It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload, the podcast last week. They Welcome back to TV Reload. As you may know, my name is Benjamin Norris and this is your podcast to get all the inside goss on the popular TV shows you may be watching from around the world. Undeniably, our TV sets are a major part of our home entertainment, and yet very little is known about how our favorite shows get made.
So each episode I've been finding guests, but want to dive just that little bit deeper into the shows they're currently making so that you can hear all their exclusive stories and gain access to the biggest names in Australian television. I want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to this TV Reload podcast however you found it. I love hearing your feedback, so make sure you leave a review or a comment on your chosen podcast platform. This episode
of the podcast, I'm joined by Kath and Theo. This week's eliminated cooks from mastershef Australia, who fairly stated were two of the most popular personalities this year. Caath Collins is a fifty four year old administration manager from Victoria who was ready to start her dreams and take on the culinary world by storm. She is a self taught cook with the love of all types of food. With over one hundred cookbooks, Kath proved to us this season
that she has a passion for cooking. My other guest, Theo Lazoo, is a thirty seven year old electrician from Victoria. His parents came to Australia with nothing, with his mom from Greece and his dad from Cyprus. Theo has a deep affinity for the food and culture of his ancestral history and grew up learning from both his parents and his grandparents in the kitchen. Both of these contestants today
are just awesome. And while you might have looked and seen that this is a long episode, I guarantee you you are going to love the way that these two share their story. I will find out how Cath coped with the loss of Jock, and I will hear about the pact that the cast made to get through this season on television. Theo will talk about his upbringing and how some tough love shaped him into being the man
that he is today. You will hear how the relationships form behind the scenes from both Kaf and thea SO and we'll find out if Master Chef has changed their lives forever. Plus we will also get plenty of exclusives from behind the scenes of MasterChef Australia, which is currently on Network ten and you can now catch up on ten Play if you've fallen just that little bit behind. Anyway, let's bring Kath into the podcast first, and guys, I really hope you enjoy this heartwarming episode of TV reload.
Hi Cath, how are you?
I'm good? Thanks, Ben.
I think you are what TV producers call perfect casting.
Oh really, okay, that's kind thank you.
I think because you know, reality TV has always worked best when we as an audience can see ourselves on television, and when we watch you on television, there's something very magical that happens. I mean, I feel like Australia has related to you in a really powerful way.
Oh look, I remember being back in the some of the auditions and cooking and our just remember the home and saying to my husband that was the most fun I have had personally for a very long time. And I remember in you know, one of my first audition cooks, I was running around crazy and remember saying to one of the producers, I am crazy, and he said, Kath, we love crazy, so look I and look for me. No filter once that time was gone, once they see your time starts. Now it was like an aud of
body experience. I just went with whatever it was going to happen. I had no control.
But that's I think what we like is. You know sometimes when you see people go on television, and producers will even say this to contestants, like, if you've got an idea of how you want to control the way that people see you, audiences will work that out. It seemed very real to me that you were just being yourself working out how to do the best job in a kitchen.
Well. Absolutely, and the producers never said anything there was they said one thing. And I remember actually one of the early episodes where I had some really great feedback and actually put my hand on my mouth to stop saying wow, because of course I had, you know, seen you know, I had said wow, which I hadn't realized
actually that I had said it so often. So with some of the other contestants we had a bit of a joke about it, so I thought, oh goodness, so I actually, you know, I did stop myself and they said to me, did someone say something to you CAF afterwards? And they said, do not worry about what you say. You just be you and that was it. So I never worried, you know, from that point on, and so whatever came just came.
Yeah, it's so funny. I remember doing radio and they were like, you can't say certain words, and I can't remember what it was. It was something that I didn't even know that I said, but it was like my go to word of like a pivot, like almost like saying I would say this word.
Okay.
Now I've got to the point where I don't even remember what that word was and it's completely gone. So I've been cured. Maybe you could be cured of the.
Wow, there you go, thank you.
I also thought that, you know, I don't know whether you'd heard any of my interviews, but I've been chatting with a lot of people. I can't remember who it was, but I asked someone, do you think Cauf's accent has gotten stronger as the series has gone on? Did you notice while watching it back how strong the Australian accent was and what was your relationship with hearing yourself back on TV.
Oh, it did surprise me. Actually, I really thought initially when I heard myself, I was totally surprised and I thought I sounded like a really aussy bogan. No, and I didn't see myself as that, and I thought, oh my goodness, kat Look. But I did get used to hearing myself and I didn't hear that so much. But I did receive a fair few messages on Instagram asking where my accent was from. So I just said I'm
from Melbourne. So and someone from the States. They said that they were having problems understanding Rhiannon and.
I, wow, I did not. Maybe because I'm from Melbourne, I speak Melbourne. You go.
It is Ipeak Melbourne is Master Chef Australia.
The only reality TV show that you've ever really entertained the idea of doing.
Absolutely, that's it. It's the only show. It's always been well, a magical show for me and for my daughters, for our family. It always been a positive show. So there was Yeah, there was never any doubt that this would be the only one.
I did love the fact that you were attributing a lot of your time in the kitchen to your girls. I thought that was really sweet while watching the show back. Were you always watching it with them? And was their tears watching the showback that their mum was so proud of them and attributing so much of her hard work to them.
Oh?
