WEBVTT - UNPACKED REALITY - MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA - SUMEET 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:01.760 It's in the news today, but it was actually on 0:00:01.800 --> 0:00:05.560 TV Reload the podcast last week Neylight. Hey guys, welcome 0:00:05.600 --> 0:00:07.760 back to TV Reload. I want to thank you for 0:00:07.840 --> 0:00:11.360 clicking and downloading on today's episode with Semat, the fifteenth 0:00:11.440 --> 0:00:15.480 eliminated contestant on Mastership Australia for twenty twenty four, which, 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:17.720 by the way, guys, is still on Network ten from 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:20.880 Sunday through to Wednesday nights at seven thirty and boy 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:24.319 is the competition starting to look very tight. Our love 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:27.400 of food is in Semite's blood, embedded deep in her 0:00:27.400 --> 0:00:31.680 Pujabi culture and ingrained in her family upbringing. Growing up 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:35.000 in India, Sumit has fond memories of her parents throwing 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:38.120 parties when she and her brother would be keenly watching 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:41.479 the preparation and the planning process. Her late mother was 0:00:41.600 --> 0:00:45.120 a warm and welcoming hostess, and Samait would always step 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:49.040 up to help whenever the party needed her. After studying 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:53.040 hotel management, Semat forged a career in sales, but had 0:00:53.159 --> 0:00:56.800 always known deep down that food is where she belongs. 0:00:57.080 --> 0:01:00.920 The kitchen is a mediative space for Sami. A stressful 0:01:01.000 --> 0:01:04.480 day is remedied by some time cooking. I think Australian 0:01:04.520 --> 0:01:07.280 audiences have fallen in love with Semite. I can imagine 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:09.720 her brand being on my shopping list for a very 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:13.280 long time to come. Samite will unpack everything from bacon 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:16.920 and eggs, the pressure to cook within her cultural heritage, 0:01:16.959 --> 0:01:20.400 and why she believes Jean Christov is her favorite judge. 0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:23.320 We will also unpack the Master Chef kitchen in terms 0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:26.279 of the dynamics between the cast and if there were 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:30.800 any jealousy or overly competitive contestants this year. Who will 0:01:30.840 --> 0:01:33.880 ask Semite about her journey to Master Chef and why 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:37.160 she felt confident in any color apron once the cameras 0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:40.520 started rolling. We will also discuss why she brought two 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:43.120 fish to look after during the filming of this season, 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:46.920 and if she does actually love drinking Scotch and whiskey, 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:49.320 which I heard as a rumor. There is so much 0:01:49.360 --> 0:01:52.160 to unpack with Semeat, So sit back and relax, guys, 0:01:52.200 --> 0:01:55.200 as we unpack her wonderful time in the Master Chef 0:01:55.240 --> 0:01:58.640 Australian Kitchen. Hi, Semite, how are you high? 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:01.200 Good morning, n How you doing. 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:05.440 I'm doing very well. I have been very disappointed, a 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:09.760 lot of tears from the calf last night and I 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:11.760 can only look at the silver lining of the fact 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:14.840 that I get this joyful experience of being able to 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:16.040 talk to you this morning. 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:19.720 Oh you're so beautiful. Thank you for the kind words. 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:20.760 I appreciate it. 0:02:21.360 --> 0:02:22.959 Yeah, I think that, you know, a lot of people 0:02:23.040 --> 0:02:25.000 thought you were going to take this competition out, you know, 0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:27.440 with the confidence that you seem to come at with 0:02:27.520 --> 0:02:30.440 this competition. I think, yeah, it was easy to believe that. 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:33.400 But I guess that's the nature of this show, is 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:35.440 that if Sashi can go, this is what I say 0:02:35.480 --> 0:02:38.560 to everybody, Sash can go on this show. Anybody can go. 0:02:38.919 --> 0:02:41.840 I know, I know it's pretty incredible, right, and exactly 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:43.320 what you said it is, you know, it is the 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:45.880 nature of the competition. You're only as good as your 0:02:45.919 --> 0:02:47.040 last book, essentially. 