TOMMY CHECKS OUT OF MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA!

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,

There's definitely pros and con for me coming back straight away.

I musta sheriff has produced some of the biggest names in food.

I guess silver linings to everything.

The first time ever it's fans versus favorites, it.

Was like, you know that that kind of shaking over the hand under the neck, like no, this is not happening.

We wanted a battle and that's what we've got.

Man, can I get there? I think I've got what it takes. And I'm sorry Tommy.

Alvin's desh was.

Unbeatable and that means you're going home.

You know what to do when she gets event Hi, Tommy, how are you?

I am great? How are you mate?

I'm so excited and I'm happy to be speaking with you. I'm a little bit surprised that I'm speaking with you because I kind of had you with someone that would be there right to the end.

Yeah, it was definitely a shock to me as well. But you know, you're only as good as your last cooking. That just happened to be a not very good day for me.

Well, how did this series go for you? And I guess the question I really want to know is what was the biggest hurdle this time around.

I think the.

Biggest hurdle for me this time around is not to be so incuminated by all the other favorite They're all like, they've all been around for quite a while. I'm not saying that they're old, but like they've no over experienced and they know, you know, they know their way around the cuisine and their style of cooking, and I'm a newbie. I'm basically a fan, if you think about it, I was just there last season.

Absolutely. I mean, do you think it's better or worse to come back so soon? Because you know, there's been conversation online about you know, Julie hasn't been on Mastership for so long. You know, maybe she's out of practice with this format. But then for you, you've gone back so quickly, So what do you think is better or worse?

I think there's definitely pros and cons for me coming back straight away.

I you know, I know the format of the show.

I'm still kind of fit and ready for Master Chef competition. Julie, she's been away for a while, but she had that time to kind of build even more and more of her repertoire. She's got more skills under herself. I feel like somewhere in between, maybe like if you were in season seven or eight or something like that, you'd be probably perfect.

Well, you came seventh last year, and then you're back very quickly, You're straight back into the kitchen. Why do you think producers saw you as the standout of your season to come back or one of the standouts? But why do you think they picked you to come back?

I think they saw, you know, my passion for my style of food, you know the uniqueness of my just my love for my food, and I think I kind of projected that really really well.

And I loved you know, COOKIEVI.

In the Mease food sharing, you know, the different styles of in the meat food that people didn't really know but could come to love. So I think them seeing that in me last season, they thought that I probably had more to give.

You say, the phone number come up, and you're like, hang on a sec, that's mastershift from last year. Why are they calling me? And did they have a pitch to try and get you to come back? Like? What were I was saying to you? Straight away? Come on, mate, we wanted to come back because of this.

Yeah, do you know that that that Instagram kind of TikTok thing where they like there's a phone and it's like Thailand is calling or something, and it was like and then like you pick it up and then we'll show you like flashes of pictures. For me, it was like master Chef is calling, and like if I pick it up, it's like flashes of like all these hectic pressure and you know, me like stressed and all that. That kind of went through my mind as soon as

Like, oh, I don't know if I'm ready, and.

You know, I think I have. I had to ask my partner like do you think I could do this? And at first it was it was like, you know that that kind of shaking of the hand under the neck, like no, this is not happening. But after, you know, we spoke to the producers and they were like, look, we're gonna let you have your family down. We kind of warmed up.

To it, yes, and you did well, because I mean, weren't you sharing your accommodation? I guess, you know so to say with Julie, I mean that is that true? Were you living with Antie Julie.

No, So we had the big kind of hotel apartment complex and I had my you.

Know, apartment area with.

My partner and Miles, and then Julie was just down the hall. So you know, I'd read that Julie all the time.

Just so many other contestants had come out saying telling the story about you guys and saying, you know that Julie was Auntie Julie. Basically, I love Tommy.

You can't not love Tommy. I loved him before I met him, from watching him last season.

And I loved his little boy. His little boy calls me Uncle Julie and his family to me.

Well Uncle Julie. To Miles, it was Uncle Julie.

And it was just it was so nice for me to bring Miles to Julie. It was a great way for both of us to kind of decompressed and not talk about the competition but just enjoy each other's company. And Miles, I feel really kind of lit Julie up.

Well, you might be able to help me out with a rumor, but I heard that Miles was dancing to Julie playing an electric guitar at one point. Is that a true story?

Julie loves to play music in her house and it's just like Miles loves music, and they just go.

Hand in hand.

