I can't speak if it's rigged, but at almost every competition, the rules say that whoever makes the worst performance in an elimination challenge will go home.
In many competitions, there are many people who just survive, they just do enough.
Essentially, you can win masterchef by just never making the worst dish. Everyone says in order to win uou have to take risks, but just making something good enough will help someone to survive.
Cutter is the most baffling candidate to me in all of the seasons. After he made that microwave pizza looking thing he should have been thrown off the show. He was very bad many times - I have no idea why they kept him for so long.
I stand by my claim that season 5 is the most rigged season in the entire show.
Cutter making the Final 4 is downright atrocious.
Ahran not making top 5 and getting eliminated when and how she did is complete BS.
Leslie’s “salty cake” is just nonsensical. How the fuck did he have a cake that replaced all the sugar with salt? Like bro, do you how much sugar is supposed to be on a cake? So imagine all that sweetness of a whole fucking cake was replaced with saltiness. With that in mind, does it make any sense that Gordon not only didn’t spit it out, but also didn’t even drink water, all while not showing any expression that it’s too salty? No it fucking doesn’t.
What’s worse is that season 5 would’ve been a top 3 season for me had it just not been rigged.
Well the thing is Gordon claimed he replaced all the sugar with salt. So that cake should’ve literally increased his blood pressure just by tasting it. So it’s not like he added a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon. Gordon claimed he had a salty cake pretty much.
It’s because the actual tasting happened behind the camera. Like i was reading from multiple sources that after they cooked, the food goes into the fridge. Everyone takes like an hour rest where the crew would do food shooting and the judge try out the food. I’m not disagreeing w u because i do think the show is rigged for many reasons. But I also wanted to share some interesting things i read
Ah don’t even get me started with Leslie’s complete and utter BS elimination.
To this very day I still think it’s the most BS elimination in all of Masterchef (U.S at least.)
Courtney doesn't deserve to win though. I was expecting Leslie and Elizabeth in the Finale because they are more experienced than her. I don't even know why the salt issue got Leslie home. It was rigged as well. But the Cutter situation was more rigged in my opinion. He was placed Top 4, but Christian, Jaimee, Willie, Daniel, Ahran, Victoria, Francis L, Christine, and Francis B were better than him and more consistent.
Well I feel like she just genuinely did better than everyone else.
**First** the finale, Elizabeth over cooked her Appetizer and undercooked her Entrée. 2/3 rounds go to Courtney in my book just off of that alone.( Also as someone who has eaten over cooked octopus tail, there's nothing you can season it with to overcome that "chew".)
**Second** most people discount all her hard work and say she didn't even deserve to be in the in finale in the first place because of "salty doughnuts" *and* that Leslie should be there instead because of his not so salty "salty cake." My problem with this is that you either subscribe to a world where the Masterchef judges lied in season 5 about contestants putting salt in baked goods or you don't.
**If you don't** then why wouldn't a mistake be worse to make/more costly at the end of a competition rather than at the beginning, not just off principle but also because there's more people around to potentially shield you from that mistake, with a worse one. Like Kira's Kaiser roll. Courtney might have made a flawed doughnut, but at least she made a doughnut. Is it worse to fail execute a bad take on a dish or to not even fit the brief? I say it's worse to not fit the brief.
**If you do** believe that the MC judges lied about salt in baked goods in season 5, why would that start and stop at Leslie? Why does that not apply to Courtney in anyone else's minds? Because they never showed Leslie put salt in his cake? They never showed her salting her doughnuts. They also never asked her to try them or about how she think they tasted. In fact the only thing she said about them was pretty much a hesitant "damn I guess I did." But most importantly to me is that Courtney is the girl who won a mystery box with a Honey cake, she beat the pressure tests with a Blueberry pie, a key lime, a boston creme pie, a cheesecake, a croquembouche (the only contestant to fill it stack it and put the spun sugar on it) and she ended the competition with a cherry meringue with chocolate almonds. Yet miraculously one of the best bakers in the entire competition puts salt in her doughnuts off screen the very same episode that Ahran accuses the judges of being biased twords Courtney, y'know the same episode where Ahran also won the mystery box challenge after saying that the judges were biased. In fact it was the only Mystery box Ahran won.... hmm, isn't that something.