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:50.359 But there's nothing predictable of bet the show, because then 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:53.600 that's why it's on TV sixteen seasons later, is because 0:02:54.360 --> 0:02:56.440 you won't know, you don't know, you could be the 0:02:56.440 --> 0:02:59.360 best of the best, and then you have this bad 0:02:59.560 --> 0:03:01.200 cook and then you're gone. 0:03:01.919 --> 0:03:04.799 Absolutely, you know, I think it's we've seen it enough, right, 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:08.480 I've watched enough many you know, Master Chef seasons previously 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:10.960 to know that that's the case. And yeah, it was 0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:14.160 just my time to leave. You know, that's the only 0:03:14.200 --> 0:03:16.360 way you can sorder, you know, I guess come to 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:17.560 terms with it. 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:20.280 Did you make bacon and eggs for breakfast this morning? 0:03:20.400 --> 0:03:21.240 That's what I want to know. 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:27.440 No chance, not at the minute I think it's going 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:29.080 to be. It's going to be a little bit before 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:30.160 I make bigger at eggs. 0:03:30.880 --> 0:03:35.000 No one's getting breakfast at my house for a long time. 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:38.680 Cereal and orange and boring stuff we beneat And you're 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:41.320 not going to get bigger and eggs for sure. No, no, no, 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:43.960 nothing like that, but definitely not this morning. 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:48.280 My partner can make coach eggs really well, that is 0:03:48.640 --> 0:03:51.960 to perfection. So when people come over and stay with us, 0:03:52.040 --> 0:03:54.440 people always say to him, you know you should go 0:03:54.600 --> 0:03:59.600 master chef. And I was thinking about your credibility with 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:03.119 your knowledge on cooking what you already were armed with. 0:04:03.400 --> 0:04:06.320 Surely you've had people saying that to you over the years. 0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:09.000 How many times have you heard you should go on mastershif? 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:12.160 Oh my gosh, I could I would be a millionaire 0:04:12.200 --> 0:04:14.680 find you if I could, you know, get get a 0:04:14.720 --> 0:04:17.960 dollar for every time I've been told that. So you know, yes, 0:04:18.080 --> 0:04:20.880 there's been many, many years that people have always said 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:23.760 to me, my friends, have my beautiful children, have my 0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:27.240 you know, my partner has family has everyone who's always 0:04:27.279 --> 0:04:29.520 said that to me, My work colleagues have you know, 0:04:29.560 --> 0:04:31.600 They're like, well, aren't you doing it? You should still 0:04:31.680 --> 0:04:34.680 be there, And it's like, oh, yeah, you know, maybe 0:04:34.680 --> 0:04:36.440 maybe I don't know, I don't know, you know, so 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:38.560 as you know, one year goes, the other year goes, 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:40.479 and you know, it's just just been like that. But yes, 0:04:40.560 --> 0:04:43.640 absolutely been told that very often before. 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:46.200 Well, how has the experience then stacked up? Because I mean, 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:48.880 if that has been a conversation that's been floated around 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:51.679 amongst your friends, your work colleagues and in your own mind, 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:56.080 I wanted to know about your expectations versus the experience. 0:04:56.520 --> 0:05:01.160 Oh my gosh, oh wow. So yes, how vastly different 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:04.080 the expectation from what it actually is. But so how 0:05:04.520 --> 0:05:07.760 you know, so beautifully vastly different. So you know, you go, 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:09.680 you watch the show and I've been watching it for 0:05:09.720 --> 0:05:11.600 so many years, and you sort of see it you think, 0:05:11.600 --> 0:05:13.799 oh my god, this is incredible. But when you actually 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:17.440 walk through those doors and see that clock, and you know, 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:21.200 the just that whole the vibe of that kitchen and 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:24.839 charges in front of you, and those workstations, you know, 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:28.000 the kitchens that we have, and the whole experience, you know, 0:05:28.040 --> 0:05:32.279 the whole filming experience. Oh my god, exponentially much much 0:05:32.440 --> 0:05:35.080 more magical than you can ever imagine it to be. 