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Statement:

I think that the show has a lot of flavour as it was able to keep the audience on the edge of their seats consistently

Justification:

The show effectively created tension as the two rounds had a time limit and a difficult challenge for the competitors. (1)

However, to a small degree, the tension wasn’t sustained as there wasn’t as much conflict between the competitors. (2)

The tension was sustained as each challenge had escalating stakes and difficulty. (3)

Evidence:

(1)   Each round has a time limit of 60 minutes; round one forced the chefs to create a dish based on a certain Japanese cuisine. Round 2 forced the chefs to create a dish which revolved around a certain jap ingredient

(2)   The competitors did not have conflicting personalities and were very friendly to each other. The hosts did not try to create conflict.

(3)   In the final round, the difficulty and stakes were at the highest due to the threat of elimination from the competition.

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Structure:

This game does keep everyone interested though the tension that the contestants feel, but one thing to improve on is that  they can show flaws they experience in  cooking.

Justification:

In other cooking shows like Masterchef for example, they show moments of stress that the contests feel, but in this show, they didn’t really show any struggles. Yes, there were chefs that have never cooked Japanese food or are allergic to sea urchin,  but not showing struggles they face, maybe overcooked food or not enough ingredients makes them have no imperfections.

Evidence:

In Round 1, even though they had 60  minutes, they managed to pull together  a three course Japanese meal with seemingly not much struggles though they were under pressure.

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S: I think the casting is very effective.

J: They’re mostly chefs from different nationalities with different levels of experience, which is unique compared to shows like Masterchef.

E: Darren Maclean said he was honoured to hear praise for his dish from more experienced and senior chefs like Esdras Ochoa and Rafa Gil, and the Japanese ambassadors, especially since he was white

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I think this reality competition show managed to really capture the attention of the audiences through out. However, I would have enjoyed a deeper character involvement so I could have connected and felt for them more when they won or lost. Instead of one cutaway for the setup and a lot of cutaway for the payoff, which was too much and dampened the emotional impact, it would have been better if it was highlighted more during the setup.

By using the backstory of each chefs, it creates clear conflict in every round. Other than generating tension from the advantages and disadvantages certain chefs face, the essential time limit aspect too adds on to the tension. Not to mention, after the build up of every team creating wonderful dishes, suspense is created during the reveal for the best dish. The stakes are really high as well as it goes from impressing 3 judges to get a free pass, to trying to impress the top chef in Japan to stand a chance to move on and not go home.

For example, Darren owns his own Japanese restaurant and has a lot to live up to, but it could have had more emphasis on how he truly felt being discriminated as a white man trying to master Japanese dishes.

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I felt very engaged and on the edge of my seat watching the show. This reality competition was different from other reality competition  in terms of there being less drama and tension between the contestants compared to other shows like MasterChef. There a uniqueness to the concept behind the show, as it revolves solely around different countries from the judges, to the contestants and the food itself.

There is still tension present in the show as some of the contestants face unknown cuisine, and they are putting the reputation of themselves and their restaurants at stake. Some of the chefs had to rely on another, and they are working under a time constraint.

One of the set-up being a side-story of Darren and his Japanese restaurant in Canada, and how his love for Japanese cuisines faced some conflict and troubles along the way hence his personal reason for wanting to win the challenge. The emotional pay-off happens when Darren and his partner wins the challenge, hence a metaphorical symbolism that Darren has triumph after facing the years of criticism for introducing Japanese food to Canada.

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Statement:
I feel that the show was exciting and interesting to watch. The show kept me engaged for the whole time.

Justification:

The show was good at building tension by selling Darren as the “Japanese Expert” and bringing up the stakes to only allow one winner in the challenge. Hence, we felt the stress and hoped to see Darren win, so he could maintain his reputation.
We also felt connected to Graham, as the show sold him as a very friendly and chummy person and showcased his buddy relationship with Aaron. When we saw that he ultimately lost, we felt sad

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Statement:

Its a satisfying episode which kept me interested and hungry. the flow was generally good. I feel the set up and pay off was also pretty well paced and delivered

Justification
I felt that towards the end while the judge was commenting on the last few dishes, I got bored

Evidence
It was the second round of judging already and we had already seen numerous dishes being judged.
I did feel sad to see graham and Aaron leave the stage as we were made to sympathise with them, especially Graham and at the same time feel the relief and joy Darren felt

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Statement: I felt that the confession cam of the contestants and the introduction of the big boss chef was a good thing.

Justification: Letting the audience know some pieces of the personal lives of the contestants and the guests allow the audience to know them better and allows us to connect with them.

Evidence: For the big boss chef battle with the Japanese chef, the show gave us a run through as to the things he does and what he wants to achieve which allows the audience to understand and know him further which will allow a connection to form.

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It was very engaging and had my attention throughout.