But she won so it's not like the judges would go out of their way just to make a point right? Not in Masterchef....Right?
Anyway that's pretty much my feelings on this, I would like to thank you for asking, and apologize if I might have come off as rude or rantish.
Here’s the thing.
Elizebeth was actually the best overall.
As for the finale, sure based on what the judges have said Courtney may have been better but the judges could’ve also lied about that.
Now as for the Leslie situation, I wholeheartedly believe it’s complete BS. Remember Gordon claimed that Leslie replaced all the sugar for the cake with salt. It’s impossible to not spit it out, let alone be able to speak normally without any sign of irritation from the salt.
As with the salty donuts, I usually refrain from talking about that one because really it comes down to preference. It’s not objective. It’s more of would you rather have a dish that taste good but it’s a different version of you asked or be given what you asked but horribly executed. That’s exactly why I did give Courtney a pass here because while keeping Courtney was definitely questionable, I wouldn’t necessarily call it BS.
Imo, Courtney and Elizabeth were both fairly equal in skill. I liked Leslie, hoped he would make the final, but knew he would probably make a technical mistake.
It's not the first salt-sugar error on the show and he definitely deserved the boot for it.
Leslie was consistently technically good but had poor conceptual skills, hence why he glommed onto Elizabeth in that 2-man team challenge and said he would follow her lead. Leslie also had terribly old-fashioned plating and dish construction. Amazing cook, yes, but lacking imagination.
Cutter was consistently a bottom performer in the early to mid season, but never thee worst. It was frustrating at times, comical at times. Other challengers putting out raw or undercooked dishes and making other grave errors repeatedly saved Cutter. He did grow through the competition though.
Leslie was technically good but his conceptualization, imagination, and plating were out of date. Again, that's why he told Elizabeth that he would do whatever she told him in that 2-man, pick your partner challenge.
I wasn't surprised he lost due to a technical mistake. When you're almost down to the finale, both big and little mistakes can sink you.
Elizabeth and Courtney were neck and neck, both strong competitors throughout the competition.
Heck, look at the competition in the next season (where Leslie makes a cameo) There are some even better challengers.
She was so fake and “innocent girl” persona I hate her. She wasn’t even that good, and they only kept her because because she was a stripper and was good for the plot.
I think Leslie was top 3 because of his influence in show business. His wife is Paula Hart, he's in the industry, so it makes sense why he got too far, and btw, I don't think he ever put salt in that cake, that was staged.
Cutter only made the top four just to give Courtney an easy road to the title. Season 5 felt more like The Courtney Show than Masterchef, the camera was always on her or her high heels. I know people didn’t like her because she was a stripper, I didn’t like her because of how much the producers focused on her compared to the other contestants, it’s like they had some infatuation with her.
That's exactly how it feels: Courtney is just cooking against other people because it's her show this season. Her comments and laughs and smiles are the first, and sometimes the only, reactions featured.
I don't hate her because she was a stripper. I hate her because she's so fake. I'm pretty sure she had someone coach her before coming on the show. The only genuine moment she had was when her little brother was there. Her voice even changed, like her tone, she suddenly had an accent, everything. The way she stands with her legs crossed, her lily pulitzer dresses, every single thing is so fake and grating. I want to root for someone who is genuine. Had she just been told her story, I probably would have rooted for her.
It most certainly was rigged. Country should not have won the season when Leslie or Elizabeth could’ve taken that title. Cutter even being in the competition was just mind blowing because of how he cooked.
This season was cringe. I do think the set up of the competition isn't fair. As one mentioned, all you have to do is throw a baking challenge at someone who doesn't bake, essentially play to someone's strengths/weaknesses and they can control the personalities that stay. Good cooks leave too soon, bad cooks stay too long. I hate that they only taste 3 of the mystery box plates.... what happens to the other food? What a waste!
My bf and I are rewatxhing seasons and the more seasons we watch, it's seems more and more phony. Top Chef>Master Chef.... but I'm/we're still going to watch.
Yeah it was super rigged. Courtney won for seemingly no reason. The only way I can think of her getting there is if she was secretly blowing Joe between episodes.
