Well, then. Tonight’s episode of MasterChef was a tear-jerker, to put it fucking lightly.
In this evening’s challenge, contestants reunited with family photos, dug up from the archives, and were told to whip up something that brought them back to their childhoods.
As you could probably gather, it was a bloody emotional affair, as contestants shed light on Australian migrant experiences not normally discussed on mainstream television. Among the candid retellings of their family’s pasts, Khanh and Reynold talked about how hard their immigrant parents worked when they first came to Australia.
Khanh’s family photo depicted him and his family when they first arrived in Australia from a refugee camp. Check out a snippet of his powerful story below, but, be warned, you will need an entire box of tissues (actually, just grab as many rolls of toilet paper as you can – you’ll need ’em).
Peep some of the most important tweets to come from tonight’s episode below. (And yes, they’re all about sobbing. Because we’re all sobbing.)
#masterchefau watching Khanh and Reynold tell their incredibly moving and inspiring stories to Mel, an Asian woman, who can directly relate to the struggles and experiences of immigrant families is why representation is so important and why this season of Masterchef is superior
— alexandra ❤️🔥 (@al3xandradagr8) May 27, 2020
FIVE ASIANS IN A ROW I AM SCREAMING, WE HAVE OFFICIALLY SWAMPED THE SHOW #MasterchefAu
— Benjamin Law 羅旭能 (@mrbenjaminlaw) May 27, 2020
I’m not crying, you’re crying. #MasterChefAU
— khanh (@khanhong) May 27, 2020
And this is why we need more diverse representation on Aussie TV. Because stories of kind, talented people who came from refugee and immigrant backgrounds are important reminders for everyone that successful Australians come in different forms along various paths. #MasterChefAU
— Isobel Ardent (@isobelardent) May 27, 2020
Cry all you want men on #MasterChefAU our boys need to know that it’s normal for a man/boy to cry.
— Jen Lee 🇺🇦🇺🇦 (@jenleeren) May 27, 2020
Khanh had me sobbing, then Reynold broke the dam #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/zxy4I2jgLU
— Fiza Zali (@fizawanders) May 27, 2020
a big thing in POC families is to make your parents proud
and I hope Khahn, Brendan, Poh, Reynold, Sarah & Jess realise they’ve not only done that, but made the rest of us proud by shining a light on how beautiful Asian culture is through their cooking #MasterChefAU
— Isha Bassi (@Isha_Bassi) May 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/dykeoksana/status/1265589980832731136
Reynold cooked with his heart, and stole ours in the process with his coco-nuts dessert ❤️ 🥥 #MasterChefAU pic.twitter.com/dZuqs77Yxr
— MasterChef Australia (@masterchefau) May 27, 2020
REYNOLD.
Can’t stop crying. Won’t stop crying. These responses substantiate why diverse representation continues to matter in television, and why this season of MasterChef is getting it so damn right.
For some further reading, I highly encourage you to read this more detailed explainer on why genuine Asian representation is so important on Australian TV in 2020.
