Returning to reality: "They are tired of seeing me on screen. They are supportive, but enough"

Gal Kaspers had long wanted to get to MasterChef, but life always got in the way until she managed to reach the eighth season of the cooking competition and finish in third place. Since then, she has changed direction, opened two Pilates training studios, and now she is returning to MasterChef: Dream Team, which opened yesterday (Monday), to compete again (a new episode on Thursday, after the news on Keshet 12).

"I am always in a chase, never taking the time to stop. Even when they called me here, I said: 'You are in a race anyway, come on, take on another challenge.' It suits me to constantly challenge myself," she says in an interview with +12. "Ultimately, I had hesitations, not because of the rest or the desire to take my foot off the gas for a moment. I had hesitations because the people here are really good. They deal with food, I do Pilates. I cook at home for the children, I love going to restaurants, I love trying to make dishes that I tasted in restaurants, but it's not like working every day in a professional kitchen and serving food to people in large quantities, and it's challenging."

How did family and friends react to the return to the show? "They are tired of seeing me on screen, honestly, they are tired. They are very supportive, they really want me to succeed, but enough already, really. How much reality can a person do? I think that the very fact that I came here again, and I am ready to commit to this task and try again to win 'MasterChef' and bring myself, is already looked at in a certain way."

Kaspers testifies about herself in the interview that she works hard, manages businesses, and raises children, and coming to the competition involved sacrifice. "I look at myself from the side, I say to myself: 'Well done for taking on this challenge,' and it doesn't matter what the result will be," she emphasizes.

The full interview with Gal Kaspers is available to watch now on +12

What are you willing to do to win? "I am willing to work from the moment they start the task until the moment they shout that the dishes need to be served, to sweat for every dish, to try many things at home, to work hard, and to bring all of myself. I am really ready to do it."

Are you competitive? "I do think I am a competitive person and I want to win, but that doesn't mean that if a colleague of mine asks me for help or something, I won't help him. I will also give him some of my knowledge to really help him make his dish. It is indeed a competition, but also a kind of adventure and pleasure. You need to take it in perspective, and in the end, enjoy the journey."

Do you see yourself helping others in the middle of the competition? "I think that the fact that I will help someone else doesn't mean I will go home because of it. I do think that in the end, everyone does their best, and if you come with good karma and try to help and want to help, one day I will also need help and someone will help me. It doesn't come at the expense of the other, it is about being a team, and even though we are competing against each other all the time, also knowing how to help."

In the competitors' sector, Kaspers singled out Eliav Sasson, who reached second place in the second season, as a contestant who could threaten her in the competition. "He is very talented in cooking, but also in plating. Many times that is my problem, I just put food on a plate without decorations. It is something I am trying to work on, but he is just really talented and good," she complimented.

What is the next step in your life? "I think the next step will be just to rest. Take a break and try to enjoy free time. I am always in a chase for more, one also needs a moment to stop."

Interviewer: Noa Barkai