GRAND DESIGNS REVISITED
7.40pm, Sunday, ABC
One of the more unbelievable things about Grand Designs is just how much time has gone into making each episode.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The construction of the homes never seems to be on schedule, always seems to cost more than the owners planned and problems always appear.
The result is that a one-hour episode of Grand Designs can cover a time span of a year or two.
That's a lot of time to invest in just one hour of TV.
So it makes sense that host Kevin McCloud would revisit some of these homes to see them in their finished state.
It means they can effectively repeat the bulk of the original episode and then tack on a bit at the end where McCloud gets to see the completed home.
It's really getting two episodes for the price of one.
In this episode McCloud catches up with flying instructor Colin MacKinnon and hovercraft instructor (no, I'm not making that up) Marta Briongos and their three level corrugated aluminium-clad home.
On hearing they planned to cover the house in corrugated aluminium, I was sure the end result would look awful.
But it really doesn't - and the interior of the home is lovely too. Though I'm still not sold on those circular bedrooms.
THE RESTAURANT THAT BURNS OFF CALORIES
9.30pm, Wednesday, SBS
Watch the first 5-10 minutes of this show and it's hard to see why it needs to be an hour long.
The concept is this; people come into a restaurant and order food, thinking they're taking part in a show about hidden calories in food when dining out.
But out the back of the restaurant, there's a load of fitness fans on rowing machines, treadmills and exercise bikes - it's their job to burn off all the calories the diners are consuming.
That's not really a concept that can sustain an hour-long show. But it doesn't have to; instead it's the gimmick that allows co-host and GP Zoe Williams to take a look at the science behind calories and weight.
That gimmick is the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down if you will. And if they didn't have the gimmick of the "exercise restaurant", perhaps fewer people would tune into the show.
It is the scientific part that is most interesting - from the discovery of genes that can make some of us more inclined to eat to gut microbes that can help break down fat faster.
The show also touches on those people who say they can eat whatever they want without putting on weight. Turns out they probably can, but the catch is that what they want to eat aren't fatty, unhealthy foods.
MASTER CHEF
7.30pm, Sunday and Monday, WIN
Two fan favourites were eliminated from the MasterChef Australia kitchen this week. Kath & Kim devotee Reece Hignell was given his marching orders off the back of a vegetable entree the judges deemed too "safe". Emelia Jackson had already made it through to Sunday night's semi-final, leaving Callum Hann, Reynold Poer and Laura Sharrad to battle it out.
All-round nice guy Hann didn't make the cut. Did his coconut-poached snapper have the delicate balance of flavours and elements the judge's craved? It didn't matter. His fish was overcooked and the texture was all kinds of wrong.
In Sunday's semi-final challenge the top three contestants compete for a place in Monday's grand final. Three-hatted guest chef Martin Benn is in charge of the all-important pressure test. On Monday the top two contestants enter the MasterChef kitchen for the final time. Who will take home the all-star crown and the $250,000 cash prize? Tune in to find out.