Mat Beyer
Part 2
Last time we checked in it was Sunday, 26th June, 2011, and rumours were flying about the ejection of Mat Beyer from MasterChef Australia said to come about in a fortnight.
On the Sunday before last, Mat seemed to be being treated quite unfairly. This treatment slowly let up and soon he was just another face in the MasterChef kitchen. In his last challenge before his axing, Mat was in an elimination challenge and out-cooked two of the best cooks in the competition, sending ‘Golden Boy’ Hayden Quinn’s nerves jumping and ‘Dessert Queen’ Billy Law home.
Last night (Wednesday, 6th July), Mat was ejected from the competition.
All the competitors showed up to the MasterChef kitchen late at night to be told of a team challenge which would take place next day. The challenge involved cooking European (French or English) food - Mat’s specialty. He was green with envy when the prize for the challenge was announced.
Throughout the briefing, the camera continued to zoom back to Mat’s face. As someone who firmly believes that Mat may well be the sexiest thing since sex, I had no problem with this. It did amuse me, though, how much they were playing with the fact that probably 80% of the MasterChef viewing audience knew that Mat was going to be kicked out that night, despite their fruitless attempts to rise an aura of mystery around Matt Preston’s ‘bombshell’.
Late that night, Matt Preston came knocking on the MasterChef house door. As http://m.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/england-versus-france-versus-phones-20110707-1h2yv.html?page=1 said:
Finally! It's here. The moment we could never have seen coming despite a month of media coverage and the none-too-subtle efforts of MasterVoice at the top of the show. In fact, this is such a surprise visit that the cameraman recording it barely had time to get in to the bushes so he could capture Matt's entrance from the perfect angle.
Matt walks in to find Mat Beyer sitting alone, somewhat undermining Kate's statement of mere seconds ago that the two teams had split up to plan. Mat seems entirely surprised by Matt's visit. So surprised that his bags are packed and in the hallway.
And that’s pretty much how the rest of the night went down. http://m.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/england-versus-france-versus-phones-20110707-1h2yv.html?page=2 breaks it down with steady commentary:
[Matt Preston said,] "Mat, you made a mistake and used a personal phone which is against the rules of the competition."
And that is all we're going to be told it seems. Those hoping for details of what he did - heck, even broad brush strokes - are going to be sorely disappointed. Perhaps in the MasterChef House all property is theft? By claiming possession of the phone or any item Mat identified himself as a member of the bourgeois elite. Yes, he looks bourgeois. Emo-bourgeois.
"The fairest thing for all the contestants and for you is for you to make an honourable exit from the competition."
An honourable exit? Are we going to see duelling Matts? Global Knives at dawn!? No? No. Preston just means an exit under a cloud of ill-defined phone-usage. "Honourable exit" doesn't mean what it used to back in the day.
Mat is shocked to the point of no facial expression whatsoever. Totally off-the-cuff, without any premeditation and entirely improvised, his first reaction is: "I did the wrong thing and I deserve to go. I feel really guilty. It was the wrong thing to do, it was a rash decision, but I made a stupid mistake and I guess I'm paying for it now."
In fact, Mat's first entirely unplanned response isn't enough, so we cut straight to him sitting outside the same room. "It wasn't to cheat. It wasn't to have one up over the other contestants. I'd just really been struggling because I was missing my girlfriend."
The rest of the contestants’ reactions were also mentioned on the above website:
Now, in an entirely separate scene that was without any doubt shot immediately after the exchange we just witnessed, the remaining six members of the house sit on the sofas and look surprised as they are told Mat has left. In fact I'd say they look about as surprised as people who are being told about something that happened quite some time ago. Dani looks like she's trying to remember to be upset. Ellie looks like she's trying to remember what Matt's talking about.
Hayden goes to his special place - the well lit white room - to explain to us that Mat did something wrong and that has to have repercussions. Alana points out that what Mat did wasn't fair, as they all wish they'd been in touch with loved ones. Peter thinks that the suggestion that Mat could have looked up recipes is enough to have him evicted. Which is true, though in fact he's the first person on the show to actually suggest it.
Matt says the rules require the last eliminated contestant to come back. The others look at him like they're not sure what that means. Which is slightly embarrassing for all concerned really, particularly as the guy they're not remembering is obviously going to be standing around the corner. Preston says its Billy and that clears it up a bit. Everyone hugs. Mat is forgotten. Honestly, it's like a house of goldfish.
And the MasterChef logo explodes...
... to be replaced by Dave and Charlie from the 7PM project promising to explain everything tomorrow on the 7PM project (at 7PM) when Mat will be a guest and explain exactly what happened. How refreshing. It's rare that a network runs an ad that actually points out that their own high-rating show has just completely dropped the ball.
After Mat was officially ejected on-screen he spent the next 24 hours working tirelessly to clear his name. And by God has he done a good job.
I have kept as close tabs as a stranger possibly can on Mat’s movements over the past day, and I’ve pretty much got all of the results of what ended up happening. http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/television/9801589/billy-sweet-but-mats-sour/ reports:
Talking for the first time about being kicked off the show, Beyer said: "It was devastating. I didn't expect it to blow out to this proportion. It has become international news - it's insane.”
IT had all the ingredients of a sexy reality show scandal: the brooding, tattooed contestant accused of smuggling in a contraband phone and labelled a cheat for downloading recipes.
The real story was a little more heartwrenching, with MasterChef "bad boy'' Mat Beyer revealing family pain and not competition gain made him break the rules.
What really happened at the time of his elimination was highlighted in Mat’s NovaFM interview today with Matt (can you handle another one?) and Jo (http://www.novafm.com.au/audio_mat-from-masterchef-i-didn-t-cheat_102196):
Matt: I assume that they confronted you before Matt turned up in the NapiSan suit?
Mat: *laughs* Yeah.
Matt: There was quite a discussion because it looked very scripted and choreographed about the ‘honourable’... you know... ‘discharge’ you were going to take.
Mat: Yeah, well I didn’t have a script or anything.
Jo: But it did look like it wasn’t a surprise to you.
Mat: I already knew. They came, like, half an hour before.
Matt: Was it Matt who told you, or did some big grumpy producers came storming in?