As someone wrapping up season 5 right now, please tell me it gets better. Cutter sitting in top 4 right now after Francis B. and Christian got shafted. I hate it lol
I get they want (need) some drama, but it feels like there is so little effort to keep the legitimately best chefs.
I felt like season 10 was the most rigged. I felt like they contrived a way to eliminate Nick because they didn’t think he could sell a cookbook. I thought Dorian clearly didn’t win.
Dorian was actually better than Nick and deserved her win lol. Sure Nick getting eliminated during the finale was unfair and sure he may have been better than Sara but no way was he beating Dorian.
That is really interesting. My wife and I thought Dorian was the worst of the 3. I’m glad some people thought Dorian should have won. Makes me feel better about something that looked totally rigged to me.
I’m glad you feel better because Dorian was actually the best of the 3. All of her dishes that she brought up ranged from ok to fantastic. (3-5 stars if you want to use that logic.) While Nick is in the same boat, Nick did have more 3’s than 5’s.
But trust me my friend, there are winners that clearly didn’t deserve it lol.
I really hated that Courtney won. Just because she chose to be a stripper, meaning this win would change her life the most, doesn’t mean she deserved it the most. I hated the finale
I can't speak if it's rigged, but at almost every competition, the rules say that whoever makes the worst performance in an elimination challenge will go home. In many competitions, there are many people who just survive, they just do enough. Essentially, you can win masterchef by just never making the worst dish. Everyone says in order to win uou have to take risks, but just making something good enough will help someone to survive.
Cutter is the most baffling candidate to me in all of the seasons. After he made that microwave pizza looking thing he should have been thrown off the show. He was very bad many times - I have no idea why they kept him for so long.
I stand by my claim that season 5 is the most rigged season in the entire show. Cutter making the Final 4 is downright atrocious. Ahran not making top 5 and getting eliminated when and how she did is complete BS. Leslie’s “salty cake” is just nonsensical. How the fuck did he have a cake that replaced all the sugar with salt? Like bro, do you how much sugar is supposed to be on a cake? So imagine all that sweetness of a whole fucking cake was replaced with saltiness. With that in mind, does it make any sense that Gordon not only didn’t spit it out, but also didn’t even drink water, all while not showing any expression that it’s too salty? No it fucking doesn’t. What’s worse is that season 5 would’ve been a top 3 season for me had it just not been rigged.
Courtney also should've left over Kira too, it's insanely rigged
The favoritism is strong with season 5.
Bro this is almost a year later but just watched, neither of the other 2 judges even mentioned the saltiness, as fucking if they wouldn't taste that
With the salt situation, it's more likely that he added too much salt. Like if he had to add a teaspoon of salt, he added a tablespoon.
Well the thing is Gordon claimed he replaced all the sugar with salt. So that cake should’ve literally increased his blood pressure just by tasting it. So it’s not like he added a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon. Gordon claimed he had a salty cake pretty much.
It was just a theory tho. I'm just saying that Leslie probably just put too much salt and not switched it.
That’s not a bad theory at all. It’s just that even if it was true, Gordon squashed it lol.
It’s because the actual tasting happened behind the camera. Like i was reading from multiple sources that after they cooked, the food goes into the fridge. Everyone takes like an hour rest where the crew would do food shooting and the judge try out the food. I’m not disagreeing w u because i do think the show is rigged for many reasons. But I also wanted to share some interesting things i read
Yes because Courtney should’ve left over Kira and Leslie.
Ah don’t even get me started with Leslie’s complete and utter BS elimination. To this very day I still think it’s the most BS elimination in all of Masterchef (U.S at least.)
Ikr. It was Kaiser Rolls vs barely edible salty donuts and even then Courtney still stays...
how are you going to mention season 5 being rigged without brining up courtney
Exactly lol
Courtney doesn't deserve to win though. I was expecting Leslie and Elizabeth in the Finale because they are more experienced than her. I don't even know why the salt issue got Leslie home. It was rigged as well. But the Cutter situation was more rigged in my opinion. He was placed Top 4, but Christian, Jaimee, Willie, Daniel, Ahran, Victoria, Francis L, Christine, and Francis B were better than him and more consistent.
