MasterChef 2012-Bull Testicles? Really?

Pic of Day  

One thing we can always count on with Gordon Ramsay, no matter the Ramsay show but especially on MasterChef are long drawn out breaths, scratching of the neck nape, expulsion of all gathered air in the lungs, very pregnant pauses, premature finger-pointing and the best of all, Ramsay's rather silly way of trying to make it look like a contender is going home when he's staying, or visa-versa for that matter.

Ramsay will point to a contender and do all the Ramsay drama, holding breath, expelling breath, scratching head nape. "John, I hate to have to tell you …" long pause "but you will not be …" scratch of the neck nape … "going …." another long pause, breath winds up his face…."home. Get back to your station, you're staying."

This drama and how it's somewhat deceiving, causes the other contender on the line to be heart-broken as the way Ramsay was going with this thing was that the guy he was speaking to was going home.

This is also meant to keep us viewers out here across the fruited plains all nervous and riveted to our TV's. There is almost a commercial inserted in these drama announcements and at times it gets to look a bit silly.

All of these competitive reality shows do this. Ryan Seacrest has a reputation that precedes him with his drawn out announcements that ends with NO announcement save an upcoming commercial break.

But Gordon Ramsay, man he's got it knocked. He does the same sort of thing on Hell's Kitchen so he's well-practiced at it.



As for the MasterChef series itself, well it's going along. I rather like cooking competitive reality shows and Ramsay, along with his mainstay, Fox, always brings out MasterChef AND Hell's Kitchen right as the Next Food Network Star starts to heat up. It's the all-American way, nothing wrong with it. MasterChef contenders are cooks are way more amateur than Food Network Star contenders and I suppose there's the allure.

Except on a recent episode the contenders had to make a dish using mystery box ingredients that included bull testicles, tongue, tripe and the like. Somebody tell Ramsay that us amateur chefs out here in la-la land don't usually make meals using a bull's balls as the main meat, is he nuts?

Other challenges on MasterChef included cooking for a bevy of marines at Camp Pendleton, and a mystery box that had T-bone steak as an ingredient, praise the Lord. Early on, of course, there was a challenge to prepare a perfect risotto and if there's nothing Ramsay is fanatic about it's risotto.

Somebody tell Gordon that us average American type cooks aren't all that nuts about serving risotto either, at least not how Ramsay uses this dish in every one of his shows as if risotto were some sort of all-American hot dog or something.

I'm looking for cute Felix, a female contender, to remain a top placed contender in the 2012 competition. Keep an eye out for Monti, a female who always seems to be in trouble. I don't think Monti will win but I do think she will be a focal point of many episodes.

Soon there will be an even dozen MasterChef contenders left and we'll be watching. Check in this Blog and see what we've got to say.

Below all posts on this Blog on this subject.

Gordon Ramsay's MasterChef Begins on Fox for 2012 Just In Time to Compete With the Next Food Network Star

MasterChef airs on Fox on Monday nights at 9pm

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