Mat: The producers came down and they told me, saying, “We know you have a phone,” and I was like, “Yeah, yeah I do.” And then we sort of discussed it, talked about it, and then Matt Preston came down.
Jo: So then what was your real reaction when you first found out that they knew you had a phone and that meant you were going to leave? Because we didn’t see your real reaction. Were you outraged? Were you trying to fight them?
Mat: No I wasn’t, no, not really, I kind of got it - like, at the end of the day I didn’t cheat but I did break a rule, and I regret it now, of course.
...Matt: The other thing that struck me last night, and I don’t know how you feel about this - and I know a lot of words are put into a lot of mouths, but... nobody seemed particularly sad that you were gone, I mean they all just said, “The rules are the rules” as if they’d been told to say that by the producers. Did you get a sense of that watching the show?
Mat: Well the thing is, I saw them when I actually left, and Dani was crying and everything, and I think that would have been filmed probably... a day or two later.
Matt: It just seemed to me that they were very happy to have it portrayed as a “Too bad, so sad, let’s move on,” and I’m sure that wasn’t the case amongst your friends.
Mat: Yeah, I don’t think so. From what I saw when I was leaving, they weren’t particularly, you know, happy...
Matt: And there was a sense that a couple of them were a bit annoyed that Billy was back, like he would’ve been slightly harder competition for them than you!
Mat: *laughs* Yeah, I wouldn’t have wanted Billy to come back!
So Mat brought his phone into the MasterChef competition. Let’s address the five Ws and that odd little H:
Who: Mat Beyer has been replaced by Billy Law, with Matt Preston ‘officially’ breaking the news.
What: Mat used his phone (32G iPhone 3GS, according to http://www.popsugar.com.au/Interview-Mat-Beyer-After-MasterChef-Elimination-Why-He-Smuggled-Phone-Competition-18181404) only to call his girlfriend, NOT to cheat, his official elimination interview on http://www.masterchef.com.au//mat-elimination-interview.htm stating:
To those leaping to that conclusion Mat would only argue that his actions, while foolish, weren’t taken with any intention of getting ahead in the game. “I had the phone there just to keep in touch with my girlfriend,” he explains. “There was a lot going on in my life at the time and I really wasn’t coping very well with the limited contact. I didn’t cheat; you can’t cheat in the competition. You can’t pull your phone out and say, ‘I don’t know how to do this, I’m just gonna Google it.’ It’s just not feasible.”
Producers were reportedly worried Beyer could have accessed recipes via his phone. Beyer refutes the claim.
“It's a phone, not a gun, when it comes down to it,” Beyer says. “I didn't cheat but I did break the rules. Clearly I probably would have been winning more things (challenges) if I'd cheated. It wasn't in any way to get a one-up on other contestants. I'm sorry and I definitely regret doing it. I think I've copped a ridiculous amount of backlash. People were ringing up my family and going 'why is your nephew a cheat?'. That hasn't been good at all.”
And as he pointed out on 6.30 with George Negus, he couldn’t pre-prepare for a challenge because they had no idea what they were before they entered the kitchen. Mat backed this up on his NovaFM interview (http://www.novafm.com.au/audio_mat-from-masterchef-i-didn-t-cheat_102196), saying:
“I broke a rule. I didn’t cheat. I totally regret it now... but I didn’t cheat. You can’t look up recipes mid-challenge. The house is full of cookbooks, there’s no point. I couldn’t just pull my phone out mid-challenge and start Googling something.”
Mat texted his girlfriend more than anything, as explained on his radio interview with Matt and Jo:
Matt: Where were you making the calls?
Mat: Well I wasn’t really making the calls, I wasn’t calling very much...
Matt: Were you texting then?
Mat: Yeah, just kind of occasionally, just texting. You couldn’t really make a call, someone could just hear a one-sided conversation.
Where: Mat brought the phone to the MasterChef house in his pocket. The phone stayed in the house - his official elimination interview stating:
“I never took the phone on set anyway.”
I know I was wondering where he would have been able to use the phone, and this was answered on his NovaFM radio interview with Matt and Jo:
Jo: So were you taking [the phone] off to the toilet with you? People thinking, “Geez, Mat’s got a real issue, he needs to sort out his digestive system,” when really you’re in there texting away!
Mat: No, by the time I had it I had my own room.
When: Also answered on the same radio interview:
Jo: So did you always have the phone on you, from the moment you went into the house?
Mat: No.
Jo: So when did you get the phone?
Mat: When we had a little break [about a month before I was found out, back in April] and I had that with me when I came back in.
How has already been covered, so it’s time to skip to possibly the most interesting part of this whole scandal: Why. He explains his reasoning on his official MasterChef elimination video (http://www.masterchef.com.au//mat-elimination-interview.htm):
“I had the phone just to simply to keep in contact with my girlfriend. MasterChef is incredibly emotionally draining on you, and I had a lot of external things going on in my life. I definitely regret it now, taking my phone in, but...
"My Mum’s a missing person, she’s been a missing person for seven years [since I was 16], and it was coming up to the time when they were staring to do an inquiry into her death or possible death. That was really, really hard on me, and with the added pressure of cooking every day and the craziness that is MasterChef life...
"I knew the risks, I knew the risks of taking a phone in, but I knew also not taking the phone in I was definitely going to emotionally struggle, and I was already, so that’s why I brought it in... I didn’t have it the whole time, I only had it for, like, a month, I think it was... It did keep me sane, it kept my head focused a little bit more and I think without it I would’ve been a lot more emotionally fragile than I previously was...
"It was a really hard time in my life in general, so maybe going on MasterChef probably wasn’t the best idea, I probably didn’t think about it too well, but I knew the consequences of taking the phone in, and the risks of it, and... here I am. I’ve, you know, potentially lost out on winning MasterChef. It’s the price you’ve got to pay, and it was fair on everyone else, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry to all the other [contestants], I’m sorry to the audience, I’m sorry to the judges, and I feel really horrible about it, but... *shrug* it’s a choice I’ve made, and I can’t do much about it now.”
The 24-year-old IT specialist, who made his dramatic exit from the series last night, said he struggled with being away from loved ones amid lingering worry for his missing mum.
Beyer, who was 16 when his mother Julie disappeared, said the ‘uncertainty’ still weighed heavily. “You feel a weight on your shoulders that you can't communicate,” he said.
