It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week, ay Light. Welcome back to TV Reload. My name's Benjamin Norris and on this podcast I go behind the scenes with the biggest players in television. Each episode you will get a front row seat with content makers like executive producers, writers, editors and casting agents, plus the talent that we see on our screens.
TV Reload reloads the shows that you are currently watching and gives you a better insight at our television industry and streaming services today. On the podcast, I have mastershef Australia's latest eliminated contender, its favorite returning contestant, Alvin. This season, we have been lucky enough to welcome back some of the most powerful cooks ever seen on the hit reality show, and Alvin has been in our hearts and minds ever
since we saw him on Series two. Alvin is as cute as a button and has been on an emotional but fulfilling ride this season of Fans Versus Favorites. We have seen him cry, we have seen him overcome his demons, and making it all the way to the finals week has been a joy to watch. We will talk about the highs and lows, his upcoming projects, who he thinks will win, and also which judge he would like to have over for dinner. However, let's get started. I'd like to welcome Alvin to TV reload.
This is going to be a challenge for me. Musta Shaff has produced some of the biggest names in food. For the longest time, I battled whether I was deserving to go back to the kitchen, and.
The first time ever it's fans versus favorites.
I'm literally going through the seven stages of grief.
Just towards the end was palpable, the sort of electric stress vibe that would.
Get quite teary and my voice would start shaking. Right, I'm sorry, Alvin, that's why you're going home. She's another one that cooks with a lot of heart as well.
Hi, Alvin, how are you?
Hey? Ben? Thanks for having me. I'm very well. Thank you well.
How strange was it to have made it this far into the competition? I mean, you've done so well.
Oh, thank you. Like it's it's cliche to say, but it's such a journey. Like I remember when I first started, when they first started filming, what seven months ago, I remember thinking to myself, Okay, I'm just gonna this. My first goal is not to be the first one to be eliminated, and my next goal was to survive there for another week, and then my next goal was not
to be the first favorite to be eliminated. And then it just kind of keep creeping up, and then I'm stort of thinking, oh my gosh, I can see the finishing line here, so that's kind of cool.
Well, I don't know why I think this, but I just sometimes think lovable people like yourself won't make it this far in the competition, and it's amazing to have you stay in the competition and be there the whole way through.
Oh thanks Ben, first of all for calling me lovable, so, you know, like brownie points, well done, But I no, But I also and I totally, I totally agree with you, Like I'm so sick of the whole nice guys finishing life sort of type thing, you know, Like, so I love I love the fact and this is I think one of the nicest things about Master Chef is, like, you know, like good people do shine and I like that. I'm not now it sound like I'm bragging about myself, but you know what I mean, what was.
The process like deciding on returning to the kitchen. I mean it was such a long time. Some people came back straight after their last season, where for you it has been a while.
Yeah, it has, And I think a lot of it is I was sort of badly my own demons in a way, you know, like I didn't think that my cooking was worthy because after my series, you know, like Master Chef have Master Chef has actually gone through leaps and bounds in terms of you know, featuring like the winners and the style of cooking, and it just got more and more and lack of a better term, chefy.
So there's a lot of like fancy cooking out there, and my my cooking style has always been, you know, the rustic sort of home style sort of cook So for the longest time I battled whether I was I was deserving to go back to the kitchen, and several times they asked me, and I actually said no, it's more pride, to be quite honest, like I didn't think I was good enough.
Well, how much have you changed over the last what is it nearly a decade? Is it a decade since you we last saw you and I wanted to change the most for you. Between appearing on the show, Well, I.
Think I've sort of grown up quite quite a bit in terms of you know, like personal growth and even celebrating my cooking. And while there is always that voice that sort of tells me, you know, I think I think we all have that if we don't then wear narcissistic I think, like I think there's that little voice that says, you know, you're not good enough, you know,
that sort of stuff. And what I'm how I'm dealing with that a lot better is basically sort of saying yeah, you know, like I can do this rather than I can't. So there's a lot of that sort of growth inside as well. And cooking wise, I've had a lot more time to sort of, you know, like do a lot more cooking from my mum's heritage and Malaysia and just experimenting with a lot more food, and I guess that sort of helps and it sort of prepared me. I suppose for round two.
