It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week. They might 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 of Australia's latest eliminated contestant Ali From the start, I've been keenly watching Alie take on the competition. Her attitude up until this point has been really endearing and I
did feel like she would go further. We will talk about her thoughts on fans versus favorites, what she thinks might have worked better, what might have been a better final cook in the pressure test, and what is up next for this super month. However, let's get started with today's guest. I'd like to welcome Alie Stoner to TV Reload.
And I'm really proud of what I did actually manage to do on the show.
Master Shaff has produced some of the biggest names in food.
I would have loved a fan to win it. Don't be fooled the first time ever it's fans versus favorites. Silent that one.
Alie failed to correctly identify a French Sorrel's going to.
Be the challenge for me. I thought it was going to nail that.
Unfortunately, you missed the target. I'm sorry, Alie, You're going home.
Having been in that kitchen once, it's definitely an advantage to know what that feels like.
Hi, Allie, how are you welcome to TV reload? Thank you for having me have you. This is a question that I've thought about over the last couple of days. Have you bought an air fry yet?
My kids are like see, I told you they were excellent. I haven't bought one yet. No, a clear bit of cupboard space, but you know, you never know what might be on the agenda. The kids are going hard on it.
Now. How old are your kids?
The eldest is twenty and the youngest is thirteen.
Okay, yeah, okay, that's they're good ages for air friers. And look it's a better alternative to sort of deep fried food.
Hey, well yeah, apparently apparently so I actually think they're a great idea for students. They're brilliant of you know, if Maggie's going off too, she's planning and going off to London next year, so I speket, we'll we're packing her in air fryer.
Well, it feels like it was really good advertising for anyone that doesn't have one. I don't have one, and we are now purchasing one today, So well done, excellent. Last night the show started with this giant black curtain covering seventy three different types of greens. Have you now got a fear of black curtains or green herbs? You know?
The irony is, of course, I actually have a green herb wall in my garden. I would consider. I was actually that was going to be the challenge for me. I thought it was going to nail that. I was so devastated that everyone kept getting everything right. Surely somebody's going to get it wrong. Surely it's not going to come background to me. And then there it was. I nearly died when Alvin got purple Kill, because that was next on my list I'd had it eyeballed, and I
was going, right, that's going to be it. Purple kill is going to save me this next round. And Alvin goes purple kill. I'm going you are kidding me.
Well, the elements in this competition that really do rely on luck, chance and circumstance, do you think that can be a little frustrating, because I think the green wall determining you being in that final corp really frustrated me.
Yep, it was very frustrating for me. I think that the taste test or the identification challenge or whatever it is is actually the worst one in that kitchen because it's meant to be a show about cooking, right, and this is like we might as well pull the names out a hat. It's just that, it's just it's a complete luck of the day. You know, you pick a number in which order you go. Let's say I'd pick number ten. I'm doing better off being number ten rather
than number one. It never would have got back to me on that next round, you know, just all it's all where you sit, you know, and that could have seen me in the top you know, could have seen me in the top five had stayed in but now, Unfortunately, it just wasn't my day.
I have to say I always, you know, talking about a lot of reality reality television as I do. So much of reality TV is sort of luck, chance and circumstance. I mean, even for yourself. You think about how many people apply for this show Master Chef and for you to get this opportunity to be on this series, it's still quite amazing.
Absolutely was blown away that I actually got on there. I'm so pleased I put in that application. I've really been wanting to do it for years, and I also know you I'll never do It'll never do it, I'll never do it, And there you go. I did it and I managed to get on. So it was quite an achievement in itself, and I'm really proud of what I did actually manage to do on the show. Until that last minute. You know, Sod's Law, isn't it? I
make my worst dish on the elimination. Could it not have been on the day when it didn't count?
Well, I can say that you stood out right from the start, from the start of the show. You know, you're one of those contestants that came to the forefront. I have been championing you throughout the show.
So thank you.
Great to watch you on the show. It has been fantastic. What surprised you the most about this competition when it comes to, you know, the production of Mastership.
I think it's just there's a lot about the length of the days that I wasn't anticipating. Look, I know that it's TV and they weren't going to be long days, but the tastings, especially in the beginning, just took so long but hours, and you're on camera all the time, so you can't do anything. You just literally stand there and you know, through the whole process, it's it's like sixty eight hours for tastings alone. You're only cooking for an hour and fifteen minutes.