Six months into the MasterChef competition, a production break to reunite contestants with their families only served to open old wounds.
“The trouble lies when you go back, you have that little bit of contact, then you kind of yearn for it again,'' he said.
Returning to the house in April, Beyer made the fateful decision to take a phone into the contest with him.
“After seven years, that's when someone can potentially be declared dead,'' Beyer said.
But rules are rules and Beyer knew he had broken them.
...Beyer denies he cheated. He says he snuck the phone into the MasterChef house because he was emotionally vulnerable.
Beyer says he needed the support of his girlfriend, Jess. The pair has been together for four and a half years.
An inquiry into his mother's death has apparently started.
“I knew it was going to come up to Mother’s Day and then her birthday. I was feeling a bit emotionally vulnerable and one ten minute phone call a week wasn’t really cutting it. I decided to take the phone into the house to keep in contact with my girlfriend.”
Australian Federal Police files show that Julie Beyer has been missing since July 9, 2004. She was last seen in Lavington, New South Wales, and would have turned 50 this year.
I can now completely understand his decision to bring the phone in. I think he discredits himself when he says, “Maybe going on MasterChef probably wasn’t the best idea, I probably didn’t think about it too well,” because I honestly can’t see how Mat would have known that an inquiry into his mother’s death would be occurring six months after he first signed up for MasterChef.
Something else Mat has done, which I highly doubt many would have picked up on, is something I truly respect him for. He was asked on the 7pm Project (http://7pmproject.com.au/video.htm?movideo_p=39696&movideo_m=116954):
Andrew: At any point, Mat, did you actually explain to anyone that you needed the phone because your Mum is in such a unique position?
Mat: Well... no, not as such. For me, it wasn’t like she was going to call me or anything, it was more to get that little bit of extra support. I guess I really wanted to keep everything on the down-low, and unfortunately that’s back-fired way beyond belief.
This has been the only lie I could detect out of everything that Mat has ever said in the media, and it’s not even a fully-fledged lie due to his hesitant “Not as such.” Because, if you remember, Danielle said (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/why-mat-took-that-phone-to-tv-kitchen/story-fn7x8me2-1226081979726):
"Mat had a really hard life and there was some news coming that I don't think he wanted anyone else to know about.
"Because production filter everything that comes to us communication-wise, that was his way of trying to keep it from everyone but it backfired in a bad way."
She refused to reveal what the news Beyer, 24, was waiting for.
Now we know. In his official elimination video interview (http://www.masterchef.com.au//mat-elimination-interview.htm), Mat said:
“I really came close to Danielle and Dani - I spent a fair bit of time hanging out with them.”
Mat ‘sort of’ lied - he ‘lied’ to protect his friends Danielle and Dani from the uncomfortable media attention he has been suffering from. http://www.popsugar.com.au/Interview-Mat-Beyer-After-MasterChef-Elimination-Why-He-Smuggled-Phone-Competition-18181404 reflects:
While the other contestants were oblivious to his possession of a phone, he opened up about his mother to Dani Venn and Danielle Dixon, who recently said that reports Mat had used the phone to access recipes were untrue. Mat understands that the emotional support he would’ve received from his girlfriend was an advantage over the others, saying, “At the end of the day I didn’t cheat, but I broke the rules and I totally regret that.”
I personally think that Mat made an incredibly brave and selfless decision. He isolated himself from the help of his friends to save them from unwanted media attention. And indeed it has been unwanted - http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/television/9801589/billy-sweet-but-mats-sour/ reports Mat saying:
"[My family] are clearly not too keen on [the scandal] but unfortunately it is what has happened. Journos have been digging around for anything on my family, which has been a bit weird."
Preston says Beyer never alerted MasterChef producers to his ordeal. Beyer’s excuse didn’t feature on last night’s show.
“Mat never told anyone he wanted more phone time,” Preston says. “He didn't mention [his missing mother] to me. If he'd told someone then of course he would have been allowed more time. [The producers] are good in terms of making available support from people like our in-house psychologist.”
So everyone was asking - why didn’t Mat just tell the producers of his situation? But I already knew the answer, as someone who has faced similar situations many times over. http://www.popsugar.com.au/Interview-Mat-Beyer-After-MasterChef-Elimination-Why-He-Smuggled-Phone-Competition-18181404 confirms my beliefs:
Matt Preston has said that the contestants are offered 24-hour access to a psychologist and have the limited contact with loved ones (a 10-minute phone call a week) reassessed when personal issues arise, but Mat told us that he didn’t approach the producers because “I’m a pretty private person, and I didn’t want it to be part of my storyline - you know how every year there’s some sort of sob story. I didn’t wanna be the guy with the missing mum.”
I certainly would have done exactly the same thing in his situation. I wouldn’t have wanted to talk to the producers in case I became the pity case of the show. I wouldn’t have wanted to go to the in-house psychologist simply because I despise psychologists. We are both private people, and do not appreciate having our personal lives dug into by producers, psychologists, film crews, opposing contestants, or even most friends.
On 6.30 with George Negus, Mat recognised the irony of his situation - that in his attempt to keep his situation with his mother a secret from the world, he ended up making it international news (http://ten.com.au/630pm-with-george-negus.htm):
Interviewer: Did you consider telling them that that was the situation so you could get more time on the phone?
Mat: You know, I didn’t want it to be part of the story, I didn’t want it to be brought up... I’m a pretty private person.
Interviewer: On a reality TV show.
Mat: *laughs* Yeah I know, the irony of the whole situation, hey...
So now that the story’s out, how is everyone reacting?
Mat is coping wonderfully, cool and calm about all the craziness in his life at the moment. I was lucky enough to have the chance to ask him a couple of questions today in a live blog Q and A session he did here http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/mat-beyer-denies-cheating-on-masterchef-took-phone-as-mum-julie-beyer-is-a-missing-person/story-e6frewyr-1226089252354. I asked him:
In his official elimination video interview (http://www.masterchef.com.au//mat-elimination-interview.htm) Mat states:
“It’s one of those things, you know... it’s a fine line. Did I deserve to be kicked out? Well... I guess so, you know, I did. I broke the rules and I knew the risks, and I’ve just sort of got to... put up with it.”
