If there’s one thing you should be taking away from MasterChef: Back To Win this year, it’s that new judge Andy Allen does not like cake.
He does not like cake one little bit. In fact, he hates cake. His dislike of cake is so profound that it is known globally. As a matter of fact, Andy Allen’s dislike of cake runs so deep that it simply cannot be contained within himself.
Andy Allen must, each and every time he is presented with one, loudly declare that he does not like cake. It is a sacred contract that he is hopelessly bound to. Under no circumstances is cake allowed to pass through his lips without a verbal declaration of his non-preference for it beforehand.
It’s a trope we’ve seen time and time again throughout this season of MasterChef.
It happened very early in the season, with Andy putting his foot down early to make sure everyone in the cast knew that he didn’t like cake.
And if that wasn’t clear enough, he immediately declared it again.
Thus the tone was set for the season to come: Andy Allen hates cake. He doesn’t eat it at all.
And it’s a fact he has to repeat over and over, whenever cake presents itself.
Andy professes his cake dislike in all scenarios, be that with the caustic gaze of his fellow judges burning a hole through him…
…or even when he’s not on screen; his assertion that there will be no treaties for this sweetie rings loud.
Even mid-cook when the mere concept of cake presents itself to Andy, he’s been left with no choice but to turn and walk away.
But here’s the thing: Despite his many protestations to the contrary, Andy Allen still winds up eating cake. He gobbles that shit up.
He shovels it into his mouth like his life depends on it, and then he searches desperately for validation afterwards.
Maybe it’s a guilt thing. Maybe he wasn’t allowed sweets as a kid and he’s carried that shame through to adulthood, where even the freedom of choice bares the weight of a stifled childhood. Maybe he has self control issues and knows that even one bite of cake is a slippery slope that could lead to a horrible relapse of some kind. Maybe he’s even searching for the right someone to tell him it’s ok to enjoy a sweet treat from time to time.
Who knows, man. Who bloody knows.
The only absolute truth here is that, for the rest of his tenure on MasterChef, cake will appear before Andy Allen, and Andy Allen simply must say how much he hates it before he takes a bite.
That’s the deal.
