-watering as the judges found it tasted.
KITCHEN DISASTERS
WITH the clock against the celebrities – and no retakes – they felt the heat. While some delivered under pressure, others fell a bit short.
Alex Jay, who to his credit doesn’t cook, got a bit heavy-handed with the lemon in his sauce. Oops. At least, his wiener schnitzel didn’t crumble under scrutiny.
Actress Lerato Moloi took her rock cakes a bit too literally. Even Judge Rueben Riffel cautiously waded through his burnt options before he took a bite.
And Sade Giliberti let down her half-Italian roots with her pasta. Let’s just say her meatballs were sans the spaghetti she intended. But she did realise the importance of al dente.
THE DARK HORSE OF COOKING
Tol A$$ Mo is one of the most chilled celebrities in the kitchen. And he is a hoot, too. Partnered with a mini-me version of himself – their celebratory dances were too cute – he revealed his skill when he cooked his mum’s seven-colour feast. And when the time came for Riffel to sample his cooking, he very nonchalantly said: “I like the way you combine spices, I added some to my rice…”
The judge tried to keep a straight face, but it wasn’t easy. Bottom line, he was on fire with his wisecracks and cooking.
By the way, Bridgett and Lorna Maseka revealed they are no small fries in the kitchen.
The competition is so on!
• Celebrity MasterChef SA airs on M-Net on Sundays at 6pm.