Eyal Shani: "It is an internal virus that cannot be eliminated or put to sleep"
Moments before the first elimination on "MasterChef: Dream Team," chef Eyal Shani told in an interview what is special about the contestants who came to compete for the trophy for the second time, shared what has changed in his judging over the years, and addressed the storm he caused among food influencers.
Chef Eyal Shani is used to judging inexperienced cooks, who usually encounter the television format for the first time. However, now on "MasterChef: Dream Team," he is facing contestants who have already participated in the program, gained experience, and arrived to compete for the trophy a second time. Moments before the first elimination (tonight, Monday, after the news, Keshet 12), the chef was interviewed for "Morning News" and shared what the difference is between the current season and others, and also addressed the storm he created last week regarding food influencers.
Although they received a chance in the cooking format in the past, the participants of the current season returned to compete once again, and Shani has a way to explain this: "MasterChef" is an internal virus, it is impossible to eliminate or put it to sleep. My argument is that they are not coming to take the trophy, but they are addicted to the environment we created around them, which is an incubator for the development of the cooking and creative personality. There are those who are unable to get rid of it. If I were them, I would react in the same way and come again.
Are they arriving more prepared? They arrive understanding the space and it is much easier for them to operate within it. We release people from "MasterChef" only after their soul signs that they are going on a path where they translate their lives into cooking. And after a few years, they return with wonderful maturity.
Is it harder to judge people who have experience and know the format? You meet people you saw 12 years ago, and they have developed. They are like a mirror to you, you too have gone through these years and developed, and you also see judging today in a broader and more professional way. The relationships that are created between people who met in the past, and meet with the same goal in the present, are deeper, respectful, less suspicious, and attentive relationships.
Last week, the chef caused a storm online when he said that food influencers are emptying the content from the work of chefs. After his words drew quite a few reactions, he explained: I did not come out against food influencers, that is a distortion. I am trying to put in order the hierarchy, the importance, and the knowledge between chefs who perform deep work over the years, and what is called content creators. These are two different mediums that have wonderful points of contact between them, and on the other hand, there are many differences and distinctions between them, which are the beauty and must not be blurred.