How does he feel about everyone’s favourite Gaysian Billy replacing him? http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/television/9801589/billy-sweet-but-mats-sour/ reports:
"I was shocked," Beyer told Access All Areas in reference to Law getting knocked out. "So I am really excited because if anyone got to come back I am glad Billy was the one to come back."
He was asked the following question on the 7pm Project when Matt Preston was also on the line being interviewed (http://7pmproject.com.au/video.htm?movideo_p=39696&movideo_m=116954):
Steve: Are you bitter? Is it safe to say you won’t be watching MasterChef tonight?
Mat: *laughs* I’m not bitter at all! I can’t wait to keep watching and see how the competition progresses. Hell... *shrug* Matt, do you want to come over for dinner? I’m cool, I’m not bitter at all!
Matt: Matty? Call me!
After everything MasterChef’s producers have done - possibly leaking the scandal, not allowing Mat to defend himself for a month effectively branding him a cheater for some for life, locking up their contestants - they’re treating Mat well now. His elimination interview’s preface on the MasterChef website is:
“Acknowledging he made a mistake, Mat wants to set the record straight on why he made it.”
Seeing his elimination interview and video as well as the time which he was given on the show, MasterChef has done it’s best to give Mat a fair go at redeeming himself from the label of ‘cheater’ in the eyes of the public. http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/07/mat-beyer-wasnt-holed-up-in-a-motel-after-masterchef.html reports:
[Mat] understands the course of action.
“MasterChef has treated me fine. They did everything they could. It wasn’t like they leaked the story, or not that I know of. I don’t think it’s in their benefit to do so, and it’s created a lot of dramas for them too,” he says.
“When it comes down to it, I was the one who broke the rules. I was the one who did the wrong thing. They’ve been incredibly nice to me about the whole thing. They could have portrayed me as an evil villain or the devil, so it’s been pretty good.”
Now he is relieved he gets to tell his side of the story, after considerable media speculation.
“Being called a cheat and being on Today Tonight... that’s a highlight of my life,” he says [sarcastically]. “It hasn’t been great being branded as a massive cheater. When you read that they found recipes, well they didn’t. They didn’t find any. Reading all of that stuff is really frustrating.”
But he also admits the rules on not talking to family during production are extreme.
“When you put it into perspective it is a cooking show. Going into it you have no idea. I think looking at it now, the public might understand how it works,” he says. “But I think it would be good if they reconsidered [how much time contestants get to communicate with their families].”
The aspect of the whole scandal which seems to have outraged Mat the most, however, have been the rumours that he took his phone in to satiate an incurable addiction to the iPhone game Angry Birds. http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2011/07/masterchefs-mat-is-an-iphone-guy-but-angry-birds-pisses-me-off/ reports:
[We] managed to sneak in a question about rumours he was using the iPhone to play Angry Birds. “That’s not true! Plants vs. Zombies. And Doodle Jump. I don’t like Angry Birds, it really pisses me off. It’s really frustrating!”
So in summary, Mat is presenting himself diplomatically, coolly, calmly and with an open mind to the public and the media. He has done a stunning job of charismatically explaining himself to Australia and to the world.
It is fascinating to note that in all of his interviews, he does his best to put off bringing up the situation of his mother for as long as possible, even though he recognises that it is this reasoning which will persuade most of his haters to understand. He still doesn’t want to be the MasterChef sob story, the guy with the missing Mum. I can identify completely with this, and I am incredibly proud of the way in which Mat is conducting himself in clearing his name.
How the MasterChef judges are reacting, however, is different.
As far as I can tell (and I have done everything to investigate), George Calombaris has neither been asked for nor volunteered any information regarding Mat’s elimination.
This may just be my impression, but it seems to me that Gary Mehigan is of the opinion that Mat did cheat in the hopes of gaining an advantage against his competitors. On 6.30 with George Negus (http://ten.com.au/630pm-with-george-negus.htm), Gary summarises his views:
Gary: It’s quite clear that Mat broke the rules. He had a phone in the house and it quite clearly states from the get-go that you can’t have a phone. That’s told to them at auditions and re-enforced all the way through the show because it’s really, really important.
Interviewer: It’s a kitchen, not a gaol, why are the rules so strict?
Gary: Well, why do you think? The rules state you can’t have a phone. This is a lovely bubble, a lovely little food bubble, where people are competing on an even keel.
Interviewer: How did the contestants take in behind the scenes, and the judges?
Gar: It’s a shock, because you think that everyone’s in it for a reason, and that’s to experience this whole journey, and at the end of it for somebody to walk away being the chosen one...
Am I the only one who’s irritated with that? It seems to me that Gary thinks that Mat brought the phone in to get an advantage over the other contestants, as though he valued winning over the MasterChef experience. I’m also bemused with his perception of MasterChef as “a lovely little food bubble” - he obviously doesn’t have to leave his family and friends for months on end to cook tirelessly on a reality television show to return ‘home’ to people you don’t know in a city you've never been allowed to even walk around.
Matt Preston, on the other hand, seems genuinely sorry that Mat had to leave the MasterChef house (perhaps this is why he was chosen to be the one to send Mat off on camera?). He said on http://www.novafm.com.au/audio_mat-from-masterchef-i-didn-t-cheat_102196:
“Mat had a mobile phone in direct contravention of the rules to which all the contestants knew they had to abide. We have to be fair to all the contestants which is why it was decided that the only thing to do was to let Mat make a honourable withdrawal from the competition. Myself, George and Gary wish Mat all the best for the future and hope that he will continue to pursue his dream of finding a future in food.”
Matt has been the judge to raise his voice highest over the Mat scandal, vouching for him, and expressing, as he did on the 7pm Project:
“I think the pity is that when we’ve been in that situation where contestants have needed that extra leeway, they’ve always been allowed it, so it’s a real shame that Mat didn’t have that conversation earlier on with the producers.”
And that is exactly what I would think, were I not as much of a ‘private person’ as Mat.
And I don’t really think anyone cares about what Matt Moran has to say, probably due to a combination of the fact that no one thinks that he’s a ‘real’ MasterChef judge, and that we would all just pass out if we had to include another Matt in the equation.