Not only was the format of the show interesting, with a focus on a particular country and food, but there was also a conflict in knowledge and expectations which elevated the stress level. The stake also started out high, which came as a huge shock.

To illustrate the conflict in knowledge, Graham, who had no knowledge of the Japanese cuisine, had to work with Aaron, who had a relatively acute knowledge of the cuisine. Whilst working together, Graham relied a lot on Aaron which then made it more difficult and stressful for him. For expectations, Darren is an owner of a Japanese restaurant and so he had an advantage. However, the expectation for him to do well and win the challenge is high and stressful, evident in his emotional confessionals where he expressed his worry and doubt. In the first challenge, the teams had to prepare an iconic/loved traditional Japanese meal and only one team will be safe.

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Statement:

-      The judges were really positive about the different takes on their national / local food. Especially since the cooking competition is a multi-nation show, with contestants from all around the world.

Justification:

-      Even though the food that has to be cooked for the episode needs to be from Japan, each contestant did their own take on Japanese food, giving it a flair from their home country. All the judges accepted these unique takes on their food culture, and even enjoyed the new things others tried making with their food.

Evidence:

-      In the first round, Esdras and Rafa had no experience cooking Japanese food at all. As a result, they tried unique things with the challenge they were given. One thing they did was putting mushrooms inside the eggs they were making, alongside other things. Although they didn’t win the first round, they were complimented for their unique take on Japanese food, and the judges enjoyed what they made.

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statement:
the show got quite boring after the first round.
justification:
I felt it was very draggy especially during the second round of critique with the Japanese chef.
evidence:
I don't like how the judges had to critique each and every dish.

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Statement:
I think that the show doesn't feel 100% original due to the fact that it is yet another cooking show.

Justification:
In its attempt to set itself apart from the others, it uses different techniques that eventually make the episodes' structure very weird.

Evidence:
The whole mood during the show is very serious. It takes itself so seriously that it sort of makes me miss the fun theatrics you see in other cooking shows. The blue lights in the studio seems to be an attempt to set a calm mood (sort of like in a bar), but it ends up mixing with the contestants' stress and pressure that it begins to create a solemn and serious setting instead.

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Statement: - This is a reality competition show that makes people really anxious and looking forward to see how people will give their all into cooking something some may not know.

Judgement:-- The game is really challenging as some may not what cuisine they’ll be facing, and they’ll need up mixing their own knowledge of cooking japan cuisine to a real one.

Evidence: - They are mostly not Asian , some are from Spain, Mexican etc. They had difficulties in coming up with a kaiseken dish in 1 hour time. Some of the people has not been to Japan, and so they are struggling to come up with the dish , and complaining how they have not been to Japan, and do not know what the taste be like.

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STATEMENT: The show keeps the audience in anticipation. It's really engaging.

JUSTIFICATION: There is tension as it builds up to the climax.

EVIDENCE: For the first Japanese round, there are stakes for all competitors, especially Darren. He has a reputation to uphold considering the fact that he owns a Japanese restaurant. He has undergone many struggles to get where he is. This makes the audience root for him.

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The show was extremely engaging and kept me watching.

The fact that the show mainly focusing on food is already entertaining for many with he showcase of all the different foods. But it is further enhanced with the changing country every episode and adds flavour and variety to the show, like this episode focusing on Japanese cuisine and the meals that they cook encompassing the country while being extremely visually pleasing, making the mouths of the viewers water. The stakes were also high, with only a team being able to safely progress through the first match, as well as their reputation as chefs as they are creating meals for famous celebrities like a world famous chef or celebrities that hail from the country that they are cooking for. We also cannot forget about the timer which adds even more tension as the chefs are being forced to work under pressure. With the elements of amazing visuals mixed with the tension which constantly grows with the ticking down timer, it makes the show engaging throughout.
(my evidence is mixed inside so I don't even know where they are now)

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Statement: This reality show keeps audiences on the edge of their seats

Justification:

The stakes steadily increase, high elimination rates in competition

Emotional insight of the chefs in their journey in cooking and the competition.

Evidence:

There was an increase pressure on the chefs when the country dish was revealed, along with Japanese judges.

The stakes were further heightened during the elimination round where they are judged by reknown Japanese chef.

Audience follows the story of the Canadian chef, Timothy, who opened a Japanese restaurant in his city and his victory and struggles throughout his career and the competition.

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Statement: I like the tension and excitement created among the contestants.
Judgement: The contestants are people who come from very different countries and they have to come together to make a Japanese dish.
Evidence: Quite a few contestants do not really have any experience with Japanese food before.

Statement: The elimination part made the audience feel bad for the contestant that could not move on to the next round.
Judgement: I felt bad that the guy who got eliminated as he cannot continue cooking in this competition any more.
Evidence: The guy who got eliminated is someone who loves Japanese cuisine and studies it. Especially when the host says "Final Plate", it makes audiences feel bad that this is the contestant's last plate.