Amazing. Well, does top ten change anything really when it comes to the internal pressure of a competition like this, I think top.

Ten it definitely changes something. Once you hear that number and you get to it, you're like, well, things are getting really real. You start to really see the kind of finish line in your You're like, oh, man, can I get there? I think I've got what it takes. And the pressure really kind of builds up from there. Once you get your top ten your mind changes completely.

And getting those ingredients in that pressure test, was there a big red flag with any of those, like, you know, once they were revealed, you know, was there any signs that you thought this could go bad?

I think once the three ingredients were revealed, I knew straightaway that I definitely wasn't going to coat with the pumpkin.

Chicken and fish. You could go either way.

I just felt the fish was the right thing to choose that they think. I think if I did chicken, I don't know if I would be able to have such amazing dishes like I had. At least two of the dishes were like one of my kind of top dishes.

And it was just really just unlucky for me those first two rounds.

Well, I can tell you that, just by coincidence of watching this episode, I had one of those, let's just say menu logue delivery, one of those sort of meals that you can do very quickly at home, and it was basically the same thing as you were looking. But mine looked terrible compared to yours, and I don't think it tasted very good either. Yeah.

Well maybe one day then absolutely.

Well. You know, everyone seems to be playing into their skill set, you know, which is very smart. Do you think that there is safety and playing in your lane, or do you think that the winner will be someone who takes maybe more risks.

I think I think staying in your lane is probably the smartest thing to do in Master Chef.

It's like, it's like, you know, if you cook, you know a lot of pasta and lasagneans up.

At home, you you know what to do when like shit hits a fair right, Like you know that, oh my god, my pasta sauce is you know, tasting a.

Little bit weird. You know, I'll add a little bit more water and a little bit of sugar.

But let's say you cook I don't know, vitameat food, probably want in a blue min and you cooked that probably two or three times under the pressure of Master Chef. Trying to do that and then getting to that point with something stuff up and not knowing what to do really is just the worst thing that could happen because you don't know what to do, and in that timeframe you don't have that time to kind of change and fix it.

I was really shocked that you went into round two because I felt like your first cook in that series of Cooks was quite amazing, and I felt like you just missed out on going up to the gantry by you know, very little was there then some frustration that you pull into those next two cooks. I mean, do you go that was amazing? Why Hama not up there? I mean, how hard is it to let go of that kind of anguish?

Yeah, shaking it off is definitely something you have to learn how.

To do in Masters.

If I found that, you know, that mental game is so so much more.

Than you know.

I think it is like I think coming into a cook if I'm not mentally strong, I no matter what I'm cooking, I won't cook it well. So I learned to come I think this is probably you know why it was good for me to come back back to back because I learned that skill and I kind of still had that skill off. Take it off, do what you can because if you don't, you're going to ruin your next dish.

Well, there's something kind of fun about following all of this stuff on social media, and I really enjoyed someone tweeting along with you saying, you know, the disappointment was on your face and you took it out on slashing these fishheads.

I don't know, Yes, yes, this is breaking down you know, any kind of protein where you need kind of a cleaver or you know, just.

Whatever is for some reason.

Really during a cook you just you don't you you don't realize that, but you're like, you're just slamming this, you know, fishbone, doing over and it just kind of lits out some of that pressure.

Yeah, avoid paying for therapy just by yourself a mullet, mallet or whatever. Take it out of the kitchen.

That's it.

Well. I loved the genuine relationship that you had with Alvin, and you both had this amazing moment which was so truly respectful, like, you know, two fighters who want to win with integrity. Summy, how are you doing?

I'm good, Matt. Are you doing, man?

Yeah, you know, hang in there, hanging in Yeah, you both go on. Great. Everything in this whole competition has led up to this cook.

You know, I want to know at what point, though, did you think he slipped into the lead, Like, when did you realize, oh, maybe I don't have this.

I think I think there was a point where I realized he was making you know, his kind of famous the dish that made him famous.

I was like, oh, this is this is getting tricky.

He is getting to, you know, the pointy end, and I realized, oh, I really need to not stuff up anything on my dish shore else I'm going home.

What was his dish called again, Drunken Chicken?

Was drunken Chicken? Yeah.

Once I heard the word, hey, album's doing drunken Chicken, I was like, oh.

It's on.

That's when you started drinking and became the drunken Chicken.

Yeah, I guess.

Yeah.

I don't think I'd get anywhere if I started drinking doing that.