The reactions of the other contestants were, to me, quite predictable. Dani, who was particularly close to Mat, cried. Alanna said that although he didn’t cheat in his cooking, he did have unlimited access to the emotional support which did give him an advantage over the other contestants who also greatly missed their families and friends. Peter said that although he didn’t believe that Mat had cheated, the possibility that he could have meant that the fairest thing for everyone would be for him to go home. So in other words... those who did not know of his situation with his mother stood by Mat in saying that he did not cheat but believed that the rules were right and he should be axed from the show, but those who knew about his mother - only Dani - were hit very hard by the injustice of the situation.
Billy was re-entered into the competition upon Mat’s disqualification, and his thoughts can be found here http://www.masterchef.com.au//billy-talks-shock-eliminations-and-second-chances.htm:
Preferring to focus on his opportunity to continue in the competition, rather than the reasons for it, Billy will share that all involved agreed Mat received fair punishment. “Everyone in the house felt it was the right thing to do. We were all aware that if someone breached the rules we would have to face the consequences, so I think everyone felt the same way.”
And that’s really - I think, at least - all Billy can say. Happy to be back in the running, sad that it’s because his friend was taken out.
Public reactions... this is what has concerned me above all else. Just from Mat’s blog (http://cookingwithgoths.com/) and the chat I was involved in earlier today, here are the list of negative comments.
On the blog before Mat was allowed to clear his name:
Anonymous said...
Bloody Cheat !
Anonymous said...
Seriously tie your hair back at least.
Anon MC Fan said...
Definitely take the feedback from the loyal viewers, Mat - wash and tie your hair back, present yourself looking clean, neaten your beard and make it APPEAR that you're hygienic....and then maybe people may want to eat your food!
Anonymous said...
hey matt your the worst
Anonymous said...
Mat your a cheat and an aweful cook.
Claim to be able to grill yet at the Fiddler you fucked up something chronic.
Become and Emo and just die ...
On the blog after Mat was allowed to clear his name:
Anonymous said...
Crap cook and a cheat.
You dont deserve sympathy.
You cost another their dream .. if it wasnt for you, someonewho DIDNT CHEAT would still be there.
All you Matt lovers, die with him bitches.
When myself and another Blogger Rachel stood up for Mat, we received this reply:
Anonymous said...
FUCK OFF EMMA
BITCH
Rachel, he cheated and cost one of the others a spot.
If he was just using it to make calls or to anyone, then he is getting emptional support which the others are not.
Looking up Recipes or not, he had an edge over the others as a result.
He is a cheat and shouldnt get any support whatsoever from anyone.
Anonymous said...
Die Emma you bitch.
Your as useless as Mat without a phone.
lol
On the live blog (all after Mat justified himself)
Comment From guest: isnt 'breaking the rules' and 'cheating' the same thing? Just sugar coated?
Mat Beyer: Well, I did not cheat in regards to cooking, and I am a big fan of toffee.
Comment From Sarah: Mat - stop with the spin. You broke the rules. You cheated. You gained an unfair advantage over the other contestants who didn't have the same access to family. Just admit and stop all the sugar-coated lies.
(Mat did not bother to reply)
Comment From Guest: You suck
Comment From Sarah: Good luck. I don't agree with what you did no matter what the circumstances.
Comment From Bob: cheat!
There have, however, been many stand-out support messages for Mat on his blog, this one possibly taking the cake:
fiandshalimar said...
Oh for God's sake, will the 'anonymous' haters grow some balls and get a life? Mat is a hundred times better than you lot, hiding behind your computer screens, don't even have the guts to put a name to your comments. Put yourself in his shoes for a moment, your mother is missing possibly dead, you aren't coping, you make a MISTAKE... I would have done the same. It was proven he didn't use the phone to cheat. Get over yourselves and grow a little bit of common sense, respect, and obviously self esteem considering what you are saying and how. Truly disgusted.
This is my message which I posted on his blog for which I got the backlash:
Emma said...
Seriously, it's a cooking show. Get over yourself. He's out of the competition now, so justice has been served for him according to the rules of the show. If you think he should have been hung for his mistake, take it up with Fremantle Media, the federal government and the United Nations. He does deserve support from those willing to give it, and you can't change that, because he is a real person who is a wonderful cook and due to unfortunate circumstances, decisions and mistakes, he's lost a huge opportunity in his life. If anyone wants to give him support to get back on his feet, get over the haters and achieve a dream which he has the talent, desire and skill to earn, then that's at our own discretion. If you want to hate on someone who admits that they've done wrong, have apologised to all involved, and just want to get the truth out in an attempt to clear their name as best they can before they step out of the spotlight, then you need to fix up your priorities. And if you think that "All you Matt lovers, die with him bitches", then you need to get your sorry ass to a mental asylum.
Perhaps this is my bias, but I honestly can’t see how many people could hold a grudge against Mat. Yes, some will disagree with or not understand his decision, however I believe that the way he has handled himself in the past twenty-four hours has mowed down a good majority of the haters.
An article which outlines public opinion on both Mat and the MasterChef rules is http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/masterchef-makes-the-wrong-call/story-e6frfhqf-1226090143692:
PLEASE, please, please MasterChef - just tell me that evicted contestant Mat Beyer used his damn phone to cheat.
Because something needs to justify this horrendous public shaming.
...Of course, we knew his eviction was coming because Channel 10 leaked it out a few weeks back, no doubt to rev up the ratings.
It was assumed we would see a shady character get his comeuppance. And we'd get to confirm our prejudices along the way - never trust a heavily tattooed goth.
I'm sure my kids weren't the only ones who yelled out "cheat" at the TV every time Mat's face appeared in the past fortnight.
But then on Wednesday we learned the full details of his horrendous crime and Mat was able to explain himself on the Herald Sun website.
Yep, he had a phone hidden so he could call his girlfriend and maybe get news of his mum, who has been missing for almost seven years.
"Yeah, I definitely am a goose," he said on the Herald Sun live chat yesterday.
But that's not good enough for MasterChef.
"Everyone in the house knows you can't have a phone. Mat had a phone. Having a phone is not allowed. It's an elimination offence," said MasterChef judge Matt Preston.
Talk about draconian.
Apparently it's illegal for contestants to have a mobile phone because they could look up recipes on the internet.
But they never get any warning about what is coming up on the challenges and eliminations so how would that help. And we constantly see them pouring over recipe books in the house.