Absolutely so. I have one of my youngest is actually overseays at the moment, so we watched just a little bit of it together. But my eldest daughter, you know, every night and my husband, we've been watching it and you know, especially last night, you know, Alexander's twenty three, but she was snuggling up to me like a little girl watching it and how we're used to when she was younger, and you know, we were very teary and
emotional about it. And I'm even emotional now because just saying that, Yeah, last night was all about them.
So yeah, I felt emotional. Calf. I felt like I wanted a hug from you.
Yeah.
I think that's a large part of you know, the magic of you. This season has just been you know, watching you on Masterschef Australia. This series feels like a warm hug from our own mums, do you know what I mean?
I think there's something very.
Magical about the ability to put your heart and soul and your true emotion into this that makes us just want to give you a hug.
Ah, thank you, thank you.
Yeah, this season we've seen more everyday Australians take on the competition. You know, we've had some All Star seasons, we've seen some people who have taken their Master Chef journey and extended it, but this really stripped it back to being able to see people who probably were more aspirational getting into the kitchen. What about you, what are
your thoughts on what works for the Master Chef. Do you like to see people who are more experienced in the kitchen or do you like to see the everyday Australians take it on.
I think this season's been really lovely and stripping it back to that, So for me, I think that's been part of the magic of this season. So yeah, I love that side of it.
I think I like it as well, like it's different, Like I loved seeing Sashi and some of the big Julie goodwhen. I'd love seeing some of those names come back into the kitchen and find out exactly what they've done with the Master Chef experience. But then this series just feels like people who want to give this a go and see where the cooking experience might take them.
Yeah. Absolutely, so I did find it and I did love, you know, watching last season with Julie goodwhen and it is exciting. As someone who's always loved Master Chef, I did love that. So I think it's a really good mix. Actually, so this season though, you know, I'm lucky because I'm part of that.
Absolutely. Do you know we need to ask the producers if we can do like a like a Julie Goodwin Award of the Year, because I feel like you've got that one in the bag, and then we should look for the Julie Goodwin of the Year every year.
That would be gorgeous actually, and I loved Julie coming in the kitchen. I reached out to Julie when the episode was coming up. Julie reached out to me. It's been really lovely actually.
So sorry to jump in. I'm like, what is.
Oh well, even last night, you know, a couple of messages Julie just said okay, just you know, feeling so emotional and teary for you, and then coming back again and saying how beautiful was it with your girls? You know? And it is true when you when they say you're part of the Master Chef family. I really feel that because I've had lots of messages from previous contestants. You know. I was up in Darwin a couple of weeks ago
visiting Robbie. We went to Monoli's restaurant. We met up with Dan from who was semi finalists last year, and it's just there's something about it. I'm just feeling really lucky.
You do sort of fit into like an instant family of these people, and like, even if they're not from your series, there's like an unspoken bond that seems to happen. I don't know, and if you're not a part of it, people looking in don't really understand it. Like even my partner would be like, why would you go and hang out with someone from a different series that you know wasn't a part of us. Isn't that a little weird?
And I'm like, no, it's like we're dolphins that speak in a language, you know what I mean.
Yeah, it is exactly that, exactly. So it's yeah, like I say, I've had messages from different people from you know, different seasons, so that's been a pleasant surprise actually, and it's if you ever need anything, even need any help, just reach out. So that's lovely.
Well, I guess if you're sort of like the people's princess, I guess in this series, I feel like Declan's kind of like very well celebrated from the boys side of things. Was you know he was the first person in the finals week? Did you think he was the most deserving of that spot or is that hard to even put that together?
Oh, look, it's easy for me to say, yes, he's deserving at that spot. So Declan has had an amazing journey from right from the start. You know, just how beautiful he is, how emotionally intelligent he is, how caring he is. Just you know, we had our rooms beside each other, is Ray and I and it was Declan and Robbie. So we would go in out of each other's rooms, have cups of tea, share food, and you know, here we are the three oldies and Declin. That was
our little group. You know, we always fought over Declan. You know, who's our adopted son. And you know I'd always be putting my hand up saying it's me. I'm his mommy, his mum. I haven't got any boys, so you know.
He always wanted.
Yes, he is.
You know, he rang me yesterday. He's respect to his mum. When I think, you know, it's two o'clock and I think, oh, I wonder how Declan is, and I'll just think, I know he's at work, I'll ring his mum. So we have a beautiful relationship with everyone's families.
Oh my gosh, that's so sweet. Well, last night we got to see you cooking with some very polarizing ingredients. I love anchovies that I know a lot of people don't. I don't particularly like dijon mustard, so that's I feel like there's always a bit of a polarizing mustard. How did you go with those ingredients? I mean, do you think it would have been different had you had anchovies? I mean, what was happening in your mind when you're playing it all back?
Oh goodness, Yeah, I was really taken aback that it was dujon mustard because I had cooked with diujon mustard early in the competition. I was just a bit taken aback, and I think I was a bit shaken by that actually, because I was just a bit shocked. So whilst I was really happy with my dish, and I was really pleased that I did fish, and yeah, I was really pleased with that. But of course I was feeling confident going to the second round because I was quite happy
with my first dish. So my second dish, you know, like it just whilst I had quite a clear vision at the start, I had never completely, you know, made this dish before, so it was, you know, a concept dessert that I had in my mind, and I chose to do it then, and it was in the moment, and you know, I think, you know, in hindsight it was the wrong decision.
Well, I guess that was what I was thinking. When you were talking about it. You were like, oh, I want to make you know, a dish that's a dessert with Australian native ingredients and I was like, yep, great that that is. Talking to the judges and what they were and I was like, this is great. And then you were like, I've never made wattle seed short bread shortbread before with chocolate parfa and I was like why, I mean, is that a part of the show that you want to try and take a big risk to
win a bit of a mile? I mean, why would you might not have cooked something that you knew very well.
