Are the four members of the “Top Chef” jury mental coaches or brigade leaders? – Marie ETCHEGOYEN / M6
- M6 is broadcasting this Wednesday the penultimate episode of the twelfth season of Top chef.
- This year again, Hélène Darroze, Philippe Etchebest, Michel Sarran and Paul Pairet continued their brawl. But what do they represent for the candidates?
- “The coaches are like a perpetual stimulation on each event, like an electric shock”, certifies Romuald Graveleau, the producer of the show, to 20 minutes.
The plateau of Top chef is it a boxing ring, a playground or a kitchen? The question can arise when we see Philippe Etchebest banging Matthias a little too hard on the back to encourage him or Paul Pairet fly with Sarah to celebrate his victories.
Guarantors of the show, the four brigade leaders pull the plug and get caught up in the game for the duration of the competition. But if they like to send spikes, the four members of the jury are not there only to make their show.
Rule n ° 1: don’t get involved
On paper, when Hélène Darroze, Philippe Etchebest, Michel Sarran and Paul Pairet were asked to participate in the program, their mission was simple: to stimulate the creativity of candidates. “They serve to push them further than the first idea they may have in the statement of the theme,” indicates producer Romuald Graveleau to 20 minutes. They make the candidate ask the right questions to do something even crazier. “
Be careful, helping candidates to surpass themselves does not mean that you have to take them by the hand and give them ideas for a good meal. It is also forbidden: “During filming, we are very careful that the team leaders do not position themselves as the creators of the recipe”, underlines the producer. Members must therefore encourage competitors to ask themselves the right questions: is my proposal the right one? Am I in the theme? Can I go further?
When Sarah no longer knows where to turn during the first round of the semi-final, Paul Pairet is therefore obliged to remain in his role, namely to help his protege after she has found her idea, and not him. say what to do. The chef must combine the stress of the challenge with that of the presence of her coach. “We have extra pressure when they’re there. We tell ourselves that we don’t want to disappoint, ”she comments.
The mind is essential
But then, apart from tasting each other’s preparations and telling them to be careful with their cooking, what are the members of the jury for? “They still provide a lot of ideas, good advice in the kitchen, and we need to have their opinion on a lot of things”, nuance Matthias.
More than gastronomic chefs, Hélène Darroze, Philippe Etchebest, Michel Sarran and Paul Pairet almost slip into the shoes of sports trainers over the weeks. “It is much more of the coaches who will play on the mind during the event by raising the straps or, on the contrary, by pushing us”, supports Sarah. “It is true that there is also a real part of mental coaching, it is really very important”, adds Matthias.
If the jurors are presented as brigade leaders, the candidates are not for all that under their orders. “The coaches are like a perpetual stimulation on each event, like an electric shock”, certifies Romuald Graveleau. Like sports coaches, the four personalities will push their foals without being able to do the exercises for them.
What if they hadn’t been there?
Matthias, he has been facing for sixteen weeks Philippe Etchebest, the most fiery of the jurors. And if he often has the right to a few taps on the shoulder, the candidate considers that the competition would have been different without his mentor. “I find that the adventure is even more beautiful with them because it is an exchange, it is always much more enriching”, he confides.
First selected by Hélène Darroze, Sarah then joined Paul Pairet’s brigade. And according to her, there is no doubt, his adventure would not have been the same if he and she had not been there. “Even if it had been the other way around, I don’t know if I would have stayed that long,” she says. I really needed a Hélène Darroze at the start, something a little maternal that reassures, then to have this second birth, this second boost, with Paul Pairet. “
Thanks to their coach, the young chefs have been able to develop their cuisine. Sarah notably gained self-confidence, Matthias kept a lot of advice in mind that she could use in the future, and Mohamed was able to focus on his strengths, including sauces and juices. By pointing out the great achievements of their proteges, the leaders also make it possible to take stock of the strengths of each and every one in order to put them even more forward, and therefore to win the tests. Who of Hélène Darroze, Philippe Etchebest, Michel Sarran and Paul Pairet will have been the best or the best in his coaching to set foot in the final? Answer this Wednesday evening.