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:38.880 That's the truth. It's it's actually almost unbelievable how much 0:05:39.080 --> 0:05:41.640 better it is to actually be in it than watch it. 0:05:42.279 --> 0:05:44.120 That makes a lot of sense, right, you know, it 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:45.680 makes a lot of sense to be able to want 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:47.720 to put yourself into that situation. I mean, I can 0:05:47.800 --> 0:05:52.000 imagine though this could easily flow, people could easily intimidate people. 0:05:52.120 --> 0:05:54.560 So it does take a certain type of person to 0:05:54.680 --> 0:05:57.000 say I'm going to take this on and then be 0:05:57.040 --> 0:05:59.440 able to be in front of those cameras to be, 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:02.960 you know, under that kind of pressure. But now that 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:04.720 we're at this point, and I might be the first 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:06.840 person to ask you this, but what have you learned 0:06:06.880 --> 0:06:10.080 about yourself? Not necessarily from the experience as you were 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:12.800 there day to day, but today, like now, looking back, 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:15.880 you've watched your season of Master Chef, what have you 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:17.000 learned about yourself? 0:06:17.360 --> 0:06:20.240 Oh? Yeah, you know, a really good question. Ben, because 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:22.640 it's true. I've been you know, sort of mulling over 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:25.080 that last night, going, oh, you know, how do I feel, 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:28.680 and actually really introspecting into you know, I guess, do 0:06:28.760 --> 0:06:31.520 my checks and balances within myself to see what I've 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:34.279 gained and how I've you know, how I see myself now. 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:37.960 You know, I've always been someone that's you know, had 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:42.680 to be very I guess centered in a storm, and 0:06:42.760 --> 0:06:45.320 that's you know, that's that's just generally me. I tend 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:47.920 to be very when there's a storm happening around me. 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:49.800 I really go inside and find that piece of cup 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:52.000 place of calm and you know, just work from there 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:54.520 and really keep it very rock solid. But this was 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:56.800 so different to see it in this environment because you 0:06:56.880 --> 0:07:00.120 sort of removed from your regular life, you know, you 0:07:00.120 --> 0:07:02.360 don't have your regular distruction that you have at home, 0:07:02.560 --> 0:07:05.800 and you're really sort of insulated in a space where 0:07:05.839 --> 0:07:09.000 you're actually just deeply immersed in your passion. So it 0:07:09.120 --> 0:07:12.240 really is a very good litmus test to see, you know, 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:16.520 how deep that passion truly is. And so it just 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:18.960 solidified that for me so much. I was really well 0:07:18.960 --> 0:07:21.200 aware of whether it was a black apron or white, 0:07:21.240 --> 0:07:24.920 apron orange, no matter what color I wore, how aligned 0:07:25.120 --> 0:07:28.600 I felt with my center, like with my calling, I guess, 0:07:28.640 --> 0:07:31.040 you know, with my passion. Yeah, it was deeply revealing 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:33.200 for me. So it just solidified the fact that, you know, 0:07:33.400 --> 0:07:35.200 I mean I also do a copper job before, and 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:38.360 I could not even I cannot even imagine how I 0:07:38.360 --> 0:07:40.120 did that. Like even just the thought of it just 0:07:40.160 --> 0:07:42.120 brings me down. So you know, it's like it just 0:07:42.200 --> 0:07:46.760 really solidifies that. So definitely that's something that I absolutely learned. 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:49.080 But also with the cameras, it was so interesting. You know, 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:51.200 I was I was worried about you know, my gosh, 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:52.880 I hope I'm not conscious in front of it or 0:07:53.000 --> 0:07:54.120 you know, I'm not well. 0:07:55.400 --> 0:07:57.520 You know, that's other thing they do say. You know, 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:01.679 introverted people can become extra verted. Extroverted people can become 0:08:01.720 --> 0:08:04.680 introverted by being around camera like that. So it absolutely 0:08:05.040 --> 0:08:08.280 is a different dynamic that not everyone would necessarily understand 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:10.720 and what that is going to do to you, you. 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:14.040 Know, that's right, absolutely, But I think I just felt 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:16.560 so comfortable. I didn't feel like it was you know, 0:08:17.040 --> 0:08:19.920 it didn't just there with me. I just I thrived. 