149 – Third Judge

“This is a very amusing scenario,” Ang said to Li Yun. “The third judge is probably a non-celebrity, so they are using this method to hype up the viewers' anticipation.”

“Do you think this absolute taste is a hoax?” asked Xinda. “Recipes are known all over the internet, it’s easy for them to memorize. Not only that, we have already selected the recipes and given them to the producers, so of course, the third guest will have access and knowledge of it.”

The contestants submitted the recipes to the director prior to each competition. Not only did it help the judge to look smarter, it was easier to prepare for all the necessary ingredients.

“Mr. Ang, do you have any idea who it could be?” asked Mingya.

“It could be anyone,” replied Ang.

Back in front of the camera, Long Suah announced the first competition, “the first memorable dish.” The timer was set for one hour. Unlike what was seen on TV, real time cooking wasn’t that really fun.

The contestants and their sous chef began cooking.

As for Li Yun’s sous chef, it was obviously his driver, Hun Lun, who seemed completely lost on set.

“Why am I here?” was the question on his mind ever since the company assigned him to be Li Yun’s assistant.

His job description didn’t include cooking on a TV show. But apparently, this was a promotional activity for the company and he was required to attend.

After the hour was over, Hun Lun was almost petrified of Li Yun. “The guy is not normal! How can he not know how to properly cut onions or tomatoes at his age!?”

Frightened that his boss would hurt himself, Hun Lun took over preparing and cutting all the vegetables. By the end, they created a simple spaghetti and meatball. Li Yun had promised himself that he would finally make a proper spaghetti and meatball without sending anyone to the hospital!

After Long Suah and Nicholas tasted all the meals, they invited the contestants to taste the other contestants' dishes while they discussed amongst themselves the top 3 and bottom 3.

Li Yun looped around the open kitchen to try out all the dishes. If he was being honest, none of the dishes impressed him. He wasn’t sure if he was spoiled by Rouxi or if the contestants were holding back for the first round. However, that was usually a mistake, the first impression was really important to the audience.

Mingya, Xinda, and Antonio were the only standouts and obvious top three.

Long Suah and Nicholas discussed the different dishes. They were surprised that Li Yun’s dish decent. There were other contestants who had failed miserably. As amateur chefs, it was common to make mistakes if they were not used to the pressure.

"The choices are tough, but we have a decision," Long Suah announced to the camera. "Before we announce the results, please enter the confessional booths and write down who you think is the judge."

Although it was not announced, the contestants who had messed up their dishes were terrified of being eliminated. The only thing that could save them was determining the identity of the third judge, but who was it?

Someone with absolute taste, but doesn’t know how to cook. 

Everyone eyed each other as they took turns to write in their guess. Gabe overcooked his rice noodles to the point it was falling apart, Hung poured too much salt into his homemade ramen, and Fulin burnt the steak.

The director and judges were looked through the results. To their surprise, no one mentioned Li Yun.

“Well, this is unexpected,” Nicholas said as he looked at the camera, “we were planning to have a reveal once someone figured out the identity of the third judge, but no one got it right. I guess we can move on to the next competition.”

Nicholas had briefly chatted with the director and the crew to set up for the next competition.

“Since our judge is going to be here a while, want to keep it going as long as possible?” Asked Director Xian.

Nicholas scratched his cheeks. He hadn't been paying attention to Li Yun and was focused on the other contestants.

“What do you think of his ability?” asked Nicholas.

“Truthfully, not a single idea,” Director Xian wasn’t a chef by any means, but he had filmed enough cooking shows to distinguish a good chef from the bad chef. “His sous chef did most of the work while he ordered the commands.”

“Did he do anything?”

“He selected the ingredients, measured out the portion, and used the blender.”

Nicholas scratched his head.

During the next round, the theme was to create a classical Sichuan dish. Given the new filming location, it was natural that Sichuan cooking was placed on display. It was also one of the more well-known styles of cooking in the world.

Naturally, everyone had already selected the recipes and presented them to the judge. Dandan noodles, hot pots, mapo tofu were obvious, but there was also Kung Pao chicken, boiled pork, Yuxiang on meat, and boiled fish.

Some contestants chose the classic with a twist while others tried more obscure dishes.

Li Yun selected the food that was simplest to make. Mapo tofu. 

Directions: Pour in the soup base, add the seasonings, and then the tofu. Let it sit, and it was ready to serve.

There was minimal effort put in, but it wasn’t bad. Due to the spicy nature of Sichuan, as long as the cuisine had another taste other than spicy, everyone would comment on the complexity of the dish.

“This has the spiciness of the peppercorn, and sweetness of the fresh peppers.”

“This has the spiciness of the peppercorn, and sour taste of the white wine vinegar.”

By the end of the day, they filmed two episodes, but no one was able to figure out that the third judge was Li Yun.

“I think we should re-evaluate the third judge,” Xinda said. “They may not cook often, but it doesn’t mean they can’t cook. Maybe even a really good one.”

“Then wouldn’t it make things more difficult?” Asked Antonio.

Not only that, Hun Lun was a good cook.

By the fifth day, no one had selected Li Yun. Even the directors were rewriting the script to adjust the changes in Li Yun’s status as contestant and judge.

“How is it possible that we have 6 contestants left, and no one selected the correct one?” Director Xian rhetorically asked. “At least all of them had been named once.”

The problem was the anonymous voting system. After they selected and submitted the name, it wasn’t revealed. They were only told whether someone had figured it out or not.

“That’s not it,” Li Yun replied to the director. “Some already know it, but they are using me as a trump card.”

“What?” Nicholas was only shocked for a moment, and then laughed. It was something he should have realized sooner. People were smarter when it was a competition involving money.

The contestants were asked not to reveal their vote, but it was not a strict rule. Ang had already figured that Li Yun was the guest judge after the first episode. Being the guy that he was, he chatted with the other contestants and accidentally revealed to them that he voted for Li Yun, but it wasn't him. His main goal was to reserve the name in case he messed up his round.

Xinda and Antonio had also figured it out a few episodes later, and had the same strategy as Ang.

“These contestants are really in it to win,” Long Suah commented. “If some of them already know, they will not use it unless they think they will be in bottom three.”

Li Yun nodded. Half of the contestants already know it was him. By the next filming, one of them was likely to be in the bottom 3 and put down his name. It didn’t matter to Li Yun, it wasn’t like he was in the competition.

On the weekends, Li Yun took the opportunity to visit the temple, but there really wasn't anything interesting. He wondered if catering to tourists had changed the nature of many of the temples, or if there was a loss of faith that deteriorated the aura. Even with spirit detention, there was nothing unusual.

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