Cook Well, the back catalog of your food repertoire is amazing, and it makes me feel like anyone who has an international cooking history does have an advantage. I think this is because you know, I'm mildly obsessed with Vietnamese food, But I guess in some ways having an international understanding of the complexity of flavors gives a bit of an advantage in my mind? Or is that just me am I being silly?

I do think so.

I do think having that kind of background in, you know, another style of cooking really helps with your understanding of flavors. And you've got this kind of backlog of what your family has cooked you, what you've been eating your whole life.

So I think there's you know, pros and cons to both.

Was it a bittersweet in a way, because I mean, I was very emotional watching you leave because I was shocked that it was happening. But then to find out that you've got baby number two on the way? Was that a great way to sort of sol from the blow for leaving the competition at this point?

I think so.

I think there's I guess silver linings to everything, and I think without and it was really hard for me to kind of take this in at first, But at the end of the day, I did have a little one coming, so it probably was good timing, even though I wanted to stay in the competition for longer. Although I'm so gutted that I'm leaving, I've got big things at home, you know, I've got big news. My partner Winnie and I are expecting another little one.

Oh I'm not.

Don't worry about it.

You know, no more, no more teas.

Were you sitting there watching the logis the other night with the whole Master Chef nomination. Were you watching?

Well?

I was watching because the logis was on the same day as my elminem elimination episode, so I couldn't watch it. I was looking on Instagram just to see if we did win it. And then you know, midway through my elimination, I'll like, oh my god, we want it. But then I was they say, oh, back to my death.

Well, I kind of you know, I really hope that you see that there's something about all of these favorites coming back that I think has allowed that nomination to lift, because I mean, it could have easily been nominated. Yes, it was nominated, but I do feel that the warmth of the integrity of you guys coming back to this show is given this season something really truly inspiring, and I think that's where the nomination has come from, and I mean the win has come from.

Yeah, I think. I think definitely the format has given viewers a different kind of perspective on how this show is as well. You know, they see, oh there's these fresh faces, but there's also these people that have been through it and still love it. And I think that shows, you know, the audience, that it's a such a beautiful kind of show.

Well, we are at the pointing end of the competition, and the numbers are certainly dwindling. I want to know, who do you think is going to win at this point, Not necessarily who you want to win, but who do you think is going to take this comp petition out?

I think it would be hard to how to not say that either Julie or Billy could win the competition just because one I love them both. Sorry I had to say that anyway, But too, I think Billy has got such She's so amazing in the kitchen. She moves like a demon in that kitchen. If you've seen her cook in that kitchen, you just lose your mind because you're like, how does she do everything so quickly? And

Well, I think that those two women, you know, definitely have a fairly clear path to that winning title. And I think for a lot of Australians, people are hoping it could be either of them. I think it'll be a shock if it is maybe a fan. But I guess if it is a fan, who do you think could take that part of it out?

Oh, if it is a fan, I would have to say. I would have to say probably Dan. You know, he's he's a battler, you know, and you know the underdog. Always root for the underdog. So I think it would probably be Dan that would make it to the end. If I had to choose for somebody, choose somebody.

Well, something I ask everyone who joins the podcast is this question, which is what is something from behind the scenes that we as an audience didn't see that you know, we won't see from your time back on Master Chef.

The biggest thing that you probably didn't see was all the connection that we made, you know, living in that kind of apartment complex. We came over.

Some day we cook and we share food. Some days we just come over enjoy, you know, just whatever food.

You can get takeaway, just because we need to kind of decompress and let go of the day. And like, the biggest thing for me was I had miles and sometimes my partner.

Was just had enough of him, so I'd take him.

To you know, Julie's house or Michael's house or Dan's house and we just kill them.

And I think it was.

So fun for me to be able to kind of introduce Miles to them and have kind of Miles be part of their life.

Well, I look forward to seeing Miles on you know, Master Chef Children, which obviously was a bit of a joke on the project at the start of the season. But yeah, I just thought it was fantastic to watch you on the show. You were so inspiring and I hope you've enjoyed coming back to the show. And I don't know, maybe they maybe maybe in years to come, they'll have you playing with Miles.

Yeah, maybe we congratulations very longer.

I thank you my day.

It's lovely to chat with you, big fan, and I think you did a fantastic job. So yeah, good luck, good luck with everything coming off off the show, off the experience.

Oh thank you so much. Have a great day. Man,