Former MasterChef Australia judge George Calombaris in low-budget return to TV
Controversial former MasterChef judge George Calombaris makes a sad return to television when his new low-budget cooking show bombs the ratings with just 69,000 viewers tuning in.
The return of former MasterChef Australia judge George Calombaris to television has turned out to be an anticlimax.
His new low-budget reality show Hungry, which airs on Channel 10, debuted to less than spectacular ratings last Saturday, reports The herald sun.
The cooking show garnered a meager 69,000 viewers in metropolitan ratings in the 6:30 p.m.
The return of former MasterChef Australia judge George Calombaris to television has turned out to be an anticlimax. His new low-budget reality show, Hungry, debuted to less than spectacular ratings on the non-channel 10 channel 10 last Saturday. Pictured: Calombaris and co-host Sarah Todd
It comes after the 44-year-old hit rock bottom following a series of scandals.
He made headlines after it was discovered that he had paid less than $8 million to his restaurant staff. He later resigned from MasterChef in 2019 amid controversy.
Former MasterChef contestant Sarah Todd, 34, is co-hosting the new series, which focuses on the diverse culinary tastes of Australia.
Meanwhile, the co-hosts took to Instagram to host a live session and reveal the lengths they were willing to go to keep Hungry’s budget affordable.
The cooking show obtained a meager 69,000 viewers in the metropolitan audience ratings at 6:30 p.m.
Cost-saving measures, Todd says, included taking care of Calombaris’ clothes, usually the work of a dedicated designer.
George described MasterChef’s production values as comparatively “huge” in the Instagram chat.
“…it’s just a couple of cameramen, a couple of producers,” he said of his new show.
The co-hosts took to Instagram Live to reveal the lengths they were willing to go to keep Hungry’s budget cheap. Pictured: Todd, former model and contestant on MasterChef, who debuted on the hit show in 2014 when he finished ninth
He added that Todd even did his makeup.
But in another part of her online chat, the glamorous former model put a positive spin on carrying her co-hosts’ clothes down the street.
“I think it’s good to take the glitz and glam out of [something like] MasterChef’, he said.
Hungry, meanwhile, is fully funded by one sponsor.
Hungry is on such a low budget that Todd takes care of the clothes George wears on the show and does his makeup. Pictured: The co-hosts shop in a scene from Hungry
Todd, who finished as a runner-up on the 2022 season of MasterChef: Fans and Faves, said the new show will give viewers a chance to see “how food can go beyond cultures and countries and really bring people together.” people”.
The dark-haired beauty first appeared on MasterChef in 2014 and finished ninth.
She became one of the most successful alumni of the show and opened two restaurants in India.
Todd later starred in two television shows, My Restaurant In India and My Second Restaurant In India, which followed his opening of restaurants in Goa and Mumbai respectively.
George says he welcomes the lack of polish on the new show compared to MasterChef