Speaker 1: It's in the news today, but it was actually on
Speaker 1: TV Reload the podcast last week. They might welcome back
Speaker 1: to TV Reload. My name's Benjamin Norris and on this podcast,
Speaker 1: I go behind the scenes with the biggest players in television.
Speaker 1: Each episode you will get a front row seat with
Speaker 1: content makers like executive producers, writers, editors and casting agents,
Speaker 1: plus the talent that we see on our screens. TV
Speaker 1: Reload reloads the shows that you are currently watching and
Speaker 1: gives you a better insight at our television industry and
Speaker 1: streaming services today. On the podcast, I have mastership Australia's
Speaker 1: latest eliminated contestant, Michael Weldon. From the start of this season,
Speaker 1: Australia has been keenly watching Michael take on the competition
Speaker 1: for his second time. Very few contestants are as vocal
Speaker 1: about their desire to win, and I loved Michael's upfront nature.
Speaker 1: We will talk about his feelings returning to fans versus
Speaker 1: favorites over a missed opportunity to be a part of
Speaker 1: Back to Win a few years back. What he also
Speaker 1: thinks might have worked better over that dreaded fish cook.
Speaker 1: He's unlikely friendship with Julie Goodwin and who he thinks
Speaker 1: is going to be last man standing, Well maybe last
Speaker 1: woman standing. However, let's get started with today's guest. I'd
Speaker 1: like to welcome Michael Weldon to TV Reload.
Speaker 2: I try to be very cool about it, so, oh yeah,
Speaker 2: maybe I'm interested.
Speaker 3: Musta Sheriff has produced some of the biggest names in food.
Speaker 2: I found this year really tough, A lot tougher than
Speaker 2: Season three anyway, the.
Speaker 1: First time ever it's funds versus fabrites.
Speaker 2: I kind of felt like things are going really well,
Speaker 2: really well, really well until I was eliminated.
Speaker 1: There are only two that were stamped with flaws, Michael
Speaker 1: and Montana.
Speaker 2: It was a beautiful season this year because ninety five.
Speaker 2: So I's got on like a house on fire.
Speaker 1: So the dish that is sending its make a home today,
Speaker 1: he's Michael.
Speaker 2: Well, that's the thing about mars Chep. It's not often
Speaker 2: the best book that wins is the person that lasts
Speaker 2: the longer.
Speaker 1: Hi, Michael, how are you going well?
Speaker 2: Well?
Speaker 1: Congratulations on an epic contribution to this series of Master
Speaker 1: Chef Australia. Is this the toughest series that Channel ten
Speaker 1: has ever done? With so many returning favorites.
Speaker 2: For me it once, that's for sure. Thank you so
Speaker 2: much as well. It was Yeah, it was a lot
Speaker 2: of fun. I think back to Win was obviously also
Speaker 2: a pretty tough challenge, but yeah, I found this year
Speaker 2: really tough, a lot tougher than season three.
Speaker 1: Anyway, when you returned to the show, did you set
Speaker 1: any other benchmarks along the way, like beat Julie or
Speaker 1: you know, have the best cook in Master Chef history?
Speaker 1: Was it anything else that was like a benchmark along
Speaker 1: the way, not just taking the competition out.
Speaker 2: Now, To be honest, it was for me it would
Speaker 2: just come and have a lot of fun and hopefully
Speaker 2: that would lead to getting the w at the end.
Speaker 2: I didn't have any sort of pre conceived plans of
Speaker 2: making the top ten, the top five, the top whatever,
Speaker 2: just get through one cook at a time. Maybe I
Speaker 2: should have, maybe she had a better goal set, but
Speaker 2: I just wanted to be honest and say I did
Speaker 2: want to win it because you know, honest, went it
Speaker 2: last time. But yeah, very few people get to win it,
Speaker 2: and yeah, unfortunately for me, I think it's this time
Speaker 2: as well. Who knows if in another eleven years there
Speaker 2: is another form they want returning contestants, perhaps elutely third
Speaker 2: un lucky. But as much as I didn't you get
Speaker 2: to where I wanted to, I had just had so
Speaker 2: much fun and I got so much out of it
Speaker 2: that I'm pretty pretty happy with the whole experience.