0:08:20.080 --> 0:08:22.080 I just loved it, you know, and it didn't distract 0:08:22.080 --> 0:08:23.760 me at all. I just because when you go in 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:25.800 there and the clock starts, like, oh my god godcause 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:28.400 it's just like seventy five minutes, and you forget about 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:30.640 the cameras. You just like so focused and so zero 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:33.840 in on what you're doing, is that it sort of 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:34.320 takes over. 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:37.520 I wanted to mention to you at this early stage about, 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:40.760 you know, the thoughts and feelings that other people had 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:43.880 about you during this season. I think you must be 0:08:44.040 --> 0:08:48.840 like miscongeniality or something, because so many people brought up 0:08:48.880 --> 0:08:51.880 their time with you and how much they appreciated you 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:57.240 as well. I think they appreciated your sentedness and your wisdom, 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:00.360 and I think people were surprised by you, a little 0:09:00.360 --> 0:09:04.120 bit surprised. Is this correct to say that someone told 0:09:04.160 --> 0:09:06.559 me that you enjoy a good scotch or a whiskey. 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:08.640 I can't remember who it was. Someone stopped it. 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:15.040 Oh my god, oh secrets revealed. Yeah. I do. I 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:19.320 do enjoy you know, a good whiskey, A good single made, 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:21.800 a good scott you know it is it is such 0:09:21.800 --> 0:09:24.360 an indulgent drink and it is so it's a real 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:26.959 experience to have it. I love it. I do enjoy 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:28.040 my whiskey nines. 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:29.880 And when I heard about that, I just was like, 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:32.600 I didn't expect that and now and I said to 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:34.400 the person at the time, I was like, you know, 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:37.840 samit to me, he's not the sort of person who's 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:40.040 going to be smashing a bottle of this stuff. She'd 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:43.200 find a really good one and she would, you know, 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:46.960 one glass and tell your really good story. And that 0:09:47.040 --> 0:09:49.040 has been on my mind ever since I've thought about it. 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:51.440 I'm like, hmm, I just want to be a yeah house, 0:09:51.600 --> 0:09:55.280 having the food and hearing your stories with a scotch always. 0:09:55.600 --> 0:10:00.320 Yeah, absolutely, absolutely that. I love doing that. You know, 0:10:00.320 --> 0:10:02.760 my husband may really enjoy that, so we both have 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:05.040 a you know, shared passion for it. And it is 0:10:05.120 --> 0:10:08.480 really a little you know, and you're right, just savor 0:10:08.600 --> 0:10:11.840 the whiskey, you know, you know, actually really enjoy it 0:10:12.000 --> 0:10:14.680 and you know, mull over it and hold it and 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:17.640 it's just beautiful. Yes, it's a good it's a good 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:19.920 experience to have everyone to do it. 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:22.160 Oh, I'm up for it. I'm up for it. That's 0:10:22.240 --> 0:10:24.280 my dream. That is my dream. But you know, with 0:10:24.480 --> 0:10:28.079 reality shows, there's this urban legend that if you win 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:30.560 a car, or if you win them any challenge, like 0:10:30.760 --> 0:10:33.080 having your source put in calls, it means that you 0:10:33.120 --> 0:10:36.120 don't win the show. It can sometimes mean that that's 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:37.840 a sign that you might not come out on top. 0:10:38.000 --> 0:10:40.400 Did you know about the urban legend? Did you worry 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:43.040 once you won the source that Master Chef had given 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:45.200 you something and that you may now not win. 