Well, you look exactly the same, so we know that there hasn't been too much stress in your life.
Oh, Ben, I love you. I should interview me more often.
You know, I haven't quite recovered from your cooking the what was it called the polywally Waffle.
I mean, oh, don't that that challenge? Ben? Oh my gosh. I remember I was talking to the producer you know, who was producing me at the time, and I said, I'm literally going through the seven stages of grief right here. And it was it was hilarious in hindsight, like she's saying, Okay, what stage are we on now? It's like I'm still stuck on anger and it's it's so it was so traumatic, and I think because A it was the first pressure test of the season and you know, all that self
doubt so that it came creeping back. And then b it was Zoombo as well who sent me home the first the first time, and I'm thinking, ah, for goodness sake, it's like, is this some weird poetic justice thing?
Well so idy for me watching that is still with me. I still feel emotional thinking about it. But the question I really have for you is did your ability to keep it together get better as the competition went on, Because you know, I was thinking, well, I don't know if he's got enough gas in the tank, if he's going to have to do this every week. But then you got better and better with being able to cope with the pressure.
Yeah, and that's it too. And for the record, when I think about that episode, Ben, I get quite emotional as well, Like I would just if I would play some of the moments of that episode in my mind, I would get quite teary and my voice would start shaking, right because it's such a poignant part of the competition.
And yes, I did get better because that was that was it, Like, you know, like that was my button really that they pushed and essentially like I got over that hump and that's when I thought, yeah, I can't keep going through that because it's not good for me and I'm not going to survive. So, you know, like I did get better, and then every challenge just became right, Okay, this is just another one, just cook.
I think that's it's just your currency, my friend. Is you know, people love watching on television because you're real and whilst it's never fun to shed a few tears, I think people can relate, you know, people can relate to the pressure they put on themselves.
Yeah, and I you know, like the bigger picture is I think society needs to be comfortable seeing men shed a tear or get emotional or talk about their feelings that sort of thing, because I think for the longest time, we've been told we can't. We have to be stoic, we have to behave a certain way. And you know, like mind you, I was never like that, so you know, like I think, but I think showing the raw sort of nature of the emotion, it's it's it's the truth,
isn't it. It's like and I think that's where people would look at it. And if you don't connect to that, I'm sorry, Like you just don't have a hut. I mean, come on, it's so real.
You want people to, you know, go through the gamut of emotions, and that's what makes it fun for the people at home. The question I also was going to ask you is who is the surprise of the season in terms of making at this far under the competition?
And I say this with love, and you know, like I think the bigger surprise is Kema. So she's been a bit of a you know, dark horse. She's been flying under the radar, and it's all about how, you know, like how she's improved being and and she's she sort of giggles her way through things and you never quite know what she's talking about, but she actually knows what she's doing, and I like that. I think she cooks.
She's another one that cooks with a lot of heart as well, and she's she's all about the feels, and I think she is the one that is the biggest surprise for me.
Was Tasmania a good choice for this finals week? You know, for the top five? Oh?
Look, I think I think Tasmania is a good choice at any time of the year because I love Tasmania. Like I'm just I'm so upset that I got eliminated in Tasmania, but that's beside the point. I still love you Tasmania. So it's such a perfect backdrop because I think, you know, you just cannot have bad food in Tasmania. The produce there or fresh is so seasonal, you know, like and you know people they really know their craft, you know, the producers are so passionate about what they do.
So I love it. I think it's a perfect spot.
Oysters, you know, a polarizing food for some people, they're not for everyone. Do you think that the food at hand predetermines the chance of someone, you know, some of these contestants going home, like the oysters get revealed, and you think, well, this person or maybe myself, this isn't the ideal food for me.
