Right now, there weren’t any of the contestants inside the room to be judged so E Cheng Jun had time to directly talk with the judges. Seeing as it was currently Xiao Ming’s task, she figured that it would be best to first speak to him.

Walking up to the judges’ table and giving a smile, she leaned closer to Xiao Ming. “Judge Xiao, right now, about a third of the contestants have already finished your task but the others are still busy. Be honest with me: What do you think makes this task challenging for our contestants here at ‘Golden Spoon’?”

Xiao Ming habitually smiled back at her before pondering the question. He was very well aware of the advantages and disadvantages that the contestants had on this task so it wasn’t that difficult to answer but coming up with the best way to say it succinctly was still something he struggled with so he needed a moment to sort himself.

“I think that this task tests the knowledge of the contestants because it depends heavily on the recipes they know. They need to judge the ingredients they have, be quick when thinking about it, and then choose their dish or dishes accordingly. Being able to do all of that while under pressure is what I think is most difficult about this.”

“I see. Then what about the upside? Is there one?”

Xiao Ming nodded. “Yes, I’d definitely say there is. This is a task that allows them to showcase their skills individually because they aren’t required to make the same dish. This way, they can choose themselves and make something they have made often and know they are good at as long as it fits the ingredients.”

“Oh, so having the ingredients picked out for them can be a curse or a blessing depending on who it is then?”

Xiao Ming thought for a moment and then inclined his head once again. “I guess you could say it like this. In this case, Mister Yu and I picked the specific ingredients together and also talked about what kinds of ingredients they should be allowed to exchange the meat for. We made sure that the ingredients in the box are common ones that can be found in many dishes. Thus, the contestants have a lot of options to choose from. I think that gives them a certain degree of freedom.”

At this, E Cheng Jun raised her brows and then turned to Mister Yu. This was the perfect opportunity to switch the judge she was interviewing. She should thank Xiao Ming for giving her a hand there. “I didn’t know that the main judges were working together so closely behind the scenes. So Mister Yu was also involved in coming up with this task?”

Mister Yu hesitated for a moment but then shook his head. “When it comes to coming up with the task, then I’ll have to say that this isn’t the case. Whether it’s the two of us or the temporary judges, they will always make a suggestion of their own first. But when it comes to the specifics of the task, then yes, we do work together to ensure that the tasks are varied enough and will be able to be solved by everyone.

“In regard to this task, when Xiao Ming suggested giving the contestants a limited number of ingredients and having them work with that, I immediately felt that it was a good challenge.

“It is very close to what the contestants might experience at home and I think that for ‘Golden Spoon’, this is something that we always have to take into consideration: Our contestants aren’t professional chefs. They are people who have a love for cooking but still just do it at home.

“I think that for our tasks, we should never ignore that fact. That doesn’t mean that the tasks can’t be challenging though. But it does mean that we have to make sure that they will pose the right challenges.”

E Cheng Jun nodded, looking as if she had just been enlightened. One really had to say that when it came to moderating the show, she was somebody who made the appropriate expressions at the right time. It would probably give the viewers at home the feeling that she was just as involved as them when the episode was finally aired.

“Well, what does Judge Yu think how the contestants are doing so far? This is the second task only but you’ve already seen quite a few of the contestants come up with solutions for your task before and now, some have also finished Mister Xiao’s task. Do you have any favorites so far? Somebody, you think is pretty sure to advance to the next round?”

At that, Mister Yu couldn’t help but hesitate. Xiao Ming had just mentioned how it would be difficult to choose thirty-two out of these sixty-four contestants because everyone was good. Now, the second task wasn’t even finished and he was already asked just who he thought might be a hot candidate for the second episode. To say that he had trouble choosing … it wasn’t an understatement at all.

E Cheng Jun saw that he didn’t answer immediately and couldn’t help but sweatdrop. Had she asked this question too early? But then, if she asked tomorrow after the third task was already underway or even done, it would be too late. No, right now, they were roughly in the middle of the first episode. This was the perfect time to ask this question because right now, the answer was a mere prognosis, not something that anyone would be able to guess yet.

Mister Yu took another moment and then sighed. “Well, actually, before Ms. E came over, we were just talking about it amongst each other. I think we are all in agreement that this will be a tough choice to be made. We’ve seen several very good solutions for my task and so far, in regard to Mister Xiao’s task, it is the same.

“Of course, there are people who have done a bit better than others on one or the other. There were also some small mistakes here and there. But when it comes to finally deciding who will be let into the next episode, there is a lot to take into consideration and I don’t think we can do that yet.

“Of course, it is most important to fulfill the requirements of the task. For example, for Mister Xiao’s task, if one of the ingredients wasn’t used or maybe even several of them were missing, then of course, that would disqualify the person. When it came comes to my task, the results aren’t as rigorous because as long as they made some type of congee, even if it wasn’t good, they still did the task and we will take their dish into consideration.

