Dessert Masters hits Network 10 this Sunday. B&T sat down with Sarah Thornton, head of non-scripted at Paramount Australia, to get the behind-the-scenes rundown on the new series.
Following the traditional MasterChef format, Channel 10 is bringing the best of the best pastry cooks in Australia into the MasterChef kitchen to prepare some mind-blowing sweet sensations. Desserts will be tasted by superstar judges Melissa Leong and Amaury Guichon and some special guests along the way, with an elimination process throughout.
Thornton, who is admittedly not a big sweet tooth herself, said that the network has been looking for ways to explore desserts for a long time, having discussed several different ways they could do so. “This just felt really perfect for us. There’s something really visceral about watching desserts, especially on television. There’s something about dessert. There’s a beauty and art to watching it, as well as the taste,” Thornton said.
Desert Masters possesses all the premium warmth fans love from the MasterChef series with a sweeter touch. The series features “what we love about Master Chef, and then it’s transposed to a slightly more magical world where the focus is dessert, and the competitors are on top of their game,” said Thornton.
And on top of their game, they are. From Adriano Zumbo to Gareth Whitton and Anna Polyviou, the show features the absolute best of the best in the dessert game. “My mind was blown when I saw the contestant list. The calibre is impeccable, the desserts they turn out is just high-end beautiful, delicious food,” said Thornton.
The stars don’t stop with the contestants; the show features a duo of superstar judges. Amaury Guichon was the youngest executive pastry chef in Paris at just 21, and MasterChef fan favourite Melissa Leong has a long history as a judge and food critic. “I think there’s a real chemistry between the two of them,” said Thornton.
Leong, it was announced last month, will not be returning for the next season of MasterChef. “Over the past four years, MasterChef Australia has infused my life with something truly magical. It has provided me with life-changing experiences that have given me the courage to continue to put myself outside of my comfort zone,” Leong said at the time.
“The great honour of growing the MasterChef Australia family with the introduction of Dessert Masters is not lost on me. I relish the sweet opportunity to nurture this special series alongside Amaury”.
When asked why those behind the show thought Leong should shift to the new series, Thornton quickly declared that her appearance on the series would speak for itself. “She’s totally at home. Her and Amaury are a wonderful double act. And her expertise when it comes to desserts, it rolls off the screen”.
In news that will delight dessert fans everywhere, Thornton teased lots of chocolate in the season ahead. “We have the queen of chocolate and the most ambitious chocolate fields you have ever seen on Australian television”.
Thornton also promises no shortage of the drama and pressure that have made MasterChef a fan favourite over the last 14 years. “And as you know, in the Master Chef kitchen, there is a lot of pressure as there is in the Dessert Masters kitchen. And when there’s pressure, things go wrong. And there are plenty of moments where these genuine experts have to deal with things not going how they plan. I would say all the cast have their moment where they’re really challenged by the time pressure, the pressure of the judging, and just the pressure of being in that kitchen,” Thornton said.
Dessert Masters premieres on Network 10 at 7:30 pm on Sunday, 12 November.
