Masterchef The Professionals on BBC Two
Series 2 of the BBC Cooking Competition Pro Spin-off
Sep 21, 2009
Last year Masterchef turned pro by giving trained cooks the chance to show off their skills instead of the plucky wannabes competing for the prize and it must have made an impression on someone to be given a second outing. There have been countless variations of the enjoyable but occasionally pompous BBC cooking competition including junior versions and the obligatory celebrity offset (although this on the top end of the genre).
In fact the updated run, of which is spun-off, is really a re-imagination that was given the dire title of Masterchef Goes Large – with all the sniggering inducing connotations – and thankfully someone decided to drop the stupid moniker by reverting to the original name.
Impressing Legendary double Michelin starred chef Michel Roux Jr
The difference here is that instead of the usually effervescent duo of Gregg Wallace and John Torode overseeing the competition, Torode is notable in his absence, the focus is on impressing Miche...sorry, legendary double Michelin starred Masterchef favourite Michel Roux Jr, revered to here as a deific figure who the competitors need to earn the right to even gaze in his general direction.
This is demonstrated with the Elimination Test where the four pros have to prove they are worthy enough to cook for him by preparing a couple of challenges by his fiery, super stern sous chef who is constantly making vocal her concerns about putting some people in front of the legendary Michelin starred Michel Roux Jr.
On the September 21 episode this comprised of grilling a perfect bruschetta and spinning a sugar desert swirl. Most coped with this fairly although one chef decided to create his twirl by dropping the caramel on the work surface and smudge it around a bit. Suffice to say he didn’t make the grade. The rest of the show uses the Masterchef formula of cooking the best meal with available ingredients and breaking out their centrepiece courses.
Masterchef Professional Cooks
Under all this ceremony and scrutiny the show loses some of the qualities that make it good. Masterchef is at its best when amateurs push themselves to the limit and exit as accomplished cooks. But with professionals who have a level of skill to enforce there is already a high expectation from the off meaning that any slight mistakes (and we all make them) are horribly overblown and zoned in on even from the first round.
Yes Gregg and John do get a little worked up about under cooked veal or burnt asparagus and the like but they are also playful and charming when it’s needed. Double Michelin starred chef Michel Roux Jr, despite being legendary is a boring presence and far too straight laced. Why do all cooking shows and the personalities involved take themselves so seriously? As long as it’s not killing anybody there’s no need for the dramatic dissection.
Then again that would mean losing the unintentionally hilarious segments where the presenters go all hyperbolic by stretching their vocabulary with synonyms for exciting in an unnecessarily energetic delivery.
Masterchef The Professionals Series 2
In this format Masterchef is fine, just not enthralling as the standard version and comes across as more like a stop gap for when the next proper series comes back.
Over on Channel 4 however Daredevils is proving to be rather brilliant with its latest outing about Dutch “Iceman” and medical marvel Wim Hof a fascinating anecdote. Documentary appears (perhaps wishfully) to be repossessing the crown of “reality TV” from non-real shows such as Big Brother and Wife Swap, and the schedules are starting to look all the better for it.
Anywho, Masterchef The Professionals is on BBC Two every weekday with start times varying between 8pm and 8.30pm.
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