On Monday night, Christine Ha was named the winner of Fox's MasterChef. She's under 30, an accomplished home cook and writer. As winner of MasterChef, she was awarded $250,000, a fancy trophy and a cook book deal. And she's blind.
She writes on her blog:
In 2003, I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO). It is similar to the more widely researched Multiple Sclerosis in that the overactive immune system causes nerve impulses to misfire, often resulting in vision loss and paralysis. While MS tends to affect the brain, however, NMO mainly interrupts the optic nerves and spinal cord. The course of NMO is also more progressive than that of MS; full recoveries from acute attacks are less likely. After several bouts of optic neuritis, the network of nerves connecting my eyes to my brain atrophied, and my vision deteriorated to what the doctors call “counting fingers.” What I see can best be described as shadows and extreme blurriness like I’m eternally walking through a cloud. Or imagine staring into a mirror foggy with steam right after a hot shower–that’s my world.Christine's journey to victory has been an inspiring and fascinating story to watch this summer. The Kid and I have been rooting for her since the beginning, at first solely because of her disability. We wanted her to win early on because we like the underdog to win. Adversity breeds empathy. The reality competition series couldn't have been scripted better. The Beloved likes her, too, but was rooting for Josh to pull out the win in the end
Over the course of the summer, however, my reasons for rooting for Christine changed significantly. Primarily, she started kicking culinary ass and dumbfounding the judges. Sure she made a few mistakes, but who doesn't? Fallibility in our heroes is always welcome. She used a sighted assistant in the kitchen to read ingredients and insure she didn't hurt herself, but every measurement and plate presentation was hers alone to make. Talent breeds respect. Her reported flavor profile was outstanding, with even sour puss judge Joe Bastianich marveling at her abilities. She constantly tastes and adjusts each dish to perfection. Her plates looked gorgeous, oftentimes far better than her competitors which included a food photographer. How this happened confounds me still.
But Christine is in the business of confounding. She claimed as late as the final episode that she's not in the competition to be a role model for anyone, she was in it to win it. Perhaps the great, continued post-ADA fallacy is that the competitive drive is muted in the differently-abled. It was a triumphal moment of spirit, individuality and humanity to hear her declare that she simply wanted to win. Passion breeds camaraderie. I was inspired in a whole new way, and so were the judges and the producers of the series.
She literally opened the eyes of the producers and judges in every episode, hopefully causing them to examine their common practices in the very visual mediums of television and food. At least once a week there was a moment that reminded all parties involved that what just happened wasn't effective for everyone. Whether it was a Mystery Box reveal that had to be explained or a technique demonstration that went unwatched or a mock-up cook book cover featuring the chef's picture that had to be felt or even just walking a dish down one series of steps and up another, each moment played out so differently than planned. The fact that the producers either refused to change a single thing for her or were stuck trying to do their best in an unforeseen situation was fascinating to watch at home.
That she won in spite of all this is mindblowing. Hopefully it will have repercussions that will last beyond this week. Christine Ha may not have wanted to be a role model, but she should be an inspiration that allows the television and food industries to reexamine their business models to become more effective for everyone.
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