Yeah, it does. And I think where like, I mean, there has been several times where you know, like that would come up, you know, like a challenge on seafood for instance, if seafood's not your strength, dessert, if dessert's not your strength, you know, like so so you know, But I think it's more about the It's more about the mind of a matter thing, you know, like more than anything. I think Master Chef is a mental game. So if you think you've been you know, like this
is going to beat you, it will beat you. I know that sounds like, you know, a bit kumbaya sounding, but like it's really true. Like you know, like if you think this is going to defeat you, then that you know, like you've lost battle already. I think it's there's something to be said about the can do attitude.
Absolutely. Did you have an inkling I guess at the start of this particular pressure test. Did you look around and think you knew who would go home? Or was it anyone's game? Yeah?
I did actually like when when when they did reveal the oysters, I sort of thought, like, I love eating oysters, so get me wrong, like I love it, like it, except you know, like I've probably shocked oysters twice in my life, and I sort of thought, with oysters, you know, we've been we've been. I guess we've been taught from
a very young age like oysters shouldn't be adulterated. You should just you know, squeeze a lemon and that's it, right, So you know, like that's one problem, and then the other problem is we have to shock our own oysis and you think, oh no, And that's when I sort of think, Okay, this is going to be a challenge for me. So when I looked around, I thought and came miles worse because came I didn't like oysters. She doesn't even like to eat it. So good on her
for actually surviving that. Yeah, I thought she was a goner. I didn't pick as the person going home then, I know, I know, but the look on the judges faces seem to be very telling for audiences as to where this was going to go.
I wanted to know, you know, can you see the reactions of you know the judges' faces as you walk away. Can you see them as they're eating the food?
Sometimes they are quite sometimes they're quite coy about it, so they don't reveal so much. You knows, as they taste our food, you know, when they visit our bench and whatever, they taste our food, you sort of think, okay, you're not giving some things away, so you don't know
whether they like it or not. But when you're taking it to them to be tasted, if it's a good dish, then it's it's bloody obvious, you know, like you know, yeah, you you really really like this, And likewise, if it's a bad dish, then you know it's bad as well. But it's those private tasting kind of like what happened last night, So you serve them food, but you don't get to see them eat the food, so that and you only get to see it when you watch the show again, and that's when you can tell.
Did you ever think that you would be back here on Master Chef and your wildest dreams to be with more outrageous pairs of sunglasses, more classes than ever before.
No, would be the short answer, because after my season in season two, I thought all right, I'm done. You know, like that is ridiculous. I remember my exit interview. I was so appalled by the challenges that they gave us. One of the questions was, you know, like, so what do you think they're going to how do you think they're going to make it more difficult in season three? And I'm like, oh, I don't know. They probably get them to cook them underwater or something. So that was
that outrageous. Like I sort of thought like, there's no way, and then as I kept watching every season go past me, Wow, this is like it's ridiculous. I could not have done that. I can't have done that, but I'm not like having done it, Like I sort of think, wow, now looking back at the episodes and what I've cooked, I'm still at shocks. Well I made that, So it's it's very interesting.
So you obviously didn't say to the producers to lose your phone number.
See here's my number, call me anytime. So so yes, I would. I would love to sort of go back, probably not as a as a competitor. Again, I think it's still a bit raw. I love to sort of go back and visit and taunt the new contestants.
You have to set the pressure test. You need to go back and it's your.
Term, yes, yes, or I get to judge them. Oh my gosh, I would love to judge.
Well, I think that, you know, I don't know how hard it is to make it. That definitely looked complicated to me. But I think if you came back to the kitchen and set a pressure test, the drunken Chicken two point zero might be a good one to see if people could recreate it as well as it looked.
Oh that that? I know? How's that?
Hey?
Like that was? That was another emotional episode that was horrible. I mean it's good and bad. Do you know what I mean?
Well, over the weeks of filming this series, you know, if you had, well, you had so much time being able to spend time with these judges. But if you can only pick one to come around to your place for dinner, now that the series is over, who would you pick to come around to your place for dinner?
Oh? Hands down, melissaly On.