Speaker 1: Well, it's been a decade since you first appeared. What
Speaker 1: has changed in the Mastership astral Kitchen the most? You know,
Speaker 1: because you have this experience now of doing two seasons
Speaker 1: so far apart.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm very lucky, I guess to have had the
Speaker 2: experience of both sets of judges, of filming in Sydney
Speaker 2: versus filming in Melbourne, of different production companies actually doing
Speaker 2: the production, which is it's a cool insight. And I
Speaker 2: guess there's only a handful of people who got to
Speaker 2: do that. So yeah, look, it was. It was interesting
Speaker 2: this time. It was The judges are very different. Go
Speaker 2: one are the days of it being very technically focused
Speaker 2: and a lot of food history focused in the challenges
Speaker 2: and what the judges requiring the judging, and now it's
Speaker 2: all about delicious food. And I think that probably sets
Speaker 2: up for a great dynamic between the fans and the favorites,
Speaker 2: because there's no doubt the fans didn't have as much experience,
Speaker 2: and that maybe that knowledge and that technique based that
Speaker 2: some of us favorites had. But in the end, as
Speaker 2: long as did distaste good, the judges will judge it
Speaker 2: that way. And maybe I wish it was the old
Speaker 2: judge with more techniqueased stuff, and it might have lasted
Speaker 2: it longer, but I think it made it a lot
Speaker 2: fairer having a new bunch of judges with a new
Speaker 2: lens on the food. And I just feel lucky to
Speaker 2: have cooked for all six judges and never had that experience.
Speaker 1: Well, I guess that's a good question to ask you.
Speaker 1: Do you think that things would have been different had
Speaker 1: you had the old set of judges? Do you think
Speaker 1: that they were more hard they were harder this time around?
Speaker 2: No, I actually think the old judges were a bit harder,
Speaker 2: to be honest, Yeah, they were. They were. It was
Speaker 2: very technique based, and they wanted lots of technique and
Speaker 2: you know, lots of different dishes and to show a
Speaker 2: broad range of knowledge and technique was this time around.
Speaker 2: You you can get away with something not being carefully long.
Speaker 2: It tastes really good. I mean, it worked out really
Speaker 2: well because if it was just a purer technique, be
Speaker 2: hard for the fans. We haven't cooked professional sense or
Speaker 2: haven't been through much before to match up on just
Speaker 2: pure technique, but hard work, enthusiastic to get you a
Speaker 2: lot further I think were these judges. I think that
Speaker 2: made a really much fairer playing field. Actually felt I
Speaker 2: felt for the fans a lot along the way because
Speaker 2: it was a It was probably a bit of a
Speaker 2: handicap coming up against people like Julie Good Women, Sashi
Speaker 2: and you know Billy who are just you know, amazing,
Speaker 2: amazing cooks. So yeah, I think it made it a
Speaker 2: lot more balanced.
Speaker 1: Do we know if you know the old hosts? Do
Speaker 1: we know if they are watching the show? And the
Speaker 1: only reason why I asked this is that I want
Speaker 1: to know whether or not they're tapping in with you
Speaker 1: and giving you they're still critiquing your food from behind the.
Speaker 2: Sound Well not mine, No, I haven't. I haven't heard
Speaker 2: from this season. I know I know Sarah and George
Speaker 2: have done some work together in the past, so maybe
Speaker 2: maybe they are still in touch, but I should Actually,
Speaker 2: I think Matt Preston played the same golf come as
Speaker 2: me these days, so I might have to reach out
Speaker 2: to him and see what he thinks. Over around the golf.
Speaker 1: He walks off to the to the ninth hole, doesn't
Speaker 1: say hello, just doesn't want.
Speaker 2: To ask the question. It may happen.
Speaker 1: You know, your resume is one of the best success
Speaker 1: stories in the history of Master Chef. Did you ever
Speaker 1: think that you would return to compete in the competition?
Speaker 2: I know then I didn't, especially after say no. I
Speaker 2: said no to Back to Win because I had this
Speaker 2: a lot of work booked overseas in twenty twenty, which
Speaker 2: was a you know, I didn't really get my timing
Speaker 2: right on that one, because after saying no to Back
Speaker 2: to Win, all that work got canceled due to COVID.
