The competitors going into the finals of the next MasterChef have been chosen and they are…Luca and Natasha. Congratulations to them both, as they each have had several ups and downs throughout the competition but continually fight back and always put their hearts on the plates. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t a fan of Natasha during the first rounds of the competition, as she seemed to come off as too much of a conceited snob who was a hundred times better in her mind than she actually was. But during the course of the competition, it became clear that most of that arrogance stemmed mostly from a defensive reaction to the attacks of another competitor, Krissi, who was finally booted from the competition prior to the top three (thankfully, I might add!).
I admire a strong, competitive spirit and the innate conceit that comes with it, which both girls had in spades. The difference was, Krissi came off (at least in the way the producers edited the show) as more of a bully than a professional. By the reaction of Gordon, Graham and Joe when they did send her on her way, I’m sure we weren’t getting the whole picture, but the way she conducted herself in the kitchen and with the other competitors, in my book, was inexcusable. There was no reason for the boorish behavior that she constantly exhibited, including walking out on members of her team, rolling her eyes over others receiving good marks for their dishes, and belittling them in front of everyone. The winner of a competition like this should not only be a hardcore competitor who may at times choose to, for lack of a better phrase, “stick it to you” (as Natasha did to Jessie in the final challenge when she wouldn’t lend her some butter), but also show professionalism and class in how they interact with their team (and their competition, as Luca did when he gave Jessie that butter). Krissi had the former, but failed miserably on the latter. A good cook, maybe; a good role model, not at all.
On the flip-side,from the first time we saw Luca, I hoped he might go far because of his attitude, his personality and just his overall interaction with Gordon, Graham and Joe, but I feared that he wasn’t quite good enough in the culinary department compared to some of the others. So although I was rooting for him to go all the way, I was going to be happy just to see how far he might get. To see him in the finals is a win in my book. He has some tough competition in Natasha as they go into the finals next week, so whether he takes home the trophy, the cash and the cookbook is anybody’s guess.
You know my choice to win. Who is your choice to win MasterChef?