Most contestants would try to get on the good side of the judges during a competition and do as their instructed. Not Crème De La Crème 2‘s Huang Shi Hao.
The contestant really has a mind of his own.
The sixth episode of the dessert-making contest, which aired last week, was a revival round for three previously eliminated contestants Shi Hao, Chong Pei Zhin, and Carmen Ng, to compete for a chance back in the competition.
The contestants were given three hours to replicate an earl grey, raspberry and chocolate dessert named Juedi Fupen, which was created by one of the judges, Chef Chui Foong.
The dessert would then be judged by actresses-turned-patissiers Fann Wong, 53, and Jeanette Aw, 44, as well as Chui Foong and Chef Tai.
Recreating the dessert was no easy task, and Shi Hao soon encountered his first challenge: he messed up the meringues, a key component of the dessert.
When peeking into the oven, Jeanette noticed that unlike the ones made by Chui Foong, Shi Hao’s meringues “weren’t joined together”.
When asked if he’d paid attention to the details during the 10-minute observation period, Shi Hao candidly replied: “I was too busy eating.”
The show’s host Dennis Chew then interjected, asking if there’s a way for Shi Hao to salvage the meringues.
Chui Foong appeared skeptical, saying: “That depends on how well he can do it.”
While Shi Hao appeared to have willingly made a fresh batch of merigues in the show, it wasn’t actually the case.
In an excluded scene that was posted on Mediacorp.re.dian’s Instagram, Fann was seen asking Shi Hao if he had time to remake the meringues.
Unexpectedly, the sassy Shi Hao mockingly tsked while rolling his eyes.
Even Dennis couldn’t help but exclaim: “How could you ‘tsk’ my idol?!”
When Fann urged: “Come on, you have time, you should strive for perfection,” Shi Hao reluctantly replied: “Okay…”
In a separate interview, Shi Hao admitted that he really “didn’t want to make another batch of meringues”.
He was relieved to find out that he had run out of vinegar, a key ingredient, but fellow contestant Pei Zhin thwarted his plan by offering him hers.
“Don’t give it to me!” Shi Hao responded with mock frustration, rolling his eyes again.
When Dennis asked if he was really going to make the meringues, Shi Hao reluctantly agreed: “Make lah, make lah.”
Fortunately for him, the judges were cool with his sassy demeanour.
“I like your spirit,” said Fann, who later acknowledged that Shi Hao “probably chooses to deal with his stress and challenges in a relaxed manner”.