Speaker 2: So I sat at home watching Amelia and Callum and
Speaker 2: Reynold and Poe and all my friends who I've become
Speaker 2: really close with that sort of that group, and I
Speaker 2: was definitely closer with the people on Back to Win
Speaker 2: than I was with people on Fans Versus Favorite or
Speaker 2: the returning returning condescens on Vans Versus Favorite. So I
Speaker 2: sat back watching them and I sort of kicked myself, saying, oh,
Speaker 2: I could have had this opportunity to cook with all
Speaker 2: those absolute legend of the kitchen and so when a
Speaker 2: second chance, at the second chance came up, I sort
Speaker 2: of I tried to be very cool about it and so,
Speaker 2: oh yeah, maybe I'm interested, but I sort of inside
Speaker 2: was jumping up and down with excitement about that at
Speaker 2: the opportunity.
Speaker 1: I love the thought of being able to picture you
Speaker 1: getting that phone call and being so excited about it,
Speaker 1: you know, I was.
Speaker 2: I remember the moment that the phone call came from Carla,
Speaker 2: who's in casting? And why is Carla calling? This is
Speaker 2: really weird? Have they you know? What what have I
Speaker 2: done wrong? What have I done wrong? With Mastership? I
Speaker 2: was sad something wrong, But no, it was a really really great,
Speaker 2: fuzzy phone call and I felt very blessed to get it.
Speaker 2: And as I said before, hopefully in ten years time,
Speaker 2: they might be in the third phone call and I
Speaker 2: can go on, you know, finally get the victory that
Speaker 2: I so desire.
Speaker 1: The Big W.
Speaker 2: So you call the Big W exactly right? Yeah, at
Speaker 2: nine out of.
Speaker 3: I came second in season three Master Chef, standing in
Speaker 3: front of the judges and not winning.
Speaker 2: Was it was pretty hard.
Speaker 3: You know, you put a lot of time, a lot
Speaker 3: of f into and to get that close can be
Speaker 3: picked at the post at the final hurdle. It's a
Speaker 3: tough feeling and it's it didn't feel nice. I haven't
Speaker 3: forgotten that feeling. Yeah, but hopefully they will change this time.
Speaker 2: You don't like.
Speaker 1: I kind of felt for you that the door was
Speaker 1: opened to return, maybe as a host or a judge,
Speaker 1: because from the impact that you left on me, and
Speaker 1: I think the impact that you left on the Mastership
Speaker 1: Australia competition, I kind of felt like you would return
Speaker 1: in even bigger capacity.
Speaker 2: I like that, and that's really kind of you. I
Speaker 2: think I'm not as pretty as Andy, and that's important.
Speaker 2: And he's got such a great regime too that he
Speaker 2: you know, he's well, he's done in restaurants, I think
Speaker 2: sort of that's that's another level for even me. So
Speaker 2: I'd love to one day be more involved in mastershif.
Speaker 2: But I see I can see why Andy got the
Speaker 2: hosting year. He's done. He's done a stellar job with
Speaker 2: it too.
Speaker 1: I don't know if he'd look as good though in
Speaker 1: a watermelon shirt though, well, there we go.
Speaker 2: That is one that is That's one thing I've got
Speaker 2: at my slave I've got that water one shirt with shirt,
Speaker 2: which was my sort of good luck Charmian eliminations up
Speaker 2: until Sunday night. But yeah, he might not have to
Speaker 2: win on that one.
Speaker 1: And now you've burnt it great.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, I'll never write again.
Speaker 1: Did that service challenge, you know, the team challenge prior
Speaker 1: to your elimination cook put a bump in the road
Speaker 1: that changed the course of your time on the show.
Speaker 2: It may have. Yeah, I didn't think about it so
Speaker 2: much at the time. I tried to just I was
Speaker 2: really good at until until Sunday. It was really good
Speaker 2: at blocking out as soon as the cook was done, good, bad,
Speaker 2: or otherwise blocking out what happened, just moving on to
Speaker 2: the next challenge. And I think that was what was
Speaker 2: working really well for me. But maybe it lingered a
Speaker 2: bit further than I thought, and maybe stuffing up to
Speaker 2: fish using the same week wasn't a great idea. I
Speaker 2: soon of just cooked a barbecue chicken. I'll do that well,
Speaker 2: But it did. There was the first team challenge that
Speaker 2: I didn't have success in. I won every team challenge
Speaker 2: or my dish won every team challenge the whole way
Speaker 2: through the season, apart from the Italy versus it only
Speaker 2: versus Japanese channel. So yeah, maybe that was a turning
Speaker 2: point for me in the bad way.
Speaker 1: When you goggle boxing a show like this at home
Speaker 1: and you see someone who doesn't do well at a
Speaker 1: fish challenge and then it comes to the pressure test
Speaker 1: and they decided to do the fish again, You're like,
Speaker 1: why are they doing this?