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:49.280 I did not know about that urban legend, but I 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:52.160 did have someone from the crew say, you know that 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:54.680 is basically say that after top ten you sort of 0:10:54.679 --> 0:10:57.040 see the motivation sort of drop off. And I was 0:10:57.160 --> 0:10:59.400 very surprised when I heard that, because actually the win 0:10:59.520 --> 0:11:02.160 of the sauce sort of powered me even more because 0:11:02.240 --> 0:11:04.520 it sort of made me feel like if I can 0:11:04.559 --> 0:11:07.520 do this, I can do that, you know. So yes, 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:10.800 it actually the opposite for me. But yeah, you know, 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:13.800 who knows. Maybe the universe does work it a way 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:15.280 of balance. I don't know. 0:11:15.760 --> 0:11:17.640 I don't know whether or not it's something that happens 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:21.280 consciously from behind the scenes, like whether it's coordinated by producers. 0:11:21.360 --> 0:11:23.480 They're like, you know, with your children. I mean, I 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:25.280 don't have any children, but I can imagine, you know, 0:11:25.400 --> 0:11:27.480 you give one thing to one child, then it's by 0:11:27.640 --> 0:11:31.000 human nature to balance it out and give something to another. 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:33.720 I wondered whether or not there's something quiet. 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:36.520 No, I doubt it, Ben, you know, I think in 0:11:36.559 --> 0:11:39.480 that regard, I have to say it was. It was 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:42.800 really I doubt there was any any sort of agenda 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:45.480 like that, you know, because I remember, you know, even 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:47.160 when I went walked into the show, you know, you 0:11:47.280 --> 0:11:49.720 had a sort of save in me very similar sort 0:11:49.720 --> 0:11:53.920 of you know, flavor profiles. But I really found that 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:55.960 and I was bored. Sort I hoped it owns, you know, 0:11:56.760 --> 0:11:58.600 judge her curry to my curry. And there was a 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:01.160 situation where Dash and I meet sort of like a 0:12:01.200 --> 0:12:03.320 Trifley type of a dessert when he met it with 0:12:03.400 --> 0:12:05.240 Durian and I meet it with Starr andes. You know, 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:07.560 it was they similar, and you obviously get those thoughts like, 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:08.960 oh my gosh, I hope they don't, you know, sort 0:12:09.000 --> 0:12:11.640 of compare us. But they don't, you know. So I 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:13.480 was really impressed with the fact that they actually just 0:12:13.679 --> 0:12:16.560 see your dish as Yordish and their dish as their dish, 0:12:16.600 --> 0:12:20.240 Like each individual is judged on their own the dish 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:22.880 that they meet on the day as an individual dish, 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:25.240 which is a good thing to do, so yeah, yet 0:12:25.480 --> 0:12:26.360 no agenda there. 0:12:26.760 --> 0:12:30.040 I wonder whether or not the ability to do that 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:33.000 with the dishes and be very separate and to not 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:36.360 pit people against each other is the reason why we 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:40.760 don't feel as a viewer any jealousy or segregation or 0:12:41.160 --> 0:12:44.960 any kind of animosity amongst the cast, because yeah, that 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:48.600 kind of ability has been ingrained into the processes to 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:53.120 make sure that aren't competing or feeling that competition. I mean, 0:12:53.200 --> 0:12:54.760 is it as sweet and lovely as we see it 0:12:54.760 --> 0:12:56.960 to be? I mean, have they edited out the Melrose 0:12:57.000 --> 0:12:59.600 Place kitchen where I don't know? Is it a sweet 0:12:59.640 --> 0:13:01.360 and lovely as we are led to believe. 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:04.839 I think it's sweeter and lovelier than it actually led 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:07.320 to believe because at the edge sometimes you don't see 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:09.320 the beautiful friendships that are there because it's you know, 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:11.720 the time is so short. But yeah, absolutely, the green 0:13:11.800 --> 0:13:15.600 room was a fun, happy, safe space and you know 0:13:15.640 --> 0:13:17.760 that was a really and you're right, you know that's 0:13:17.800 --> 0:13:19.880 the beauty of the show. And I think, you know, 0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:23.600 copper culture is so can be so hard, can be toxic, 0:13:23.640 --> 0:13:25.720 can be they can be jealousy, they can be you know, 0:13:25.760 --> 0:13:27.960 all of those things, and everybody wants to rise above 0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:30.240 the other. There's that, you know, the vibe. But I 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:32.360 think it's because it is a top down type of 0:13:32.360 --> 0:13:35.560 a situation in a Master Chef kitchen. Everybody in the 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:40.600 crew is incredibly well bonded and so beautiful. They share 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:44.640 such a beautiful friendship and energy and that comes across 0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:47.600 and flows through to the contestants. And I think because 0:13:47.720 --> 0:13:49.720 all of us that you know, sort of part of it, 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:51.640 have had some sort of a sense of what the 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.520 show was, give or take a some more, some less. 