It's exhausting because you are aware of the cameras always being around and thinking, God, what are they going to catch me doing? And you know if you look bored, they can cut that into make it look like you're bored with someone else's cooking.
So you I know, exactly Yawn, you count Yawn halfway through, like you know, you're four hours into tasting, You've been there ready for ten hours, you count Yawn just get caught out you know, but what was really fun was
actually the whole Master Chef Live experience. So as much as you know, your feet did get a little bit sore, there's a lot of standing, a lot of hanging around, but actually seeing Master Chef Live, especially the days when you weren't cooking, so watching from the gantry or something that was just you know, that was so much fun. Actually there were also long days, but you can't beat it watching it firsthand.
Oh yeah, and you would have picked up so much that you didn't know about cooking just from being in this amazing environment with people who are like minded, which you know, fellow contestant, did you learn the most from watching.
From watching? That's an interesting one because a lot of what you learn you actually do a lot of studying on your own. At the apartment, and I worked a lot with Steph. I was sharing a room with her, and because we have such different backgrounds, we actually learned a lot from each other, you know. So we'd cook dinner together and she'd cook a more sort of Eastern approach and I come from a more Western approach, and we kind of teach each other stuff along the way.
So that's probably where I learned the most interest.
What's something that Steph taught you? Was there something that you've now got on rotation at home?
We no, we did. We kind of had a good experiment one night making brick pastry. I never done that before, and so we spent a night both of us learning how to make brick pastry and that was really good. And she showed me how to make like authentic sort of restaurant star kind of picking up pancakes. I've never made them before either, show me all the techniques for that. So that sort of thing was really fun. It was really great learning stuff that we've never done before.
What an amazing experience to get away from the kids and the home and immerse yourself in an experience like mastership. It must have been quite surreal.
Yeah, I have to say it's quite selfishly speaking, it was actually really nice to you know, want to have that, you know, so when you're and your mom and you know, and I love it so much. I love being appearance, one of the best things I've ever done. But just have the break from that and not have to worry either that six o'clock you had to be getting dinner on the table or you know, then you know, sorting the kids out, or doing the school runs or you know,
the sport runs and all that kind of stuff. Get just that everything being life kind of been put on pause effectively, and you're kind of living in this little dream Steed. It was actually really nice. Couldn't have obviously done that without the support of my husband. I'm the kids, to be honest, they were really fantastic at letting me do that. But it's very unusual that at my point in life you can take that time out and be quite selfish in your pursuit of your passion.
Well, speaking about being selfish, because I don't mind telling people to be selfish every now and again. You know, how did you feel about this sort of All Stars version against Fate? You know, this whole fans versus favorites with this version, because at times I felt like the
competition might have been a little unfairly balanced. Could you have wanted this season to have been or should they have just had it full all Stars with only returning people and then you know, like a fans series after that? You know what sort of thoughts were going through your mind when it came to this year's theme.
Yeah, I've got quite mixed feelings about it, because on one hand, it was really fantastic to meet all these people that we've watched over the years, and I think what was the unfortunate thing was for us that we didn't get to learn more from them. Everyone assumes that
we must have learned more from them. But because there was the divide was created into these teams, it meant that the Fans team was kind of we all got very close and we all cooked a lot together, and the Favorites team all got very close and they cooked together. And it took quite a long time socially for that to blend. And I think that somebody had mentioned on a social media platform, how good would it have been
been a bit more mentorships. So so we've been paired up with the with the Favorites, and we cooked as a team in that way in like partnerships. Then you know, you could have cooked with somebody different every week. You still obviously have to do a single cook for your elimination or whatever. But I think that if it was to happen again in that kind of format, I think it'd be much better to have it more combined from
the beginning. So actually, the fans actually learned from the favorites because having been in that kitchen once, it's definitely an advantage to know what that feels like.
I think that's whoever put that on social media, that's good producing.
Get them on the show.
I mean surely, yeah, you've got Jolly Goodwin's number and Sashi's number and Minali's number, and you can be in the kitchen at home and think, gosh, you know, this is a question for Julie Goodwin. Can you call her and ask you for advice?
Actually yes, I think they could actually, but they were all actually super lovely and very open and seeing that there wasn't a lot of interaction between the wars and maybe actually you reached out for help, they would. I mean Sashi came down to her apartment and tried a few things, you know, and Steff really wanted some feedback on her standball, so he came down and he ate some of that, and the same would happen, and Tommy would do the same. And if you reach out to
duly should actually be super be there for you. So it was they weren't like in the nicest possible way, they were there for us. But I think it would have been better if the show had been created around us sort of emerging of skills.