Speaker 2: Like?
Speaker 1: Did you not work? Do you not think that maybe
Speaker 1: fish was not the way forward? No?
Speaker 2: I didn't. Unfortunately I didn't, otherwise I might still with it,
Speaker 2: but yeah, I was. I didn't watch the episode on
Speaker 2: Sunday night just because I just I don't know, I
Speaker 2: having gone through it, I just didn't need to watch it.
Speaker 2: I've got the most amazing memories of Marketershift. I didn't
Speaker 2: want anything to be a negative, and I'm sure it
Speaker 2: wouldn't be, and I'm sure one day I'll watch it
Speaker 2: after I've had a couple of beers. But I I've
Speaker 2: kind of just yeah, blocked it out. But if I
Speaker 2: had watched, I would yelling at myself on the TV
Speaker 2: to what are you doing? You know? But I also
Speaker 2: cooked that dish lots of times, and I should just
Speaker 2: be able to do it with my eyes closed. It's
Speaker 2: just that it's the pressure in that kitchen. And I
Speaker 2: used a different fish because Rick stein used that fish
Speaker 2: when he made his carry, and I thought that'd recording.
Speaker 2: He was the same fish as Rick Steine, And what
Speaker 2: a silly move.
Speaker 1: Well, I guess it's hard for you as well, because
Speaker 1: I mean, you've been a favorite to win right from
Speaker 1: the start, even people following the show online. You know,
Speaker 1: people have been throwing your name around the whole time.
Speaker 1: Does that kind of pressure affect you each week in
Speaker 1: the kitchen? I mean, did you let that affect you?
Speaker 1: I guess the best way to say, the.
Speaker 2: People looking at you, yeah, you know what. I hadn't
Speaker 2: looked at any of that. So I appreciate everyone's support
Speaker 2: and picking me as as someone they wanted to go far.
Speaker 2: But I knew I was on a good trajectory and
Speaker 2: things were going really well. It was sort of I
Speaker 2: kind of felt like things were going really well, really well,
Speaker 2: really well until I was eliminated. I didn't really have
Speaker 2: too many bad moments. Obviously had to do a pressure
Speaker 2: test because of a bit of rich a two rich
Speaker 2: dish a in that comfort food challenge, But yeah, I
Speaker 2: felt like it was all going really well, and then
Speaker 2: it just stopped and I didn't have time to even
Speaker 2: sort of you know, configure and rethink. Oh, you know,
Speaker 2: I've had one bad day and now I can get
Speaker 2: back to it. So it's just a bit it's a
Speaker 2: bit annoying just that I sort of missed those cues potentially,
Speaker 2: but I think I was putting the most pressure on
Speaker 2: myself to win it and take it out, So I mean, yeah,
Speaker 2: that was probably my own fault that I didn't get
Speaker 2: and I definitely let it sort of let it affects
Speaker 2: me a little bit. You know, I wouldn't have made
Speaker 2: poor decisions like picking the wrong fish for this fish stew,
Speaker 2: which I'll never cook again if I hadn't. Yeah, just
Speaker 2: if I hadn't been putting so much pressure myself. Really,
Speaker 2: and it was it did suck because Rick Starn's my
Speaker 2: hero was him and Jamie Oliver are really the reasons
Speaker 2: why I started cooking, watching them on TV and just
Speaker 2: loving what they did on TV. So to cook a
Speaker 2: silly stew for him, a stupid stew, even it was
Speaker 2: a bit embarrassing, but it was still cool to be
Speaker 2: a chat to rec and having in the kitchen, And yeah,
Speaker 2: I think he liked the flavor of it, just not
Speaker 2: the texture that that fish.
Speaker 1: Well, well, that's a good point to make. I mean
Speaker 1: Rick Stein's food, you know, is defined by where he
Speaker 1: travels to, and that was the theme of this cook
Speaker 1: How would you describe the food that you cook? Could
Speaker 1: you be able to summarize it in a way like
Speaker 1: I have done with Rix?
Speaker 2: I don't know. I don't know that Rick would cook
Speaker 2: a hamming part of a broth one week and then
Speaker 2: scullop and apple dis the next. But I think my
Speaker 2: food it is just fun and young, and maybe that
Speaker 2: is a bit of what Rick does. He's a lot
Speaker 2: more travel basederreas I just like to make food interesting
Speaker 2: and fun and maybe slightly different to what's out there
Speaker 2: and what you've seen on every cooking show and in
Speaker 2: every cookbook. So yeah, I kind of describe it as
Speaker 2: fun food that's just really delicious and it's sort of inspiration.