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:57.480 But you walk into an environment that has that sort 0:13:57.480 --> 0:13:59.600 of a culture and you sort of almost imbbe that 0:13:59.720 --> 0:14:02.440 you and it sort of flows through. So you know, 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:06.000 culture is top to bottom and this is truly the 0:14:06.000 --> 0:14:08.080 way it is. But yeah, the green room was a 0:14:08.120 --> 0:14:10.800 really safe space. You know, people could really I mean, 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:13.000 you know, if there was something I didn't know, I 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:15.120 could ask someone that knew, Like I say, for example, 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:18.800 fish right, So Harry is the fish lord in the 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:21.760 group and he really knows everything fish related. And I 0:14:21.880 --> 0:14:24.240 am gosh, I was so afraid of even chopping the 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:27.120 head off of the issue in a few episodes, but 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:29.120 he was so generous with his you know, sharing his 0:14:29.200 --> 0:14:32.440 knowledge with me. And there really is that camarade race. 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:34.440 All of that happens behind the scenes that you don't 0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:34.920 see on the. 0:14:34.840 --> 0:14:37.680 Cameras, which I love because like Master Chef plays during 0:14:37.720 --> 0:14:41.640 winter and it is the winter warmer of television that 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:46.480 Australia needs. You could have easily pigeonholed yourself with curry dishes. 0:14:46.520 --> 0:14:49.560 And I remember very early on when we got introduced 0:14:49.560 --> 0:14:53.480 to your profile. Yeah, I could have easily imagined that 0:14:53.640 --> 0:14:56.400 you wouldn't want to step outside of that box watching 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:57.920 you on the show, you could have easily leant into 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.680 just your skill set, but you really pushed yourself because 0:15:00.680 --> 0:15:03.160 that's what the competition needs. But then now for you 0:15:03.240 --> 0:15:05.480 to succeed in a market, you really need to own 0:15:05.520 --> 0:15:08.040 a particular space, and you're now kind of having to 0:15:08.080 --> 0:15:09.800 do the opposite of what you need to do to 0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:11.400 survive in a show like this. 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:13.880 It's interesting because you know, people sort of do you 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:16.080 know pigeonhole you to say, oh, she looks like this, 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:19.560 so she must be that. But it's interesting because I actually, 0:15:20.000 --> 0:15:23.440 you know before like my my husband now needs to 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:25.680 eat his Indian food and I make it often, but 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:28.400 before I met him, I would probably cook curry once 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:30.800 in six months because it was not something I would 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:32.480 make all the time, and I would only do it 0:15:32.560 --> 0:15:34.720 like if my friends just, oh please, can you make 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:36.400 us like you know, and I was like, all right, 0:15:36.440 --> 0:15:38.400 then I'll make an Indian you know, curry night. But 0:15:38.640 --> 0:15:43.840 it was not something I do actually generally eat, very 0:15:44.080 --> 0:15:47.080 very simple food. You know, it's usually grilled meats and 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:50.360 vegetables and bakes. And you know, I do a little 0:15:50.440 --> 0:15:52.560 lot of baking at home, so there's a lot. I 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:55.840 do roast dinners, a lot, we do steaks. I'm the 0:15:55.840 --> 0:15:58.320 barbecue person at home my husband, so I'm the one 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.480 that you know, does all the barbecued meats, so I 0:16:00.520 --> 0:16:02.600 do a lot of that. In fact, just the other 0:16:02.640 --> 0:16:04.360 day we made a cattleman steak. So it's like we 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:07.400 actually do a lot of other foods, but in the 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:09.920 kitchen it was. It did take me a little while 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:12.360 to break out of that stereotype because you know, it 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:14.360 was almost like we were typecast and I felt like 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:16.080 I needed to do it because that was what was 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:19.520 expected of me. Almost I struggled that first couple of weeks. 