And that's the thing with Master Chef, Well, the thing with my journey on Master Chef is because you just put on the spot. And honestly, that is just what my brain said to me. And that was just when going into going into the pantry. That was just was happening in my mind as I was going in there. So again I just say that once they say your time starts, now, I felt like I had no control over what I was what I was or do we so.
That a body experience?
Yes?
Absolutely, you know, I really enjoyed watching your food being made. I really enjoyed Roundo's food as well. With her food being made, it will always looked really delicious. Did you both get to try each other's food with those cooks, because that's what I wanted to know, whether or not you while you're on the show, Can you sample other people's food while they're making it?
No, you don't actually do that. So sometimes we try and sneak in a little bit if you're cooking beside each other, but generally no, you don't. Well, you just shared what the experience afterwards? What did you do? What did you do? You know, so we always, you know, every night we'd have our cup of tea, you put our feet up, and.
Then you can swap the notes. I just kept thinking with it when as soon as she started putting the anchovies into the chicken and then started making it, and I was like, crispy chicken anchovies. This sounds amazing.
Ray was really happy afterwards, And again it was a thing like an added body experience for Ray. When we came out and you know, she told me what she'd cooked, I said, oh my god, that sounds amazing. Yeah. I don't know what came over me, you know, so it Yeah, we loved all those experiences.
Can you at the stage of the competition, now that you've come out, can you talk about some of the fans online that are demanding for you and rhann and to have your own cooking show. I don't know how much you've read online, but people are like, if those two ladies have a cooking show, I will watch it. So I don't know. Have people reached out to you at this stage to ask if you do it?
Look it was another girlfriend actually sent me the link of the article talking about fans wanting Rey and I to do a cooking show, and I had a bit of a chuckle to myself, and I sent the link up to Rhiannon and just with some really laughing emoji, said I imagine this, and we both, you know, we had a chat about it, and I said to her, I had a dream actually that we did some episodes in my kitchen. Then I came up and I did
some episodes in your kitchen in Queensland. Imagine that. And I said, imagine some people, you know, both of us, with our excell I understand this.
They would, they would. I was reading all the comments, like I said, I was reading stuff this morning about it, and it just was you know, I started thinking. I started visualizing this show. I mean, it could be something as simple as having that little window into the kitchens that you both both your women are cooking in. Or it could be a bigger show, like I think that you know, you could go around and you could take that show on tour.
Look, I mean I would do imagine, you know, traveling around doing it and meeting people, you know, communities, and that would be that would be a lot of fun. We would just love that.
Okay, well, you've got a fan here, so I'll be better watch it. Yeah, we need any petitions being signed, then.
We'll get on it.
Thank you.
You know, I feel like we can finally see a winner. Am I wrong by saying this? Is obviously my personal opinion? But is THEO looking more likely to be the person that's going to win at this point of the competition? And I guess my question too is how does it feel in the kitchen at this point? Who is someone that's sort of coming out of the top and looking like they might win?
Goodness, so you think there's only four of them, so you know, Brent's back to win. You know, he's right from the start, he said that, So he's really focused. He has a very clear, you know, cooking identity. Really so I think that, you know, he's done very very well for you. Oh look the bread man, he's just an absolute delight. So he really wants to change his life. Is an electrician and he doesn't want to be an electrician,
wants to be a bread boy. So Declan is just you know, I mean, I've got Ree, my best buddy, Declan, my adopted son. You know, I'm putting my money on Rie and Declin to be there.
Oh wow, Okay, Well.
I think that's because of love, you know, but it's hard.
Because it does cloud your judgment. I think when you're in an experience like that, you know audiences might be judging it on food, but for you, you've had like this emotional connection with these people.
But also it is on any given day, So you look at me last night made it just a really just a poor decision and yeah that just you know, so you just don't know it is on the day too. Any of them can win it. It's Joss, who is it going to be on the day.
Yeah, that's really quite interesting because it's a competition where we see big cooks go home just by one small mistake, and when you've got four people now left in the competition, there's very little in it. Like it could easily re root itself. Is that a word? Reroute itself? Anyway? It could go anywhere, It could go anyway, but anyway, I'm pleased to know who you think might be there in
the final two, which is interesting. I guess the best thing to ask you at this point is has this show changed your life?
Oh? Changed my life? I'm not sure that it's changed my life, but it's just given me just so much joy and that, you know, the joy that I've shared with my family and friends, reconnected with people, you know, reconnected with people. I've really looked after myself. And I think that that you know, emotionally, you know, nearly fifty five, you know, menopausal woman, you know that, you know, which is pretty hard being this age when you go through you know, where where do I go to now? From
having older children and different phase of my life? So I think that's been awesome. Is that really it's allowed me to explore so I can now you know, still have a new career at this age. So that's what I'm looking forward to, and that's really exciting.
We often do that in our lives, like we chapter our lives and we're like, you know, what would be next? And I think to be fifty four, turning fifty five and having this master and doing so well, like do you know what I mean? Like you didn't just get on the show, you did so well and then have so many people obsessed with you, Like that's a great thing to feel at fifty nearly fifty five.
Absolutely, just so it is, you know, it is just joyful and the man of messages that I've received, you know obviously about my cooking, about you know, how I looked after myself and my self talk, which I didn't realize I spoke to myself so much, so that was a surprise to me looking at it very I love it.
