UNPACKED REALITY - MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA - NAT

It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week. Thereby, Hey guys, welcome back to TV Reload. I want to thank you for clicking and downloading on today's episode with the winner of mastershef Australia twenty twenty four. I have a terrible cold that might make me sound like a drag queen at times, and we did have a limited time with Nat as

As they say, with.

An overall three point lead to our winner, we will unpack the nail biting finale and find out who Nat decided to watch the result with as it played out on national TV right across Australia. There is a great opportunity to talk about what it was like cooking with so much emotion in the kitchen. In that last episode, we will talk about who should come back for All Stars. We will also dive deep into the bonds between the cast and think you'll just hear the excitement in NAT's.

Voice, which is actually quite endearing to listen to.

There is actually so much to unpack with Nat, so sit back and relax as we unpack her winning experience in the Master Chef Australian Kitchen.

Now, yes, how are you?

Congratulations?

Thank you, thank you so much. I'm feeling good. Still pinching myself, but you know it's happened.

Well.

I guess everyone wants to know how was last night like? What was it like?

Honestly, last night was pretty surreal.

I guess I thought I was definitely in for a doozy because I'm not a dessert person and I'm not a pressure tized person or am I recipe person?

So that was hard?

And how did you go? What were you doing while you were watching it. Did you get to choose who? Did you have people over to your house? Did you have a viewing party? Like?

How did that go down?

I definitely had a viewing party. I had it in Geelong with my brother's partners, family and my family and a.

Few other friends.

But it was so wholesome, it was so nice. I think if I had any more people, it would have been really really hard, because it's like it's almost like sensory overload, Like you're already overwhelmed by the fact that you know with the results, and then with everything else going on, it's just like it's insane.

Did you have a few drinks? Were you conscious of getting up and facing the media today?

I did have a.

Few drinks, but I was very aware of the amount of media I had to do today and I was like, I need to be on my A game.

I'm like, there's a lot going on today. It's just like back to back interviews.

Crazy and watching it back. Did it feel like you could have a different perspective on how it actually went down on the day.

I'm not really.

I feel like how I watched it was definitely how it felt like I was. It was very stressful and I wasn't really sure. You just never know, like because I never saw what Pezz did, like what he dished up, so I didn't know he had missing elements, and so it was it was just crazy to watch and see how it was tense because obviously you don't see like everyone else as well, like the family watching and they were very stressed out as well.

I think throughout the series. What's interesting about this show is you're watching it with one narrative and then when it was on the vision, you've got twenty plus narratives that are happening. And it must be such an eye opener to such a different perspective because all of these narratives are playing at the same time and you've only ever seen it through one you know, or two one lens.

Yeah, yeah, one hundred percent, and like only like seeing the perspectives of everyone's dishes. Like the storytelling. I think it's quite beautiful as well. So I love the like it's it's so nice to see.

Well, there was rumors that you guys would find out, you know, people were guessing when you would find out, like did you have to wait and watch it with the rest of Australia, And that's how you found out or did they give you a phone call to the day, like what happens with that? I mean I watched it live last night and yeah, they I've got no fingernails left.

Yeah, it was very intense.

Honestly, it was hard to obviously keep it under wraps, but going to London helped a lot. It like completely distracted me from like the home entire thing. I was just completely removed from the home entire situation.

So it was perfect.

But like watching it last night was so so intense, Like you could just feel the aura in the air. It was just like everyone was just yeah, biting their nails, especially when I screwed up in like quite a few elements in the in the second round, I was like, oh, no.

Which way is this going to go?

I have a friend that lives in the north of North of Melbourne and said that they ran to you and they were like, well.

They were a big fan by the way, that already been.

And they were like texted me and said, just want you to know run internet and she's just as amazing in real life as she's on the television.

Yeah, it's I've been so conscious.

I've been running into so many people lately, or people have been running to me quite a lot lately, and yeah, I've been working at VOO and people have just been losing their.

Mind every time they see me. And it's just such a weird thing.

Yeah, you just go from like no one and then just go into becoming someone that everyone kind of knows, and it's just it's an interesting feeling.

Is it a strange experience to both want to win as hard as you both did? Because watching that finale, you know, Pesar was so emotional at times, you know, and that must.