“Other than that, there are, of course, some soft requirements. For my task, that would’ve been the consistency of the congee and also the idea behind the dish. We would also take into consideration if the contestants dared to try something new.

“For example, if a contestant is ambitious with a task and tries a new way to prepare a dish or combine it with another one, then that will positively influence our decision. It is not the basis but just one thing we will take note of.

“In the end, our choice will be made based on everything together. As a result, it’s difficult to say who might advance to the next round just yet. After all, we haven’t even seen everyone’s solution for the second task, not to mention the third one.

“Contrary to the contestants and the viewers at home, we already know what Ms. Chu’s task will be. This will once again be an opportunity for the contestants to showcase their skills and I think it is an opportunity to be especially creative. So I am really looking forward to that and I wouldn’t want to make any assumptions before that.”

E Cheng Jun nodded but couldn’t help but give a small grin. “Well, of course, you can’t make any decisions just yet, but does Judge Yu really not have anyone that you think is especially promising?”

Seeing a young woman his granddaughter’s age ask a question he had just explained he couldn’t answer, Mister Yu also couldn’t help but be softhearted. Anyway, she was just doing her good job. If he didn’t give her a good answer, then wouldn’t she also get in trouble?

Thinking of that, he couldn’t bring himself to be too harsh. “Well, of course, there are some people who — after seeing them do two tasks already — I think have a high chance of advancing. It is just that before we make a judgment, it’s better to wait for everyone to at least finish with the second task. That way, it’ll be fair to everyone. Unlike now where many have only been able to show us one dish.”

E Cheng Jun smiled brightly after getting this answer, feeling that asking again had indeed worked out in her favor. Now, she had already talked with Xiao Ming and also with Mister Yu. Naturally, she wouldn’t forget Chu Yu An, especially since she was a temporary judge. This was a person she’d only have the chance of interviewing this one weekend! She had to make use of that time.

Turning toward Chu Yu An with the same smile she always showed, E Cheng Jun directly picked a topic that only Chu Yu An would be able to talk about. “Ms. Chu, you’re on ‘Golden Spoon’ as a temporary judge. Seeing Mister Yu and Mister Xiao get along so well, was it difficult for you to get used to being on the show? After all, the two main judges already knew each other from the casting and the preparation of the show while you came in completely new.”

Chu Yu An smiled in response. “This might surprise Ms. E but, actually, it wasn’t difficult at all. Whether it’s Mister Yu or Mister Xiao, they’ve taken care of me very well. Everyone is really nice and makes it easy to get along well.

“Also, I at least knew about how the episode would go before I came here. The team explained that part to me before I agreed to take on the role as the third judge for this episode. And then, I also had to pick out my own task so I feel like I have some things in common with the other judges.

“Looking at how everything went so far, I only feel that it is a pity that I didn’t get the same treatment as Mister Xiao and Mister Yu when it came to talking about my task. I just sent my idea to the production team and then they told me it had been accepted.

“I don’t know whether the other two judges discussed it behind the scenes or not but I sure never got any feedback. Looking at what they said just now, I feel like it would’ve been great if I had had the opportunity to talk about it as well. I feel that it would’ve given me a deeper understanding of the show.”

E Cheng Jun showed a thoughtful expression. “Ah, so being a temporary judge is alright overall but the logistics can be a bit difficult. You are also not living in China. It must’ve been difficult to make it possible to even come here?”

Chu Yu An’s expression wasn’t any less thoughtful when she was suddenly asked this. Just that her considerations were real and not just for the viewers at home. Even though she didn’t care too much about how she was perceived over here since she would return home soon anyway, it still wasn’t good to show that too much. So she had to make sure she didn’t say the wrong thing. In fact, changing the topic swiftly might be for the best. “Well, there certainly were some challenges but I also have family in China so it’s a good opportunity for me. I’ll take a few days to visit my relatives since I’m already here. It’s really a good opportunity!”

E Cheng Jun smiled brightly at that. “Oh, then is Ms. Chu going to cook for them as well?”

Chu Yu An laughed in response. “Actually, I’m looking forward to my family cooking for me, not the other way around. It’s nice to not have to be a chef for once. Also, we have quite a few good cooks in my family. You could say it’s in our DNA.

“So yes, it will be nice to have them do the work while I can just lean back. Actually, come to think of it, ‘Golden Spoon’ is a bit like this as well: I get to set the rules while the contestants have to follow and bring good food to me. I really can’t say that I regret my choice to come onto the show.”

E Cheng Jun laughed as well and then scolded Chu Yu An for joking around so much before she turned back to the camera. “Well, as you can see, on the side of the judges, everyone is very happy with the progress of our show. Now, I believe that some of our contestants should soon be coming over again to get their judgment. Let’s wait and watch the excitement for a bit!”