Yeah, no, I can say that. You know, you've got a seasonal box of organic veggies delivered to your home each week, which was preparation for this season's Mystery Box challenge? Was that a great way to prepare for the show? Are there any other better ways that you can now offer as advice to people who might be going on master Chef next, like, what are the best ways to prepare for this show?
I mean, look, I had done that without even the intention of being a mastership. That's just I'd just done that because that was a kind of COVID induced grocery delivery. But as it happened, it turned out to be a really good way. But it is the way I tend to cook because I don't tend to follow recipes, I don't go with a shopping list of I tend to
repeat by the same things. And I thought, what was really nice when you get a seasonal box delivered, as you're only cooking with what's in season at that time.
But it's not only as fantastic for the farmers, but it's actually better for us as well, because you're getting all the produce at the right term when you're meant to be eating it, and then you can then you know, so like you know, my god, I a lot of silver Beat for a while there, and so you know, I did google silver Beat recipes and that sort of thing. I might sometimes just google what was in there, and it does help me think about food in a different way.
Yeah, I mean, this is the one thing I have taken away from watching Master Chef is the importance of shopping locally and you know, shopping for fresh produce that's in season. And I only have started, you know, bringing that into the way that I prepare my food at home, and it is it is a really I mean, it seems obvious, but it's a really valuable thing to learn about cooking.
Well, it is, and I think it's really important, you know, in this day and age as well, with sustainability and not having food traveling so many miles and doing what we can actually you know, for the world and for the planet. I think we're so used to having such a consumer led lifestyle that we forget that that she's you know, kind of back to all fashioned values and the leasing what's in season of what's grown locally. I think it's such an important message.
I agree. I agree, it's so good. Now you're going to have to bear with me with this because this is really silly. But I get really annoyed with people correctly pronouncing k noki, you know, with the Italian pronunciation. Am I mad for for being great? Greades on me? Is it because I mean I can't say it properly? Do you think I'm just jealous of the fact that I can't pronounce How do you say it? I know last night I noticed how do you said?
Did I sit in correctly?
I said, last night, you said it both ways? And I was watching and I and then I thought, before I spoke to you today, I rewatched those moments, and you definite hold it knock at one point.
Well, I said, Yoki. I almost said I would never see gnoki or KNOCKI.
I'm sure you did, Ali, I'm sure. I went back and rewatched it this morning. And maybe it's just and my Auntie whenever I see her, she knows it's my favorite Italian food, so she always pronounces it correctly, And I'm like, oh gosh, but I'm obviously mad.
No, I do think it is quite funny. I know what you mean when you when people suddenly are speaking in the regular sort of dialect and then suddenly they jump into pronouncing a word in the in the dialect of the country that comes from. I know what you mean. It can be a bit weird.
It frustrates me, but anyway, I'll go to therapy.
It's definitely not knocky than no.
I know. I'm saying it with my Australian accent. It sounds so daggy and anyone listening to this mouse is going to be like.
God, everybody knows what you mean, though, so I think it's all right.
Do you think contestants with a pin should just sit out of the challenge straight away and burn their pin? Because I also find it interesting with this show if they've got a pin, they start cooking, but they always cash it in. Do you think that they should be able to just sit out straight away when it's time for them to cook?
Well, something that's changed. I don't know if you remember the episode when Billy gave up her pin and she did it before she started cooking, because back in the back in the old days of Master Chef, that's what you had to do. You had to make a decision if you're going to play your pin or not play your pin. You didn't have the choice to cook and just kind of play around a bit and then just kind of use it at the end. I do think that you shouldn't be allowed to cook right up until
the end. I think you have to. You've got the pin. You either cook, you cook and you don't use it, or you just give it up straight away. Otherwise you could go oh yeah, oh yeah. But the thing is that there is a there is a you'd have a target in your back, and you have one, and if you don't play it, then everyone just thinks you're like super arrogant. So you literally there's no point in cooking and not playing your pin because everybody thinks you're arrogant
for doing so you have to play it. It's kind of one of it's almost an unspoken rule of Master Chef. If you have a pin, you have to play it, because who do you think you are?
I think it's a little arrogant that they're like that. They're like, oh, of course I'll start cooking and then oh maybe ye I should catch in this pin, and it's like, shut up, like you should use it.
I know. That's why I had a lot of respect for believing she did that. She said, I'm not actually not going to cook. I'm going to use it because in my season, you had to make the decision before you cook.