Speaker 2: That great thing about being a cook in Australia is
Speaker 2: you can take inspiration to so many different cultures and
Speaker 2: cuisines and parts of the world because we have such
Speaker 2: an amazing mix of incredible people in this country, and
Speaker 2: so I feel like I lean on that to cook.
Speaker 2: You know, whatever I like that will taste delicious. And
Speaker 2: so I don't know what that genre of food is.
Speaker 2: It's just micro food, but I think it's fun and
Speaker 2: tasty most of the time, except it's a fish stew
Speaker 2: from San Francisco.
Speaker 1: The kitchen is now at its top ten. What advice
Speaker 1: do you have for those that have been left behind?
Speaker 1: I mean, I guess what was your biggest learn and
Speaker 1: did you pass on your biggest lean to the people
Speaker 1: that are remaining in the competition?
Speaker 2: Yeahly the ones I'm close with. You know, I've got
Speaker 2: a group of us that are really tight. I think
Speaker 2: I's just don't overthink it. I overthought it. If I
Speaker 2: didn't ever think that fish cook, I would have cooked
Speaker 2: it perfectly with my eyes closed, like I would if
Speaker 2: it was just cooking it home for dinner. And I
Speaker 2: spent a lot of time with Dan. Actually he's kind
Speaker 2: of ready close mate, and I just said to him,
Speaker 2: cook food that you want to eat, because if you
Speaker 2: want to eat it, you'll cook at the best and
Speaker 2: the judges will probably enjoy eating it too. So hopefully
Speaker 2: he's taking that on board. Actually, I gave him my
Speaker 2: little green notebook with all my recipes and my notes
Speaker 2: and just stuff that I'd built up over the last
Speaker 2: couple of years as a little bit of a help
Speaker 2: for him. Might be my handwriting so bad, it might
Speaker 2: be actually a hindrance, but I gave him that as
Speaker 2: a little bit of an extra, you know, a little
Speaker 2: bit of ammo for him for him in the kitchen.
Speaker 2: So hopefully that helps him out of it as well.
Speaker 1: Would it be fair to say that he's grown the
Speaker 1: most out of all the fans? Oh?
Speaker 2: Absolutely, I mean just hiss for knowledge. I like, you know,
Speaker 2: he's much better than I am, but I was. But
Speaker 2: it reminds me a little bit of what I was
Speaker 2: doing in season three, how much I want to learn
Speaker 2: about food, just get fully engrossed in it. And he's
Speaker 2: just up every night trying different things out and asking
Speaker 2: and that's the best thing. He just asks for help
Speaker 2: and wants to listen. And I guess what he has
Speaker 2: that we didn't have on season thres He has a
Speaker 2: bunch of people who've been through Muster before her, some
Speaker 2: knowledge of food that can help me out when he
Speaker 2: has questions. And for the most part, if I'm really
Speaker 2: happy to give him share that knowledge, and I loved
Speaker 2: when he asked me a questions about food. It was
Speaker 2: sort of a honor for me to share my limited
Speaker 2: knowledge of food with him. So, yeah, he's done well.
Speaker 2: Hopefully he goes nice and deep into this competition because
Speaker 2: I love, just love Dan and his attitude. He's just
Speaker 2: it's just just a happy, happy fellow.
Speaker 1: Well, I guess it's a good time to ask the
Speaker 1: question of who has grown the most out of the favorite.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's a hard thing.
Speaker 2: That's a great question. Yeah, I think Auto has. I
Speaker 2: think Audo is really surprised me. I remember meeting out
Speaker 2: of on season ten when I I for a few
Speaker 2: years off, four or five year years, would come and
Speaker 2: meet all the contestancy in the house they lived in
Speaker 2: and do a bit of mentoring through my role at
Speaker 2: Cold and just talking through some products and how I
Speaker 2: treat them and how to field official, et cetera. And
Speaker 2: I remember Auto then and we had a chat then,
Speaker 2: and he's come on leaps and bounds, and I think
Speaker 2: this time around he's showing his passion for food. He's
Speaker 2: not trying to over master Cheffer. He's just cooking the
Speaker 2: food he would serve at home. And it's funny it's
Speaker 2: almost stepping back and pairing back his food, which I
Speaker 2: think for me shows so much growth and so much
Speaker 2: confidence in that beautiful the food of Napple and the
Speaker 2: food of his homeland, which is so passionate about. So
Speaker 2: I think he's grown a lot. And it's strange to
Speaker 2: think Julie Goodwin has grown a lot as well, seeing
Speaker 2: as she is the og Master Chef winner, the one
Speaker 2: who paid the way for all of us to do it.
