“Do you actually like each other?”, Jörg Pilawa (56) asked the two rivals of the VOX cooking competition “Mälzer and Henssler deliver!” The moderator was the first celebrity guest of the evening and promptly got the two-part answer: “No!” How serious that was to be taken is an open question, the fact is that Tim Mälzer (51) was under a lot of pressure: in the two first episodes of the format that were broadcast in autumn, he had to admit defeat to Steffen Henssler (49), in episode 3 he was now hoping he for revenge.
Four times it was necessary for both of them to cook for a mysterious group, about whose preferences they were only informed by more or less encoded information. In between, celebrity guests like Pilawa also dropped in, who wanted to be entertained and thus caused additional stress.
In round 1, both of them quickly suspected that it would be four older skat players, and indeed: four ladies around 70 expected a 3-course menu after the 90 minutes granted (the time varied from round to round). They did well, only Henssler’s dessert “Arme Ritter with fried banana and cream schnapps sauce” Mälzer found it took some getting used to: “Banana cock on toast-Schlotzenbrot!” have. The women also thought: “Not a feast for the eyes”, but still gave four out of five stars. Mälzer took the lead with the highest rating.
The specifications in round 2 were very specific: “Pizza day” was with them today, the family with a small child, who could be deduced from the table situation, let the two rivals know. The mood plummeted: Henssler complained that you couldn’t make a decent dough for it in 70 minutes. When Mälzer arrived from the cold store with the finished pinsa dough, he ticked off: “Are you trying to make fun of me right now? You stinky bitch!”
Meanwhile, the so-titled man laughed up his sleeve and explained why he thought pinsa was “the better pizza”: The secret is “a pre-baked pizza dough, which makes it particularly crispy.” He is not a big fan of the classic Neapolitan pizza. Just stupid: the customers do! This was announced by the parents of a 13-month-old daughter through another tip, which caused Mälzer to skid. It doesn’t matter – he quickly kneaded a new dough together and let his Vesuvius tomato sauce continue to simmer.
And Henssler? He did something outrageous, grabbed his cell phone and simply had pizzas delivered to him! “He can do it,” commented Mälzer, who initially seemed almost impressed by this audacity. After all, there are no rules on the show. The more he thought about the matter, the more his admiration gave way to annoyed bewilderment: “Funny, good idea – but also incredibly dishonorable! Am I ashamed? Yes. I would be ashamed.”
His biggest fear: that Henssler could get away with the scam! After all, he had gained quite a bit of time and was also able to conjure up a mousse au chocolat with raspberries. Mälzer could no longer manage a dessert and instead relied on bribery: in addition to a little fruit, he secretly put a 20-euro note for delivery.
Before the duelists found out about the rating of the young family, there were only surprise stars: moderator Steven Gätjen (49), who both had to serve a dish in addition to all the pizza drama, had not only come as a nice stress cause, as expected, but also as a judge: He rated Henssler’s Tuna-Teriyaki-Steak with five stars, with four Mälzers Burgunderbraten – balance! And the pizza? Both chefs got four stars each, and Mälzer was angry: “Without rules doesn’t mean without honor!” he scolded.
His mood improved when he immediately guessed who he would be allowed to cook for next: five members of the cult association Die Hamburger Goldkehlchen, a tomboyish male choir that regularly performs for good causes. He assumed that he would be well received with hearty, meaty on-the-hand fare such as “Entrecôte burger with mango salsa” – and he was right! There were four stars, while Henssler, the somewhat delicate shrimp
According to the information, a couple was expecting an extra fine dinner for the final sprint for their anniversary, and Mälzer feared that they would be caught. Celebrity guest No. 3, presenter Jeannine Michaelsen (40), commented on the tension that was felt in the room: “They definitely have a testosterone overdose problem.”
But that shouldn’t stop them from delivering: an older, dignified couple were both expecting, but to their surprise, the previously shown finely set table was in a mobile home, the owners of which at 27 and 28 years were significantly younger than expected – and even younger looked a lot younger: “When did you start making out with each other?” asked Mälzer, amazed. “Four years ago,” was the reply.
The two volunteer firefighters gave him five stars and Henssler four, so that to his relief Mälzer actually won the overall victory and praised Henssler (his penalty for the loser) and appeared somewhat reconciled. Nevertheless: “I haven’t forgotten the dishonorable ‘I’ll order a pizza’!” He clarified.
*The post “”Dishonourable! I’d be ashamed!” Mälzer goes after Henssler after audacity” is published by Teleschau. Contact the person responsible here.