No, I love her self talk. Well, my two best friends. I've got these two best girlfriends that I've been friends with for decades and they both do the same thing. And it's funny. We were only just talking about it the other day. I think it's actually a really good way of processing things. It's allowing you to think about what's going on and sort of have that narrative going there. And it's cute that you don't know that you're saying it, you know.
Yeah, it was just I remember rhann And saying to me after a cook case she was talking to job actually and she just said to oh my god, everyone has to cook beside Kath at least once. She said oh, she said that. I thought Kath was talking to me, so I'd actually said how you're going, Swedie and she said good, But I was actually talking to myself, which
I didn't realize. I say, and she said, oh you're going wow, And I said, oh, right, so I just said, you know, he could, and do you know what, I actually didn't realize that the which is a bit crazy naive, that the judges could hear what we were saying. I knew that we had a microphone on, but I just thought it was like producer sort of stuff. And Joe said to me, oh, cas, I can hear everything. You narrate everything. You ask yourself questions and you answer them.
And I said, what can you hear me? He said, yes, Kat, we can hear everything. So that was quite a funny moment.
You're being recorded for television. They aren't going to miss anything. My partner doesn't like it though, Like so I obviously lived with my two best friends for years, so I just got used to that that they the narrating their own story. But my partner's always like, we'll go away for a weekend, and he gets really frustrated because he tries to talk to them and they're not in a state where they want it. They're not trying to engage,
do you know what I mean? And then they just ignore him and he's like, what is that weird thing that they do where they're unstacking the dishwasher and they're talking to themselves anyway, not a sign of madness.
Apparently, it's you're really resilient. Resilient people talk to themselves.
So there you're going, well, that's a beautiful thing to know. This Has the series been an emotional sendoff for Jock? I mean, this was an unseen thing that has really come out of you know, came out of nobhe It really shocked Australia in lots of ways, but no more so than the people that would have been on the show. Has this been an emotional send off for Jock? And how will you remember him?
It certainly has. I think just in the lead up to the first episode, you know, it was just devastating news and we wondered, you know, how we would be going watching the show, and I think one of the you know, we've got a group, Chad and one of the girls. Actually, you know, we all agreed that we need to let ourselves celebrate the season and give ourselves permission to celebrate the season and what it was and
to celebrate jobs. So I really say it, you know that it's yeah, it's just in honor of job, that's all I can say. Yeah, we're very lucky to cross paths amazing.
Yeah, I think thank you for being able to talk about it. It's funny. I feel like I should say this to the people listening to the podcast, that I haven't chosen to speak about him until talking to you.
And I know this might sound a little bit strange, but I guess it's that relationship that we have had watching the show with you, Like you know, when something goes wrong, you want to ask your mum, and so I feel like, for me, I wanted to talk about that with you because I felt like, you know, like a lot of people in Australia, we want to talk about it in a way, but we don't know who to talk about it with. And I did really choose
you to be able to have that conversation. So I appreciate you being able to share how that has gone for you.
I really do thank you.
Thanks. So, what do you think you're going to do next? Have you thought about it? I might do a cooking show, but like, what do you think is going to happen for you next? Do you have any ideas?
It's a little bit surreal. What is life after Master Chef? So look, I've started on a book, so it's Cat's Kitchen from How to Wow. So it's just a collection of recipes that I've really shared with my daughters over the years. So that's something that I've whilst it's being aired that it was, yes, so something to focus on, I suppose. So I'd love to do. I mean, a cooking show would be awesome. I'd love to really you know, do some cooking classes with young people, with young kids,
with young people with challenges. You know. I'd love to give back, you know. Jock always said that that's really important. I'd love to be working with young people. I love high tea, so that was always one of my dreams. So to maybe team up with a venue or do some pop ups and maybe just to do some intimate events with people, you know, whether it's in people's homes and just do a nice dinner party, girls, lunches, just just share the joy of you know, of cooking really well.
I think you need to get that book up before Christmas because that would be on the Christmas bestseller list. I think like that that's going to go off. We want a little cardboard cut out of you in like bigw and bookstores next to good next to Jully.
Goodness, of course, yeah, of course.
Well before you go. Something that I ask everybody is what is something from behind the scenes, something that we might not see, but something that happens, you know, while making Master Chef. What's something that people wouldn't know but would love to know.
Oh, I would say that in preparation for Master Chef, I bought a whole new wardrobe. So I would go off and I'd buy a nice shirt and I'd say to Brad, this is a gantry shirt. And I'd come back again and you'd say, oh, okay, another Master Chef outfit. And then of course we started filming, we were advised that we actually have to wear just block colors, so because they strove if you have anything patterned at strives
with the camera. So all of my outfit that I had bought previously beautiful patterned shirts, et cetera, I couldn't wear. So had to then go and buy a whole new wardrobe. And then I thought, look, originally I bought black T shirts and they said, now if you're one, you have to wear block colors, but don't just go and buy all black. So okay, So I've gone from all the patents to the black and then I just went the colors. So there you go.
How many outfits did you manage to get by the time You've got you know, your original outfits, your black outfits, and now your block outfits. I mean that's a lot of clothing.
I've done very well, Yes, very well.
Tell them to people online. People will buy. I want to get close to you. Yeah, Look, thank you so much for taking the time and being so generous and talking with me today. I've absolutely loved watching you. I feel like this season will always be remembered with you, and I can't wait to follow your journey.