Speaker 2: But I think she's accepted that her food is worthy
Speaker 2: and that was really hard for her at the start,
Speaker 2: because you know, you've got these beautiful dishes that are
Speaker 2: played it up with flowers and all this elegant little moves,
Speaker 2: and Julie's just cooking really really hearty, delicious family fair
Speaker 2: and the food that she loves. And I think it
Speaker 2: took her a while to realize that that was food
Speaker 2: that you can win Master Chef with, even though she
Speaker 2: should not because she did it twelve years ago, fourteen
Speaker 2: years ago. But yeah, it's nice to see her just
Speaker 2: own her food as well, because it's such beautiful food.
Speaker 1: I actually think it's fair very hard for someone. I mean,
Speaker 1: this is the longest point from her being in the competition.
Speaker 1: I mean, she went so many years ago, and I
Speaker 1: think that is more of a hindrance. So when I
Speaker 1: heard that was coming back, I was really really stressed
Speaker 1: for her, because you know, maybe she'd be out of
Speaker 1: practice or you know, but totally, there's something very you
Speaker 1: know when you when you want to eat like a
Speaker 1: comfort food at nighttime. I mean there's something very comfort
Speaker 1: food about her entire demeanor. You know, there's something warm,
Speaker 1: and I guess that's probably why Australia is still in
Speaker 1: her audience so intently.
Speaker 2: She's the best Julian and I have become. It's crazy.
Speaker 2: I think you get a certain point in your life, Julian,
Speaker 2: I had to chat out this just just after my elimination,
Speaker 2: and you get to a point in life you think,
Speaker 2: you know, you've probably got your friendship group sort and
Speaker 2: you know you're not going to make other friends. And
Speaker 2: she said she thought it was weird to become friends
Speaker 2: with this good friends with this thirty six ye old
Speaker 2: guy from Melbourne, and I thought it was the same
Speaker 2: for me, you know, to become friends with a mother
Speaker 2: from the central a grandmother from the Central Coast in
Speaker 2: New South Wales. Off the back of a silly show
Speaker 2: that we have and we would go swimming in the
Speaker 2: mornings before filming and just sort of that was our
Speaker 2: way of starting the day off and not thinking about
Speaker 2: the show too much because we both love just cutting
Speaker 2: a few laps in the pool and we sort of
Speaker 2: started a little mass Cheff swim club and it was, Yeah,
Speaker 2: it was really great. Jey was a suport network and
Speaker 2: just to see how much she loves food and her food,
Speaker 2: it's just inspiring. I think it's I love the Australia
Speaker 2: getting a second dose to Julie Goodman because it's such
Speaker 2: a good thing.
Speaker 1: We need it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, you know, like the Julie Goodman passion for
Speaker 2: food and the lovely food she cooks and the heart
Speaker 2: she puts into it is exactly what the world needs
Speaker 2: right now. So I'm glad she's I'm glad she's still there.
Speaker 2: I'm glad she's cooking her food and the way she
Speaker 2: likes it.
Speaker 1: One of the other eliminated contestants also said that she
Speaker 1: has a epic playlist and I thought that was funny
Speaker 1: to picture Julie getting out of the chunes.
Speaker 2: While she was a rockstar. J always got a bas
Speaker 2: guitar in her apartment that she plays after filming. And
Speaker 2: she used to be in a band and she she
Speaker 2: played guitar and now she's teaching herself bass guitar and
Speaker 2: she jams. She jams often with Tommy's son in there, Miles,
Speaker 2: who's living in the apartments as well. And Miles have
Speaker 2: danced along to Julie's music because he likes a bit
Speaker 2: of music. He's only two. And it's just it's wonderful
Speaker 2: because that's what you don't see. The stuff that happens
Speaker 2: in the apartment and off cameras just so beautiful, and yeah,
Speaker 2: we don't see as much of that, and it's just
Speaker 2: so much fun.