There were a few ideas with that final cook. You know, you had the orange in their Fennyl Hager's nookie. If you had your time over, what would you have if you had time, what would you have cooked instead?
Look, I can't tell you how much I've thought about this, and either would have still done in Yokie, but I would have just kept up a bit more traditional. Maybe a cavalanierro pesto pineut butter and some crispy kill leaves. In fact, I've made that and that's actually really good. Maybe some procuto. I probably just wouldn't have. I probably would have kept the pearings a little bit more classic and just on a bit of a touch of an
Alley twist. I think I just took it too far on a cook like that, and I probably should have known better. Just a green curry? Why didn't I make a green curry? Could have done that?
Alie. They bring people back on Master Chef. Some people get brought back, so you never know, this might not be the end of your Na Chef journey. There will be you know, fans versus favorite style season and you might come back and get to cook again. Wouldn't that be nice.
I'm not sure they're going to revisit this format, and I'm honest.
Well, that's a sually good question to ask you. I mean, if you could choose next year's theme, what do you think works best when it comes to Master Chef Australia. Do you think that this one has worked or do you think that they should stick to always bringing in new talent chef.
Honestly, I'm not sure it worked as well as it could have done. I just I think that, yeah, I think we just mentioned it before. I'm not sure it worked as well as it could have done. I think it's quite nice to have the favorites and it's nice for us to meet them, but I think probably have been better off in a regular series with twenty four
new cooks. And I think that's kind of what Master's Cheff was always about, bringing amateur cooks who love cooking at home and having them rise to the challenge and bring together dishes and have a sort of you know, an experience where they grow and learn more about food by being immersed in that environment and going up against people that own restaurants. Is kind of was never really what this was all about.
No, I think you make a good point. Well, we're getting, you know, to the halfway point, really or a little bit further along. You know, who do you think is going to win the competition? Not not what you know, because you probably might know more, but like at this point when you've exited, who did you think was going to win?
I would have loved a fan to win, just for the whole premise of the whole situation, for a fan to rise triumphant. I think probably in the beginning, I was really hoping it may be me, but my money. As soon as I knew she was in the competition, my money was always going to be Unbilly.
Oh really, well, she was.
She was my favorite from before, and I just think she has a steely determination that you don't necessarily see, and I know that she's she works really hard at it.
I've never met her, but I am super I love her. I think that she's fantastic on the show, and I'm super jealous of her cool, calm and collected attitude while she's cooking. I can't imagine that I would be like that at all if I was in the competition.
And she's fantastic to watch actually when you're watching from a book, because she just as she does not waste any time. She's very slick, and she doesn't give that impression because she's just always ready calm and very nice and so sweet. But you know, don't be fooled silent. That one one.
Of the other one of the other Master Chef contestants that was on TV reload, I talked about a reference of Billy Bang like Hannibal Lecter because the heart rate right in the Thomas Harris book of Hannibal, the author talks about the character of Hannibal always you know, the heart rate never rises and he's always calm while he eats people. And then I felt bad about maybe referencing Hannibal like it.
Does feel like a harsh reference.
To be fair, it's got to be a better one. It's got to be something from sense and sensibility, a Jane Austen quote or something you.
Know, she does like her Red Winelande.
And don't we all some every time people joined the podcast, I have this question, which is, you know, what is something from behind the scenes that we didn't see that we won't see that is kind of a behind the scenes secret from being on Masterschef.
Okay, well, so I hope they don't get into trouble for seeing this. But the lunches were really bad. The food was the food was terrible. The food was terrible this show. I know the irony of being on this fabulous cooking show and the food we were cooking was it was pretty good quite a lot of the time for the foods we were given to week it's really bad.
Well, not you, but maybe some of the more amateur chefs. It's to make them feel better.
Don't get to see the food that we get on this ship.
Well, I'll take your word for it. It sounds awful. Thank you. Thank you so much for coming and having this chat this morning. It's been fantastic. I loved watching you on the show. And people out there will continue to follow your story. So what's the best way for them to do that? Can they follow you on Instagram? What's your best medium for people to follow you?
Yeah, Instagram is the main one really on the at Ruving Hagis. I'm just seeing my journey on there and I'll be hopefully being able to let people know what's happening in my cooking journey. Hopefully it'll be exciting.
Well, I'm in your audience. Amazing. Well, thanks for the chat, Ali, it was fantastic nice to meet you.