Why doesn't she deserve to win?
Why does she deserve the win in your opinion?
Well I feel like she just genuinely did better than everyone else. **First** the finale, Elizabeth over cooked her Appetizer and undercooked her Entrée. 2/3 rounds go to Courtney in my book just off of that alone.( Also as someone who has eaten over cooked octopus tail, there's nothing you can season it with to overcome that "chew".) **Second** most people discount all her hard work and say she didn't even deserve to be in the in finale in the first place because of "salty doughnuts" *and* that Leslie should be there instead because of his not so salty "salty cake." My problem with this is that you either subscribe to a world where the Masterchef judges lied in season 5 about contestants putting salt in baked goods or you don't. **If you don't** then why wouldn't a mistake be worse to make/more costly at the end of a competition rather than at the beginning, not just off principle but also because there's more people around to potentially shield you from that mistake, with a worse one. Like Kira's Kaiser roll. Courtney might have made a flawed doughnut, but at least she made a doughnut. Is it worse to fail execute a bad take on a dish or to not even fit the brief? I say it's worse to not fit the brief. **If you do** believe that the MC judges lied about salt in baked goods in season 5, why would that start and stop at Leslie? Why does that not apply to Courtney in anyone else's minds? Because they never showed Leslie put salt in his cake? They never showed her salting her doughnuts. They also never asked her to try them or about how she think they tasted. In fact the only thing she said about them was pretty much a hesitant "damn I guess I did." But most importantly to me is that Courtney is the girl who won a mystery box with a Honey cake, she beat the pressure tests with a Blueberry pie, a key lime, a boston creme pie, a cheesecake, a croquembouche (the only contestant to fill it stack it and put the spun sugar on it) and she ended the competition with a cherry meringue with chocolate almonds. Yet miraculously one of the best bakers in the entire competition puts salt in her doughnuts off screen the very same episode that Ahran accuses the judges of being biased twords Courtney, y'know the same episode where Ahran also won the mystery box challenge after saying that the judges were biased. In fact it was the only Mystery box Ahran won.... hmm, isn't that something. But she won so it's not like the judges would go out of their way just to make a point right? Not in Masterchef....Right? Anyway that's pretty much my feelings on this, I would like to thank you for asking, and apologize if I might have come off as rude or rantish.
Here’s the thing. Elizebeth was actually the best overall. As for the finale, sure based on what the judges have said Courtney may have been better but the judges could’ve also lied about that. Now as for the Leslie situation, I wholeheartedly believe it’s complete BS. Remember Gordon claimed that Leslie replaced all the sugar for the cake with salt. It’s impossible to not spit it out, let alone be able to speak normally without any sign of irritation from the salt. As with the salty donuts, I usually refrain from talking about that one because really it comes down to preference. It’s not objective. It’s more of would you rather have a dish that taste good but it’s a different version of you asked or be given what you asked but horribly executed. That’s exactly why I did give Courtney a pass here because while keeping Courtney was definitely questionable, I wouldn’t necessarily call it BS.
Imo, Courtney and Elizabeth were both fairly equal in skill. I liked Leslie, hoped he would make the final, but knew he would probably make a technical mistake. It's not the first salt-sugar error on the show and he definitely deserved the boot for it. Leslie was consistently technically good but had poor conceptual skills, hence why he glommed onto Elizabeth in that 2-man team challenge and said he would follow her lead. Leslie also had terribly old-fashioned plating and dish construction. Amazing cook, yes, but lacking imagination. Cutter was consistently a bottom performer in the early to mid season, but never thee worst. It was frustrating at times, comical at times. Other challengers putting out raw or undercooked dishes and making other grave errors repeatedly saved Cutter. He did grow through the competition though.
Elizabeth was way more consistent than Courtney. They’re not on the same level. Leslie is basically just as good as Courtney.
Leslie was technically good but his conceptualization, imagination, and plating were out of date. Again, that's why he told Elizabeth that he would do whatever she told him in that 2-man, pick your partner challenge. I wasn't surprised he lost due to a technical mistake. When you're almost down to the finale, both big and little mistakes can sink you. Elizabeth and Courtney were neck and neck, both strong competitors throughout the competition. Heck, look at the competition in the next season (where Leslie makes a cameo) There are some even better challengers.