Come on, Mat's not only a Gen Y but works nine to five as a tech head.
How could he be expected to go for months without his phone? Most people of his age and occupation wouldn't last a day.
The MasterChef contestants are not airhead, wannabe-famous Big Brother contestants, for heaven's sake.
These are adults in responsible jobs with husbands, wives, partners and children who just happen to have a passion for food.
Yet the MasterChef producers think it's perfectly acceptable to limit them to a 10-minute chat to their families each week?
The whole scandal has made me think Mat is the only one with common sense and the rest of the contestants are just a bunch of pathetic wimps.
How demeaning to allow other people to control your life to that ridiculous extent? How must their partners and children feel coming second to MasterChef fame?
And what sort of adult is OK with having to shut themselves off from the world for up to six months with no outside news, no footy scores and no idea what is happening at home from one weekly call to the next weekly call.
But, sadly, it's Mat who is copping all the flak, suffering not only the humiliation of being evicted but the shame of being thought a cheat.
It looks like the tables have turned on MasterChef for their harsh system of rules.
Something I had really worried about was if the rumours were true and Mat had actually been locked in a motel room by FremantleMedia for the past month. I asked this in the live blog chat:
It was revealed a few hours later what Mat had been doing for the past month (http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/07/mat-beyer-wasnt-holed-up-in-a-motel-after-masterchef.html):
Yes he broke the rules. Yes he admits it was wrong. But in the fallout of his MasterChef exit, Mat Beyer says he wasn’t holed-up in a hotel or even a motel.
As he explains to TV Tonight, he was home getting back to some sort of normality.
“I wasn’t held up in a motel or anything,” he says. “I just got on with my everyday life. I was working in a restaurant, I was at home getting stuff prepared for my blog.”
At home in Melbourne, Beyer says the only people who knew about his exit were his girlfriend and his housemates.
Earlier reports quoted his father saying he was being kept in lockdown, with only an occasional phone call.
“I didn’t speak to him much, so he didn’t know. I didn’t tell my dad I got kicked out. He found out when everyone else found out,” he explains.
As many questions as that answered, it arose an equal number. So what’s up with Mat’s dad? Why did he claim this (http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/mat-locked-in-motel-after-masterchef-axing-for-using-smartphone/story-e6freuy9-1226077729712):
..."[Mat] has been told not to say anything so they must have something in the wings or want to boost their ratings in some way," [Michael] Beyer said. "They've got him holed up in a motel room somewhere - and I can only talk to him when he rings."
But Mr Beyer blamed a Channel 10 ratings grab for his son being unfairly cast as a villain following his shock exit from the series.
So did he just want to defend his son proactively, encouraging the portrayal of Mat as a victim rather than just as innocent? Did he cave under media pressure to make a statement? Was he simply confusing life inside the MasterChef house and out?
It was also the simple statement of "He has been told not to say anything so they must have something in the wings or want to boost their ratings in some way," which somehow set empty rumours flying that Mat would be returning to the MasterChef kitchen.
And we’re left to wonder if that was really Matt Preston.
I don’t want to pry into Mat’s family life, and I would be happy if these questions were never directly answered, but what is Mat’s relationship with his father? Did he not call his Dad after being evicted because his contract forbade him from doing so, or because he did not want to talk to him? I don’t know, but I’m just glad that Mat has been free and working productively for the past month!
I must say, after the episode in which Mat was ejected was aired, I was feeling pretty depressed, and one thing cheered me up when I didn’t think I could be. Mat had been preparing a blog post, and almost as soon as the closing theme of the MasterChef episode finished, he posted pages upon pages of hilarious ranting and raving about the extraordinary wonder of truffles. http://cookingwithgoths.blogspot.com/:
It’s that sexy heady aroma that brings me to my knees ,like smelling a good burgundy I could sniff it for a few hrs before even consuming. maybe [I could even concoct] some sort of bucket to head truffle sniffing device which I guess would be great on trams or the peak hour train instead of smelling the armpit of everyone around me I’m in sniffing heaven.
Ms paint at its best. It’s like chroming but for rich people
...I loved the creamy polenta and the occasional contrast of the seafood in mouth but the truffle can still shine and become the hero of the dish rather then something floating along in the back. needless to say each bite was sex in the mouth and I was having multiple orgasms (brb need to change pants).
My day was officially made.
Mat appears hopeful that this scandal will be put to use in that it could secure kinder rules for current and/or future MasterChef contestants. http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2011/07/mat-beyer-wasnt-holed-up-in-a-motel-after-masterchef.html:
“A bit more phone contact would be good because you go a bit crazy being locked up. You’re not allowed to go outside or anything. You stay in the house sometimes four or five days at a time. You can’t go anywhere,” [Mat] says.
“The worst thing is you have this amazing view and you can’t go down there. But you’re living in a mansion so life isn’t too tough. You really only go from the house to the studio and that’s it. I lived in Sydney for 7 months and didn’t see any of it.”
There are production breaks for Christmas, Easter and some weekends, but Beyer says time off is erratic.
“It depends on the shooting schedule. Sometimes we have a day or two off, or we’ve got no days off. Sometimes we might work 30 days straight, but in the end you’re better off working, because you just get bored at home.”
Peter, who was eliminated the day after Mat was officially axed, was definitely not the first to present his frustration with the no-outside-contact MasterChef rules (http://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/perth-confidential/kumar-pereira-struggling-with-cult-hero-status-after-masterchef-exit/story-e6frg30l-1226090456022):
Peter Vickery, who was given the chop in last night’s episode, says that during his six-month stint in the MasterChef house, he suffered bouts of claustrophobia and cabin fever so severe that it was a relief when he was finally booted.
“I was going mad,” Vickery told news.com.au. “You can only work out and cook for so many hours in the day. I kind of lost it a little bit and said to the house parent, ‘I'm going crazy, I'm going absolutely stir crazy.’"
The 50-year-old account manager from Sydney said he became so distressed at one point that producers allowed him break competition rules to leave the house and go for a walk.
"I did have one day where we had no filming for three days and we'd just gotten to the point where they took the newspapers away, had cut off the free-to-air TV and we had no phone, no internet, no nothing, and I was climbing the walls," he said.
Vickery said he was feeling so positive about life after the show he couldn’t wait to get out.