Be yeah, yeah, yeah, well Peasant, I like as much as people think that were quite different, we're so so similar in the way that we're so hard on ourselves to put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and maybe that's what got us to the end, because you know, we were trying so hard, and it is emotional because like you're so tired by the fifth fifty episode, you're so exhausted, and same with like creating, like creatively, it's so hard to think on your feet for that long,

It just it just flows through.

Did you talk to PEZL last night? Did you get on the blower and find out how he was going? What was going on there?

Oh?

Me? This is the thing that's amazing with men Peza.

We have very like I wouldn't say blase, but we have such a good communication relationship where we just chat like for a second. We don't have to we don't have to like constantly be messaging each other and super nice, where like you know, the other contestants might need the validation constantly to be like, oh I've got your support blah blah blah blah. But like men pees was so it was so chill.

Yeah.

I think that's a good dynamic to have. And maybe that's something about the type of personality that wins this show, do you.

Know what I mean?

Like, maybe that's that's the way in which you both can focus on maybe what's important and you know, taking the noise out from other people.

Yeah, yeah, totally.

And then it's you need it, Like I am the type of person who needs it as well. If I were to, if I had to give all my energy out constantly and work in hospital.

I couldn't.

I wouldn't be able to do it. Like, it's so hard. There's always a line that you can't. You don't on the cross when you're burning out socially because then you start losing relationships with your friends and your family, so like you have to really know how to balance it out. And I feel like, because Pezzant and I are customer facing people, we know how to do that, we know when to switch off.

But yeah, I reckon.

That's definitely why we got to the end for sure, Like just being able to focus and hyper focus as well and allow ourselves to have that time to I guess like rest and have peaceful moments.

What are your thoughts about the fact that this season, right from the start, you were a fan favorite. No, I think everyone felt as though you were going to be in the finale. Like it didn't matter who I spoke to, people were like, oh, well, that's going to be in the finale. No one knew who that other person was going to be. I personally know Harry, I really did, But yeah, curious about your relationship with that

It's actually really interesting because I found it really hard because it was almost as if it discredited the hard work that went into coming up with dishes, and everyone thought I was so blusse about it, like like I wasn't you know, everyone's got imposter syndrome. But I was like every time people were telling me that I was a favorite or like the best out of everyone, I

Did those two dishes, I did two dishes in one challenge. I tried to do two dishes.

Yeah, So that that episode so many people like, why would you do that? It's so dumb, blah blah blah. It's like, because when you hit a point, we have so much pressure on yourself, you kind of like where do I go from here? You just one dish became not enough. I was like, if I could nail one dish, I don't think that's gonna be good enough for ninety minutes, So I'm gonna have to try and do two. So it became such a like mental like push and pull with me.

Yeah, it was hard.

I wonder whether or not you said as many clocks in your real life as you did in that finale. Like I just kept watching you setting all of those clocks, and I was thinking, that's a really smart.

Thing to do.

I mean, I'm sure that everyone's sitting clocks in Master Chef all the time.

We just don't see it as much. But is that something you do in Is that sort of.

How methodical you are or how you control your time in real life?

Yeah.

So my best friend Bronti, she saw how I function when we were living together and she was so surprised, and even like my families as well will see it. I'm like organized chaos. Like my life is so chaotic ready. I love being impulsive, but there's so many parts of my life that needs to be quite strategic.

And methodical for me to be able to do.

The chaotic elements in my life. So I like my diary is like planned to the tea. I do keep timers everywhere, like I always on my phone. I've got alarms for everything, and like I tire myself to do things.

And also it's something that.

I developed with coffee as well, like we time our coffees. And I think a lot of people were like saying that it was it was so unfair that I was. So I guess like I worked like a chef essential but like if you guys saw the level.

Of coffee that I would have to make.

And again, I've been making it for so long, and I've been working at places where they're very very strict and cleanliness an organization. You would see where it comes from, because like we have to time every single thing, like even our teas. We time the brew time and our teas. So yeah, I just became really strategic with it. And again I do do it with my life, like when I wake up and if I have a lot of things on, I will start putting a timer on every single thing, like I have time in my car.