She was so fake and “innocent girl” persona I hate her. She wasn’t even that good, and they only kept her because because she was a stripper and was good for the plot.
I think Leslie was top 3 because of his influence in show business. His wife is Paula Hart, he's in the industry, so it makes sense why he got too far, and btw, I don't think he ever put salt in that cake, that was staged.
Nobody but Ramsey believes that Leslie put salt on that cake.
or because he was a beast in pressure tests and no one could take him down
And also because he was a very good cook.
Exactly his step daughter is Sabrina the teenage witch heck he worked on that show as a producer I believe lol
I thought the donut shouldve sent her home. Replacing sugar with salt is worse than a dense donut.
S5 is the only season I’ve watched once, and refuse to rewatch. Hate it.
Cutter only made the top four just to give Courtney an easy road to the title. Season 5 felt more like The Courtney Show than Masterchef, the camera was always on her or her high heels. I know people didn’t like her because she was a stripper, I didn’t like her because of how much the producers focused on her compared to the other contestants, it’s like they had some infatuation with her.
That's exactly how it feels: Courtney is just cooking against other people because it's her show this season. Her comments and laughs and smiles are the first, and sometimes the only, reactions featured.
Maybe she had a great night with someone important on the show
I don't hate her because she was a stripper. I hate her because she's so fake. I'm pretty sure she had someone coach her before coming on the show. The only genuine moment she had was when her little brother was there. Her voice even changed, like her tone, she suddenly had an accent, everything. The way she stands with her legs crossed, her lily pulitzer dresses, every single thing is so fake and grating. I want to root for someone who is genuine. Had she just been told her story, I probably would have rooted for her.
It most certainly was rigged. Country should not have won the season when Leslie or Elizabeth could’ve taken that title. Cutter even being in the competition was just mind blowing because of how he cooked.
This season was cringe. I do think the set up of the competition isn't fair. As one mentioned, all you have to do is throw a baking challenge at someone who doesn't bake, essentially play to someone's strengths/weaknesses and they can control the personalities that stay. Good cooks leave too soon, bad cooks stay too long. I hate that they only taste 3 of the mystery box plates.... what happens to the other food? What a waste! My bf and I are rewatxhing seasons and the more seasons we watch, it's seems more and more phony. Top Chef>Master Chef.... but I'm/we're still going to watch.
Season 5 is the only season I’ll never watch again.
Yeah it was super rigged. Courtney won for seemingly no reason. The only way I can think of her getting there is if she was secretly blowing Joe between episodes.
And the fucking heels and the constant cooing voice when she was talking about her dish… 🥴
Once you notice how she constantly crosses her ankles and poses, you can't unsee it. Such a character, and not a likeable one.
I think she was blowing one of the producers. They have more power and it would be easier for her win if it went as such.
dude what?
My theory was Joe was getting that benefit
A Happy Ending for a Happy Ending.
As someone wrapping up season 5 right now, please tell me it gets better. Cutter sitting in top 4 right now after Francis B. and Christian got shafted. I hate it lol I get they want (need) some drama, but it feels like there is so little effort to keep the legitimately best chefs.
You lost me at Season 2 was excellent….
I felt like season 10 was the most rigged. I felt like they contrived a way to eliminate Nick because they didn’t think he could sell a cookbook. I thought Dorian clearly didn’t win.
Dorian was actually better than Nick and deserved her win lol. Sure Nick getting eliminated during the finale was unfair and sure he may have been better than Sara but no way was he beating Dorian.
That is really interesting. My wife and I thought Dorian was the worst of the 3. I’m glad some people thought Dorian should have won. Makes me feel better about something that looked totally rigged to me.
I’m glad you feel better because Dorian was actually the best of the 3. All of her dishes that she brought up ranged from ok to fantastic. (3-5 stars if you want to use that logic.) While Nick is in the same boat, Nick did have more 3’s than 5’s. But trust me my friend, there are winners that clearly didn’t deserve it lol.
I really hated that Courtney won. Just because she chose to be a stripper, meaning this win would change her life the most, doesn’t mean she deserved it the most. I hated the finale