Thanks so much.
Being Kath was really sweet and I did kind of expect that, but she did have me in tears at times, and it was really heartwarming to hear about what her Master Chef journey meant to her. But now we have THEO coming in and he's ready to share his story and Guys, I think you're going to love him even more after hearing about his heartbreaking and his time on the twenty twenty three series. Guys, I want to welcome
theater the podcast. You were a contestant right from the start that my friends had earmarked as the winner, and like it's just so surprising that you came out of the kitchen. I'm totally shocked to be talking to you today.
Yeah, it's hard hearing that because so many people along the way have been saying, you know, you're going to win, We've got you, You're going to win, for sure, and it's so hard. And it's just one thing that sort of came unstuck and then that that was it. And that's the way. That's what this is all about, this competition, isn't it. It's you could be the better cook, but one day you just have a bad cook and that's it. You go home.
I call it the good old Master Chef bait and switch. They allow us to think one thing and then change the narrative. What was going through your mind? This is all I want to know from watching the episode. What was going through your mind as you were eliminated. I wanted to know. Were you pissed? I'd be pissed.
Yeah, I was. I was really mad at myself, and I was really I was mad because it's so funny like and a lot of the people give me a shit about this, but I was mad that I was mad at myself. So like I've been the last like, well, I don't know, like ten years trying to be better at not being mad at myself and getting it. I GA September and I like fly off the handle at myself most of the time. And my girlfriends really helped
me change that about me. And I said to her before going on that I don't want to do that, and she's like, well, just think about me. And I lost it in that moment, and I was mad at myself for doing that, and also being out of the competition, Like I was devastated because I was thinking in the beginning, I was like, well, whatever happens happens. But then when you get further and further along and it's like top five, and I'm like I can win this thing now, like
I actually can, And then that sent me home. I was like, yeah, I was really upset.
It kind of made me like you endeared yourself more to me as in the audience, Like I think if you were to have a look on your face of anger, then you know, it looked like you were I don't know, I thought you were too good or anything that didn't really come across. What came across was that emotion you looked frustrated with yourself, and it only made I think Australian audiences like you more because you, you know, just being yourself and of course disappointing to be coming out
of the competition at this point. If you'd said, oh, thank you for the experience, it's all been fine, and you just skipped off into the distance, I think that would have been really good.
Yeah. Yeah, And that's what I am real like, it's just whatever I'm feeling. I'm not acting in any so. You know, this is great and it was great, but geez, I'm shattered, like one hundred percent. I'm really shattered that I didn't take it out. And that's the truth.
You know what. I remember speaking to Ricky Lee Coolt after she was eliminated from a Alien I all these years ago. She came out eighth and the amount of people that came up to her and still believe she won her series. I kind of feel like you are the Ricky Lee of this series. I feel like in instacrame, people will only remember that you won because that's the way that it seemed like it was going to great.
I love it and I'm going to learn to launch my singing career as well, I think footsteps.
Yeah, yeah, that's funny. It's funny the way the perception of the trail audience changed at the time. How was the experience for you? Did you find anything particularly hard.
It was hard being away fro from my partner who had only been in Australia for like six months, and then I left her, you know, sort of all alone, which I found really hard. I felt guilty about that. I still feel guilty about it, even though she says it was fine and whatever. That was really difficult. But as far as the competition itself, there was really stressful moments, like you know, like you saw, and really stressful times
for a small block of time. But I really enjoyed it, like I loved it, and I love making friends with everyone. And it was a time to just immerse yourself in cooking, which is not it's pretty rare, and without having the pressure of a business or something like that. If you were you know, open akery, which I'm going to do and that, or a restaurant, you've got that pressure of making money and you know, covers every night and all that.
But in this it was just like be created and have fun with that, and that was amazing.
To me, Yeah, there's so many outside voices that I think factor in that. I don't think when you're watching the show you can understand a voice. Though that we do here a lot is the screaming by the judges. You know. For me, I've got like ADHD, so like if someone makes a noise there, I like got to chase it. And I just was wondering how much of that screaming by the judges really affects you in the kitchen.
You mean, when they're like saying like minutes ago and tell me to go on, I feel like.
They're always screaming.
They're like, oh guys, I'd be like, I reckon, I had tunnle vision or something like. I didn't hear it. The only time I heard it was when they came up to my bench and they're like right there, what are you doing? And I'm like, try to give it fast answers so they can go away so I can
continue cooking. Like I just really wanted to focus on what I was doing, so that that was really hard when they came up to me and were like, tell us about your dish, and especially if you don't have a clear picture of what your dish is yet and they're like, that doesn't sound that doesn't sound like a good complete dish or whatever. I'm like, oh no. So that's when you sort of feel the pressure from them, so that when they're yelling just whatever, you've.
Got an ability to maybe switch it off a little bit. Roight. I'd just be like, I think I'm a people pleaser, So I'm so often hanging onto everything that people are saying so to give them what they need. And I think you need to sort of have a particular mindset that you can.
I'm definitely not a people pleaser.
Well that's great, and let me tell you the amount of time of my life that I've wasted being a people pleaser. I wish that I wasn't that.
If you don't like me, you don't like me. That's it.
That's a really good segue into you know, the relationships that you build. I mean, you're there to cook, but you know, a large part of this experience you make these lifelong friendships. Who were your friends that you made this year?