I kind of expected that was the answer you were going to give me. Who was your biggest support? Out of the rest of the cast? This was a very dynamic cast, and I think that the friendship amongst all of you was quite palpable.

We could see it. Yes, who was your biggest support?

My biggest support was definite.

I don't know if I could say one, but definitely Dash and David for sure, Like hands down, those two are the best people, Like I couldn't I could sit there and silent, I could. They were there when they need them, and I could just say it. I didn't have to, like you know, sugarcoat it. I didn't have to be like you know, it was there with the best.

What was the hardest cook that you had to do? That's what I really want to know.

The hardest cook was definitely the Hong Kong cook, like trying the mirror of the chef. I put so much pressure on myself because it felt to me like it was the best opportunity to really test my skill set and my memory and being in an outdoor environment, in such cold environment. And even though it was the hardest challenge I have done, it was also the best one and most pivotaal like moment.

Can you tell me what's the most bonkers thing you read about yourself online? Did you read anything while the show was playing.

My brother and his partner loves loves reading the comments, and I do hear a lot of crazy stuff. The one that I think I get the most and is so funny and also kind of annoying, is that, like so many people are arguing where I'm actually from, like nationality wise.

It's like it's such a.

And it's so funny because that's what I talk about in my first episode. I'm talking about how I'm always torn between two cultures and like a lot of people commenting on like the fact that I'm Tie and they're like, Nut's definitely not Tie, and like, you know, other people will be like, oh, she's definitely not Australian.

So would you say, I.

Said, why is that important to these people? Seriously? It's so funny.

I don't know.

It's like people try and like take terror people get territorial with their food. But it's like a lot of people would be like, oh, that's not even a proper this and this and this dish, and it's like always coming from Westerners. It's like you guys aren't even tie. But yeah, I don't.

Yeah, it's pretty wild. People are wild, you know.

One thing I wanted to ask you about was like, if you could pick three people to return in an All Stars, because they do bring people back on Master Chef, could you just give me some names about people that you think could do with a do over that we're excellent this season, that could come back and possibly win it if they had a second time.

Oh, definitely Dash and David.

I know, I'm just saying that because it's of my favorites as well, but I readon they had break yeah, and Harry har Sure, Harry just had like he definitely had the guts to pull a win. But you know it's again, it's one cook at a time, and sometimes that's just not your cook.

So I would like to see that.

Well, I'm filling out my application to come to the alumni dinner at Crank Casino. I'm from Melbourne, so I look forward God, yes, being able to taste the food. I would love Master Chef in twenty years time where we have, you know, taste a vision where we could taste a long with everyone.

That would be amazing.

Sure, that would be so cool. That's a great idea.

Yeah, that was a great idea television. You know, just to be able to smell some of that food you cooked. That's all I'm now.

Yeah, I've got it.

But what is something from behind the scenes, something that from your behind the scenes, something that we as an audience wouldn't know, but from your journey, something that the audience probably didn't get a chance to see.

I guess like our hangouts in the green room.

I love love of the moments just before we were about to go into a challenge, especially on an elimination day, we would ge ourselves up and you know, meet Dash David and I would like go and climb on this folding and we would be doing chin ups, we'd be doing like push ups, and we'd be blasting music.

Even between tastings.

Sometimes you would like it's like almost you're about to go for a run. You're just like geeing yourself up, like trying to manifest the fact that you've done well, and everyone's like supporting each other.

And I used to make chatter boxes as well as.

Ask Master Chef contestants really deep questions to like get them um, I guess, like distracted so that they don't have to think about food, because sometimes you're just so anxious.

When you're waiting for a verdict. So it's niceting the call themselves out of that headspace for a bit.

That's a podcast in itself. Net I think you just as well.

I mean it's an everyone calls it the NAT questions, such a typical NAT question thing, Like when I'm asking something deep, everyone's like, oh, here's another NAT question.

Now I am in your audience, And it has been an absolute joy watching you this season.

Thank you question.

We feel like the person who won is the right person who won. I know, that a lot of Australia is saying that today, and that is an amazing achieve considering that this season had some of the best contestants we've ever seen.

So congratulations, thank you

So much, thanks for having me.