Speaker 1: I'd like to see a season of Master Chif where
Speaker 1: we get to see some of those other elements brought
Speaker 1: into it, because I know it's about that.
Speaker 2: It's so much fun.
Speaker 1: But you know, you just hear all these stories from
Speaker 1: all of you, and you know, the audience we wanted,
Speaker 1: we would love to see that. You know, they.
Speaker 2: Should have little cameras in the apartments, although they'd see
Speaker 2: some burient dishes and some smoke out kittens here and there,
Speaker 2: but no, it's just it was a beautiful season she
Speaker 2: because really like ninety five on a house on fire.
Speaker 2: A couple of us always lit the houses on fire.
Speaker 2: But we got on so well. We'd had these awesome
Speaker 2: dinners up on the rooftop and Tommy had his his
Speaker 2: son and his wife there and it was just it
Speaker 2: was just a really lovely family experience. And what I remember,
Speaker 2: just before Christmas and filming on the weekends, Julie, who
Speaker 2: makes arts and crafts and he makes incredible necklaces and earrings,
Speaker 2: she had a craft day where people would make gifts
Speaker 2: for their family for Christmas, and so we all got
Speaker 2: in there and made different like food related ear rings
Speaker 2: or bracelets for our family, and it's just a really
Speaker 2: fun sharing experience. Like Ali and I would go play
Speaker 2: golf at the Driver Range across the road and just
Speaker 2: a really everyone gone on so well. It was lovely.
Speaker 2: It was much different to last time around there. I
Speaker 2: think everyone hated me because I was twenty four and
Speaker 2: just wouldn't stop talking about.
Speaker 1: Foot I guess this is really a fun question to
Speaker 1: ask you who brought the most to the competition from
Speaker 1: behind the scene.
Speaker 2: That's a great question. You know, there's probably a couple.
Speaker 2: Julie definitely brought a lot, She brought a lot of
Speaker 2: love at Auto was the best on the gantry, cheering
Speaker 2: eye on. He was he was the number one to
Speaker 2: brought her on and it sort of flowed into the
Speaker 2: into the green room as well. He would just a
Speaker 2: lot of love and care for everyone came. She had
Speaker 2: such a she has such a fun vibe. She she
Speaker 2: brought the dancing and she she loves to dance on
Speaker 2: the on the break, she go and danced by herself.
Speaker 2: It was a quiet day, or she'd have everyone going.
Speaker 2: And then yeah, Manoli and Dan and a few of
Speaker 2: us were put in our playlists from time to time,
Speaker 2: and yeah, there was a lot of people just bringing
Speaker 2: the fun. But I was sort of the grumpy old
Speaker 2: man of the group. But I got a little bit
Speaker 2: better towards the end and had a couple of players
Speaker 2: that I put on it and got a little bit
Speaker 2: of appreciation, so they yeah, yeah, I sort of like
Speaker 2: they ended up calling me Dad of the group, which
Speaker 2: is really weird. So I have kids and a few
Speaker 2: others do. But yeah, it was very fun.
Speaker 1: Michael, why spoken to everyone apart from one or two,
Speaker 1: I think it has been so far and everyone that's
Speaker 1: been on the podcast has spoken of you so highly,
Speaker 1: so whether you were the grumpy dad of the group,
Speaker 1: you definitely left an amazing impression on these people.
Speaker 2: You know, I love them. They're so great. That makes
Speaker 2: me really happy. Yeah, look I did. I mean I
Speaker 2: was a big grappy at times, but I tried to
Speaker 2: make sure that, you know, I made everyone feel welcome
Speaker 2: and comfortable. And it's hard because especially for the fans,
Speaker 2: like it's such a weird thing to experience, and then
Speaker 2: you've got twelve people you competing against they've done it
Speaker 2: before and have that as an advantage rather than being
Speaker 2: I'm not a very competitive person apart from trying to
Speaker 2: win that trophy, I sort of not overly competitive. So
Speaker 2: I was very happy to try and share all the
Speaker 2: knives that I had a master share with everyone, and
Speaker 2: I'm glad that they've enjoyed it because they are a
Speaker 2: really nice bunch of people. That's the best thing about
Speaker 2: it is. Yeah, most of us will be catching up
Speaker 2: for years to come.
Speaker 1: I like grumpy people because I prefer people to be themselves.
Speaker 1: So if you are truly grumpy, I prefer that over
Speaker 1: people who are pretending to be something that they're not.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I am slightly grumpy sometimes, but just in
Speaker 2: the mornings.