Yeah, really important. But an amazing step in this whole process is that is making friends with with people. And I became really close with Phil, who was my roommate for most of the time until he was eliminated. Jacquelin as well was my roommate after that. Bonded well with him, and then Grace and Amy really great great friends with them, and Brent, and then also Re and Cath because we spent so much time together as well. But and Antonio, I could go on to be honest, like pretty much
everyone was friends. But the closest I am is with Phil, Grace, Amy, and Brent. I think it's because they live in well, Brent doesn't live here, but they live in Victoria, so it's easier for us to catch up, so it's a bit harder. You know. Antonio is a great, great guy, but you know who lives in Sydney and Declan as well, so I think, yeah, it's more than catching up with
people is easier. So it's nice. But it's so good to have those friendships out of I don't know where, you know, And when you get older, as you know, you don't make friends as quickly as what you do when you're young. When you're younger, you just throw a ball at someone and you're like, you're my best friend. And now it's harder to make friends, you know, so, yeah, it's good.
Well, I guess it's adults. We don't really get the opportunity to be put into school like environment. As we get older, we get more insular in the groups that we've formed. But having an opportunity to find like minded people who all enjoy cooking, obviously is an unusual experience for most people. I think more adults should be doing extracurricular activities that involve them being in group settings because it is the foundation to make solid friendships.
Yeah, and it felt like school in a way, like a school camp almost, you know, like it felt like we were on a school camp the whole time. And yeah, I think it's really important for people to follow their passions. And even if it's one day a week getting together with a group of people doing something like why not,
more people should do it. And everything that's going on mental health and everything that people are struggling with these days, I think it would be an amazing thing to have people have an outlet where they can meet people and be like minded people have a joke around. And you know, my friends, my friends from school, do not do that. Their lives are too busy, they think, And you know, but I think people may make time for it and you can be better off for it.
Do you know what's really interesting is like when you know where any of my friends have had a break up and we're in our forties, so it's like, you know, if we're gonna have a breakup in your forties, it feels like a lot or they fall out with a
long term friend. I always say, go and do something extracurricular, like you know what, do you enjoy painting or cooking or just go and roll yourself in something that's going to surround yourself with new faces, because that is like a ticket to the next level.
Yeah. I thrive on making new connections like I always always have. You know, I moved to France and you know, bake bread and it was there alone and made lifelong friends there as well, And I think it's super important to do that. And definitely, you know, that's really really hard to do, but you can do other things and it keeps you young and it keeps you your mind fresh, and you know, even doing this Master Chef experience, I think I wouldn't a lot of people wouldn't do it
because they're afraid what's going to happen. But what bad can happen? You know, it's only good things. You know, if you make new connections, if you develop new skills, if you you know, even if it's you're only on it for a week, you're still in that world and making new friends and making new connections and skills and everything. I think it's really important.
I always you know, my mom brought me up and she would say to me, if you were ever scared of something, you know, if you have fear, to push yourself against it, because there usually would be a reward behind it. Interestingly enough, though, I reminded her of her saying that to me as a kid recently, and she said, I wouldn't have said that. I'd have said, if something's a struggle, run in the opposite direction. I'm like, no, you didn't teach me that the opposite That's why I've
jumped out of planes. And she's like, well, that was a stupid idea.
Yeah, I think. I think pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and being uncomfortable is where you get the best rewards. And your mum was right back in the day. Maybe she changed an old old age. She's like, don't take you more risks, but Yeah, it's one hundred percent where you you grow the most and you make you make the most, and you also make the best memories in those times when you're of course really uncomfortable and
pushing yourself to the limit. Like who has a memory of a YAO was comfortable and I watched TV that night. You don't remember that, you remember the hard stuff.
Yeah, yeah, it's true. We kind of we pack our lives that way though. I mean, we kind of need the people that are going to want to watch Master Chef every night, do you know what I mean? Like it's great, but at the same time, you know, it's good to be able to fill your life with other things as well, you know, speaking about what people watch, everyone's talking about re and Cass being on their own
cooking show and saying how good that would be. I don't know, if you've read the fan forums, this is one thing that they're focusing on. Would you be interested in watching a cooking show of those two women got together?
Jeez, I don't know.
I think it'd be mayhem to watch them together my style of show. But yeah, it would be very view and interesting show for for some people, but yeah, probably not for me. Maybe if it was the un edited version, it would be pretty funny because.
Ree is very she swears a lot, and it doesn't make it doesn't make the cut, but it's quite funny. Yeah, it's quite funny to see. And she actually had a funny effect on Kat because Kath never swore, I swear until about halfway through this days and she starts, you know, just swearing her head off. I'm like, where did this come from? And it's right, she's a putty map. It's funny.
I was brought up not allowed to swear, so like, I don't have swearing and it's funny. When I started podcasting, they were like, you know, just make sure you try not to swear too much of the podcast. And I really don't because it just doesn't come naturally to me. But I still, as an adult, get really shocked when people like use a lot of swear words. I'm like, they got Tourette's, Like, what's wrong with them?
Yeah? Well, when I was growing up, I wasn't allowed to swear in front of my mom and my dad. Actually, yeah, I wasn't allowed to swear. And I remember I was like maybe seventeen or eighteen. My dad said something and I was going to I was going to swear. He's like, you can swear now, you're allowed to, and I'm like, oh, nah, nah,
I don't want to like I did. I felt like uncomfortable to do it because actually, when I was younger, I remember this very vivid memory that I was helping my dad would but he was doing a barbecue and he goes, can you go inside and get me a bowl? And apparently I can't remember saying it, but I said, oh, do I have to? Am I lad I swear on this? Yeah?