"I really pushed those doors open knowing it was the last time I would walk out of that kitchen, and I thought I could fly,” he said. “I just really thought let's go, let's get started, I'm so excited."
I for one hope that more reasonable rules will be achieved for the contestants of MasterChef as a result of this, or that it will at least be considered.
In regards to how he’ll be perceived from now on, [Mat's] not worried about how the controversy will follow him in the future, saying, “It was a cooking show, you know, a cooking show, and I had a phone on a cooking show.” When asked about what things have been like since news broke of his booting in mid-June, he joked that aside from Today Tonight and A Current Affair, he has been racking up work experience hours in kitchens, doing some sommelier work, and writing for his blog.
And who will win MasterChef? http://www.novafm.com.au/audio_mat-from-masterchef-i-didn-t-cheat_102196:
Well, we all know it’s the Hayden Quinn show. So probably Hayden, or maybe Dani.
I can’t really explain it, but I feel like this is it: Mat is literally going to be in the spotlight for 24 hours, then he’ll be out of the media’s attention. That may be why I feel safe writing a conclusory blog post now. The questions which, if answered, I will edit into this blog are:
- How did the producers know that Mat had his phone with him? Because according to the 7pm Project (http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/television/9801589/billy-sweet-but-mats-sour/), neither Mat Beyer nor Matt Preston know.
- Who originally leaked the story that Mat had cheated?
- Was he actually digitally/physically edited out of the MasterClass with George’s Mum and the Moran Family Farm challenge?
But in all, Matt had a good time in the MasterChef competition. In his official elimination interview (http://www.masterchef.com.au//mat-elimination-interview.htm), he states:
Everyone kind of became good friends, and that’s the really amazing thing about it. On the surface view, you’d think that they aren’t the sort of people I’d generally be friends with, but once you’re stuck trapped inside a house for six months, you make them become your friends. You’d better like them, and I was really lucky this time - there wasn’t any bickering, no crazy fights or anything.
I loved meeting David Chang, and the offsite chats I got to have with him - same with Heston, and Thomas Kheller. Speaking to Heston is very enchanting, he’s like this crazy food Willy Wonka guy, he’s just like that in real life. He’s so passionate, so happy, and so genuine, it was really great to meet Heston, and Thomas - and David Chang is just so cool, so that was great!
...It’s been an amazing, unique experience, and the best thing about the whole thing is meeting the other contestants. You get to make friends for life, and you get to have opportunities thrown at you that you never expected.
The plan now is to continue on my food journey - I love cooking, it’s not going to stop me cooking. Phone or no phone, I’ll be cooking in a kitchen! I’ve already started working at Steer Bar and Grill, which is a new high-end steak bar. Ironically, no steaks returned yet! I’ve definitely conquered the beef! I’m looking into doing things with wine as well, which is another big passion of mine. So I’m sure you’ll see me around, you haven’t seen the last of me yet!
Mat reflected in his elimination interview (http://www.masterchef.com.au//mat-elimination-interview.htm):
Though he recognises the intensity of cooking in the MasterChef kitchen, it’s the isolation factor that goes with being a contestant that Mat highlights as his biggest struggle. “Going into it you don’t really realise how full-on it actually is. It doesn’t really dawn on you until after a couple of months when everyone gets really homesick. But I really do understand it now, it’s important because it means you don’t get distracted by things going on in your outside life.”
Mat freely admits that his fellow contestants found the shocking news difficult to swallow, yet insists it wasn’t because they suspected foul play. “Obviously not everyone was particularly stoked that I got extra contact with the outside, which is totally fair, but they all know I didn’t cheat. It’s really funny because I don’t use recipes. Ask anyone in the house, I suck at following recipes, I don’t have the attention span. That’s why I don’t bake, I can’t follow recipes at all. I’ve totally got ADD.”
Once the dust has settled, Mat hopes that the public will judge him on his food, not his folly. Certainly looking back on the experience as a whole, there are plenty of highlights to ensure he remembers MasterChef with fondness, not regret.
“David Chang liking my food, that was pretty cool. Thomas Keller liking my beef too. Just so you know, I really can cook steak. The day after the Mean Fiddler Challenge we had a BBQ and I cooked 25 perfect steaks - the irony! The Mine Challenge, the Sonoma Challenge - they were great.”
Despite his ignoble exit, Mat’s not about to let it interfere with his cooking dreams. “I’m working on my blog cookingwithgoths.com - a satirical name, clearly I’m not so goth. Maybe a little food guide to Melbourne, a bit of work in restaurants, and I’m also looking to do some work with wine. I want to keep cooking, working at building a food and wine career and looking for that foothold in the industry.”
As for his remaining MasterChef peers, Mat’s certainly not shy when it comes to predicting a winner. “Hayden. We all know it’s the ‘Hayden Show’,” he laughs fondly. “I think Hayden or Dani will take it out.”
There was one other question which was answered on NovaFM (http://www.novafm.com.au/audio_mat-from-masterchef-i-didn-t-cheat_102196):
Interviewer: Did you have phone sex in the house? That’s what people want to know.
Mat: *laugh* Ah... uh... No...
Interviewer: What about on the legitimate 10-minute phone call? Was it then? Because that would’ve been awkward when people were looking for recipes and you were- anyway, let’s not get into that...
The answers to most other questions I had were answered in the live chat blog. Plus, some stuff was just plain funny.
Comment From Rex: Why you need to talk to girlfriend on phone when there is plenty hotty girls in Masterchef kitchen?
Mat Beyer: They are not my girlfriend.
Comment From ejay: Congrats on making the top 10 Mat but seriously you are a goose... Wish you every success in your future. Hope you continue to cook
Mat Beyer: Yeah I definitely am a goose. I deserved it.
Comment From zoe: Hi Mat. Who was your favorite judge and why?
Mat Beyer: i liked them all for different reasons, Matt's humour was great and George and Gary's dad jokes are absolutely awful!
Comment From Guest: Did it feel like certain contestants had been picked as the "golden" child i.e. Hayden?
Mat Beyer: We gave him that nickname.
Comment From TEABAG STEVE: Was there any romance in the house between contestants?
Mat Beyer: Me and Seamus can't talk about it. :)
Comment From Caroline: Would you like to see them increase phone time as a result of this? 10 minutes per week is nothing.