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:20.960 And that's why you told me like sort of going 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:23.560 you know, black white top dish, bottom dish, you know, 0:16:23.600 --> 0:16:26.720 ilimination pressure tests because it was just where I couldn't 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:29.080 find my feet. I was like, do I go the 0:16:29.080 --> 0:16:31.400 Indian route because that's what they're expecting me to do, 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:34.120 or do I do my style, which is this But 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:36.680 you know, sauce has always been my thing, so and 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:39.720 because it's a fusion sort of sauce area that I'm 0:16:39.760 --> 0:16:43.560 looking at actually gives me a lot of creative license 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:47.240 to play with different cuisines and different flavors and match 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.560 them up. So yeah, no, I think quite the opposite. 0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:54.239 Actually, I love the idea of you being not pigeonholed 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:57.280 into something like that, and I think that Australians need 0:16:57.280 --> 0:17:00.359 to step outside of pigeon holing people absolutely. 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:02.400 In fact, my Indian friends tell me that my food 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:04.640 is not typical Indians. So they're like, oh, yes, there's 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:06.639 a little bit fusion, a little bit modern, it's a 0:17:06.680 --> 0:17:09.639 little bit different from what we would stop. Yeah, so 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:11.679 that's true, but you know that's all of us, right, 0:17:11.720 --> 0:17:14.120 we're all learning growing Absolutely life. 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:16.399 You had to we should talk about this dish from 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:18.840 last night just a little bit. But yeah, because you 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:21.760 really kept doing this thing where you were reinvented dishes, 0:17:21.880 --> 0:17:24.159 and I thought that it was really admirable how you 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:26.840 pushed yourself to always reinvent stuff. And then of course 0:17:26.880 --> 0:17:28.399 you were going to do that because you wanted to 0:17:28.440 --> 0:17:31.040 have the most original dish and win, you know, and 0:17:31.080 --> 0:17:34.159 you said that was last night the time to play safe. 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:35.280 Should you have done that? 0:17:35.520 --> 0:17:38.080 Oh? No, I no, I don't think I should have 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:40.320 played it safe at all. I feel like, you know, 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:43.400 once you get to this point in the competition, you've 0:17:43.400 --> 0:17:46.240 got to really push yourself because you need to back 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:48.920 yourself better. You know, like you've gotten to a point 0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:51.840 now where you should be. You know, playing it's safe 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:55.960 probably would have taken me through last night possibly, but 0:17:56.119 --> 0:17:58.640 then I probably would not have been true to myself, 0:17:58.840 --> 0:18:02.680 and I think that is far more important than anything 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:05.600 else for anybody. I mean, you know, that really should 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:07.800 be the thing. But yeah, I know I did not 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:10.560 want to play safe, definitely not not at this point 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:12.400 in the competition. I really didn't. You know, I could 0:18:12.400 --> 0:18:15.560 have whipped up something, you know, Curry style or something 0:18:15.600 --> 0:18:17.000 like that, which it would have been easy for me 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:20.639 to do, but I didn't want to. I wanted to 0:18:20.680 --> 0:18:22.679 do something different, so I did stay with you know, 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:25.720 my heritage being Indian, sort of said, you know, it's 0:18:25.760 --> 0:18:28.119 my take on your Yeah, you know, baking an en 0:18:28.160 --> 0:18:30.399 year old type of thing, but using blue cheese, but 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:34.320 using banando so and then also, oh my god, it 0:18:34.440 --> 0:18:36.680 was pretty tasty. But I can understand where they came 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:39.600 from about the egg issue, right, because that's the tricky 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:42.000 part of it. A nan is a double cooked dough 0:18:42.119 --> 0:18:44.239 and you rested twice and it's all there's a lot 0:18:44.280 --> 0:18:46.640 of things happening with it. So if I just made 0:18:46.680 --> 0:18:49.240