Speaker 1: I think, until you have your coffee, which is fine,
Speaker 1: exactly who do you think is going to win the competition?
Speaker 1: Not what you know now, but like when you've walked
Speaker 1: out of the kitchen after this elimination, who did you
Speaker 1: think was going to take the competition out?
Speaker 2: I think, if everything goes to plan, the best cook
Speaker 2: left in the kitchen is Billy. She's just, for one,
Speaker 2: she's the pressure test queen like nothing, She's got ice
Speaker 2: in her veins, nothing phases her. I mean, she's a
Speaker 2: kind of person you'd want kicking a goal from fifty
Speaker 2: after the siren to win a Grand Final. She just
Speaker 2: doesn't seem to feel like any pressure. And she just
Speaker 2: is just also an incredible cook. Like every time she
Speaker 2: cooks something, I'm like, wish I cooked that in a
Speaker 2: challenge because it it's just the kind of food that
Speaker 2: I love. So I think if all's fair and the best, honestly,
Speaker 2: the best cook left the kitchens Billy, and I don't
Speaker 2: think anyone would argue with that. But that's the thing
Speaker 2: about Master Cheff. It's not often the best cook that wins.
Speaker 2: It's the person that lasts the longest and survives all
Speaker 2: the challenges, and it's that sort of test of endurance.
Speaker 2: So if it comes down to that, then I'd say, yeah,
Speaker 2: Billy dan Aldo, they're the ones that I could see
Speaker 2: going deep and obviously Julie she's done it before, so
Speaker 2: hard to see her not being at that pointy end
Speaker 2: as well. But there's always a surprise in there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's what makes reality TV good. You know,
Speaker 1: you're not supposed to know who they is, and that
Speaker 1: sort of sentiment adds into the way in which these
Speaker 1: shows come together. Something that I ask everyone who joins
Speaker 1: the podcast is what is something from behind the scenes
Speaker 1: that we didn't see that we won't see from your
Speaker 1: time on Mastership Australia. Maybe like a behind the scenes secret.
Speaker 2: Behind the scene secrets. I'm trying to think what I'm
Speaker 2: trying to think of PG one. First of all, no,
Speaker 2: there was, I mean Audo revealed it on his social
Speaker 2: media the other night. We used to have I had
Speaker 2: swimming races up on the rooftop where we both love
Speaker 2: swimming to be for rooftop Pauls. That was one of
Speaker 2: the fun things. We'd have a lot of swimming races
Speaker 2: and I think we had a really nice night where
Speaker 2: production put on some drinks for us when we made
Speaker 2: the top sixteen, and it was sort of a little party,
Speaker 2: just the sixteen of us and we let our hair
Speaker 2: down and it was only a couple of hours and
Speaker 2: going back to my husbands on the weekend, stayed home
Speaker 2: and melow. But we had a really nice time just
Speaker 2: dancing and singing and just enjoying making it to the
Speaker 2: top sixteen together. I think that's the best thing. As
Speaker 2: soon as the clock stopped, the competition did as well,
Speaker 2: and it was just really really nice just people. We
Speaker 2: were a bunch of misfit food nurs. They just love
Speaker 2: food too much.
Speaker 1: Who does the best drunken dn M out of all
Speaker 1: of a great question?
Speaker 2: That one I would give two to Mindy Mindy Mindi
Speaker 2: Woods is she's just the loveliest lady and she's everyone's
Speaker 2: rock and she's there for everyone, and so you know,
Speaker 2: after a couple of a couple of cocktails, she's great
Speaker 2: to have a chat too. I love Mindy's she takes
Speaker 2: a tile of that one.
Speaker 1: Michael, I have loved watching you on the show. I
Speaker 1: think that you know it's only up and up from here.
Speaker 1: Don't let the Chippino or anything ever upset you. There's
Speaker 1: so many people here in Australia that love watching you
Speaker 1: and we will be in your audience for a very
Speaker 1: long time to come.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Ben, You're the man. I appreciate all that,
Speaker 2: and I hope you enjoy the rest of the season.
Speaker 2: I've heard a few little snippets of what's going on,
Speaker 2: and it's going to be a lot of fun, so
Speaker 2: I think everyone's going to really enjoy it. And I'll
Speaker 2: sadly be watching your home, but I'll be yelling at
Speaker 2: that TV screen like I was in the kitchen.