PRIMETIME STAPLE
[one] and really you have no idea what you’re going to encounter.
“It’s like jumping into a river and hoping that it’s not moving too fast, that there’s not too much mud at the bottom of it,” compares the Aussie chef.
“I look forward to the celeb version because I expect it to be more relaxed, more fun, at times,” Londoner Wallace confesses.
“Most certainly the one I’ve had the most laughs on has been Celebrity MasterChef.”
Yet they don’t actually know who’s set to take part until filming begins, Torode points out.
“We get a brief sheet as we’re about to walk downstairs,” he reveals.
“But that’s the joy of it in a
The second being the task of cooking in a restaurant kitchen — for paying customers; while the third sees the contestants, back in the studio, preparing a dish of their own design.
As for sending someone home at the end of each heat, “Of course we disagree”, Wallace quips. “You do because you’re always looking at potential — and that’s a gut feeling, isn’t it?
“I like to say that John, as a chef, pays special attention to their skill set, and I don’t care as much; I just want it to be delicious.”
“At the end of the day if it tastes like a bag of muck, then you don’t want the person to go through,” reasons Torode, who’s worked alongside his co-star since 2005.
“What you want to do is find the potential and hope they can get better — and the great thing about MasterChef is it’s positive.”
“It’s gauging how much your mate disagrees,” Wallace interjects.
“Does he disagree a little bit or is he absolutely adamant and putting his foot down? And that’s just a subtle thing that works between us.”
As for what’s next for the duo “We don’t really know!” says Torode, who’s kept busy during this period filming Instagram cookalongs at home with wife Lisa Faulkner, as well as their Saturday morning ITV show, John & Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen.
Similarly, Wallace has been posting recipes for fans, as well as
workout videos, by which account he recently announced the launch of his own fitness website and fitness brand, ShowMe.Fit.
But have the ever-busy pair enjoyed a change of pace?
“Personally, I’ve had the time of my life,” says Wallace, who lives with his wife Anna and one-yearold son, Sid.
“Once I got over the shock of not working, and once I realised I was going to be OK, I’ve had a wonderful time at home.
“It’s really made me consider what it is I do and how I live,” he confides.
“I don’t think I’ll get this opportunity again, to spend this much time with my family.”
“There’s a lesson to be learnt of how much do you really need to do?” adds Torode.
“I think what’s going to happen now, off the back of this, is when people say, ‘Can you do this?, a lot of us are going to turn around and say, ‘No, actually, I’m going home tonight, I’m going to mow the lawn, I’m going to sit outside in the garden and have a glass of wine with my wife, spend time with the kids and chill out. Thanks very much indeed’.
“I’m very lucky to be able to have that, [though],” he realises.
“There’s a lot of people out there, I’m aware, who do not have that choice and it’s been a really tough time for a lot of people.”
Celebrity MasterChef returns to BBC One on Wednesday, July 1.