You go. The weird thing is you're allowed to swear. It's an R rated podcast. Just all that makes it sound like something else can happen. No, you can do whatever.
You're like, I'm not going to take my pants off yet, that's for sure. My dad asked me to get a bowl, and I said, do I have to fucking do everything around him? And I was like five years old and I'm ran up to me, grabbed my mouth, emptied a whole pepper shaker in my mouth and hold my mouth shrap like that, and I was like I couldn't. She wouldn't let me spit it out. And my grandma was like let me spit it out. Let me spit it out.
And then I remember that, just that memory, I did I want to ever swear in front of my mom ever again. So until I was eighteen years old, I didn't swear in front of my mom, like and I still struggled to swear in front of my mom. My dad's fine, my dad swears his head off. But yeah, it's quite funny. That memory just really sticks in my mind.
Those parenting police, they'd be like, oh, no, you can't do that to kids. But like I grew up in the eighties, like that stuff happened all the time, and you know, I actually think some of those lessons that I learned that way were actually really vital.
So my dad did a lot of things like that to me. I remember when I was like six or seven, I was like, because they used to smoke, and I said, oh, what's give me like a drag or something, and he's like, all right, have a drag of the cigarette and just threw up everywhere. Haven't touched the smoke since. So yeah, yeah, that's another thing.
So my partner has the same thing, and like he can't smoke because he had the same thing his parents let him smoke anyway. This is like and not this is like becoming like a parenting podcast and that's really not me and probably not you either. Do you think that Declan has one points with the judges by offering a lot of his personality with his cooking this year?
Yeah, I mean Declan's Declan's another person. That's just who he is as well, so he's not acting at all. He's like that twenty four to seven, so he's been just real and like, I love Declan, He's a great guy. So yeah, if he if I don't know, I don't. I think the judges are very good at just judging the food itself, so I think that that is really important to them. I think that's what they what they
hold true to their craft. I think that's really important for them, and as it should be, because you definitely don't want to be judging on someone's character, because yeah, I think it's not and I haven't seen it at all. I've loved the way they've gone about their judging and everything like that, and I think very very fair in my mind.
What about Brent as well, Like Brent had an emotional return to the kitchen, which was highly celebrated, but did he have a massive advantage in terms of preparing himself for this show. I mean kind of knew how the sausage was made, so to speak.
Yeah, it's a good analogy. Yeah, I mean in the beginning, I was like, oh, this is a big threat. Like when he came through those doors, everyone's clapping and sharing, and I'm like, damn, someone that knows how it works, you know in a way. So I was a bit worried about that. And you know, it is what it is, like if he knows what they what they like. I mean, it's not if he knows what they like, it's just having been in that pressure cooker situation, you know how
to maybe handle it a bit better. But you know, having said that, Brent didn't handle very well when he was there, so big props to him for being able to return and do it. But yeah, I was worried in the beginning. I was like, damn, this guy is the real competition now because everyone else was, you know, the same as me, hadn't been there before. So I definitely saw him as competition. Like on the first first day I saw him and he was running backwards hat
as well. I'm like, man, that's my thing. What are you doing?
That's trademark? Don't touch it exactly. You know the trip to Sydney as well, you know that would have been really exciting. I don't think you guys could see that that was coming, but you know, I just was thinking, I can't remember what I need to buy at the supermarket, let alone recreate something in my mind on a back from Sydney. How hard was that challenge for you? And did that really not play into your particular skill set at this point?
Yeah? I was trying to channel my inner rain Man like on that one, but just you know, it's really hard to just get all those numbers because it's very particular, very and in that fine dining style, you need to be precise. And yeah, you're right, it doesn't play into
my hands, that's for sure. And probably that whole, that whole thing leading up to that then led to me not being able to keep my calm in feeling that membrane because you know, stressed out to think about I need to remember all these numbers and get it right, and then going into peeling it thinking that, you know, that's a stressful situation, and I sort of remember just starting to do it and being like, no, it's not working straight away, you know, not that negativity. No it's
not going to work. It's not working. Just yeah, just screwed me over a little bit.
Yeah, but it certainly is something I relate to really easily, like as in, once my brain tells me that I can't do something, it's almost impossible to shake that. So I really relate to your experience.
It's definitely a maturity thing, I think.
And you know, well, that's something I've not got for you.
Well, yeah, neither. So at the age of thirty seven, I would have got it by now. But I am a lot better than I was because I remember when I was younger, you play cricket in the backyard or kick the footy or whatever. I'd go out and throw the cricket bat and be like I'm going home, you know, like that sort of thing. So that's what I was like. So I think I've got a lot better and I've managed it really well until that point. I think that was the breaking point for me. And yeah, there was
a lot there was. I was really angry that that day. It was really sucks in.
Yeah, was it the squid though, Like I couldn't work out. Like you know, when you're watching a show like this is hard to really know because it can be something so finite, like it can be something very small as well. What was it? Where did that kick in? Where was the throwing away of the cricket bat for you? Where you just thought, I don't know how to come back from this.
As soon as as soon as I couldn't peel the membrane like the first go I knew it would be harder going back at it because you start it and it's sort of like you're kind of ruining the part of the squid that you're trying to pull, so then it becomes harder and harder to pool. So I knew at that point as soon as it didn't come straight away, I'm like, oh, fucked, yeah, I like, you know, and then it's in my head, you're not going to be
in the top three. You've wasted all this time on this Master Chef journey and you're going to come forth like that's horrible, Like you know, you've you've left your partner at home, you're an asshole, you're you know, all these things that you know going in my head that trying to fight against like. You don't have that. You don't have that foresight to sit back and go nothing, You're all right, you're not an asshole, you're doing well. You didn't leave your girlfriend at home to come and
a cooking show. You know, it's all good. I just didn't have that maturity to do to say that to myself, and that's what it was.
