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"Why I won't be watching the Masterchef Grand Final tonight. Will you?"

Masterchef used to be my favourite show, but this is why I won’t be watching the Grand Final tonight.

I used to love Masterchef. It was my favourite reality TV show. The series sold itself on finding the best home cooks in the country. Applicants weren’t professional chefs. They simply enjoyed cooking.

They had talent, some skills and a desire to cook professionally. That first series featured Julie Goodwin, who is as relatable a Masterchef contestant that you could ever get. She was a home cook, a mother, and simply enjoyed cooking.

When she won it was triumph for amateur cooks everywhere.

But since that first and even second series, Masterchef has become too similar to Top Chef for me. Watching the semi-final last night left me feeling like I was watching a show in which professional cooks compete for the title. I couldn’t relate to it at all.

Last night, Brent looked a bit like a mad scientist.

There were so many complicated techniques and so many bells and whistles on dishes, which has sadly become the Masterchef norm. The show has lost it's heart, and it's soul. It's lost what made it great.

That is why My Kitchen Rules has taken over from Masterchef as the top-rated Australian reality TV cooking show, because it is what is says - an amateur cooking competition.

Last night, Brent Owens and Laura Cassai made it through to tonight's Grand Final and good on them. They are clearly talented cooks but they've also clearly been learning amazing techniques behind the scenes. They can make foams and use dry ice like nobodies business.

It's time Masterchef admitted to what it really is - a professional cooking competition - instead of masquerading as an amateur one, because there's nothing amateur about what went on in that kitchen last night.

Do you still watch Masterchef? Will you be tuning into the Grand Final tonight?

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