Have you ever wondered if you could make it in the MasterChef kitchen? Ever dreamed about
winning that much-coveted top spot — and the massive cash prize that comes with it?
If so, it might be worth knowing one very important thing: Being a contestant on MasterChef
is no joke. Just take a look at a few of the many rules the show's top cooks have to follow.
First thing's first: No professional chefs allowed.
Yes, seriously — MasterChef only recruits and signs off on self-taught, casual cooks.
That's pretty much the number one rule on the show, of course, and it makes total sense, too.
After all, you wouldn't try out for The Apprentice if you've got your own fortune 500 company,
and you probably can't get on The Voice if you headlined Coachella last year.
But there are a few other rules contestants on MasterChef have to follow. In fact,
one of the most surprising requirements takes place before contestants even make it to the set.
Jessie Glenn, a one-time hopeful vying for the MasterChef top prize,
detailed her experience with producers in a full exposé for Salon.
According to Glenn, auditioners are required to partake in a lengthy personality evaluation
and one-on-one with a psychiatrist before getting the official sign-off to join the series.
Don't expect to get a copy of the results, though — Glenn says that you're never shown them,
likely because the whole point of the test appears to be to glean dramatic traits and
characteristics from the contestants, so they can be "harvested" later for a plot twist.
And MasterChef isn't the only show that does this, either.
When Glenn asked the doctor if they perform these consultations for other shows, they replied:
"'Yes! The Biggest Loser, American Idol, all the Fox shows.'"
Glenn reveals that the "invasive" pre-filming prodding doesn't end there, either;
potential contestants are also required to meet with an investigator, whose purpose is to dig
into every last bit of your personal history before approving you for TV.
Even though Glenn says she hadn't thought they had done anything that would prevent
them from being selected as a contestant on the show, she was still incredibly nervous.
And honestly — can you blame her? Going through a psych evaluation followed by an interrogation
by an investigator is hardly going to be the most relaxing experience you've ever had.
But that's not all. Since MasterChef cooks are expected to be self-taught,
there are strict rules in place to ensure that no one has an upper hand. That means that no
recipes or phones are allowed, which — let's be real — is probably a good rule to have.
After all, these days it's a little too easy to Google search "potatoes,"
find thousands of gourmet roasted russet recipes, and become a master chef in your own kitchen.
Unfortunately, this rule extends beyond the kitchen, too,
and contestants are only allowed one short phone call to the outside world each week.
And they've stuck by this rule in the past, too — in 2011, a contestant on MasterChef Australia
was booted off the show after smuggling a mobile phone into the contestants' house.
So if you get homesick easily, MasterChef might not be the place to launch your TV cooking career.
Inevitably, the MasterChef producers have to be on top of things to make sure the
set is an even playing field for all of the cooks. Lucky Peach spoke with MasterChef and
MasterChef Junior judge Christina Tosi , who assured readers that there is a whole team
of standards-and-practices officials who watch the contestants' every move. But that doesn't
mean the contestants are totally on their own. While it doesn't usually make the final cut,
Tosi says the judges do walk around while the competitors are cooking
and give pointers to help them succeed. After all, nobody actually wants the contestants to fail.
So, yeah, that sounds like a whole lot of rules to follow. And if it sounds like too much,
then maybe you're best sticking to Saturday afternoon MasterChef Junior reruns.
If you think it'd be a breeze, though… well, there's no time like the present, is there?
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