Everyone is going to say that for some reason. I know, without ever meeting her, and I did keep an eye out at the logis, but without meeting her, I just feel like she is very authentic and she just comes across like she's your best friend. I don't know how she is.
And I think, and that's it, Like she's so authentic that she connects with everyone in so many different levels. So imagine having her over for dinner, mind you, like she she would Yeah, she would critique.
Not just the food, Alva, what's going on with this picture on the wall.
That's right, let's unpack this a little bit, Alvin, So like what it's say? Oh yes, I'll love it.
Well with two master chefs in the tank, you know, what are you going to? What have you got planned? You know? What are you going to do after being through this experience all over again?
So there's a couple of things said. One might possibly excite you, Ben. I'm actually thinking of working on my own eyeway line, so so watch this space. I'm currently sort of in talks with a local sort of producer to see if I can get my name on some Specs, which would be nice.
That's my favorite thing about you. What people don't know is that when we turned up here, we could you know, I could see Alvin and I could see the signature pair of glasses of Specs, and they didn't disappoint they're quite amazing, and I think that there's plenty of people out there that would love to be wearing your specs. My friend, Oh it's so cool.
I have like fans basically writing to me and said, oh, my daughter's going to school and as dress up theme and today she's dressing up as Alvin Spex. And there was a photo of this cute girl with like this big round white glasses. Just adorable, adorable. But my second, my second project, Ben is I think it's time I write a cookbook. I've been putting it off for so long, and I think there's so many stories from my heritage and my culture and my mum's kitchen that deserves to be told.
Well, I'm in your audience. I'll buy the glasses and the cookbook, and I'll send you a photo on Instagram.
And you know what you know? Bet never mind, Melissa Lyon, come over, I'll cook for you.
I'm so excited about that drunken chicken. Dooboy. Let me tell you what an honor would it be to have you make it. At this point of the competition with only four people left, you know, who do you think is going to take this out?
Look, my money is on Billy. She is so calm under pressure. She's really good at you know, like her artillery. When it comes to cooking, it's just it's just kind of like a jack of all traits and the master of everything. I think, So my money is on her.
Well, maybe we should organize this as a dinner. We'll get Melissa involved, We'll get Billy there. You can cook and chicken.
I think Billy can do the rest. You bring them one. No, it's okay. We love anyone who brings mine. Ben.
Well, my last question that I want to ask you something from behind the scenes. You know, what is something that audiences didn't get a chance to see that they loved to see, you know, maybe a little secret from behind the scenes of the makings of master chef.
Oh, here's a little secret. So we we love to put on music and just do bad singing and bad dancing. So you know, like, let's just say, we're better cooks than we are singers or dancers. So usually to release the tension or more I guess, a release of like energy at the end of a cooking a hard cooking week, we just play on some dodgy I don't know Petula Clark from Downtown or something, and we just sort of dance and sing and yeah, do it really badly?
Who is the worst? Who is the worst dancer and singer? From Master Chef fans versus favorites? Oh I want to know?
Oh do you want to know? Can I name and shame?
Yes? Of course. Then I can listen to this podcast unless we send it to them.
Ah, I have no Actually, I would say all the boys, all the boys can't sing or dance. I put myself in that category.
Okay, I'll hashtag them all into that. You know, Ben, I've had such a great time being able to chat with you. I've actually loved you on the show. And when I heard who was coming back, I was like, what an icon? And I think you haven't disappointed and your fans have been there with you right the whole way through. So congratulations.
Well, thank you, Ben. It's lovely chatting to you, and thank thanks for having me. It's been really cool.
It's been so strange. I've got to chat to everyone. I think I've missed one because I had COVID, and apart from that, I think I have interviewed everyone, and it's it's been a really good season, like a bunch of really nice people.
Yeah, I have to say the same, like they're all they're all special people, aren't there special human beings? Lovely?
Okay, Well, thank you for being here on the podcast. I'll send you that Instagram photo of me with the glasses of the cookbook.
Thanks Ben, have a good day.