Welcome to my blog! Behind the Scenes of the “Game of Chefs”
I will start by telling you what to expect, a little introduction to me and what my motivations were for joining the show.
For me, the blog will be the place to vent my thoughts, insights and frustrations that arose from the programme.
The shooting days last for hours and hours, during which contestants go through a whirlwind of challenges, experiences and feelings. Of course, the majority of it will not make it through the edit and will never be seen because it is not “TV worthy” enough or for other reasons. That's why I thought I'd tell you a little about my personal experience.
You won't find any "dirt" here on other contestants or on any of the judges. I'm not that type and I did not come to create provocations. I just want you to get a little more idea of what this experience entails.
You may read my choice of words that are not commonly used on television. After all, I come from the restaurant industry - a place with a short temper, a lot of stress, no personal space (and testosterone too).
So who am I? And what for God's sake led me to sign up for a prime time reality show?
I won't bore you with my resume - which you can understand from the program itself and also from the "About" page on my website. I'll just tell you that television is really not in my nature, that I probably am not camera material (I don't know?! We'll probably see soon) and that showbiz really scares me.
"Mmmm, lady, so what were you thinking!?" I can hear you wonder through the screen...
Many years ago, Guy (my husband) asked me, if theoretically I was to participate in a television program, what program would I want it to be? I answered "Game of Chefs” without hesitation and I had a million reasons why:
It’s the most professional TV cooking competition on Israeli TV, the dishes are tasted in a blind test and the backstory of all the contestants really isn’t the most important part. This means your success or failure on the show does not depend on how sad or exciting your story is (unlike other cooking shows).
A good friend tagged me in some Facebook post which led to a phone call from one of the producers. I was the exact typecast they are looking for: someone who has been in the industry for years, with a respectable repertoire, but no one in the country has heard of her! As for me, even though I was very flattered by the interest, I just answered her questions and already predicted how none of this is relevant at all because I live in England and there is no way that I will just fly to Israel for a few months all of a sudden.
Some time passed and I thought they forgot about me, but in the meantime Guy and I (and our 1 year old son Itai) were planning on moving to Israel. We always thought that such a day would come, but Covid-19, the birth of our baby and the intense combination of work/family life intensified my need to live close to my family and stop whatever I was doing to recalculate a route.
A few months later, they called me again, kept insisting and pressing and...I got cold feet. I decided it wasn't for me. But these producers knew what they were doing and knew exactly the right words to say and how to bring out the big guns when it was needed. They reassured me I can choose to leave at any given stage.
A few positive points did cross my mind. Firstly is that I was moving to Israel anyway and secondly, I was experiencing some kind of mid-career crisis anyway - not knowing how I would like to continue cooking when I "grow up".
Another thought was "Get out of your comfort zone already! Why the hell do you care?” All the biggest boo-boo’s I can do in front of the whole world on national TV will be forgotten in a second and a half anyway (hopefully).
Oh, and needless to say, all this time I have voices in the background (especially Guy at home) reminding me that I always said that this was the only show I would participate in, that I was more than capable, and that people who already loved me will not stop loving me just because I made of fool of myself on TV once. So there’s nothing to lose - I can only gain.
Long story short, I decided to go for it and when I do something, I don't do it half-heartedly. There are quite a few people who would do anything just to participate in such a programme and I shouldn't take their place if I don't really plan to give it my all.
Stay tuned!