Mat Beyer: Yeah for sure. Filming goes for 8-9 months and it's a long time and you become detached from the world and it's a huge shock to deal with everyday life. You don't leave the house at all so you develop Stockholm syndrome and need the interaction.
Comment From sayantanb2010: Hi Mat, what do you think was your best and worst moment in this year's Masterchef?
Mat Beyer: best moment - David Chang. worst - Mean Fiddler or taking out Billy who I love!
Comment From Guest: any plans for marriage?
Mat Beyer: Not currently :)
Comment From Miss Moo: Hi Matt, how did you bring the phone in and how did you use it with so many cameras in the house?
Mat Beyer: There's no cameras in the house, not that I know of, but there was a rumour there might be and we searched the whole house.
Comment From Liam: Bummer about the booting mate, wish it was Sun or Dani haha dont know how you lived with Sun for as long as you did
Mat Beyer: I took one day at a time.
Comment From Darienne: Are Ellie and Hayden getting it on? Who was most annoying in house and why? P.S I no longer watch season 3, now you have left.
Mat Beyer: Everyone has their little characteristics and are not too annoying and Ellie and Hayden are not getting it on.
Comment From Failed Chef: Is Sun as patronising in real life as she comes across in her monologues?
Mat Beyer: Sun is an interesting character.
Comment From Guest: What is the most awful food you tasted while on Masterchef?? Anything really gross???
Mat Beyer: One of Sun's lentil dishes
Comment From wayne: did anyone else use your phone?
Mat Beyer: No.
Comment From Sarah Linsdell: It seemed as though you were being treated unfairly by the judges during your time at MasterChef did it feel like you were being targeted especially towards the end?
Mat Beyer: I don't think that i was targeted, but George liked to refer to me as his whipping boy in a loving way !
Comment From Danielle: Do you think there is clear favouritism of particular contestants in the house (*cough: Hayden) and that your appearance made you prejudiced against from the start?
Mat Beyer: I don't think my appearance had anything to do with my cooking. i think they like what they eat, and there was no favoritism shown. Hayden is actually that good it is annoying!
Comment From Don: Mat, did you choose to keep the information about your Mother private for fear it may have exploited you when in fact it may have helped in her search with more people being aware?
Mat Beyer: Yeah pretty much.
Comment From bob: You say you had no reception for your phone - are you with Vodafone? ;-)
Mat Beyer: Ironically yes! ...And I know longer own the phone, it's cursed, I threw it out.
Comment From jimbob: Well done Mat for being so honest. Have you managed to find yourself a decent shampoo since coming out of the house?
Mat Beyer: My hair is rather clean today as a matter of fact! I'm a big fan of Aesop
Comment From Guest: i bet your spewin you don't get to go to new york anymore.
Mat Beyer: I'm definitely upset, I had the visa in my passport.
Comment From Guest: Do you think small children are confused by your actions. Saying you don't cheat, but the result is saying that you did?
Mat Beyer: i haven't spoken to any small children, but my friend's a teacher and her class of grad 6's think I am cooler now ... because I am bad ass.
Comment From atim: any truth to the rumours that jay and hayden also had phones with them?
Mat Beyer: Not that i know of - I should check facebook to see if they have checked in to the house.
Comment From Don: Mat, this years show doesn't appear to have been as well received, was there any sense between the contestants that this year was a little different in terms of their ability?
Mat Beyer: i think the show this year was all about going back to basics and you don't get to see the same creativity, but the dishes we cooked in the house were high end dishes we never got to bust out in the kitchen. We were whipping up foams and gels and plating up in ridiculous ways and we never got the chance to show it off in the challenges.
Comment From Brownie: You should now use your fame for good and become some sort of Goth King? Get your goth followers t to appreciate a fine wine with lamb and rosmary tarts, instead of goon and a stick of cheese.
Mat Beyer: Yeah I'll be king of the Goths!
Comment From Oly: goth king would be good
Comment From Matt Preston: do you hope you are recalled to the show down the track?
Mat Beyer: it's too late for that.
Comment From Guest: What is Kumar REALLY like? It seems like there is something sinister lurking behind his eyes..
Mat Beyer: Kumar is amazing, he is a fighter for human rights and he is cheeky and everyone has a Kumar impersonation.
Comment From Val: Try out for My Kitchen Rules!!
Mat Beyer: Too easy
Comment From Bugzy: Did you hear thousands of hearts breaking when you left... cause there were, mine being one.
Mat Beyer: Aww that's so cute!
Comment From Morningside: Do the judges give contestants help finding work after they leave.
Mat Beyer: Yeah they can. not yet but I only just got out. They are genuine.
Comment From Guest: Is Matt Preston as beautiful in real life as he is on TV? Did you get to touch his kravatt?
Mat Beyer: No I didn't!
Comment From a fan: did you die your hair?
Mat Beyer: Yes i'm actually blonde
Comment From Oly: is Sun serious or trying to act serious?
Mat Beyer: That's a question we all ask.
Comment From Cam: Is Billy gay?
Mat Beyer: He is the dessert queen!
Comment From Matt Moran: Where were you when you used the phone?
Mat Beyer: Is that really Matt Moran?
Comment From Bugzy: THANK YOU FOR SHOWING GOTHS CAN COOK AND ARE NICE PEOPLE... WE ARE NOT ALL ANGRY AND HATEFUL... Just like the colour black and Tattoo's and piercings LOL
Mat Beyer: clearly you did not go to my sacrifice last night
Comment From J: Is it true you got kicked out on purpose because Sun is too difficult to live with?
Mat Beyer: No.... you've caught me - kidding!
Comment From Matt: What happened the the second "t" in your name?
Mat Beyer: Given it to a friend
Comment From Guest: Cool smashing pumpkins tshirt. What other bands do you like?
Mat Beyer: Nine Inch Nails, The Pixies and The Doors. I have a Jim Morrison tatt on my shoulder
Comment From Olympia.K: who is the loudest snorer in the house?
Mat Beyer: Jay - so loud!
Comment From Baker: I like sausage rolls. Can you make them?
Mat Beyer: Yes I can make sausage rolls and the trick is to use pork and make your own puff pastry - and be hungover, that's the other key ingredient!
Comment From Ray
Billy loves you
