Nederburg, headline sponsor of the MasterChefSA circus, must be pretty disappointed with last night’s program, which was pretty much a drinks-free zone.  But even worse than that, relentlessly middle class; not restaurant fodder at all.

A stroke of luck to have your braai episode air the same week the Wonderwerkgat in the Northern Cape was revealed as the world’s first restaurant; full marks for locating it at Forum Homini.  But from the curiously cringeworthy and stilted delivery of the judges, one dressed in an absurdly large David Byrne Stop Making Sense Woolies Big Suit (great for pop stars, less so for chefs with cuffs trailing in the sauce) to hardman Pete Goffe-Wood’s best dish (“magnificent”) which looked like a braai-free dessert compote, this was silly soccer mom stuff.

Was it me or were those first ads for Robertson Spices and Hyundai longer than the food?  But overall, the ads were great and the beautifully styled camera work on the Woolworths 34-day  aged steaks (available only to Woolies card holders in seems?) did confirm that Blair Witch Project production techniques employed at the braai, have had their day.

The best acting in MasterChefSA is in the ads – Razvan Macici is the star

So many missed opportunities for Bacchus.  Heck WOSA have long championed the braai as the ultimate marketing vehicle for wine.  Without any success, admittedly, but what happened to the red wine marinade for the meat?  The white wine jus for the fish?  The ghost of Keith Floyd slurp for the chef?  One brave contestant used Amarula, but was shot down by Big Suit because his sauce included milk chocolate!

The poor Amarula brand manager must have had conniptions – product placement in a disaster dish.  Still, in-spite of receiving the most criticism, Mnr. Amarula Afrikaner did make the top 18 finalists.  But guys, how could you humiliate that darling cornucopia of make-up, the last chef eliminated?  Was it an age thing?  Too cruel, but overall even worse – too boring.