And maybe you never will. But again, I'm pretty sure that people will think back to this series and only remember you as the winner, and that's all we need to care about. Really, at this point, we need to care about. Yes, you know, if the judges did have a favorite, or you have a connection yourself with one of the judges, was there someone you connected with more than anyone else.
I had a different relationship with all of them, I feel But I feel like I was very similar to Jock in the way that he delivered his feedback to me and sort of was. I could see that he was, you know, very similar to me in the way, you know, he didn't like sugarcoating things. So it'd be like, you know, stuff that up. You know, that's what you stuffed up.
You need to get better at that. And I would take that as yes, thank you, like, don't shoot, don't say this was fantastic, this was great, and then not talk about the stuff that I didn't do well, if that makes sense. You know, if you could make all these things and you could just point out they're really good stuff and then say, well, good jobs there are like well done. But Jock would just say, you know, first of all that stuff was good, great, but this is what you you made a mistake on and you
need to get better at that. And that helped me a lot, really really helped me a lot, So I'm very grateful.
The best currency in life with communication is always truth. And it's funny because people get lost in that, you know what I mean. People forget to be truthful about who they are and what they say. And sometimes we want to say to people something better than it is, we want to make them feel better. But the truth is what people want to hear, even if it is hard.
You know. Well, I think a lot of people don't know how to deliver the truth without being me about it. I think John did that really well, you know, like, I think he was really great at explaining what you did wrong, but not in a way of well you're not good enough. It's not like that. It's just you didn't do that part. Well, just work on that part and that's where you'll you'll you'll get better at it. And I think that's that's exactly the way I operate.
You know, if someone you know, the classic we eat eat dinner at home, well, mom and dad, and every single time we'll say, there'll be a critique on the table of something. You know, Mum's probably over it, to be honest, but it's like, this is really good, Mum, but I reckon that it's a bit too salty all that. You know, we all have our things that we say, and I think it's really important because you just keep doing the same stuff that people say, yeah, well done,
and it's no good. Then what's the point. You're not getting any better.
So I have this mantra, which is, you know, you can be a good person or a bad person, but as long as you being genuinely yourself, people will like you. You know.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's true.
If the food is salty to you, even though it might not be salty to everyone else, if you're speaking your truth, it doesn't come across mean, you know.
Yeah, exactly. And the way you deliver it. That's a bit too salty for me, you know, rather than that's way too salty. You don't know what you're doing. That's not how you deliver it, you know, it's all about delivery.
I really don't think that you need to win a show like Master Chef to really stand out from your experience, and we've seen that in previous seasons before. I'm just super curious, you know, what do you want to do with this whole experience next? Like what have you got planned?
I'm going to open a bakery for sure, and I want to take over the bakery world in Melbourne and just be everywhere. That's my number one goal. That's the end goal. That's like where my happiness lies. But also, you know, I want to do a lot of things
on social media and things like that. I would love to just get my get my name out there even further with cooking and with bread and help people, help people cook and you know, do simple things and just and be real, like you said, like be real and just be myself and I think people will will take to that. But yeah, the bakery is my number one goal because that's where my passion lies.
I feel like that journey is upon you. I feel like you're on that journey. You are being real and you know, I'm a Melbournie and so I'll be buying the bread. I guess the best question to ask you at this point is who, in your eyes deserves to win the show at the moment.
I reckon. I think Declan deserves to win the show in terms of growth. I think he's done really well in terms of growth. But I also think that that Brent is the better cook, to be honest, So I don't know. And Ree's great as Well's really good as well, but I don't think she has what the boys. The boys have in terms of cooking ability. So yeah, it'd be interesting to see who takes it out.
So my last question to ask you, something that I ask everybody is what is a question? What is something from behind the scenes, something that we as an audience won't see, kind of like a behind the scene secret of the show.
You know, Like I said to you, my partner was from is from France and she had on even been in the country for six months, so just a like cheeky phone call to her every now and again, and you know, checking in on her and seeing if she's okay, you know, because it really took a toll on me. I think being away from her was really hard because I knew that I know that she's not great, well she's not great at being alone, but it's in a foreign country on her own, you know, it was really difficult.
So I would always want to check in, you know, after every every day and just be like, look, I'm here, I'm still nearby, you know. And I think that put her mind at ease. And I think that was really really an important part of this because if I couldn't have done that, I don't think I could have could have been on this journey.
Is it like prison? You only laid one phone call? Like, can you only have one all a day?
Yeah? Yeah, And it's like one of those old school phones that you have to put money in. I'm just picturing the.
I picturing Ree and Cath like in a scene of Prisoner or Wentworth, you know, standing in the queue. You know, come on THEO. Times up?
Orange is the New Black?
Maybe absolutely THEO. You know, you are an amazing person. I think you have done such a great job this series. One of my favorites. Clear favorites this series to watch and I can't wait to see what you do next.
Thank you. I expect you in front of the line at the bakery when I open it.
I'm in Melbourne, I'll be there and I am looking forward to being just that little bit bigger from eating all of that bread.
Yeah nice, I love it. Thanks mate, Thank you.