MasterChef

The show manages to be hugely entertaining and involving thanks mainly to the judges' personalities and the ability of the producers to spot emotionally charged stories when they see them. Sometimes these elements work together.

On Masterchef, he's more considerate.... The true terror is fellow judge Joe Bastianich. [27 Aug 2012, p.43]

For those of you for whom too much Ramsay is never enough, MasterChef is a dream come true. But for those for whom too much Ramsay is too much, the dream might seem like a recurring one.

Its pleasures are simple and familiar. There is the usual mix of boastful losers and shy winners, of tiresome cutting remarks and delightful delighted approval.

Ramsay remains an engaging TV character who understands that a significant part of his appeal lies in the fact that we're never sure when he could explode.

Even Ramsay's most barbarous fans are likely to find this formula so thin by now that, by comparison, Louise Roe looks like a blimp.

There's potential in a show devoted to Average Joes achieving their dreams, but even with "Top Chef" currently in the midst of one of its weaker seasons, there's no reason to sample what Masterchef is serving.